Bristol Socialist Party sends solidarity to the Bristol Remploy Workers after their second day of strike action last Thursday. Please sign the Unite/ GMB petition here.
Report by Tom Baldwin
Once again the strike at Remploy in Bristol was 100% solid with all the workers out and most on the picket line.
The sun was shining and the pickets were in a good mood but there was no dent in their determination to fight the attacks on Remploy.
The people we spoke to wanted to talk about politics and clearly saw their struggle in the context of the economic crisis, high unemployment and the cuts.
There was support for linking up with other workers under attack and for the National Shop Stewards Network lobby of the TUC on 9th September, which is calling for a one-day general strike against austerity.
I spoke to Mark Cambridge, a Unite member in Remploy and asked him why he was out:
"We're on strike to speak up and stand up for our rights. In Remploy Bristol in particular we are concerned about the effects of possibly being TUPE'd over to a private company and our years of service not being recognised.
Basically we're standing up for our futures and for future generations of disabled people. We're showing we're no longer the little people who can be easily rolled over. We must fight to get the support we need, especially in this economic crisis."
I also asked him what he thought the next step was for Remploy workers:
"We need to coordinate with other groups of workers and raise national awareness. There are still a lot of people that don't know what Remploy is or what's being done to us.
"That's our key aim. We want to build support and be in a stronger position to take on the government when parliament meets again in six weeks."
