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Workers fight back against spending cuts
Concerned residents at the meeting
Union leaders have called on community groups across Preston to unite against “brutal” spending cuts during a vociferous protest meeting.
Around 50 trade unionists, volunteers, community workers, pensioners and students gathered at Central Methodist Church, in Lune Street, last night, to demonstrate against the Government’s proposals for the public sector.
The event was organised by the Preston and South Ribble Trades Union Council (TUC).
At the meeting, Lynne Wallace, from the TUC, urged community and volunteer groups to unite with unions and public sector workers in a grassroots fight against the plans.
Rallying the group, she said: “We don’t have to take these cuts lying down and we don’t have to see our most vulnerable left without a voice.
“We are here to speak out and enough of us together can make a difference but we have to join forces.
“Together we are viable as a force but separate we don’t have a voice. Us Prestonians will not take it lying down.”
Various speakers relayed their fears about what the spending review might mean for Preston.
Coun Michael Lavalette, an independent socialist councillor at Preston City Council, said the “brutal cuts” to the public sector will lead to social unrest and even violence on the streets.
He said: “What we are seeing is the most violent assault on the poor and most vulnerable ever.”
In recent weeks, following the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, a number of organisations, including Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, have announced multi-million pound cuts.
Cuts of around 26% are expected at Lancashire County Council, which equates to around £180m off the £1.2bn budget over the next three years, and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is planning to slash £38m from its budget over the next two years.
Valerie Wise, from the volunteer-led Domestic Violence Service, said her group was expecting 13% cuts next year.
She said: “The voluntary sector is an easy target.
“What do we do? Cut salaries, make redundancies? It is totally unfair but we are being forced into this situation.
“Demand for our services is expected to go up because domestic violence is often a consequence of economic problems, yet we are expected to fight increased demand with even less money.”
She added: “The banks got us into this mess and the banks should get us out of it.”
Steven Hall, a former Leigh TUC President, said: “We are at the early stages of this fight.
“There will be casualties but we have no chance of winning unless we stand up and fight.
“We have to be united and then we have a chance of winning.”
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
River
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 05:08 PMWhy do they need an invite before they start campaigning against cuts? They don't need anyone's permission. They are meant to be leaders, so why aren't they leading? In their absence, it's down to rank and file trade unionists and ordinary community members to lead the struggle. At the end of the day, that's who defeated the poll tax. Instead of whingeing about not getting an invite, do something constructive to resist the cuts.
DXL
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 05:00 PMwho carez???? workins boring anyways
Yankeebravo
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 01:10 PMYou're are assuming that the Labour councillors and MP were invited to the meeting (were they? from what I have understood from some people, they were not invited). You're also assuming that the LEP would instinctively report anything that they said in any case; are you sure that's a safe assumption?
River
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 09:21 AMYB, I don't believe the Trades Council, Michael Lavalette or Valerie Wise have any intention of stopping ANYONE campaigning against the cuts, so I can't really see what you're complaining about. If the local Labour Party is the powerful campaigning organisation you say it is, why aren't they the ones making headlines like this? All they have to do is get up off their backsides and start leading. Any councillors or MPs who are serious about campaigning against the cuts would be really welcome in an anti-cuts coalition.
kezzer
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 12:50 AMShame some of you voted Tory...anyone in the Public sector,care to admit? Didnt think so...Socialist to the end...spectacular own goal dudes...youre gonna suffer! Tories will rape your life.they can blame Labour and do what they want!! And they are !!
Yankeebravo
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 05:23 PMIf you look at Preston electorally you will find that it is the working class areas that have consistently backed Labour over the other parties. Even at their height, the likes of Respect and the SWP have only ever won one seat in an election. That rank and file will still need a political representation, otherwise it justs becomes a movement of protest, not action. There is no political party other than Labour that can provide that link. You criticise MArk Hendrick, but you are making a foolish assumption if you think that, simply by getting a plug from the LEP, the likes of Wise and Lavalette are organising or leading anything. From what I understand, there is far more going on here than you realise or the LEP has chosen to comment on. I have a feeling that it is a mistake to assume that local action is not already being led and organised by Labour politicians, and that includes Mark Hendrick. You also negate to mention the efforts of local Labour councillors, whose policies have been consistently left wing over the past few years and, despite the ToryLib Dem misfits running Preston Council at the moment, have been able to influence some change consistent with those left wing principles.
River
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 01:30 PMYou can't seriously believe that Mark Hendrick, with his reputation for using taxpayers money to fund his personal collection of expensive furniture and mirrors would make a credible leader of any local movement against cuts YankeeBravo? If Labour were to kick out all the careerists and cyncial politicians who are just in it for themselves, they might begin to regain the respect of working class people, and be able to offer us real representation. Until they do this, it will need to be a rank and file campaign, led by people who wish to rise with their class, rather than above their class.
Yankeebravo
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 08:20 AMNotwithstanding the fallability of the the previous Labour government, what alternative do you suggest?
River
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 12:45 AMNot to mention Kate Hoey who was happy to announce she was going to advise Boris Johnson in the middle of the London Mayoral election campaign. Then Labour’s former benefits minister Frank Field agreed to look at ‘reforming’ benefits for the ConLib coalition. Not to mention the unedifying spectacle of John Hutton, Labour’s former Work and Pensions minister, chairing the new 'Independent Pensions Commission'. If Labour were to join the anti cuts campaign, they would be fighting against their own former ministers.
River
Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 12:40 AMYB. How could the Labour Party, as an organisation that supports student fees and loans, that supports most of the Tory Welfare 'reforms' and which would have made 90% of the cuts that the ConDems are making have any role in fighting agsinst the cuts? Perhaps a few Labour Party members could join the campaign, but do we want characters like Phil Woolas and Hazel Blears contaminating the anti-cuts campaign? No Thanks very much.
Yankeebravo
Friday, November 12, 2010 at 01:27 PMAlso, just to clarify, I understood that the Trades Council is not the same as the TUC (they are separate bodies). Not all major trade unions affiliate with the Trades Council – just how representative was this meeting? Were there representatives from the local Labour Party (see my point below)?
Yankeebravo
Friday, November 12, 2010 at 01:26 PMCan we now anticipate that Valerie Wise and Michael Lavalette (who I note are pictured above as 'concerned residents') will be willing to coordinate any political response with the local Labour Party? I only ask because without any political involvement from the Labour Party, there is no chance of organising any meaningful response, locally or nationally, to the government's cuts; that's a political reality. Demonstrations are a start, but they cannot compensate for the ability to implement policy and practical defence of services, and often serve only as a placebo for real, pragmatic action. The far left in Preston have never enjoyed any significant success in the city (even at the height of opposition to the war in Iraq), and have been unable to capitalise on major issues in Preston, being dependent on the local Labour Party for practical development of policy. Without an organised party response from the largest political party in Preston there will not be the opportunity to defend local services in any meaningful fashion.
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