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Issue 344 10 March 2021

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Issue 344 10 March 2021 Issue 344 � 10 March 2021 socialist.net 2 What We Stand For Issue 344 WHO ARE WE? and WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR? old measures are required to deal reopen should be in the hands debt through government borrow- with the coronavirus crisis. Only a of workplace committees and the ing, the money needed should be Bclear socialist programme can offer trade unions. And it must be based obtained entirely from expropriating a way forward. on the implementation of health and the accumulated profits of big busi- safety measures and a safe working ness. We must have no faith in the Tories or environment. The costs for this must their hangers on, whose worship of ■ If the bosses say they can’t afford be paid by the bosses. the market has brought the country to to pay for workers’ wages, we say: its knees. ■ For safe work or full pay. Any open up the books! Let the working lockdown or restrictions must be ac- class and the labour movement see ■ No trust or confidence in the Tories companied by measures to provide the accounts! If firms plead bank- and their big business backers! for workers affected by closures. ruptcy, they should not be bailed ■ Instead of attacking the left, Labour This means 100% wage support for out, but nationalised under workers’ must provide genuine opposition to those furloughed, as well as full sick control. this shambolic Tory government. pay to those required to isolate. ■ No to austerity! The working class Support workers in the fight to put ■ To fight job cuts and the threat of must not pay for this crisis! lives before profits! mass unemployment following the It is clear that the market has failed The bosses and their craven political lockdown, work should be shared and capitalism is in a deep crisis. The representatives have shown that they out without any loss of pay, in order anarchy of capitalism prevents the will always prioritise profits over to lower the hours of the working planning of society’s resources, in lives. We demand socialist measures day. Britain and internationally. to protect workers, and put health ■ Scrap tuition fees and rents, and before wealth. ■ We therefore stand for the nation- replace these with free education alisation of the 100 biggest monop- ■ For a fully publicly-owned and free and full maintenance grants for all. olies, banks, utilities, landlords and health service, under workers’ Move university courses online. And so on – under workers’ control and control and management. Reverse put staff in control in schools and management – and without com- all privatisation and outsourcing. universities. pensation. On this basis, the econ- All private health services must be ■ Ban evictions and cancel housing omy can be democratically planned nationalised without compensation, debts. Give local authorities the in the interests of the majority, and and integrated into the NHS. power to cap rents at affordable lev- not for the super profits of a few. ■ For a properly funded test and trace els. Requisition rooms at hotels and ■ A Socialist Federation of Britain system, fully under public control. hostels for those sleeping on the should be linked to a Socialist Unit- Boot out parasitic outsourcing com- streets. And bring empty properties ed States of Europe and a World panies like SERCO, and give power and the assets of the big landlords Socialist Federation, in order to plan to healthcare workers, councils, and management companies under resources internationally for the and local communities in order to public control. benefit of all. This would put an end provide mass testing. ■ Many small businesses are faced to barbarism of capitalism and allow ■ Nationalise the pharmaceutical with bankruptcy, with banks resist- humanity to begin solving the urgent companies – without compensation ing any extensions of credit. Many issues of climate change, disease, – in order to ensure that vaccines are squeezed not only by the banks, and poverty that face society and are developed rapidly and made but by the big monopolies. By na- our planet. available to all for free. tionalising the banks we can supply these small businesses with the ■ Reverse the austerity inflicted upon lifeline of guaranteed low-interest public services. Launch a fully-fund- credit and loans. Like what you read? ed training programme for doctors, nurses, paramedics, medical ■ The financial resources required to JOIN US TODAY! staff, with decent pay and hours, fight the crisis must not come from to increase staffing levels across increased taxes or more austerity, [email protected] the board. New hospitals must be but through the nationalisation of the urgently built. banks and finance houses. Rather socialist-appeal than a ‘wealth tax’, we call for the ■ Non-essential workplaces should