{"id":10092,"date":"2016-10-03T17:00:39","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T16:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=10092"},"modified":"2016-10-04T17:21:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T16:21:26","slug":"in-it-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=10092","title":{"rendered":"‘In it together’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite took to the streets of Birmingham yesterday (October 2) alongside thousands of others from all walks of life to send a clear message to the government that the British people have had enough of its austerity programme that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrecked lives and hamstrung the economy for years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite members were out in full force at the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly demo, which gathered together an estimated 10,000 protestors, who marched past the Tory Party Conference which started on the same day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Unite delegation of steelworkers were among those leading the procession to highlight the plight of the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most fundamental foundation industry now under threat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As prime minister Theresa May prepared to give her keynote address, the people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s procession flooded the streets to the sounds of chants \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTories out!\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c whistles, cheers and drums.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Austerity myth<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite rep Paul Maullin, a Birmingham local who has worked for a car components manufacturer for nearly three decades, was among the many demonstrators who brought their children with them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More than anyone, Maullin and his young daughter Lauren (pictured), who has special needs, know the toll that government austerity has taken on the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Unite rep Paul Maullin and his daughter Lauren<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe used to have transport for Lauren but in the last two years it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been cut,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bSo we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had to fund the difference ourselves \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been very hard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe biggest myth about austerity is that the poorest and most vulnerable in society would not be affected. And they have actually been affected worst \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I know this first hand.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maullin explained why protests such as yesterday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s march are so important.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to highlight what is actually happening to ordinary people,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou get all the spin doctors from the Tory party saying that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re supposedly all in this together, with Theresa May trying to come across as some sort of semi-socialist trying to appeal to the working class. But never in a million years will they do anything for the working class because they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hold our values.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maullin felt compelled to bring young Lauren to the march.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt gives her an acknowledgement of what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being done to her and others like her,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good friendly atmosphere with everyone out here — in it together.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For our children<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite community member Andrea Buford from Leicester has also been hit by government austerity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a disability but I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t claim any benefits for it because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m too frightened of being hassled,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained, noting that so many people on disabilities benefits have had to be reassessed under new government policies designed to humiliate and harangue those who need support the most.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0 been incredibly expensive for us,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Buford added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Buford and her husband Chris also brought their young daughter Livia (pictured).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"andrea-burford-mumchris-burfordolivia-7\"

Unite community member Andrea Burford with husband Chris and daughter Livia<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI want her to know how important equality is and how important it is for everyone to work together,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Buford said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite member and health visitor Su Lowe (pictured), of Staffordshire, told UNITElive of the very real threat facing young children as massive government cuts to public health have hit hard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSome councils are making massive cuts to health visiting services and we feel that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s becoming downright dangerous,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need the government to put back the funding for public health. They need to keep the mandate required for basic health visiting services. Universal services matter. In Scotland they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re increasing the amount of contact children are getting from health visitors, while in England we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at risk completely. We need to talk to this government about valuing health visiting.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Unite health visitor Su Lowe<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite equality rep Patricia Davis, who travelled up to Birmingham from London, also feared most for her children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s policies have had the worst impact on young people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s affecting my kids now,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re finding it so hard now to find a job, to find an affordable place to live.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"dawn-power-lpatricia-davis-r\"

Unite reps Dawn Power (left) and Patricia Davis (right)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Davis said she was also attending the march to demonstrate against the Tories\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Trade Union Act.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken away so many of our rights as trade unionists over the years already \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still trying to reduce these rights even more,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gotten to the point that we have virtually no rights in the workplace and the employers can do what they like with us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Manufacturing strategy call<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The march finished at Eastside Park, where a wide range of speakers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from Birmingham\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s poet laureate Stephen Morrison Burke to Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) activist Bob Findlay-Williams to comedian Francesca Martinez and many more \u00e2\u20ac\u201c issued a clarion call against austerity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite steelworker and branch secretary Mark \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Pasty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Turner (pictured) addressed the 10,000-strong demonstration, as he urged the crowds to remember just how important steel is to their daily lives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Unite rep and steel worker Mark ‘Pasty’ Turner<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bJust to put it into context \u00e2\u20ac\u201c look around you,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bEverywhere around you, you will find steel. Every day, you touch steel.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He noted that the Port Talbot steelworks alone produces eight thousand tonnes of steel each day, which goes into making eight thousand cars, while the steelworks in Scunthorpe, with a production rate of five thousand tonnes of steel each day, is the backbone of much of the rail system which so many of us use daily.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEvery time you open your cupboard and you see a tin of beans \u00e2\u20ac\u201c every Heinz can that is produced in this country comes from Port Talbot and goes through Trostre,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just about steel \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to make those tin cans and to fill those tin cans all require manufacturing jobs. We need a manufacturing strategy in this country.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Turner lambasted the previous Tory government under David Cameron for failing to implement a manufacturing strategy which it had promised \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and he added that now, under Theresa May, the story is much the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need promises \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we need action,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTo those at the Tory conference, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to hear words. We want this government to make a commitment to the thousands and thousands of UK manufacturing jobs that are out there.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He noted the urgent need for support goes well beyond manufacturing itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf the automobile industry were to collapse, 160,000 direct jobs would be lost but on top of that you have the economy of every single community [that such a collapse would affect],\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner pointed out. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn Port Talbot alone, we would lose shops, hospitals, garages, we would lose all the basics of our communities.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just as other members at the march told UNITElive about an abiding concern for the next generation as they grow up under the yoke of austerity, Turner, too, said that our fight is, ultimately, a fight for our children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bLook around us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what futures have our children got? Zero hour contracts? Manufacturing gives us good, well-paid jobs. We have to keep them,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGet behind our manufacturing industry. Give us the support that we require.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner, who is also the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly chair, said that demonstrations such as yesterday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are now more important than ever before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe may have a new prime minister but the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plans for working people have remained sadly the same as under Theresa May\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s predecessor David Cameron,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMay\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rhetoric is patently designed to fool ordinary working people into thinking that austerity does not have any consequences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be fooled,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why yesterday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s protest is so important \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we need to continue to highlight at every turn the very real damage that this Tory government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s policies are inflicting on everyone. Its why protests, marches, campaigning and political action that can build social movements and can build for a Labour government are all necessary in ending this government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disastrous policies.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite took to the streets of Birmingham yesterday (October 2) alongside thousands of others from all walks of life to send a clear message to the government that the British people have had enough of its austerity programme that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrecked lives and hamstrung the economy for years.   Unite members were out in full force […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[265,321,269],"wps_subtitle":"Unite joins thousands at anti-austerity demo","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10099,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092\/revisions\/10099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}