On Saturday 28 January the Right to Work Campaign in Scotland held its Annual General Meeting. It drew together trade unionists from Unite, Unison, NUJ, PCS, UCU and EIS. A group of Electricians joined the gathering after their demonstration that morning through the city. An opening session on Strikes and the Rank & File heard from workers in the pension’s dispute and sparks fighting back a 35% pay cut.

Disability campaigner David from Black Triangle spoke of the huge reduction the Tories are planning through the Welfare Reform Bill. He said the 7£bn cuts in the welfare system bill will mean more deaths on top of the 31 suicides that have already happened under this government of millionaires.

Action on Unemployment

Sean from RTW Unemployed Workers section spoke of the 26,000 benefits cap and how housing benefit was one of the government’s main targets. The Chartered Institute of Housing say there will be ‘more claiming Housing Allowance than places to affordably live’ and they predict a huge exodus of people from London to places like Liverpool and Glasgow where the average rent is much lower.

Sean offered solutions to how we could solve this crisis ‘ lets reduce the benefit bill – I’m not against that – but lets reduced it by creating jobs……. The benefits bill is rising also because of wage depression’.

With the Tory’s plan to close over 20 job centres in the coming year, 6 in Scotland, of which 3 are in Glasgow it will make the support available for unemployed people even worse. On 12 February the government will announce the latest unemployment figures. We will be taking Action on Unemployment on that day and highlighting the scandal of job centre closure and the 84 million in cuts to benefits in Glasgow alone.

The meeting also heard from Margaret Woods, Campaign to Welcome Refugees who spoke of the need for unity between all sections of the community at a time when Cameron is seeking to divide us. It was right to challenge the British Jobs for British Workers slogan at the time and we must continue to oppose it as it divides us. Margaret also spoke of the need to mobilise in Glasgow and Edinburgh against the upcoming Scottish Defence League demonstrations. Paddy from Occupy Glasgow emphasised the need to building in our communities, where we are, to deepen the fight back as much as is possible.

Importantly a message of support was sent to James Watt College in Greenock who are out on strike for 3 days a week for the next 3 weeks.

A Steering Committee for Scotland was proposed and elected.