Unions and pensioners join the Defend Glasgow Services campaign

Glasgow branch held its latest ‘Defend Glasgow Services’ public meeting with speakers from Strathclyde FBU, Glasgow UNISON Health, PCS Scotland and the Scottish Pensioners Forum.

They outlined the scale of attacks and the effect on workers and hard-pressed communities alike.

Eleanor McKenzie, Chair of the Scottish Pensioners Forum, explained that the ConDem coalition is embarking upon an assault on the welfare state through cuts and privatisation. She contrasted the plight of pensioners against those on the Sunday Times Rich List.

Patrick Harvie, MSP Green Party, called for the building of a “progressive coalition” in Scotland to challenge the ConDem Government.

During the discussion speakers welcomed the Defend Glasgow Services campaign and many agreed that industrial action allied to community support would be the most effective way forward and that the DGS campaign should make formal links with other anti-cuts campaigns.

The idea of calling on elected politicians in local councils and the Scottish Parliament to refuse to vote through cuts was also discussed.

The DGS campaign will now be taken on to the streets with stalls and leafleting across the city in the run-up to the STUC demo on 23 October.

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