Stop Brown's Pay Freeze

Gordon Brown’s attempt to hold down pay for millions of workers has become a central issue for trade unionists.

The man who disgracefully said recently that Margaret Thatcher was a “conviction politician” who “saw the need for change” is trying to keep public sector wage “rises” at around 2 percent. Given that inflation is running at about twice that rate, he is insisting that millions of workers, many of them already poorly paid, accept a big wage cut.

And these same workers also face mass job cuts, privatisation and the relentless drive towards market methods. This process is reinforced by Gordon Brown welcoming a gaggle of unelected businessmen – including Lord Digby Jones - and Tories into key government posts.  

Brown’s immediate target is the public sector, but he hopes that the message will go out across the whole economy that workers must see their living standards cut.

Yet at the same time as workers on £6.50 an hour are told to cut back, the super-rich soar ahead.

The destruction of public services and the pay and pension cuts are why many trade unionists  -  postal workers, civil service workers, local government workers, prison officers, health workers, tube workers, teachers and others  - have moved into actual or potential disputes.

As the TUC met in September:

• A key committee in Unison had called for a strike ballot of over 800,000 local government workers against a paltry pay offer.
• Postal workers were about to review the results of talks with Royal Mail following the very successful four days of strikes.
• The result was expected soon of the ballot of more than 1 million health workers on a pay offer.
• Prison officers had recently held an illegal strike over pay which forced the government into talks over a staged pay award.
• The PCS, the largest civil service workers’ union, is to ballot members on whether to stage further strikes over attacks on services, privatisation, job cots and pay.
• Teachers and college lecturers are considering action later in the year.

Organising For Fighting Unions has been at the forefront of trying to build unity across the working class to defend living standards and services. We have held meetings across Britain to bring together trade unionists and encourage solidarity with each other.

We fully support the call at this year’s TUC conference for further coordination and joint industrial action.   

We see it as essential to develop this unity further. And we also need to debate what form of political representation best serves trade unions.

In London on Wednesday 19 September there will be a rally to bring together the different groups involved in battles over pay and other issues. Speakers will include Bob Crow (RMT), Mark Serwotka (PCS) and Brian Caton (POA). We hope that this initiative will be taken up throughout Britain.