Protesters Demand the Truth about Orgreave

Protesters gather opposite Wakefield IPCC office

On Friday 29th March around 100 protestors gathered outside the Northern Office of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in Wakefield to voice their anger at the continuing cover-up of the truth of the police operation to break the National Union of Miners outside the Orgreave coaking plant just under 20 years ago.

The protest was organised by the Orgreave Truth and Justice campaign, and as their spokesperson, Barbara Jackson introduce the speakers, she commented on the IPCC had moved at a “snail’s pace” to review the events around Orgreave after South Yorkshire Police referred themselves to the IPCC under pressure in the wake of the Hillsborough inquiry. She also pointed out the limitations of IPCC, larfgely staffed by former police officers and unable to compel police officers to testify – she called for putting as much pressure on the IPCC as possible but also for a public inquiry.

There were a whole array of speakers, including many trade union activists from South Yorkshire, but most memorable was an NUR member at the time who explained the solidarity that rank and file railway gave to the miners in refusing to move coal as well as Kevin, a Doncaster Care UK striker who had also been one of the miners arrested at Orgreave.

Protesters holding Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign posters

One of the NUM banners on the protest

Care UK striker Kevin addresses the crowd

Yorks ambulance workers strike again

Unite pickets outside Wakefield Ambulance station

On 1 February, Unite members in the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust took part in a further 24-hour strike as part of their long-running dispute.

Iain Dalton

Unite members outside the Wakefield depot remained determined in their fight to force the Trust to re-recognise the union and stop the savage cuts which are currently taking place.

Meanwhile, more Unison members, frustrated at the union’s continued inaction in opposing the cuts, the latest being attacks on lunch breaks, are going over to Unite.

Terry Cunliffe, Unite regional officer, spoke to the Socialist:

“My understanding of Unison’s position is that for the last 12 months they have regionally supported Unite’s campaign for re-recognition.

“I have to say the local branch are not following that mandate and in fact have spoken openly, hostilely about the re-recognition of Unite.

“They don’t support us in the way that they promised at the TUC, the local branch activists are actively against our re-recognition.

“Unison have gone round the stations supporting the management plan, they have balloted their members and I have heard them, speaking about their ballot result. 70% of their members don’t agree with their branch position, rejecting the management proposal.

“As far as I am concerned, this completely vindicates the decision that we made to campaign and fight against these cuts.

“They are dangerous to patients and dangerous to our members, and Unison members feel the same. I’m hoping the Unison branch takes that mandate and joins the fight against these cuts.”

A further four-hour strike is taking place on 3 February to mark a year since the union was de-recognised by the former Trust chief executive.

Obituary: Peter Vasey, 1957-2012

It is with great sadness we are made aware of the passing of our comrade Peter Vasey, whose obituary is featured in this weeks edition of The Socialist, reproduced here.

Peter Vasey, called Pete by his friends, died on 17 July at the relatively young age of 54. Born in Batley, West Yorkshire in 1957 to a poor family, he instinctively fought any authority figures who tried to rule his life. He had a very keen and lively sense of humour and was generous to a fault. Much banter took place when he was around and you had to be on the ball not to get caught up in one of his jokes.

A member of the Labour Party Young Socialists and a Militant (forerunner of the Socialist Party) supporter in Batley in the 1980s, he used his artistic talent to good effect. He made a plywood effigy of Tory Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher, with a “Job Destroyer” notice around her neck, which had a good impact in the local campaign against unemployment. He will also be remembered for his adventurous approach. For example, he made a seven foot kite of Lenin to raise fighting fund, then tested it out on Bridlington beach in gusty conditions – terrorising those nearby!

After the defeat of the momentous 1984-85 miners’ strike, however, he lapsed into inactivity but always propounded Marxist ideas, especially those of his beloved Engels.The demoralisation of unemployment blighted his life at this time too and he developed a drink problem. But after years on the dreaded dole
he finally got a job and was determined to never return to the sub-life conditions of unemployment. Proud of the working class he belonged to and never corrupted by the greed of the capitalist system, he was an inspiration, especially to his brother.

May 3rd, Vote TUSC Against Cuts

Wakefield Coalition Against Cuts Relaunch

Socialist Party comrades, including members of our branch will be taking part in a public meeting to relaunch Wakefield Coalition Against Cuts this Tuesday and we encourage you all to attend. The meeting is set to take place at the Red Shed from 7:30.

