06.07.2011

Milton Keynes: Important step forward

Next time, coordinated strike action by millions, writes Dave Isaacson

The strikes in Milton Keynes showed signs of the potential for involving wider layers of workers in future action. Many onlookers were enthusiastic in their support.

Along with other members of the Coalition of Resistance, I visited a number of the PCS union’s picket lines in the morning. We met workers from the department for work and pensions, revenue and customs, and the foreign and commonwealth office. The courts were also affected (one was closed), but there were no picket lines there. The picketing was particularly strong at the benefits centre and tax office at Bowback House on Silbury Boulevard. Pickets at the jobcentres in both central Milton Keynes and Bletchley reported that this strike had been the best supported in years in terms of the very low numbers of PCS members going in to work.

The couple of schools I visited were closed despite being unpicketed, and there was a strong turnout from members of the National Union of Teachers for the combined rally in Campbell Park. While many schools were shut for the day (primary schools being most affected), others were providing little more than a glorified babysitting service run by senior staff. There were, however, reports of ATL members referring to their unions ‘conscience clause’ in order to excuse their refusal to strike.

Around 100-150 strikers and supporters turned up for the rally called by the NUT and PCS. This may seem small in comparison with other towns, but for Milton Keynes, where the left is very weak, the fact that we had a rally at all is a step forward. After listening to speeches from PCS rep Simon Boniface and NUT rep Graham Hussey, those assembled then decided to embark on an unplanned march through the centre of Milton Keynes. Up the road 300 people packed out the rally in Northampton’s Guildhall.

The Milton Keynes COR group had drawn up a joint leaflet with the trades council, which we distributed on the day to both strikers and passers-by. Many strikers took a copy of the Weekly Worker. There was widespread recognition that further action that drew in other unions was essential. In our post-strike organising meeting Milton Keynes COR evaluated our intervention on the day and discussed how we could put ourselves in the best position to provide solidarity to workers striking in the autumn. We had reps from the NUT and PCS there and decided to seek to involve other unions and groups in a public meeting on the question of pensions as part of a plan to mobilise people for further action later in the year.

The June 30 strike action represented an important step forward for the anti-cuts movement - both in the action taken and in the numbers of people mobilised to take a stand in opposition to the cuts. The strike, contrary to the views of leading Labour figures such as Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, is a vital weapon in the armoury of the working class, as it goes into battle to defend itself from the government’s attacks.

It will take organised and militant action on a mass scale and the development of a genuine alternative (certainly not a government led by Ed Miliband!) by the working class movement. As Unite leader Len McCluskey, speaking at the PCS conference, said, “This is a capitalist crisis and they must foot the bill.” He argued for the formation of “joint strike committees where we can” and went as far as arguing, “We need to work together … to mobilise … behind a different vision of how society should be, putting people before profit and … putting socialism back on the political agenda in this country.” Members of Unite - not to mention other big unions such as Unison and GMB - need to ensure that these words are matched with action and that the next time coordinated strike action is taken those involved are counted in the millions, not hundreds of thousands.