12.09.1996

Unemployed fightback begins

Last Saturday west London was the site of a demonstration against the Tories’ Jobseekers Allowance, which is due to become law as from this October. The JSA will launch a massive assault on the rights and living standards of workers, whether employed or unemployed. The central slogan of the march was ‘Jobs not Jobseekers’ - which is what the entire labour movement should be fighting for.

Some 250 people gathered at the rallying point in Shepherds Bush Green. The demonstrators were primarily unemployed workers, a section of the working class which has been left to rot by bourgeois society and which is either ignored or patronised by the official trade union movement. Indeed, it was noticeable that there were no trade union banners at the demonstration - not a positive sign.

However, the organisers and supporters of this demonstration deserve praise, particularly comrade Chris Ford from the CPSA civil service union in West London, who was the ‘brainchild’ behind the march. Comrade Ford is also a member of the Socialist Labour Party, who put a lot of effort into building and publicising this march. Given the difficulty of organising the unemployed, which is a sign of failure for the trade union and labour movement, we should not be disappointed with the turnout.

The rally at the Labour and Trades Council Hall in Acton proved to be a very lively affair, with views frankly and passionately expressed. The energy and commitment demonstrated proves that the unemployed, if motivated and given direction, can act as an inspiration for the rest of the workers’ movement.

Speakers from the sacked Liverpool dockers and the Hillingdon hospital dispute expressed their solidarity and pointed to the connection between the JSA and their own struggles. The speaker from Groundswell - an autonomous network of benefits claimants - generated the most heated debate, when he outlined the controversial ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy. This entails giving benefit officials found guilty of harassing claimants a written warning. A second complaint against the same official will mean another, final, written warning. Any further complaint against that official, and details of their offences, along with a massive photograph of them, will be transformed into a poster and distributed in the relevant localities. This ‘three strikes policy’ may or may not lead to further action, depending on the nature of the crime committed.

The policy outlined by Groundswell met some fierce resistance, particularly from comrades in the Socialist Workers Party. They counterposed “agreed collective action” rather than “individual” solutions - they feared it could lead to the intimidation of benefit workers, who were only ‘obeying the orders’ of their boss. Some thought the ‘three strikes’ approach could even play into the hands of management, making it easier to divide employed and unemployed workers.

While the critics of the anti-‘three strikes’ policy made some valid points - clearly it is not the answer - it would be a mistake to dismiss the entire project. For unemployed workers receiving particularly harsh treatment, the ‘three strikes’ policy is a legitimate tactic. If the unemployed have to wait for the unions to sort it out, they could be waiting a very long time. That would be tantamount to washing our hands of those on the dole, who are isolated and the most vulnerable to everyday state persecution.

There was general agreement at the meeting that the current CPSA strike was being diverted down the wrong alley, with the issue of screens for benefit workers becoming the main issue. Such an approach turns the unemployed almost into ‘the enemy’, who are to be feared, rather than allies in a common struggle.

Discontent was also expressed with the proposed £4.26 per hour minimum wage, which comrades from the SWP were ‘plugging’ at the meeting. The unemployed workers at the meeting were not very keen on swapping one form of poverty for another, despite the efforts of SWP comrades to whip up enthusiasm for the Unison TUC motion.     

This demonstration should signal the beginning of more demonstrations and meetings about the JSA, as many workers are still unaware of the impact this particularly nasty bit of legislation will have on them. No effort must be spared to organise the unemployed.

Paul Greenaway