An estimated 1.5 mn public sector workers have walked out forcing schools and offices to close during a massive coordinated strike against ‘poverty pay'. It is believed to be the biggest since the 1926 General Strike.
10 July 2014
Thousands of protesters gathered in London to strike over 'poverty pay'.
Thank you to all the teachers who took strike action today.We know this is not a decision that was taken lightly http://t.co/LvXKV0qeHR#J10
— NUT (@NUTonline) July 10, 2014
WATCH LIVE: Massive #J10 public workers strike 'against poverty pay' in London http://t.co/eX6cE46HAppic.twitter.com/0cpFjXeBVi
— RT (@RT_com) July 10, 2014
Fantastic turnout from GMB Southern Region members at today's #j10 strike march pic.twitter.com/QqfZ701IBB
— GMB (@GMBSouthern) July 10, 2014
WATCH LIVE: Massive #J10 public workers strike 'against poverty pay' in London http://t.co/eX6cE46HAppic.twitter.com/0cpFjXeBVi
— RT (@RT_com) July 10, 2014
#j10 marchers assemble outside the BBC https://t.co/Qa8giFaQWD
— jason ilagan (@jasonilagan) July 10, 2014
#J10 traf square strike rally @revsoc21pic.twitter.com/p2ZpQcDFZ9
— Rob Owen (@BrixtonRebel) July 10, 2014
Bournemouth rally occupies BIC steps to demand #J10 msg heard. Victorian costumes: stop turning back time on pay! pic.twitter.com/Z9pBRmFkfh
— UNISON South West (@UNISONSW) July 10, 2014
#fbu firefighters out in force on today's demo #July10pic.twitter.com/QWffwFoJnh
— Nancy Taaffe (@NancyTaaffe) July 10, 2014
Penalty for not participating in politics is to be governed by your inferiors (Plato) pic.twitter.com/hCcH5VMDQI#solidarity#j10#nssn...
— Dave Nellist (@davenellist) July 10, 2014
I want whatever Francis Maude is on must be nice living in la la land #J10#J10strike
— Hairyroot24 (@hairyroot24) July 10, 2014
#J10 marchers are reaching Trafalgar Square before the rally pic.twitter.com/okBh94i11T
— Unite the union (@unitetheunion) July 10, 2014
What a turn out. Well done Birmingham. #J10#J10strikepic.twitter.com/RMdiI8t3cD
— GMB West Midlands (@GMBWestMidlands) July 10, 2014
When they said 1m people were taking to the streets to strike on #J10 day .. They werent lying .. This is #Liverpoolpic.twitter.com/Yi5eY1rATc
— Terry bouch (@terry_bouch) July 10, 2014
#J10 Nasty private sector bosses have always kept pay lower than those in public sector! So everyone should support these strikes!
— Jason Sheffield (@Jason_Sheff) July 10, 2014
What if Michael Gove had a Facebook look back video?
#J10 Mannchester pic.twitter.com/bkt7rV92ZS
— DJ MR RYAN (@DJMRRYAN) July 10, 2014
TUC General Secretary @FrancesOGrady visiting Camden public services picket lines this morning #J10pic.twitter.com/clcAscWPd2
— BritainNeedsAPayrise (@PayRise4Britain) July 10, 2014
Central London demo huge. "They say low pay...We say no way"! #J10pic.twitter.com/QuTojdvZbQ
— Lambeth UNISON (@LambethUNISON) July 10, 2014
Huge rally in Traf Square. Been told double number expected! #j10
— Primary Teacher (@PrimaryY6teach) July 10, 2014
Come on Birmingham let's shoe them #J10#j10#J10strikepic.twitter.com/2wYg02CxcZ
— GMB West Midlands (@GMBWestMidlands) July 10, 2014
At #lambeth town hall with workers striking for FairPlay #j10#j10strike#greenvinehttps://t.co/0On2vjmPXL
— Amelia Womack (@Amelia_Womack) July 10, 2014
@CarolineLucas at #J10 rally in Brighton, once again standing up for the public sector and women workers #solidaritypic.twitter.com/ghye6SOrP8
— Comms Officer (@UnisonSPFTComs) July 10, 2014
Brill to see #Wakefield#Labour Councillors out supporting #J10@JackSHemingway@Magsyatisher@munton1944@UNISONOrgpic.twitter.com/4dsK00Tj8z
— Anna Evans (@AnnaTEvans) July 10, 2014
Students not zombies! Gove out! #J10pic.twitter.com/itxZMuQBct
— UK Uncut (@UKuncut) July 10, 2014
Rosie: "the last five years, our pay has gone down in value - and the cost of living keeps rising" #J10pic.twitter.com/Iwxyz3yZRQ
