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19 June 2004

TUC-Sponsored Pensions demonstration:

Defeat the threatened robbery of our pensions

Saturdays’ 10,000-strong demonstration in London was another step forward in our campaign to defeat the threatened robbery of our pensions.

There was a good turnout from teacher trade unionists with both NUT and NASUWT branches being well represented.

This was the first national demonstration called by the TUC in many years. They have had to respond to the pressure building from below and, in particular, the motion the PCS (civil servants) Union had successfully won at TUC Congress last year.

The PCS President, Janice Godrich, spoke at the rally in Trafalgar Square and called on those present to go back and build the campaign by organising local pensions campaign committees in their areas.

After the rally, Janice spoke alongside Martin Powell-Davies at a meeting hosted by the Socialist Party to discuss how to take the campaign forward after the demonstration.

Martin thanked Janice and the PCS for putting the proposals to the TUC that led to the demonstration being called. Martin added that he hoped this would be just the first opportunity for him to share a joint platform with leaders of the PCS and other unions where a new leadership had been elected that was prepared to fight for its members.

He went on that "If the TUC leaders think they can now go back to their offices for a quiet life, we’ve got to make clear this has to be just the start of a serious campaign of action. We cannot allow workers already suffering from intolerable workload to be forced to work on until they are 65 to claim a full pension. It could become, quite literally, a life or death question for many colleagues. If elected NUT General Secretary, I pledge to go out to schools and build support for the united industrial action we need to defeat these threats"