{"id":1668,"date":"2023-02-01T22:54:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T22:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecosocialist.scot\/?p=1668"},"modified":"2023-02-01T22:54:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T22:54:31","slug":"cymru-wales-strike-our-collective-future-depends-on-this-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecosocialist.scot\/?p=1668","title":{"rendered":"Cymru\/Wales – “Strike: Our collective future depends on this movement”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Robat Idris<\/a><\/span><\/span> writes on the Undod website<\/a> about the importance of the current strike movement for Welsh\/Cymraeg struggles and relates it to the history of the nation’s struggle.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

Strike: Our collective future depends on this movement<\/h2>\n
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Introduction<\/h3>\n

\u201cPublic sector workers are not on strike because they want to break the system. They\u2019re on strike because the system is broken.\u201d \u2013 Mick Lynch, RMT leader, Aberdare, 21-01-2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sometimes, saying nothing and doing nothing tells a lot about who you are. It shows which side you\u2019re on. It shows if you understand what a crisis is or whether you don\u2019t. We live in such a time at the moment. That is why we must support those workers who are on strike. Because in the end, our collective future depends on what the outcome of this fateful battle will be. Do we want our people to live without the threats of poverty, cold, hunger and unemployment or undignified work being hanging over them constantly? Do we want to continue to suffer under the tyranny of capitalism owned by the few? Do we want to surrender our basic rights to strike and protest?<\/p>\n

The current strikes are much more significant than just seeking more pay for specific workers. They are all fighting to benefit the wider society, and protect the services the public treasure. They are a cry that echoes from the hospitals and the schools and the railways and the mail vans and the colleges that proclaim quite clearly: \u201cEnough is enough\u201d. The strikers know very well that one in three children live in poverty in Wales, that the use of food banks is on the rise, and that fuel poverty is rampant. All this following over a decade of austerity, with more to come. The strikers know that wages do not keep up with inflation, especially in the public sector \u2013 this was not the case when such inflation was seen in the 80s of the 20th century.<\/p>\n

Do we want to lose even the partial freedom we have? Such are the implications of Tory anti-strike legislation. Or do we want to act according to the heroic traditions of workers of the past?<\/p>\n

Historical background<\/h3>\n
\"Dic
Dic Penderyn plaque, Merthyr Tudful<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cymru saw the Red Flag raised for the first time in Merthyr in 1831, followed by the unjust execution of Dic Penderyn \u2013 and up to 24 people were killed during the fighting as well. \u201cCheese and bread\u201d and \u201cDown with the King\u201d were some of the slogans of the rebellion.<\/p>\n

In 1839 Cymru saw the Chartists fighting for rights, when around 20 people were killed by the authorities in Newport.<\/p>\n

Cymru saw the longest strike ever, and one of the bitterest, when Bethesda quarrymen rose up against the brutal working conditions of the owner Lord Penrhyn, whose estate had profited enormously from slavery in Jamaica. The strikers would display posters in the windows of their houses with the words\u00a0\u201cNid oes bradwr yn y t\u0177 hwn\u201d<\/i>\u00a0(\u201cThere is no traitor in this house\u201d). The strike lasted from 1900 until 1903, and many had to move to the Valleys to work in the coal industry.<\/p>\n

The coalfield, of course, has been the cradle of the workers\u2019 strength, and where there was a continuous dispute between the coal masters and the peasants who lost their health and sometimes their lives in the mines. In 1910 Churchill sent the army to Tonypandy to quell the efforts of the miners to stand against the masters. Churchill\u2019s name is still hated in the area. Closer to our time, came the great miners\u2019 strike in 1984, which gave Thatcher the opportunity to defeat her main enemies \u2013 namely the miners \u2013 and change the political course of the United Kingdom in the direction of individualism, privatisation, and a squeeze on rights. A post-industrial desert was created in the South Valleys. Thatcher\u2019s heirs are the current Westminster government, and what we see these days is a continuation of her ideological war.<\/p>\n

\"Tonypandy\"
Tonypandy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s strikers<\/h3>\n

Who are in an industrial dispute today? Ambulance Workers, Nurses, Midwives, Physiotherapists, Royal Mail, Teachers, Railways, Civil Servants, Academics, Buses. It is possible that others such as fire workers and junior doctors will also strike.<\/p>\n

Striking is not something to undertake thoughtlessly. People have reached the end of their tether. Perhaps it is the wages that have not risen much for ten years, and therefore more and more people who work full time have fallen into the pit of poverty as inflation is rampant, which on the surface has triggered them to strike. But there is much more to it than this. Time and time again over the last few years, we heard about unbearable working conditions with targets being elevated above service. In different occupations, workers have suffered from mental and physical illness, until people are completely exhausted and have to leave their work. This is true for many occupations other than those who are on strike.<\/p>\n

The fight against the employers is not just about protecting wages. All of these strikes are battling against fundamental changes to workers\u2019 rights, such as holidays and sick leave, and the much devalued terms offered to new staff.<\/p>\n

At the same time we see that corporate profits and payments to corporate chiefs and directors of companies rise and rise to incredible levels.<\/p>\n

National Health Service<\/h3>\n

Hooray! These workers were heroes during Covid! Deserving of being clapped in the street! But clapping doesn\u2019t buy a loaf or keep the house warm. It does not hide the mismanagement of the NHS which is tottering on the brink of failure. And it certainly hasn\u2019t done anything at all to convince us that the Government\u2019s aim in Westminster is not to privatise the NHS.<\/p>\n