The document bellow is a resolution passed by Wakefield & Districts Trades Council, which highlights how members of the branch have been campaigning against cuts for some time.

Scrap McWorkfare – Protest for Real Jobs

The Wakefield branch of Youth Fight for Jobs & Education have initiated another protest in Wakefield, now to target Mcdonalds. The branch will be participating in the protest and are helping to organise it. Beginning Monday 27th just before 12:00 outside the town centre location.

We encourage you all to come along, and to sign up to the event page on Facebook.

Following on from the pulling out of the government’s workfare scheme by large companies such as Superdrug, Matalan, Maplin as well as Tesco’s offering those referred to it by the government a 4 week paid job with a guaranteed job at the end of it, Youth Fight for Jobs is calling a day of action on Monday 27th February to target another of the big companies taking part in the government’s workfare scheme – McDonalds

Protest Against Tesco’s

We will be supporting our friends at Youth Fight for Jobs & Education this Wednesday from 18:30 with a protest against the supermarket chain Tesco, for their continued participation in the governments unfair work fair schemes. Everyone will be then very welcome to attend our branch meeting at the Black Rock from 19:30. A Facebook event has already been set up and we encourage you to sign up and help this grow.

Wakefield TUSC Election Results

Mick Griffiths, standing for TUSC, received 355 votes. Standing as a Socialist Alternative candidate in Wakefield East ward since 1996, this represented Mick’s best result.

Whilst canvassing, Socialist Party members got a sympathetic response which translated into an increase in window display posters showing support for TUSC. At 9% of the votes cast, the TUSC vote also pushed the Liberal Democrat candidate into fourth position on 7.4%.

 

Private finance initiative: Why Our MP Changed His Mind

WAKEFIELD SOCIALIST Party has been campaigning for six years against PFI in the new Wakefield hospital development and in the NHS nationally. We have petitioned and lobbied Wakefield’s MP David Hinchcliffe, chair of the Commons select committee for health.

Mick Griffiths, Wakefield and Pontefract Hospitals UNISON and Wakefield Socialist Party

Now in an introduction to the latest Catalyst think tank report Public Services and the Private Sector, Hinchcliffe writes: “We need to bring about a complete separation of the NHS from the private sector, for the sake of preserving and developing the system of collectivised health care that the majority of the British public remain committed to.”

As recently as the June 2001 general election campaign, Hinchcliffe was still arguing that if a private financed deal was the only way to get a new hospital in Wakefield then we’d have to accept it!

We wholeheartedly endorse what Hinchcliffe says now. We must keep up the pressure to ensure that the Health Select Committee investigation actually leads to the forced removal of the private sector from public services.

A survey by Yorkshire and Humberside region of UNISON said that regional MPs, reflecting public opinion, overwhelmingly oppose privatisation. UNISON’s regional secretary claims there’s potential for a backbench rebellion on the issue!

Professor Allyson Pollock, one of the Catalyst report authors, has also produced several UNISON-commissioned reports forcefully putting the case against PFI.

Our branch has also commissioned one. Unlike previous reports which appeared after the event, ours is to be produced at a crucial time, during the negotiations. Management are bending over backwards to try and deliver an in-house best value preferred bid for certain support service provisions.

Hinchcliffe says we are in danger of a long-term take-over by powerful private sector interests, but the tide is starting to turn in our favour.

We must now gear up the anti-privatisation campaign locally and nationally. Drawing on each others’ experiences and networking together, we can build a national campaigning strategy to force out the private parasites once and for all.

 

Fat Cat at Wakefield Mayor’s Ball

“AT LAST, I’ve got someone I can vote for!” exclaimed the traffic warden as he looked over to the Socialist Party stall being set up outside Wakefield Town Hall.

Alistair Tice

It was the placard saying: “Mick Griffiths vows only to accept a worker’s wage”, which caught the eye of this former Labour voting ex-miner who had decided never to vote Labour again.

Our Socialist Alliance manifesto launch didn’t get any press coverage but it did cause a stir at the Town Hall.

We hired a Fat Cat pulling the strings of Blair, Hague and Kennedy.

This was to highlight ourselves as an alternative to the big business parties.

Our stunt coincided with the ‘Mayor-making’ ceremony at the town hall, so very nervous council staff called security and the police to have us moved on.

As this was only the day after the ‘Prescott-egg’, I think they were all a bit worried that our Fat Cat was going to invite himself to the Mayor’s ball.

If only we’d planned it…!