05.09.1996

Attack on all workers

Chris Ford, secretary of the West London CPSA union branch and organiser of this Saturday’s London march, spoke to the Weekly Worker

How are union members reacting to the trial run of the JSA in West London?

The overwhelming majority is totally opposed. Management is threatening 30% job losses for our DHSS members - about 30,000 nationwide, resulting from the merger of the employment and benefits departments. They will be merged in order to enforce the sanctions, coercion and harassment of claimants.

There has been tremendous support for strike action. Officially we were striking against the JSA for health and safety reasons - attacks on our members by claimants have more than doubled. But only a fool would deny that the strikes are political. These attacks are just one aspect: of course there is a backlash from people who are being driven to rock bottom. But we are angry about the massive cuts in the welfare state that the JSA represents, and obviously the threat to our own jobs.

What is the significance of the JSA?

It is absolutely essential for the capitalist system to enforce low wages and to discipline the working class. Therefore it is just as essential for us to achieve unity in order to combat it. Most importantly we need unity between the employed and the unemployed, otherwise we will never be able to defeat it.

The TUC has abdicated its role, so now it’s up to the activists. London Against the JSA has been most successful in that campaign.

Have you been under pressure from management?

Management want to break up that unity. They have started a witch hunt against claimants alleged to be unemployed activists, who have issued several leaflets aimed at persuading workers in the dole offices not to cooperate. Disgracefully, union leaders (including some Militant Labour members) have sided with management.

Surely we need to work with all on the left, including ML?

I do work with them - they have helped us build for the march - but I won’t hide my differences with them. For example, they have played a negative role in coming out against the escalation of the strike action. Also the ML-led Left Unity group within the CPSA, instead of campaigning for an outright refusal to implement JSA, has merely called on management to put back its implementation because we are “not ready” yet.

How can the fightback best be coordinated?

What we need is a party, and I believe that that party is the Socialist Labour Party. The SLP has put itself totally behind the campaign and is one of the sponsors. SLP members have been mobilised and will be out in force this weekend. All socialists and Marxists should unite and help build a fighting, democratic Socialist Labour Party.