10 July saw the biggest strike in Britain since the 30 November 2011 pensions strike.
The strike, which involved hundreds of thousands of teachers, council workers, civil servants, fire fighters, and other public sector staff, shut down schools and local government services across the country. Workers’ Liberty members participating in the strike sent reports to Solidarity.
In Leeds, activists say the number of pickets matched the levels of the 2011 strike. Around 4,000 attended a city centre rally.
65% of schools in Newcastle were closed to pupils, with almost all council facilities shut. Over 1,000 people attended the strike rally.
Around 600 strikers and supporters marched in Norwich, with 94 schools shut or partially shut across Norfolk.
A striker from Lambeth, south London, told Solidarity the strike was “stronger than we’d expected”, and a march in Nottingham had “good attendances from all striking unions.” However, in Nottingham the march’s “slogans were weak. It could easily have been just “Gove must go!” the whole way round if Workers’ Liberty members hadn’t pushed for some “Tories out!” and “Low pay — no way!” as well.”
In Wakefield, West Yorkshire, “Unison had most of the depots closed or unable to operate, the register of deaths office was completely closed, all of legal services were out, and most of housing. Swimming pools got the minimum of four people in to open up but they had to keep their gyms closed.”
In some towns, Workers’ Liberty members had pushed for strikers’ meetings and assemblies, rather than just rallies, on the strike day. In Nottingham, “the Trades Council has set up a working group on the living wage, responding to a motion from the Communication Workers’ Union.”
Workers’ Liberty members produced and distributed a bulletin that discussed how to develop greater grassroots control of the public-sector pay dispute.
We want 10 July to be the start of an ongoing campaign of coordinated action, not a tokenistic exercise in letting-off-steam. Unions should coordinate and announce the next strike days (which should escalate beyond a single day) now. They should agree on dates that maximise effectiveness and impact for as many workers as possible (the 9 and 10 September dates suggested by Unison’s leaders would make it difficult for teachers and other school workers to participate effectively in the strike).
Unison, GMB, and Unite should also ballot their members who work in the health sector and in Academies for strikes as soon as possible.
