Liverpool Trades Union Council will welcome the national
TUC Congress to Liverpool by calling a mass demonstration
of workers in defense of jobs and in support of trade union
rights.
"Liverpool Trades Union Council
has agreed to welcome the presence of the national TUC Congress
in our city by calling on all workers to join us in a demonstration,
which is supported by Merseyside TUC, Sefton, TUC, Wirral
TUC, National Shop Stewards Network and the NW Shop Stewards
Network
We warmly welcome all delegates at the
TUC to our city. We believe there is an urgent need for
the trade union movement to unite and start acting in defence
of jobs for all, for trade union rights, against the victimisation
of workers, against privatisation, against pay freezes and
against the anti-union laws.
These are the themes for our march on
Sunday 13 September. We want to show delegates the strength
of feeling on these issues that exists across the entire
movement. That feeling has been shown in action by workers
fighting back against the impact of the terrible economic
crisis - for example, by the Lindsey Oil Refinery workers
who took all out strike action to defend jobs, by Visteon
workers and by the workers at Vestas who courageously occupied
their factories to stop closures and mass sackings.
These strikes, and others, have been
an inspiration. They need to become the signals for a fight
back by the whole movement. It is time to unite and fight
back. It is time to end the economic parody being played
out before our eyes where workers are sacked, have their
pay cut or their industries privatised while the bosses
and bankers gorge themselves on fat bonuses, lavish salaries
and government handouts that run into billions.
Why should the bosses get huge rewards
for mismanaging an entire economy but we get a P45, the
job seekers allowance or a pay cut?
Our movement can start to turn things
round, but only if it unites to support those fighting back,
only if it stops believing that a redundancy deal is the
best we can hope for, only if it stops accepting that workers
have to pay the price for an economic crisis that they did
not cause.
A huge march in Liverpool will get this
year's TUC off to a flying start. It can signal the beginning
of a new resistance, a resistance that can win. We urge
you, your branch, shop stewards' committee, region, Trades
Union Council and national union to support us. Come to
Liverpool on 13 September 2009.
Yours in solidarity
Liverpool Trades Union Council"
