Right to Work can report the TUC will now act as event organiser for the marches at the Tory Party conference in Manchester on 2nd October and the Lib Dem conference in Birmingham on 18th September. Both demonstrations will build on the ‘March for the alternative’ theme.
We consider this to be an excellent development. The March for the Alternative in London on the 26th March was a huge protest. It was an expression of the determination of millions of workers to resist the Con-Dems and their policies of cuts and privatisation.
We look forward to seeing tens of thousands of people marching on the government parties’ conferences in the Autumn. With the possibility of further co-ordinated strikes against attacks on public sector pensions, we look forward to an Autumn of resistance.
Right to Work is proud of the part we have played in this process. Several months ago we initiated marches on the Tory and Lib Dem conferences. We contacted the councils and police in Manchester and Birmingham and have been in negotiations about the route of the march.
From the beginning we have run open planning meetings and have been pleased to be working with the North West and Midlands TUC. We have argued the demonstration should be March for the Alternative 2 and 3 to build on the half a million strong March for the Alertnative in London on the 26th March.
The decision to call the demonstrations this year follows the 7,000 strong demonstration at the Tory Conference in Birmingham last year, and the 5,000 strong demonstration at the Lib Dem spring conference in Sheffield.
Both of these were initiated by Right to Work and involved wide layers of trade unionists and anti cuts campaigners.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with the TUC and regional TUC bodies to build the demonstrations. While we are modest enough to recognise that the TUC brings greater forces to the table than Right to Work, we hope that they also recognise the role we have played.
Right to Work has played the role of initiator of events on a number of occasions. Alongside the demonstrations at the Tory and Lib Dem conferences we initiated the ‘Day X for the NHS’ demonstration that saw 1,000 people march through the City of London in defence of the NHS.
Right to Work will continue to play this role, working with anti cuts campaigns and trade unions who wish to work alongside us.
The TUC’s decision to support marches on the Tory and Lib Dem conferences is excellent. We now call on all our supporters to re-double their efforts in building for the demonstrations to help make them massive.
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