Colchester On Strike!

In case you hadn’t noticed, November 30th saw millions of union members from the public sector taking strike action against the government’s plans to change, and essentially wreck, their pensions. At least that was the official line, in reality it was about much more than that – non-unionised workers, students, anti-cuts activists and almost anyone with an inkling of social justice were out on the day opposing all the governments cuts, austerity measures, banker’s bonuses, bailouts at the public’s expense and the general mess of capitalism that we’re all being made to suffer for.

According the N30strike.org website, there were over 430 marches, rallies, demos, pickets and protests on the day across the country and Colchester (for once) wasn’t left behind! The town had more picket lines than it’s ever seen (including an ‘illegal’ one outside the police station), students joined their lecturers at the university in picketing and in calling out scabs on the day (take that professor Anthony King!) and the march from the Colchester Institute to the Town Hall attracted between 700 (according to the conservative press) and 1000 (according to the marchers). Not bad for a town where ‘nothing happens’, eh?

Of course a one day strike can’t achieve everything and it’s going to take a prolonged and militant effort to take on forced austerity and win, but days like this show us how solidarity can make us strong. If Cameron really thinks that the day was a ‘damp squib’, he best remember this fight isn’t over – he ain’t seen nothing yet!