RMT boss issues a 'call to arms'. BBC News 29/06/2010

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union boss Bob Crow will call for a "generalised strike" to resist government spending cuts, claiming his union is "up for a fight".

Speaking at the union's annual conference later, the rail union leader will issue a "call to arms".

He will urge the entire labour movement to hold a sustained campaign of strikes across both the public and private sector.  He will also urge direct community action to defend public services.

Mr Crow, one of the most outspoken union leaders, will call for action to prevent "fiscal fascism being unleashed by this ConDem government".

His comments come as unions consider how to fight plans by the Chancellor George Osborne to cut spending by government departments by a quarter over the next few years, which they warn will lead to huge job losses.

The civil service union PCS has already called for coordinated action with other unions to resist the cuts. The local government union Unison is also drawing up plans to oppose the measures.

Mr Crow claims the government had thrown down the biggest challenge to the trade union movement since the miners' strike of 1984.

He will tell members at the Aberdeen meeting: "The trade unions can only fight these attacks from the front foot. We have a government of millionaire public school boys who are determined to rule by fear - fear of losing your job, fear of losing your home and fear of losing your benefits and the public services that you rely on. RMT says don't fear them, fight them. Our trade union has a slogan, 'never on our knees', and from Aberdeen we want those words to ring out on the Millionaires Row of Clegg and Cameron. They started this fight with the working class and we are up for it."

Mr Crow will call on unions to form alliances with community groups , campaigns and pensioners organisations to form "the biggest show of united resistance since the anti-poll tax movement".

[signalandtelegraph]

 

[Henry]

 About time Bob Crow started living in the real world.
 
 How much of his 105k per year (alledgedly, figures supplied by Tax Payers Alliance) will the beloved Mr. Crow lose
 when his 'General Strike' takes place.
 ''fiscal fascism being unleashed by this ConDem government'',  Could one of our more learned colleagues please explain this to me ?

 I have been a trade unionist for 40 years, but I do believe Crow is using the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) for his own political agenda.
 Would be interested to hear what RMT members think.

[Super Guard]

I think after the shambles that the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) caused with the recent Guards Harmonisation, not many in our neck of the woods will be answering Bobby's "Call to arms". 

[inspector_blakey]

figures supplied by Tax Payers Alliance

I know I've said this before, but I get really irritated when a bunch of low-budget right-wing anti-everything nutjobs purport to represent me as a tax payer when they start calling themselves the Tax Payers' Alliance (which it would seem from their website they can't even punctuate properly, having invented the word TaxPayer (sic)).

I think after the shambles that the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) caused with the recent Guards Harmonisation, not many in our neck of the woods will be answering Bobby's "Call to arms". 

I'm intrigued...are you able to elaborate publicly on that Donkey Guard (fully understand if not )?

[Tim]

The TPA sometimes make some useful points about Government waste, but when they have a go at Mr Crow, it just shows them up as right-wing nutjobs.  I am no friend of Mr Crow but as taxpayers are not paying his salary I can;t see what the issue is that the TPA have with him.

[vacman]

what planet is crow on! heres a message to Crow, stop spending members subs on jollys to Cuba and get in the real world!