Doug Haywood spoke at the Cost of Living Crisis Protest on 12th February on behalf of Aberdeen Trade Union Council. He gave a passionate speech, urging people to "Use your rage. Together we are powerful."
"Hello everybody, thanks for coming on such a cold Saturday afternoon.
We’re here again.
It’s a, grim, grinding pattern. Prices
rise, rents rise, bills rise. Wages stay the same, or hours are cut,
often to the insidious zero hour’s contract.
People are forced to choose between
heating and eating. Between shoes for the bairn or decent food on their
plate. In one of the richest countries in the world.
And let’s not forget those new to
Aberdeen, refugees fleeing persecution, terror and war, now housed with a
corporate landlord (on Crown Street), patronised with £7 a week pocket
money. With no shoes, and barely adequate clothing for an Aberdeen
winter.
Meanwhile, the privileged blithely expand their exploitation.
The consequence-free corporate
pleasure-cruise carries on. To take just one example, BP recently
reported its highest profits since 2013. A $12.8bn windfall annual
profit. $12.8bn. That is simply obscene.
Here, Ross Cassie, SNP councillor and ATUC Consultative member addresses the Cost Of LIving protest.
"This cost-of-living crisis has been in the making for more
than a decade now. This is the year it hits.
We must also not forget that the route to this goes back
even further. Scotland has not voted for a Tory Government since 1955. That’s 6
years before I was born. All of us are paying for their repugnant policies
now.Well almost all, more of which
later.
2010 brought us the Tory Lib Dem coalition and a decade of
austerity. Add to that the effects of a hard Brexit brought about by the far-right
ideologists that now run the tory party.
Food prices are increasing, and the boss of Tesco’s says we
have not seen the worst of it yet.
Ofgem have just announced the price cap on our household
energy will increase by 54%. That’s almost £700 per year. No one can absorb
that hike in prices given that inflation is running at over 5% and pay awards
are generally below that. In effect pay cuts.
There will be further fuel bill rises announced in October
on top of what you are being expected to pay from April.
So what has the UK Government offered to help with these
fuel bill rises?They offer us a loan. £200 woopy do the cost went up £700. Next
year you start to pay back that loan at £40 per year.
Here is Simon Watson's inspiring speech for the Cost of Living Crisis protest on 12 Feb 2022
"Hi, I’m Simon Watson, Regional Organiser for UNISON
It’s great to see you’ve turned out at short notice in the changeable
Aberdeen weather to make a statement about this huge issue for union
members, and working people generally.This is the only the start of what needs to be done.
We’ve been through two years of a pandemic which has demonstrated that
the real critical workers in our society are the cleaners, the carers,
the health, schools, and other public service workers.
They have put themselves, their health and the health of their families on the line to keep us all going.But now fuel bills are rocketing £700 a year, National Insurance
going up by 10%, Inflation hitting 7% - and real inflation for those on
lower incomes is much more than that.
Even the punitive social security system benefits are being cut in real
terms, and that’s without the £20 being removed from Universal credit.Let’s not forget that most households claiming benefits have people who are working.
The distant memory of Boris Johnson asking people to clap for our carers now seems like very cold comfort.
ATUC's protest on the spiralling cost of living attracted around 50 people, angry at the soarings costs of food, fuel and other basics and the impact that will have on all of us but especially low paid workers and thos on benefits.
We had some excellent speakers and will post their speeches on this blog.
The event was chaired by ATUC member and previous president, Kate Ramsden. Welcoming participants to the event, on such a cold, wet afternoon, Kate spoke of the importance of coming together to give a clear message that ordinary workers must not be left paying the price of the cost of living crisis in the fifth richest country in the world.
"There is no less money that there always was," slammed Kate. "It's just in the wrong hands."
Aberdeen Trades Union Council has organised an Aberdeen protest on Saturday 12th Feb at 12.30pm against the cost of living rises that will cripple already beleaguered working people and our most vulnerable citizens.
This is one of a large number of protests taking place around the UK against soaring hikes in the cost of gas, electricity and food.
Graeme Farquhar, ATUC President said: "We are urging all ATUC delegates and affiliates and citizens of the North East to come together and give a clear message that these cost of living rises are totally unacceptable.
"Once again these rises will hit the poorest in our society and with below inflation pay increases, working people will find themselves less and less able to cope. Poverty will rise and families will be forced to choose between eating and heating. In the north of Scotland that is a really stark choice," slammed Graeme.
