Socialist Party Wales Socialism In Wales
By Dave Reid
Over 200 attended a strike solidarity rally called by Cardiff Trades Union Council on August 20th.
Called at short notice in the middle of the holiday period, the rally was an impressive show of the developing strength and confidence of organised workers taking action or preparing for action.
As well as Brendan Kelly, regional organiser for the RMT, and Shavanah Taj, general secretary of the Wales TUC, there were speakers from the NUJ (taking strike action on Friday 26th August at Reach), PCS balloting for action, Unison Health, UCU preparing for action, NEU taking part in indicative ballots, Unite Hospitality and Unite Community.
The rally was joined by RMT workers at Network Rail and Great Western taking part that day in more strike action against cuts in real pay that are tied to agreeing to redundancies, job downgrading and pension cuts.
More and more groups of workers are joining the queue to fight for pay increases that reflect the increase in the cost of living. CWU members at Royal Mail will be joining their sisters and brothers at BT by taking strike action on Friday 26th August in national strike action for a decent pay rise without strings.
And the threat by the Tories to further strengthen the brutal anti-union laws could further increase action as Dave Bartlett, secretary of Cardiff Trades Union Council, explained “if the Tories threaten further anti-trade union laws then we must demand that the TUC call a 24 hour general strike to show them we mean business”.
And he went on to condemn the failure of Starmer’s Labour Party to support workers fighting to keep their heads above water in the cost of living crisis: “If Labour with a big ‘L’ won’t fight for labour with a small ‘l’ then the trade unions must come together to forge a new party for workers” he said.
Katrine Williams, in closing the rally, announced that Cardiff TUC would be organising a new mass rally in September to bring together all workers taking action that month.
