Above photo: Wikimedia Commons/Roger Blackwell,
A new wave of strikes are underway across the UK. From postal workers to barristers, organised labour is turning out on picket lines against the backdrop of looming energy cost hikes. Workers across the UK are fighting back by withdrawing labour, sharing their experiences and, on one occasion, surfing around ports at high speed!
The strikes come as Don’t Pay, which is campaigning to encourage people to refuse to pay extortionate energy bills, reported an 80% hike had been nodded through by regulator Ofgem:
Read on…
Don’t Pay’s East London branch also announced a protest at Canary Wharf for Saturday 27 August:
The hikes emphasise how important bottom-up resistance is right now. And, a number of unions are taking action as we speak.
Posties for the win
Postal workers are striking as part of the Communication Workers Union over pay. Royal Mail bosses have been paying themselves massive bonuses, even as the cost of living crisis has ramped up:
CWU general secretary Dave Ward challenged bosses to debate him on the issues live on TV:
Barrister strike
Unusually, barristers have also gone out on strike. Traditionally seen as comfortable professionals, barristers have increasingly been forced to work unsustainable hours. Because their work is, in essence, freelance, the hours mean their pay is extremely poor in some cases:
One barrister took the time to write this useful thread on working conditions in her profession:
Labour’s latest clanger
The Labour Party’s policy proposals for dealing with the economy have been found to be basically useless. Full Fact reported that the party’s energy bill proposals did not account for, of all things, winter:
Another moment of excellence from Keir Starmer and his cronies.
While Labour flaps, the port of Felixstowe was also closed down by a strike this week:
And one genius worker decided to do a lap of the port on a powered surfboard while flying the flag of his union Unite:
Workers’ power
Workers are on the move and taking on their bosses directly. As Labour struggles to understand how seasons work, extra-parliamentary campaigns like Don’t Pay and Enough is Enough seem to be gaining traction. This can only be positive moves towards an invigorated workers’ movement.