Defiant union leaders are threatening to plunge Britain into a second winter of discontent with mass strike action that involves two million employees, bringing the country to its knees.
Amid the confusion unfolding in Westminster this week, the Prime Minister has been dealt another political broadside, this time by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), in what could be the most militant showdown with the Government since the 1970s.
The alarming prophecy of mass strikes came as the TUC opened its postponed assemblage in Brighton and ahead of a crunch ballot on industrial action between unions, expected on Wednesday.
If the vote is endorsed, it would mean fundamental public sector employees, including teachers, nurses and junior doctors would be among those to join the mass walkout.
Some groups have already agreed to industrial action, with coffin makers at the Co-op’s only manufacturing establishment in the United Kingdom agreeing to walk out in a row over pay, bringing production to a complete stop, and the union representing teachers has indicated more than half of headteachers were in favour of striking amid simmering levels of anger and despair among school staff.
In an enraged attack against the Government, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady demanded the Prime Minister be sacked and a general election is called.
Addressing her last TUC congress before stepping down, she said that some say Liz Truss must go, but she believed they were wrong and that this entire wretched Tory Government should go. She said that the Tories are poisonous, that it was time for a transformation and that we needed a General Election now.
Miss O’Grady cautioned the TUC was already co-ordinating industrial action, adding that when workers are left with no choice but to vote for strike action for decent pay, then she said ‘bring it on’.
Among those due to be balloted are headteachers. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said the union members have told him they can’t continue to run their schools in the present circumstances, and neglect of pay and funding was eroding education.
Mr Whiteman said he’s never heard more outrage and despair from headteachers. He said schools had been caught in a cruel spiral, and that insufficient pay has contributed to a recruitment and retention crisis, and the failure to fund even the insufficient award this year means that heartbreaking cuts to services will have to be made.
He said fewer people and more infrequent services will lead to a deterioration of educational quality.
To be fair this country is finished, especially if this sort of thing keeps occurring, but now the workers are giving the Government a taste of their own medicine because workers have been exploited for far too long, working extraordinarily hard for very little pay, and let’s face it, the Tories have caused more devastation with their greed, and it’s far time it stopped.
There are going to be strikes, discontent, unaffordable energy bills, rising inflation, increasing National debt, and the future is not encouraging, but now, Jeremy Hunt can live up to his well-deserved nickname as he extinguishes the one remaining spark of hope in this grotto of despair.
If the electorate doesn’t hold the Government to account and the media doesn’t hold the Government to account, in time only anarchy will hold the Government to account and it’s already begun!
But things were finished a long time ago, only now there’s no pretence to it, especially with wage stagnation it was unavoidable. People can simply no longer survive the way things are going – the dam is going to explode, so we should all start preparing.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 