UNISON North West Supports ‘People’s Assembly: Protest the Tory Party Conference’
The Tory Party Conference will take place in Manchester again this year. The People’s Assembly Against Austerity is organising a protest march against the Tories, which is supported by UNISON North West.
UNISON will have a block at the People’s Assembly march on Sunday 3 October. After every single ward in Greater Manchester backed Labour in the Mayoral Elections in May (testament to people supporting Andy Burnham’s strong stance against Tory neglect for the North) it is an insult that the Tories yet again return to Manchester.
UNISON members have every reason to make sure the Tories, and the general public, see a strong case made against their record of failure. Ten years of austerity left our country woefully ill-prepared for a pandemic that has killed over 130,000 people, one of the worst death rates in the world. Failures and zig-zags on policy created a catastrophe in social care and a second devastating lockdown last winter. Key workers, who kept the country going, have been denied a pay rise they deserve whilst bearing the brunt of tax rises to “fix” our NHS backlog and then our care service, whilst the rich who have increased their wealth throughout the pandemic are spared.
The Tories have sought to distract from all this by claiming credit for the work of others. The furlough scheme- which prevented mass impoverishment as industries were forced to close- was a TUC proposal, and would have been adopted by any sensible party in government. We are all delighted and relieved at the success of the vaccine. But after wasting £37bn on a failed privately run test and trace system, the success of the vaccine provided an alibi for the Tories at the May elections. Yet to this day, many key workers who have had to work throughout the pandemic are denied full sick pay to enable them to safely isolate. Our NHS and care workers have been stretched to the limit. Our local councils have had to continue to deal with devastating cuts.
It is crucial that UNISON members play a part in a loud, vibrant march on Sunday 3 October. Come and join other members of your branch including reps and branch officers and let’s send a clear message to this Government that we will fight the cuts and underfunding to our NHS. The assembly point will be in front of the railings at Cobbett House, Manchester Royal Infirmary at 12.00pm. We will provide banners and flags. Share THIS LEAFLET with your friends and family and encourage them to march with us!
In addition to the main march on Sunday 3rd October, the People’s Assembly is organising a week of events covering all the major issues of our time. They will have a marquee in Manchester that will host a series of activities which may be of interest to you. The programme of events can be found here: Event Programme
