Tax Workers Walk Out Over Sickness Discipline Measures
Infantile Disorder | 07.06.2011 11:36 | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements
The PCS executive is "not, at this point, asking members to take any full day’s strike action". Instead, it has called a one hour walk-out from 4pm to 5pm on the 7th, followed by an hour later start, a two hour lunch break on the 8th, plus an effective 'work to rule' over the two days of the action.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka and his executive will be hoping that these two days of mini strikes will be sufficient to let his members vent their anger, without seriously disrupting revenue collection. Were the HMRC to give way after such a small act of rebellion, it would set a dangerous precedent, from the perspective of the ruling class and government cuts agenda. Though union leaders such as Serwotka are publicly talking a good game following Business Secretary Vince Cable's threats of further restrictions on the right to strike, privately they are negotiating to force through the bulk of the Coalition government's attacks. This is because they know that their own well-heeled lifestyles are dependent on the unions demonstrating that they are able to manage their members' anger.
The PCS threat to join the one day 'general strike' called by the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Lecturers and Teachers, the University and College Union must also be seen in this light. Just like in Greece - where they have been ten one day general strikes since the onset of the financial crisis, all to no avail - union bosses will put their own class interests ahead of that of their membership. The need for a democratic, horizontally-organised working class movement has never been greater.
Infantile Disorder
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Middle classes
07.06.2011 14:02
Class warrior
We should all fight this opression
07.06.2011 14:43
Some one working at the local Job Centre told me this was probably because the Benefits Agency had recently sent a letter to GPs in the area, threatening them with prosecution if they gave out too many Sick Notes.
The commercial media never report cases like this, but make a meal of any cases of people abusing sick leave.
Seriously ill
The working and underclasses
07.06.2011 19:38
It should be:
1. Upper / ruling class
2. middle class
3. unemployable class
tool
re: The working and underclasses
09.06.2011 18:38
It's more like this:
1. Upper / ruling class
2. middle class (company directors, professionals)
3. working class (most people)
4. underclass (long term unemployed, homeless, etc.)
Working class doesn't mean cloth caps, hard manual labour, baths in front of the fire, and walking to school in bare feet any more! Get with the program dude, this is the 21st century now.
anon