London march for social justice

London march for social justice

By Sam Wainwright

LONDON Around 10,000 people marched here on April 12 to call for social justice and to expose the anti-working class pro-big business policies of John Major's Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Tony Blair's "New Labour".

The demonstration was an initiative of committees representing three important struggles: Magnet Kitchens workers sacked for taking industrial action, Hillingdon Hospital employees sacked for refusing a 20% wage cut and the heroic fight of the Liverpool dockers.

The placards, chants and banners all showed the strong feelings of support and admiration the dockers' struggle has inspired. Five hundred dockers were sacked 18 months ago for refusing to cross picket lines imposed to fight casualisation in the industry.

The picket lines have been maintained by the Merseyside Dockers' Shop Stewards' Committee ever since, despite being both undermined and ignored by their own "leaders" in the Transport and General Workers Union and the Trades Union Council.

The sacking of the dockers and other workers was made possible by the anti-union and anti-worker laws introduced by the Thatcher government. Blair has assured big business that these laws will stay in place: no wonder the tabloids have switched support from the crisis-ridden Conservatives to Labour.

The Labour Party has also committed to continue the thrust of the Conservatives' policies on privatisation, cuts to social spending and wage restraint. A recent combined churches report condemned all three major parties for abandoning the poor.

After passing 10 Downing Street and parliament, the march made its way to Trafalgar Square. Here the Merseyside Dockers' Shop Stewards' Committee launched its Charter for Social Justice. Among other things, it calls for immediate reinstatement of the sacked workers, repeal of anti-union legislation, defence of the welfare state, withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland and abolition of nuclear power.

People then stayed around for a giant and peaceful street party, which was later forcefully broken up by the police. n

From GLW issue 271