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rock solid strike

hits bosses hard
M

ondays strike across DSG was

rock solid and no amount of
rain and drizzle could have
dampened our spirits. Workers came
to the picket lines and are joining the
union in growing numbers. They want
to be part of the fight for decent pay.
The move to escalate to four days of
strikes across DSG was just the right
move. Its shown both the employers
and the workforce that Unite is deadly
serious about winning fair pay for
workers.
The latest wave of strikes builds on
the fantastic action Unite members took
during October.
Those strikes made a big enough
splash in the media, from the BBC to
the bosses paper the Financial Times.
Thats happened again this time
around. Among the coverage on
Monday morning, the action at DSG
was reported on the prestigious Radio 4
Today programme.

Sitting

The fact that everyone knows that DSG

is sitting on 67 million means that the
case for a fair pay deal is supported by
the facts.
Clearly the money is there for a lot
more than the 1 percent pay cut on
offer.
At some sites DSG has tried
throwing overtime at the workforce
in an attempt to break the strike, this
has backfired on them with workers
recognising if theres money to pay for
overtime, then theres money to pay up
on a 8 percent increase.
Not only is the strike action putting
the pressure on over pay it is also
throwing a spanner in the works of
the planned smooth transition to
privatisation.
The last thing anyone up top wanted
was to see DSG hit the press with

On the picket line at Donnington on Monday

stories of growing union membership

and solid strikes by the workforce.
The 4 days of action will continue to
turn the screw. Were showing that we
are not just out to make a token protest
over our pay claim, we are in this fight
to win it.

Results

Thats even more important because

in recent weeks weve seen extended
strike action by Unite members can
get results. Over 600 members at St
Mungos Broadway housing charity
recently struck against attacks on their
conditions.
After a solid seven day strike they
threatened ten days more. The result
was that they beat back all of their
managements attacks, they won
everything! Action gets results.

Every worker in Britain has been

under the cosh since the economic crisis
started in 2008. Year after year weve
taken pay cuts. Its time to turn things
around. That means fighting back.

Labour

Its not as if we can hope that Labour

will turn things around. Ed Miliband
has already said that if Labour return
to office austerity will go on and that
means 1 percent for workers in the
public sector.
If we win this fight then whoever
takes over DSG will know that they
face a workforce that is prepared to back
each other up, a workforce that wont be
pushed around and that is prepared to
fight. Thats why this is a fight we have
to win both to achieve a fair pay deal
but also to prepare for battles to come.

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DSG strike 17/11/14

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