So the Government is trying to blame the failures of the NHS on the heroic and dedicated workers who are doing their best to look after us. The Government wants to pass anti-strike legislation in order to maintain a \u201cminimum level of service\u201d. Of course they don\u2019t reach the lowest level of service when there is no strike \u2013 the service was on its knees a long time ago. So the the nurses and the ambulance workers are scapegoats.The Government\u2019s tough new law could mean that nurses are sacked. We cannot accept that \u2013 especially bearing in mind the scandals about friends of the Government getting contracts worth millions at the time of Covid, and providing equipment of an unacceptable standard, and without anyone being called to account.Do we want the Health Service to be privatised?In the context of Cymru, our Government says that it is grateful to the Health Service workers, but that it cannot pay the workers more without more financial support from the Westminster government. You decide if that is a sufficient reason. Incidentally, this is at the core of the contradiction which characterises Welsh Labour \u2013 on the one hand, it believes in the Union with England; but on the other hand it complains when there is not enough money or sufficient attention being given to Cymru. And undeniably, the Health Service is Labour\u2019s main article of faith, yet it cannot protect it effectively.<\/p>\n

Royal Mail<\/h3>\n

The service is 500 years old. Since its privatisation years ago, it has been under siege. \u201cCompetition\u201d is one of the holy words of capitalism \u2013 and so the competition of the free market means that a multitude of companies deliver parcels to us. It appears that the van drivers of these companies suffer from poor working conditions, with targets that are almost impossible to achieve. No doubt this enables a cheaper service, but at what cost? Not only in human terms (attacking the working conditions and wages of Royal Mail workers, and taking advantage of workers from the other companies), but also the environmental cost \u2013 where one vehicle used to bring goods to us, now there can be several in day.<\/p>\n

Teachers and Assistants<\/h3>\n

These are workers who had a very difficult time during Cofid, carrying responsibilities that were almost impossible at times. Combine this with an increase in their workload, lack of support and resources, discipline problems, an oppressive system of inspection, the fear of losing your job when a complaint is made about you, and it\u2019s no wonder things have come to an end. We know that many leave the profession for these reasons.Do we really want a society where our children are taught by teachers who have fought, are looking forward to retirement or aspire to leave teaching for a different career?<\/p>\n

Railways<\/h3>\n

Mick Lynch, the leader of the RMT, has become prominent in this troubled time. He led his union, and to all intents and purposes the labour movement in the absence of leadership from Starmer, the leader of the post-socialist Labour Party (although there are many good socialists amongst its ranks) who condemned one of his own shadow cabinet for daring to go on a picket line . Mick Lynch is certainly particularly effective in standing up for his own employees, and also in explaining the wider picture. Don\u2019t be surprised if we see relentless attacks on him by the Government and the media. It is worth reading an article about his visit to Aberdare in\u00a0Voice Wales<\/a>, and watching a video of his speech there.The Government has clearly shown which side they are on, by ensuring that the companies that run the railways have not lost a single penny since the dispute began \u2013 and it has cost the country more than if the dispute would had been settled. This is an ideological battle.As in the case of other workers, the protection of service users and their safety is one of the main reasons for striking.Do we want an inferior rail service with the increased risk of accidents?<\/p>\n

Academics<\/h3>\n

The world of colleges changed beyond all comprehension in a generation. Where there used to be students, today there are \u201ccustomers\u201d who want \u201cvalue for money\u201d for their fees. Learning institutions were turned into profit making factories by expanding the numbers of students beyond the ability of the job market to employ them in their respective fields. Lecturers and researchers were changed into machines to try to please administrators, and work contracts were downgraded to being insecure and short-term, as well as changing pensions for the worse. We have even heard of some lecturers sleeping on library floors.Do we want to continue to disrespect learning?<\/p>\n

Oppression by Westminster<\/h3>\n

Squeezing the right to strike and intimidating the workers is the purpose of the Act which is currently going through the parliamentary process. The official name is the \u201cMinimum Service Level Bill\u201d, but unofficially it is known as the \u201cAnti-Strike Bill\u201d. According to the Government, they want to ensure a basic level of service in the public sector, by forcing people to work even if the union has won a vote to strike. If people strike in violation of the law, then they can face losing their job.This is a completely unreasonable threat, and shows a complete lack of understanding of things as they are. Because this is the truth \u2013 there is no basic level of service in the Health Service when there is no strike of this kind in the world. The troubles of the ambulance service, shortage of nursing staff and doctors, waiting lists, and lack of care in society all testify that the Government is guilty. And in Wales, our Government is dependent on Westminster for resources.This is a cynical attempt to portray the true heroes and essential workers of our society as selfish and unscrupulous people. The truth is that because the Health Service is on its knees the strikers are acting to protect it, as well as for their own benefit.We can say exactly the same thing about the other public sector workers on strike.This law will be a blunt instrument in the hands of the rich. The intention is to keep the worker in his place, that is, to be obedient, quiet, and not complaining. The publicity machine will try to divide the strikers, try to turn the public against the strikers, and pave the way for even more privatization and relaxing of safety rules as well as returning the worker to insecurity, poverty and illness .Couple this act with the \u201cPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act\u201d or the Policing Act as it is called, and there is a real attempt to attack our most basic democratic rights. It is not impossible to imagine circumstances where both laws would be implemented at the same time.Is a General Strike the only way to get this obdurate Government to listen?<\/p>\n

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\"The
The Miners’ Strike 1984-85<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Support<\/h3>\n

We can show our support in many ways.<\/p>\n