Letter to the News & Star from TUSC candidate Brent Kennedy:
The shocking way the Cumbria County Council is mistreating its loyal employees – “accept our one-sided contract with a massive wage cut or you’re sacked” – would be bad enough from the worst employers even in America. But this is being done by a so-called “Labour” party in coalition with the Tories. (N&S April 15th)
Shame on all those Labour councillors who are responsible for causing worry and future misery to so many hard-working women and their families. They deserve to be kicked out in the next local election just like the Tories and Lib-Dems at Westminster.
The council is unilaterally imposing an “offer you can’t refuse” over the head of the unions, without real collective bargaining, just like the right-wing Republicans in Wisconsin.
Unison is right to accuse the employers of holding a gun to their heads, but the finger on the trigger is held by the Labour Party. Why on earth do Unison, the GMB and Unite still each waste £1m a year of their members’ money financing an out-and-out big business party which directly attacks the jobs, wages, pensions and even democratic trade union rights of their members?
The officials of these unions, members of the misnamed “Labour” Party, are put into an uncomfortable dilemma caused by a conflict of interests between their party friends, these ruthless employers, and the members who pay their wages.
To resolve this, I believe they should immediately stop financing the enemy and doing their election work for them, and form a genuine party to represent the working class, which Labour no longer is. Public sector workers and all of us who rely on vital public services have the opportunity to vote for the Trade Unionists and Socialist Against Cuts list in several Carlisle wards. Our position is absolutely clear: No ifs, no buts, NO public sector cuts!
Brent Kennedy,
Currock, Carlisle.
What union are you a memebr of Brent? And all of your other candidates in the local elections?