Renewing the fight for economic and social justice

That was the message that Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey gave as he toured picket lines in London today (Wednesday, 30 November), before giving a keynote address to thousands of trade unionists at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London.

The general secretary of the UK's largest union said that yesterday's Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne was a concerted attack on the living standards of working people and treated those that provided public services with contempt with his imposition of a one per cent capped pay rise for two years, once the current pay freeze ends.

Len McCluskey said: "The fight to protect public service pensions is the latest battle that working people and their families have had to mount to protect the social and economic advances that have been achieved since 1945.'

"But now working people are being asked to pay for the economic mess caused by the greedy City elite whose behaviour this spineless government has repeatedly failed to tackle.

"When Francis Maude, the government's lead pensions' negotiator, can receive a pension of £43,000-a-year, but nurses, teachers, dinner ladies, fire-fighters and librarians have to pay substantially more, work longer and receive less in real terms when they retire, the mantra of 'We are all in this together' has a very hollow and shabby ring.

"This is a government that will snatch at least 16 per cent of income from public sector workers by holding down their pay for four years – but leaves the banking tax at a paltry 0.08 per cent.

"The action today has been a brilliant display of courage and concern by public servants who are being demonised by a government that has lost its moral compass.

"Today is the day when hundreds of thousands of public sector workers say 'enough is enough' and that the legacy of 1945 is well worth fighting for.

"Today will be remembered as the day when the trade union movement renewed and strengthened its compact with the British people and clearly stated it was fighting back on behalf of families and communities struggling with soaring household bills and record levels of unemployment.

"My visits to those taking action across London has shown me that working people are crying out for leadership that will create a more just and equal society - the quest for such a society is a flame that can never be quenched.

"Today will be remembered as a famous milestone on that journey. I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with working people on that voyage."

Yesterday, Unite heavily criticised the Chancellor's statement and said that the economy was in 'a tailspin'. The union called for a massive boost in demand to assist with job creation and the introduction of a Plan B to fuel an export-led manufacturing recovery.