"The measures proposed by the Tory government will do nothing to mitigate the impact of these cost of living rises on ordinary people. Despite massive profits by the energy companies, calls for a windfall tax have fallen on deaf ears."
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a dramatic rise in the energy price cap
by 54% to £1,971 a year from this April in the UK - meaning that energy
companies can now charge households across the UK around £2,000 a year for
their gas and electricity use.
Other protests in Scotland have been organised by the People's Assembly along with DPAC and Fuel Poverty Action. ATUC is proud to stand alongside them at our Aberdeen protest and shares their condemnation of increased costs at a time when the gap between rich and poor is widening exponentially.
PLEASE USE THE FORM FOR BOTH RENEWALS AND NEW AFFILIATIONS
Well that wasn’t the year we expected but with your support, the ATUC continued its work throughout 2021, and we very much hope your trade union will support us again by affiliating for 202
We can only exist
because trade union branches support us, and whether your branch has
been a long time affiliate, or you wish to join us for the first time
this year, we’d be very happy for your support.
Affiliating/Renewing
is simple and easy to do online – just click the link and complete the
form. We will then send an invoice to the branch contact you nominate. http://bit.ly/ATUCAffiliate
If your branch already affiliates, but you know of other branches or
unions who don’t then please send this email on to them – spread the
word!
▶ Book your Annual Report Adverts!
It's that time of year again, and the ATUC are looking for
organisations to help sponsor our 2021 annual report, to be published in
the new year, by taking out adverts to be included in the publication.
Organisations taking adverts in this way allow us to produce the
well-respected Annual Report each year which is distributed to trade
union and other organisations, as well as being made available at the
annual STUC conference. It's a great way to get your branch or
organisation noticed, as well as helping us to cover the costs of
producing the report.
Annual Report advert costs are as follows
(please note we are now basing advert costs on page size, as all are
now available in colour due to the new printing process we use): Full-page - £200.00 Half-page - £100.00 Quarter-page - £50.00
To
make it even easier you can now submit your annual report advert
request online, including uploading your copy ready artwork/poster.
We'll then invoice you for the selected amount. If you don’t have your
artwork ready yet, you can still book and then send the artwork in
later.
To book your advert please ensure you complete our online form as that allows us to track invoices appropriately!
We would like to encourage all our affiliates and associate
organisations to provide a report on your work over this year, and the
impact of the Covid pandemic on your members and your communities. We
usually ask for an A4 page of type in Arial 12pt but we would be happy
with just a couple of paragraphs on your branch's/organisations'
experience to ensure we can include as many affiliates as possible in
this Annual Report.
Articles can be submitted to atucreports@gmail.com and we would be grateful to receive them as soon as possible, and no later than 31st January 2022.
Pressure for public control and public ownership of
buses grows as new campaigns launched in the Glasgow city region, Tayside and
the North-East
Scotland’s
campaign for better buses continues to grow today as anti-poverty groups,
environmentalists and trade unions join forces to launch new regional campaigns
for better buses in three of Scotland’s biggest city regions.
Today
three ‘Take Back Our Buses’ campaign videos are released, outlining the
case for change in the Glasgow city region, Tayside and the North-East, and
starting to build the pressure on all political parties in the run-up to the
local election next year.
Prior
to the pandemic bus passenger journeys in Tayside and the North East fell by a
quarter in the last five years, while in the South West and Strathclyde they
fell by 12%. However, in Edinburgh and the Lothians where buses are
council-owned, bus passenger use has bucked the downward trend.
The
three regional ‘Take Back Our Buses’ campaigns call on local politicians in all
parties to commit to using the new powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019
– for public control and public ownership of bus services – in their manifestos
for local elections next May.
This
follows Greater Manchester’s decision earlier this year to become the first UK
city region to commit to re-regulating its bus network since 1986, as the only
way to deliver a fully-integrated and affordable public transport network which
serves all the region’s communities.
The campaign
is supported by unions such as Unite the Union who represent bus workers, as
well as by Trades Councils across Scotland, the Poverty Alliance, Friends of
the Earth Scotland, Engender, Common Weal, Get Glasgow
Moving, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, One
Parent Families Scotland, the Young Women’s Movement and the Scottish
Pensioners Forum.
The
Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is running the ‘Our Climate Our Buses’
campaign as a key driver of its wider campaign for a Just Transition.
