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Respect supports PCS workers |
George Galloway and Respect members standing for the London Assembly have offered their full support to teachers and civil service workers who are set to strike on 24 April over pay. George has written to the civil service union, PCS, in response to a questionnaire put to all candidates, outlining Respect's backing for the stance the union has taken.
"The PCS has my full support in its campaigns for fair pay for its members and against job losses, including compulsory redundancies.
"I have met local PCS representatives in my constituency and have written to the union branch expressing my full support for the recent action they took.
"The balkanisation of pay negotiations in the civil service is a scandal, designed only to weaken civil service workers' collective strength.
"Not only am I aware of the general impact of the Lyons review, I am seeking to highlight the particular impact of job losses in the Department of Work and Pensions in my constituency. This is not some narrow trade union issue – it is about providing a quality service to some of the most vulnerable people in society, and there are many of them in my constituency.
"The fact that there has been more privatisation of the civil service under Blair and Brown than under Thatcher and Major is an outrage, which underscores the need for PCS members and other trade unionists to have effective political representation.
"Of course, the London Assembly has little or no direct power over these matters. But it can be a platform for making a political case over them. In the London elections I am backing Ken Livingstone against Boris Johnson – not because I agree with everything Ken has done, but because Johnson would be a disaster for London and a revival of the Tories cannot be good news for trade unionists.
"I'm standing for the Assembly, however, precisely to hold Ken to account and to promote the interests of ordinary working Londoners."
George has also met representatives of the PCS and National Union of Teachers to discuss the issues behind next week's strikes. He says, "When parents find that schools up and down the country are closed next week, and when whole government departments grind to a halt then the blame will lie squarely with Gordon Brown and New Labour.
"His policy of cutting the pay of public sector workers is totally unjustified. The PCS and NUT unions are taking a stand for millions of other working people by coordinating their action.
"They have my support and Respect's support. And we will be touring London next Thursday putting the case against pay freezes, job losses and cutbacks as part of our campaign for the London Assembly on 1 May. " |
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