— UNISON - the union (@unisontweets) July 10, 2014
Unison General Secretary explains why Thursday's strike is necessary:
RT @viccfc@TSSAunion@TSSALuke@TfLUnions we are on the move pic.twitter.com/JrGdIIrRke#j10#J10strike
— Leftstream (@Leftstream) July 10, 2014
The strike has caused disruption in parts of the UK:
- Hundreds of schools in England and Wales have been closed or partially shut
- Museums have been closed in Edinburgh, Nottingham and Leicester, many libraries are closed and bin collections have been stopped in Derby
- Some airports - including Heathrow - have warned passengers about possible delays due to border control staff striking
- In Northern Ireland, Belfast Zoo, leisure centres, public toilets, recycling centres and civic amenity sites have been closed
- In Wales, all business at the Welsh assembly has been cancelled, the DVLA centre in Swansea has warned of delays, while the National Museum in Cardiff has been closed
'You're not striking just for your pay & conditions but for the future of public services' @CarolineLucas to workers in #Brighton#J10
— Lisa (@l3mmie) July 10, 2014
Education Secretary Michael Gove condemns Thursday's public sector strikes:
Bexley teachers and young supporters getting ready to march. #j10pic.twitter.com/lmgiu0DmJy
— Bexley NUT (@BexleyNUT) July 10, 2014
PCS Union members head off to Pier Head, #Liverpool to join strikers #j10https://t.co/Ii5Wx3sIwL
— Aaron Cole (@AaronJ_Cole) July 10, 2014
Liverpool's #J10 march passes Lime Street station heading to St George's Hall plateau https://t.co/1k3rRhMAQ2
— Lorna Hughes (@lorna_hughes) July 10, 2014
Enfield Unison out on strike today:
#J10#linkthestruggles#unityinaction#actioninunity Teachers on strike today against condem cuts pic.twitter.com/1Prqcdhy86
— John Cowsill (@johncowsill) July 10, 2014
Unison workers rally in Lincoln:
And we are off! #J10#J10strike@NUTonlinepic.twitter.com/h3Ngix8BpM
— NUT Southend (@NUTSouthend) July 10, 2014
At #J10 demo in #Manchester Piccadilly Gardens with @PaulMoss1971 and @OffertonLabourpic.twitter.com/IPMRVEQheG
— N P M (@left_future) July 10, 2014
"Marching in the rain. Just marching in the rain" #J10strike#J10#Londonpic.twitter.com/mBPjU6cS3o
— Matthew Lawrence (@xMATTxLAWx) July 10, 2014
Give us a break #J10#J10bristol#j10strikepic.twitter.com/Z6tB90VtpQ
— J10Bristol (@BristolStrikes) July 10, 2014
Grant Shapps, Conservative Party Chairman, said: “Today's strikes are disrupting the lives of millions. Schools have been shut, damaging children's education and forcing parents to take time off work or scramble round for childcare. Libraries and other public services have closed, causing difficulties to families across the country.
“We are clear: these strikes are wrong”.
Zombies rise against the cuts #teachersnotzombies#J10pic.twitter.com/p1Pi6IkcBe
— UK Uncut (@UKuncut) July 10, 2014
Nurses support council workers #J10#publicservicestogether#solidarity@unisontweetspic.twitter.com/I3ii8FNg9n
— Clare Harrisson (@ClareHarrisson) July 10, 2014
Great turnout at St. George's Hall #J10https://t.co/5AMCm4P1IS
— Jay McKenna (@JayMcKenna87) July 10, 2014
Smaller turnout than expected at #J10 rally in Swansea. We'll see if more people arrive. pic.twitter.com/J7EsIpKiJ0
— Cemlyn Davies (@Cemlyn) July 10, 2014
Read RT's coverage of today's #J10 public sector strike here.
#J10@NUTonline outside the @BBCBreaking ready to march to Trafalgar Sq. No to austerity.Yes to fair pay & pensions pic.twitter.com/weXAie3aUS
— Romayne Phoenix (@romaynephoenix) July 10, 2014
Thursday's strike action comes days after a major international report put England 22nd out of 24 western countries on literacy and numeracy. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found England was performing worse than nations including Estonia and Slovakia.
