An Autumn of Discontent?

Considering the full-scale attack on the public sector in the UK, including measures such as cuts to welfare benefits, imposed changes to public sector pension schemes, compulsory redundancies, the privatisation of several NHS hospitals, the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance and the introduction of tuition fees of up to £9000 per year in Higher Education amongst others, the annual congress of the Trades Union Congress in London from 12 to 14 September 2011 is of particular importance. Will British trade unions find a way forward to contest the cuts by the ConDem coalition government successfully?

Cave canem: the gobal financial crisis and the Left in Britain!

Considering the global financial crisis and the ConDem government’s current attempts to save money through drastic cuts to the public sector, the absence of more widespread protests and alternative proposals in Britain is surprising. Is the Left the dog that hasn’t barked?

Towards a public sector wide strike in the UK? Impressions from the annual congress of the University and College Union.

Several public sector unions in the UK are currently balloting for industrial action in order to go on strike together on 30 June. The Higher Education section of the University and College Union (UCU), however, failed to link up with this movement. Does this indicate a rather economistic approach with a narrow focus on interests of members while wider societal concerns are disregarded?

Large demonstration against ConDem cuts – what next?

The demonstration against the ConDem budget cuts was huge. More than 250000 people took part in the protest against the public sector cuts on Saturday, 26 March in London. Some even speak of more than half a million people being in the streets. The demonstration was called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and many affiliated unions such as Unison, the University and College Union (UCU), the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), but also social movements organising user groups had mobilised widely. The question is, however, what next in order to stop the cuts?

The First Social Conference in Europe: a move towards wider resistance?

On 10 and 11 March 2011, I attended the First Social Conference in Europe. Around 80 representatives of European trade unions and social movements met in Brussels to move towards joint activities of resistance against neo-liberal restructuring. While the two days were very fruitful in relation to an open exchange of positions and the formulation of joint draft papers, a draft declaration, and a press release, the groups present ultimately failed to adopt priorities for joint actions in the short- to medium-term.

Is there a future for trade unions in the UK?

In this University of Nottingham podcast, I look ahead to the planned TUC demonstration against cuts in the public sector on Saturday, 26 March 2011 and ask if the unions have a chance of forcing u-turns and driving resistance to neo-liberal restructuring in the UK.

Prof. Andreas Bieler
Professor of Political Economy
University of Nottingham/UK
Andreas.Bieler@nottingham.ac.uk

Personal website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ldzab

21 March 2011

Dangerous illusions in the top tier - Part2!

Despite the cut-backs in Higher Education in the UK, members of staff in top tier institutions feel fairly secure in their employment. Job losses as a result of a decline in student numbers will affect colleagues in Further Education institutions as well as Universities further down in the ranking order it is often thought. This may well turn out to be a dangerous illusion.