expropriation of the monopolies. be shut down until it is genuinely socialist.net safe to reopen. The decision to ■ Instead of building up the national SOCIALIST APPEAL Editor: Rob Sewell Content/Layout: Left Publications LTD [email protected] Khaled Malachi and Victoria Walder [email protected] Next issue date: Queries: Issue 344, March 2021 31st March 2021 [email protected] CONTENTS Britain 4 NHS pay 5-6 Black Lives Matter 7 Brexit Britain 8 SNP splits and scandals 9 Yemen blighted by British imperialism 10 Proportional representation 11 Marxist Student Federation Labour Party and Editorial 12-13 Recall conference campaign 14-15 Editorial Theory 16-19 150 years since the Paris Commune International 20-21 Myanmar 22 Senegal 23 Hong Kong repression Letters, Reviews and History 24 Review: Judas and the Black Messiah 25 Review: Adam Curtis documentary 26 Adverts 27 Letters 28 Tell the Truth: East India Company Trade Unions 29 Schools reopening 30 Unison NEC elections 31 Bus drivers’ strike Join us today! marxist.com 4 NHS Pay 10 March 2021 tories offer crumbs for nhs staff pay our nurses now! no to wage cuts! Dan Langley shown that the desperate need for massive workers. Tory ministers point to a public investment and expansion. sector pay freeze as evidence that the Royal College of Nursing This means further misery and pres- cupboard is bare, and that demands by sure on those working in the already over- nurses for more than 1% are unreason- (personal capacity) stretched NHS, as well as those who rely able. on these vital services. But the reality is that our demands – e’ve given as much as we can.” Official papers show that the govern- for a 12.5% increase – are more than rea- These were the contemptuous ment had already factored in a bigger sonable. For starters, our pay has fallen “Wwords of Boris Johnson, com- NHS pay rise of 2.1%. This was agreed in by over 12% in real terms over the past menting on the derisory 1% pay ‘rise’ on 2018, and enshrined in parliamentary law decade. At the same time, there seems offer to nurses and NHS staff. in 2020. to be plenty of money when it comes to Health workers and the wider public This shows that workers cannot rely on the bosses and billionaires, who have are rightly disgusted by this insulting offer negotiated agreements and legal protec- increased their already-vast fortunes and – a wage cut, in real terms – to those who tions. The ruling class will always change profits throughout the pandemic. have sacrificed so much throughout the the rules when it suits them. We must We must therefore stand firm, aim our pandemic. The Prime Minister’s words only therefore fight to make our voices heard sights higher, and look to smash through added fuel to the fire. and secure our demands. the public sector pay freeze all together. Now the Tories are facing a backlash This means uniting with public sector of anger. Unions are demanding a proper Burnt out workers across the board to demand a pay increase, warning of an even greater In response to this latest pay offer, nurses decent wage for all. exodus of nurses if this isn’t brought in. organised in the Royal College of Nursing Even some Conservative MPs have (RCN) were soon demanding strike action. Strength in unity come out against the government on this There have always been worries in The Tories have thrown down the gaunt- issue. And no wonder – according to recent the nursing community about how the let. The trade union leaders must answer polling, 58% of Tory voters believe that public may react to a strike. An Opinium this with swift and decisive action. NHS workers deserve more; a figure that poll from 6 March, however, showed that Nurses must not be left to fight on rises to 72% amongst the general public. a majority (51%) would support a strike their own. Instead, a strike by nurses by nurses. must be seen as a spark for coordinat- Corruption and crumbs Over the last year, the public and ed and militant action across the trade This NHS pay offer comes on the back of patients have learned how vital it is for unions. Rishi Sunak’s recent Budget. In it, the Tory everyone that NHS workers receive a The TUC should be organising and government allocated a further £22 billion decent wage; that staffing levels are safe; mobilising workers for a public sector wide to the privatised and failed test-and-trace that we have the necessary PPE; and strike. And grassroots activists in the labour system. that nurses have access to bursaries. movement should be passing motions of This is just one of many examples of These things benefit us all collectively. solidarity with the nurses and NHS work- how this government of the rich has used When we are short-staffed, demoralised, ers, to put pressure on the Labour leaders the coronavirus crisis to siphon off public and burnt out, it is not possible to provide and ensure that they support this struggle.
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