It is already clear that the #J10strike is massive & has huge public support!! #J10#AllOutAgainInSeptemberhttp://t.co/7RB4fa2sJk
— NSSN (@NSSN_AntiCuts) July 10, 2014
July 10 public sector strike rally in Peterborough:
Workers united for justice! @pcs_union pickets & #blacklisted workers #J10strike@DaveBlacklist@JIBElectricianpic.twitter.com/0bVvXye8YW
— NSSN (@NSSN_AntiCuts) July 10, 2014
We back @unitetheunion@pcs_union@GMB_union@NUTonline@fbunational@RMTunion@unisontweets#strikeaction today #J10pic.twitter.com/3Yj5xXIRTu
— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) July 10, 2014
The striking teachers aren't the ones who don't care about the kids' education. They're the ones who do. #J10#J10strike
— BestSchoolTips (@BestSchoolTips) July 10, 2014
NASUWT and the National Union of Teachers claim tens of thousands of teachers are taking part in the national walk out over pay and that 82% of schools across the North East, Cumbria, the South West, South East and London have been affected in some way.
crowd singing "hey ho Cameron's got to go" at the strikes in Birmingham. "No ifs no buts no public sector cuts" #j10pic.twitter.com/Q2N3kFEl0Y
— Lucia Walker (@luciajwalker) July 10, 2014
In Brighton, more than 2,000 people including teachers from across the city and elsewhere in Sussex staged a noisy march as part of their national walk out.
Part of the city centre was brought to a temporary standstill as the convoy of placard-waving demonstrators wove their way through as police looked on.
Chants of "What do we want? Gove out. When do we want it? Now" and "No ifs, no buts, no education cuts" were shouted as the march progressed.
Everybody should support today's strikes #j10http://t.co/diwiD9DWZH@GMBLondonRegion
— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) July 10, 2014
If priv sector wrkrs are paid less than pub sect (& they're not), they shouldn't complain about unions they should join one! #j10@mrjamesob
— In Corrigible FCA (@ImIncorrigible) July 10, 2014
So, teachers striking an inconvenience? Kids hard to entertain today? Awful to be reminded of just how bloody we useful we are, innit #J10
— Roz S-P (@IrnBruja) July 10, 2014
@unisontweets health workers and #Fbu outside the @BBC#J10 together we're stronger pic.twitter.com/uekaPpuxcd
— UNISONOrganising (@UNISONOrg) July 10, 2014
A Labour Party spokesman said: "No-one wants to see a strike, not least because of the impact on children and parents. Instead of ramping up the rhetoric the government should get round the table, because both sides have a responsibility to stop it happening."
Phil Morcom, co-chair NUJ Public Relations & Communications Industrial Council, offered solidarity to those unions striking today: "As co-chair of the NUJ's Public Relations and Communications Council, I offer our backing to those taking action. As well as that, knowing that no one actively likes having to withdraw their labour, ask those who can to support strike action aimed at bringing government back into meaningful negotiations which can offer a fair result to the workers who, despite all the difficulties, still deliver some of the best public services in the world."
Peanuts won’t feed my family - Shaun street cleaner #J10pic.twitter.com/7XQ78cLxnM
— Unite the union (@unitetheunion) July 10, 2014
Education Secretary Michael Gove said schoolchildren needed to be protected from what he called “essentially politically-motivated industrial action”.
solidarity to all my PCS comrades and everyone else taking strike action today #j10#J10strike
— Cat (@kittycatboyd) July 10, 2014
Why so many teachers striking today? This is brilliant: http://t.co/UIEUq1qBGp Please RT #J10#solidarity#nut#nssn#tusc
— Dave Nellist (@davenellist) July 10, 2014
Mass trade union demonstration to march from BBC Broadcasting House to Trafalgar Square at 11.30am today, demanding a pay rise, pensions justice and improved conditions.
There's a man on the radio asking why teachers don't strike during the holidays. I think he's missing the point of industrial action. #J10
— Matthew Forshaw (@rednuts99) July 10, 2014
At work? Support the strikers? Why not Stop and have a cup of solidariTEA with your colleagues! #J10
— UK Uncut (@UKuncut) July 10, 2014
Neil Smith GMB Political Officer explains why his members are out on strike today:
WATCH: Why we are striking on 10 July http://t.co/dlFeanr8Lu#J10#standup4edu#J10#edreform14
— NUT (@NUTonline) July 10, 2014
Banners coming thick and fast as children and members of the public get involved #j10https://t.co/t07R2AaY0m
— Aaron Cole (@AaronJ_Cole) July 10, 2014
Why are public sector workers striking?
