Unite’s new leader pledges to mobilise members against misery of a
Cameron Christmas
24 November 2010
The new leader of the country’s biggest union, Unite, today
(Wednesday) warned that thousands of families face a miserable
Christmas and painful new year thanks to the coalition
government.
Len McCluskey, who earlier today was ratified as the first solo
general secretary of Unite by the union’s executive, reiterated his
determination to expose the lies behind the coalition government’s
justification for its savage assault on the quality of national
life.
Announcing Unite’s campaign to mobilise its 1.5 million members
and their families in defence of their communities – titled
Don’t Break Britain – Len McCluskey said: “Working people are under
massive attack now. This government is expecting them to pay,
through job losses and spending cuts, for the crisis made in the
City. Resisting that assault must be priority number one for
any trade union leader. What Thatcher tried to do to the
unions, the Con-Dems are trying to do to the welfare state – erase
it from the nation’s life.
“Britain’s first Cameron Christmas is going to be a time of
bleak uncertainty for millions of people – not just those who work
in the public sector, but anyone in any way dependent on them.
Food, fuel and essentials are all rising. VAT will jump in
January but wages are frozen. For ordinary people, this is not a
’good recession’, as some Tory peers would have it, but a miserable
and frightening time. Only the bankers with their bonuses will be
celebrating.
“That is why at the start of 2011, Unite will be launching its
Don’t Break Britain campaign aimed at uniting everyone fighting to
maintain the elements of a fair society and cohesive community life
in the face of this onslaught.
“We will campaign alongside those who cannot take strike action
to save their services – those dependent on benefits, people on NHS
waiting lists, school children deprived of sports facilities,
pensioners anxious about fuel bills.
“Don’t Break Britain will be about our union with its roots in
the communities placing itself at the heart of the growing movement
of resistance to the cuts.”
Len McCluskey added that he believed strike action to defend
jobs and services will become more likely as anger deepens over the
government’s actions:
“Unite will support any of its members that wish to take
industrial action to save the one million jobs at threat across the
public sector and to protect their pay and conditions.
Indeed, I believe such action will likely prove inevitable.”
Further, Len reiterated his full support for a new beginning for
the Labour party: “I would also like to make clear straight away my
full support for the Labour party and for Ed Miliband’s leadership
of it. I believe Unite members want and expect Labour to
unite behind Ed, not to listen to the Blairite undead trying to
drag Labour back to a failed past.
“Our duty now is to work might and main to defeat the Tories and
Lib Dems at the local elections next May and at the next general
election.”
ENDS
For further information please call Pauline Doyle on 07976 832
861
Check a copy of Len McCluskey's full
statement.
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