UNITE THE FIGHTS!

Black Triangle Campaign will be attending an initial planning meeting on Saturday the 12th of January 2013 in the Piper Bar on George Square, Glagow at 11am to discuss establishing Unite The Resistance (UTR) in Scotland in the New Year. 

We wish to explore whether there is support to launch UTR with a major event, possibly towards the end of February in Glasgow. 

There have been a series of very well attended conferences held south of the border (see website uniteresist.org and below for details of speakers and supporters from across the trade union movement and community campaigners). 

This year’s TUC Congress voted by 4 to 1 to consider the ‘practicalities’ of a general strike against Tory austerity. 

Meanwhile, George Osborne’s latest budget statement unleashed another onslaught against working people.

Austerity is set to last till 2018 and beyond. Now the ConDem government have put measures into place from April, to make it even easier to sack workers, with a bare 6 weeks’ consultation’. 

We urgently need a co-ordinated response from our trade unions.

On 14 November, millions of workers across Southern Europe took part in a general strike against austerity. That’s the kind of mass action we need here.

It’s time for the General Council of the TUC to turn words into action.

If you would be interested in putting your name to an initial letter to go to thousands of trade unionists in Scotland, and/or getting involved from the start in planning/building for UtR events in Scotland, please reply to Penny Gower at pennygower1@gmail.com. Many thanks. 

Yours fraternally, 

Penny Gower (EIS-FELA President, pc) 

Angela McCormick (EIS – FELA, NEC, pc)  

Neil Davidson (Vice President, Strathclyde University UCU, pc)  

The Right to Work Campaign  

Black Triangle Campaign

About Unite the Resistance

We are a group of trade unionists from the NUT, PCS, Unison, Unite and UCU who called a national convention to discuss the coordinated strike action set to take place on 30 November 2011. 

The conference brought together trade union activists, anti-cuts campaigners, young people, students, disabled activists and pensioners in order to build the widest possible support for the strikes. 

We called a UtR conference for 17 November 2012, to discuss how to take the fight against austerity forwards after the TUC demo on 20 October 2012. Over 1000 trade unionists attended from all over the UK.  

In solidarity,

Unite the Resistance steering committee: 

Alex Kenny NUT NEC, Dave Harvey NUT NEC, Gavin Reid UCU NEC, Liz Lawrence UCU NEC, Sean Vernell UCU NEC, Sue Bond PCS Vice President, Zita Holbourne PCS NEC, Andy Reid PCS NEC, Paul Holmes Unison NEC (pc), Karen Reissmann Unison NEC (pc), Jon Rogers Unison NEC (pc), Max Watson Unison NEC (pc), Sara Bennett Unite EC, Martin Mayer Unite EC, Jane Stewart Unite EC, Mark Wood Unite EC 

Supporting organisations 

The following organisations sponsored the national conference organised by Unite the Resistance on 17 November 2012. 

Waltham Forest TUC, Ucatt Maldon branch UFO75, Derby University UCU, University of Liverpool UCU, Sheffield NUT, Barnsley College UCU, Lambeth NUT Branch Executive Committee, Hackney NUT, Edinburgh Unison, PCS EHRC national branch, Lewisham Trades Council, Hull and District Trades Union Council, Unite Bristol Health Sector branch, Unite Norwich Central LE/1880, Haringey TUC, PCS R&C Euston, Birmingham NUT, CWU Eastern No.4 branch, Plymouth Trades Council, Southend on Sea LG Unison, Cambridge and District Trades Council, Unite London and Eastern Construction branch, PCS DFT Nottingham branch, PCS Land Registry Computer Services, PCS Home Office group executive committee, Wakefield and District NUT, Barnet Trades Council, Fire Brigades Union London region, Unite IT & Comms National Industrial Sector Committee, Unite the Union branch EM/10-465, Unite Fujitsu UK Combine Committee, Chesterfield & District Trades Council, Peterborough Trades Council, Unite Fujitsu North West branch, Tower Hamlets Unison Local Government branch, Manchester Metropolitan University UCU branch, Hampshire Unison, Disabled People Against Cuts (national), Black Triangle, Manchester Metropolitan University Unison, Unite 1/854 branch, Portsmouth Trades Council, Bristol and District Anti Cuts Alliance (BADACA), Portsmouth City Unison, Unite London and Eastern Aerospace and Shipbuilding Industrial Sector, Notts Trades Council, Ashfield Unison, Cuffley Anti Cuts Campaign, Doncaster Unison, PCS Defra Southern branch, PCS DWP Liverpool, Unite SC 151 Scottish Housing Associations branch, UCU London Metropolitan University, Lewisham Trades Council, Dudley NUT, DWP Bradford PCS branch, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Ealing NUT, Unite Manchester area activist committee, Dorset Trades Council, Socialist Teachers Alliance, UCU London Region, Islington NUT, City and Islington UCU, PCS DWP Avon, Dorset, Weymouth and Portland TUC, USDAW North Hertfordshire, Derbyshire Anti-Cuts campaign, Unison London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Unite the Resistance North Wales, Greater Manchester Unite the Resistance. 

Unite the Resistance steering committee: 

Alex Kenny NUT NEC, Dave Harvey NUT NEC, Gavin Reid UCU NEC, Liz Lawrence UCU NEC, Sean Vernell UCU NEC, Sue Bond PCS Vice President, Zita Holbourne PCS NEC, Andy Reid PCS NEC, Paul Holmes Unison NEC (pc), Karen Reissmann Unison NEC (pc), Jon Rogers Unison NEC (pc), Max Watson Unison NEC (pc), Sara Bennett Unite EC, Martin Mayer Unite EC, Jane Stewart Unite EC, Mark Wood Unite EC