Osborne’s Spending Review – PCS Midlands Shows Government The Red Card

DWP Ravenhurst

In his spending review last week, the chancellor announced further massive cuts to the public sector and the civil service on top of the £81bn which will be cut from public spending by 2014. We have already seen a two-year pay freeze and pay cap of 1% and increased pension contributions. More than 70,000 civil service jobs have been cut, the value of pensions reduced and terms and conditions threatened.

The government has refused to talk to us, and we are demanding real negotiations.

The new spending round will cut a further £11.5 billion in 2015/16 and include:

• Saving a further £5bn from central government
• Ending progression pay in civil service by 2016
• 1% cap on public sector pay continued until April 2016
• Budget cuts of 10% for justice, Defra, Treasury and Cabinet Office and Communities; 9.5% in DWP; 9% for transport; 8% in Foreign Office and department for energy and climate change; 7% in culture; 6% for Home Office and department for business innovation and skills; 5% in Revenue and Customs
• 2% further cuts for devolved administrations
• Cuts in defence civilians and allowances
• 144,000 further job cuts in the public sector.
• A cap on benefit payments, more cuts and restrictions

27 June protest day – stop the cuts

DWP Five Ways

Highways Agency

These cuts will have a devastating effect on you, your family and the services we provide. We organised a day of protest against these cuts – to pay, jobs and terms and conditions as part of our national campaign.

On 27 June, at every workplace and in our city centres, members protested to stop the cuts, and keep the pressure on ministers for real negotiations.

Gambling Commission

Courts

The cuts don’t work – there is an alternative

Despite the huge cuts to the public sector both the debt and the deficit are increasing. The economy has flatlined, leading to lower tax revenues and high benefit bills. Read about PCS’ alternative

Saturday’s Bedroom Tax Protest March Route

A demonstration against the bedroom tax will take place on Saturday in Birmingham, in memory of Stephanie Bottrill who committed suicide, blaming the government in her suicide note. Like many facing the bedroom tax, Stephanie was not able to find a smaller property to move to, and was only offered one six miles away from her support networks, friends and family.
The demonstration on Saturday meets in Chamberlain Square at 12noon. The march will proceed down New Street onto High Street, up Union Street and Cherry Street to the Cathedral, down Temple street to New Street and back to Chamberlain Square. There will be a shortened route that stops at the junction on New St and Temple St, waiting for protesters to complete the long route before heading back to Chamberlain Square.

12noon, Saturday 15th June
Chamberlain Square.
Long march route: approx 1 mile.
Short march route: approx 0.4miles / 700meters
The march returns to Chamberlain Square so anyone who does not want to or cannot walk the short route can remain in Chamberlain Square.

Birmingham City Centre is step free. Accessible toilets are available in Paradise Forum by Chamberlain Square, and a single person accessible public toilet is located in Victoria Square, less than 100m from Chamberlain Square.
Various accessible toilets are available along the march route in the Pallisades, Bullring and Pavilions shopping centre, and in restaurants and pubs.

Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign Bedroom Tax Demo Report and Photos

The campaign against the bedroom tax continued in Birmingham yesterday with a demonstration in the city centre attended by around a hundred people. Called by the Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign, this followed action last week that saw the council chambers occupied by activists calling on Albert Bore and the Labour council to commit to no evictions over bedroom tax arrears, and the demonstration last month which saw hundreds protest in Victoria Square.

Hundreds Turn Out For Bedroom Tax Demo In Birmingham

Hundreds of people came out to demonstrate against this coalition’s unpopular bedroom tax policy. One of the biggest anti-cuts demonstrations in the past couple of years saw the two sides of the Labour party speak in between amongst community activists and people affected by the bedroom tax, as John Mcdonnell MP and Liam Byrne MP both addressed the crowd – to rather different receptions.

You can read more about the bedroom tax, and the “spare” rooms that aren’t spare in these posts – More concessions show we can defeat the bedroom tax and Birmingham bedroom tax demonstration.

Occupation and Demonstration Greet Labour Councillors Meeting To Vote On Budget Cuts Proposal

The Labour group met yesterday to agree internally their budget proposal which accepts the £110m of cuts to the council budget as a result of the Tory coalition slashing central government grants. The full council meets on Tuesday 26th February to discuss and vote on the proposals put forward. In protest at the cuts and the Labour group’s decision to implement them on behalf of the Tory coalition, 20 people occupied the council house balcony from lunchtime until 6pm, and a demonstration of around 200 people marched up New Street to the council house where the meeting took place. There was coverage of these actions in The Birmingham Mail and BBC Website.

2012 Photo Review of the Year

In the third year of this Condem coalition, austerity began to fail, with the budget deficit rising as we entered a double dip recession. The triple dip recession may already have started. The council here announced huge budget cuts spelling the “end of local government as we know it“, the attacks on our welfare system accelerated and the fightback continued with 200,000 marching in London on October 20th, thousands in Birmingham for the Tory conference, companies and charities withdrawing from workfare, Charles House saved from closure, Redundancies stopped at Connexions (at least for now) and more words (though still little action) on tax avoidance.

Click on the photo to read about the event or campaign.

Demonstrations in Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield as Osborne Announces Autumn Statement

Demonstrations took place around the UK yesterday as Osborne gave further details of how austerity is going to increase the budget deficit over the next 5 years, whilst screwing low paid, unemployed and disabled people by cutting real terms benefits and removing the link between benefits and inflation.

Austerity: No Gain, Just Pain – Demonstrate Tomorrow, 5th Dec.

Tomorrow is the day that George Osborne gives us his autumn budget statement, laying out the increased cuts he will be making next year. Austerity is supposed to be about dealing with the budget deficit, but as cuts start to take effect, we have seen the economy drop back into recession. This has caused the deficit to start rising again, with October’s borrowing over £2bn higher than last year. So far this year, the government has borrowed around £5bn more than last year (data up till the end of October). When we get to the end of this year, it looks pretty certain that the government will have borrowed more in 2012 than in 2011. (This all excludes the one off payment in April 2012 of around £28bn from the transfer of Royal Mail pension assets. Sometimes when someone wants to make it look like they are doing a good job, they include this money – don’t be fooled).

14th November Sees Strikes and Demonstrations Across Europe

14th November was a European wide day of action, called by the European Trades Union Congress. General strikes were held in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, four of the countries worst affected by austerity, whilst solidarity demonstrations were held in towns and cities across the continent.

Autumn Budget Statement Demonstration – 5th December

George Osborne’s autumn budget statement will set out huge cuts for the next financial year, with an extra £10bn-£16bn to be lopped off the welfare budget expected to be the big headline. Austerity is failing but as the deficit begins to rise the government’s only answer is more cuts. We need alternative economic policies to solve this problem.