* Basic pay fallen by 14 per cent since 1997
* Eight of the last 16 annual pay ‘awards’ below inflation
* Pay declined by 18 per cent since the coalition took office
* Half a million employees paid below the Living Wage
* The lowest bottom pay rate in the public sector by some distance at £6.45 pence an hour
* NJC car allowances frozen and most users put on lower HMRC rates – leaving many to subsidise their employers for using their own cars for work
* Cuts by most councils to unsocial hours payments, annual leave, sick pay, parental rights, increments and sometimes basic pay too
* Part-time workers – 61 per cent of all employees – suffering drastic cuts to hours, while 20 per cent cover for redundant full-time posts
* 60 per cent of all NJC employees working routine unpaid overtime, just to get the job done
* Reduced pensions because of reduced earnings and pension contributions
Great turnout for a colourful V&A museum picket line. #J10pic.twitter.com/J1FUjkLFiC
— Kat Dyer (@Dyer2Kat) July 10, 2014
Journalist and author Owen Jones explains why he's supporting the #J10 strike:
Find out more about why public sector workers are striking and what they're demanding here.
Going to @IslingtonU77 rally now to show support for strike action today #J10 who shut down 7 out of 10 libraries today #solidarity
— Max Watson (@salaam_max) July 10, 2014
Happy pickets at the ICO in Wilmslow today with 95% of @pcs_union members not in work. @PCS_Northwest#J10#J10strikepic.twitter.com/EOzJ9DARPq
— Paddy Sisyphus (@PaddySisyphus) July 10, 2014
Ed Miliband had fleshed out his views on today’s strike action:“I understand the anger of workers who feel they are being singled out by a reckless and provocative government. But I believe this action is wrong. Negotiations are ongoing.”
“So it is a mistake to go on strike because of the effect on the people who rely upon these services. And it is mistake because it will not help to win the argument….strikes are a sign of failure on both sides.”
“This disruption could have been avoided if ministers had been willing to engage with the concerns of those affected by changes to public sector pensions. The government’s handling of the issue has been high-handed and arrogant. And as the Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, showed this morning, ignorant of the facts as well.”
“With an ageing population, there is a need for change. But the government has gone about making that change happen in exactly the wrong way.”
“Announcing a 3% surcharge on public sector workers before John Hutton had even published his report setting out sensible starting points for reform. Then announcing their final position, when negotiations were still going on.”
“My message to both sides is this – what the British people want and expect is that you now get back to the negotiating table and redouble your efforts to find an agreed solution. Put aside the rhetoric, and avoid any further disruption to parents and the public.”
Green MP Caroline Lucas explains why she is supporting the #J10 strike:
Civil servants to join 1.5 million-strong strike on 10 July - Media centre http://t.co/ZFPW18LiBi via @pcs_union#J10
— Jackie (@Jackpot73) July 10, 2014
“@NUTonline: At 1.30pm today please show #solidarity for #J10 with a picket line #selfie. We'll retweet the best! #standup4edu” unbelievable
— A Stanléy (@stanna1878) July 10, 2014
A Labour Party spokesman clarifies the party's position on the strike: “No-one wants to see a strike, not least because of the impact on children and parents. Instead of ramping up the rhetoric the Government should get round the table, because both sides have a responsibility to stop it happening.”
@unisontweets members at Hove Town Hall Picket #picketpics#J10pic.twitter.com/zO4psnaj4j
— UNISONSE (@UNISONSE) July 10, 2014
@pcs_union picket at the National Gallery #J10@socialist_apppic.twitter.com/Xl9NQfv27h
— Ben Gliniecki (@BenGliniecki) July 10, 2014
A survey of over 1,000 adults for the Unite union found 70% of the public back the right to strike. Of those who stated a view, 59% think that the government is unfairly targeting public sector workers on pay with 58% saying that council workers deserve an extra £1 per hour on their wages.
Even among 2010 Conservative voters, support for a pay rise stands at 52%.Over half (56%) thought it was unfair to keep the wage cap on public sector workers, whilst more than two-thirds (69%) disagree with the government position that wage rises should be capped at below inflation pay until 2018.
Euston more leafleting great public support #J10#unisonorganisingpic.twitter.com/9L6P5SqAWN
— Greg Thomson (@2GregThomson) July 10, 2014
Public sector workers are manning picket lines nationwide during a massive coordinated strike to protect pensions and protest against ‘poverty pay'. Read the full story here.