IWW StrikeBack!

#2, Aug - Sept 201 4

Opinion: Ending wages is the end game

by Red Dwarfer
Are you tired of forcing yourself
out of bed at 6am every day, to
force feed yourself and then
travel through rush hour traffic
just to go make money for
someone else? Do you think
that having millions of plastic
sandals being made every year
and ending up unsold is a
complete waste of human
energy? Fed up of pointless
wars and ecological
destruction? Thousands of
empty houses while thousands
of people sleep on the streets?
Well, so are we. This is what a
society alienated from itself
looks like. One where the
control doesn't belong to those
of us who go out every day to
make the world happen, but
where control is dictated by
whatever might turn a profit.

Our goal is to help usher in a

change in society, one that will
finally allow for a real human
society.
The IWW acknowledges that
this struggle primarily happens
at the work place, between
wage-labour and capital. Our
call for the "abolition of the
wages system" is a recognition
of the fact that a slight change in
this relation does in no way
change the social-relation of
bosses against workers. We
organise according to the
principle that the working class
and the employing class have
nothing in common".
The fact that the IWW
combines anti-capitalist
movement building with
industry-wide grass-roots
workplace organising is what
makes us different from other
organisations that just try to fix
life piecemeal under capitalism,
or want us to live in a slightly
nicer version of it.
We view capitalism as
springing from the economic
relation of worker vs boss in the
form of wage-labour vs capital.
Our commitment to the ending
of the wages system means that

Radical Calendar
Aug - Sept 2014

we're not just a trade union; and Sun 03 Aug

even though we're proud to be Glasgow Games
democratic internally, this isn't Monitor protests
what separates us from other closing ceremony.
organisations. What
Details TBA, check
distinguishes us is the
gamesmonitor201 4.
knowledge that social ills in
org for more.
society can only be changed by
fundamentally changing the
Mon 04 Aug
economic underpinnings that Scottish Peace
maintain these social ills.
Network protests
Capitalism, as an integrated
revisionist WWI
system of exploitation and
anniversary events.
oppression, cannot be reformed. Meet 9:30am, Dewar
As we pursue a socialist
statue, Buchanan St,
transformation of society, we join Glasgow.
with others in making radical
demands on the existing
Wed 24 Sept
system: demands that challenge Miners' strike veteran
the basic assumptions of a
Dave Douglass
capitalist market economy while reflects on a life of
pointing the way to a new
struggle. 7pm at
society. As campaigners for full- [VENUE TBC] ,
funding for, and free access to, Glasgow
housing, education, health care,
transport, and social services Sat 27 Sept
we realise that by fighting for our Anti-war folk artists
rights we will advance the cause Gentle Men's "Home
by demonstrating the inherent By Christmas" release
limitations and injustice of the gig. 7:30pm at
capitalist system. Capitalism Adelaides, 209 Bath
can be replaced!
St, Glasgow, G2 4HZ

Wherever you are, you can join the One Big Union
the Industrial Workers of the World

Find us on Facebook under "Clydeside IWW" and "Edinburgh Wobbly", visit

iwwscotland.wordpress.com or text 07 906 957 811 for more info

- or email your nearest officer Ayrshire, Dumfries & the Highlands: westscotland@iww.org.uk
Glasgow & Clydeside: clydeside@iww.org.uk
Edinburgh : edinburgh@iww.org.uk
Borders, Forth Valley, Fife, Tayside, Aberdeen: eastscotland@iww.org.uk

For One
Big Union
Resisting
Capitalism

INSIDE:

StrikeBack!
HMRC staff strike
over pay, j ob cuts

" We are at the end of

the line" : Health
workers speak out

Edinburgh workers,
benefit claimants
ally against cuts

IWW Scotland
newsheet #2
AugSept
2014
Calendar: demos,
direct action &
other events

Protests challenge MoD 'travesty'

glorying in war dead
By Eric Chester
On June 28, 1 91 4, a Serbian
nationalist assassinated the
heir to the Austro-Hungarian
throne, triggering World War
I. One outcome of this
bloodbath was the cobbling
together of the newly-created
state of Iraq to facilitate
British control over Middle
Eastern oil. As Iraq now
descends into sectarian
warfare, the disastrous
repercussions of imperialist
meddling become all too
obvious.
Ironically, exactly one
century later the UK
'RESIST MIITARI$M': White Feather activists scale Finnieston crane for a daring banner drop.
government sponsored
Armed Forces Day in Stirling NATO. A total of 45
defend the British role in a
The Peace Network is
in its unceasing effort to
protesters converged on
war of imperialist rivals that calling on activists to gather
glorify war, militarism and
Stirling under the Scottish led to the death of tens of at Buchanan St's Dewar
imperialism.
Peace Network, a broad
millions and set the stage for statue at 9:30am come 04
Several IWW members
coalition of organisations,
the rise of Hitler. There will August. From there we will
from around Scotland came including the IWW, Scottish be an official ceremony at send groups to a variety of
to Stirling to protest this
CND and others.
the Glasgow Cathedral
sites to make known our
travesty. We assembled
The network is already
followed by a wreath laying disgust at this display of
under a large banner saying planning its next action. On in George Square. The
chauvinistic jingoism.
'NO MORE WARS' and
August 4, the UK
queen, Cameron and other
We showed we could act
distributed a flyer calling for government will mark the assorted bigwigs will be on together in Stirling. We can
Scotland and the UK to leave start of World War I, trying to hand.
do the same on August 4.

StrikeBack! is proudly published by the Industrial Workers of the World (Scotland)

FRIENDS & ALLIES: Glasgow Solidarity Network glasgowsolnet.wordpress.com // Unity Centre HELP STRIKEBACK: Try writing for us, place a notice or distribute the next issue!
unitycentreglasgow.org // Glasgow Games Monitor gamesmonitor2014.org
email Keith at westscotland@iww.org.uk

IWW StrikeBack! #2, Aug - Sept 201 4

Editorial: A union
of "organisers"

Performance management, privatisation

spur tax office walkouts

for their jobs. Evidence

pensioners and vulnerable
reported to PCS suggests workers) of the chance of
Her Majesty's Revenue and this box marking is hitting
talking to a helpful person
Customs (HMRC) comrades disabled staff, part time staff face-to-face to discuss issues
in the PCS union have been and members with caring
which may be worrying or
taking rolling action since
responsibilities hard, as they confusing them, the stage is
June in response to a
are shifted to the "must
set for increasing
creeping campaign of
improve" box with no regard privatisation of HMRC
privatisation, job cuts, closure taken of their particular
services. This should strike
of enquiry centres and the circumstances. The system is fear not only into the hearts
dreaded new performance also hard on new starts and of HMRC workers but into the
management system: a
trainees who are not given hearts of everyone in the
return to old fashioned
any opportunities to learn the country who has any
methods of "banding" staff ropes before being placed dealings with HMRC at all
into percentages with
into the lowest box. HMRC and let's face it, thats most of
managers being told that they (and DWP, where this system us.
have to mark at least 1 0% of is also in use) union reps
While we are still seeing
staff in each area as "must have reported being told
what effect the first wave of
improve", the lowest
explicitly by management
rolling action has had, this is
performance marking.
that their trade union
unlikely to be the end. Any
Although this is officially a responsibilities are the
support and solidarity in the
guideline only, managers
reason they are rated as
ongoing struggle which could
report pressure to hit or
must improve.
be offered by readers will be
exceed the 1 0% target in
This is by no means the gratefully appreciated. If you
their areas, resulting in staff only problem HMRC
hear of an HMRC picket line
who have always had
comrades are facing. With or action in your area, please
satisfactory or very good
the decision to close 281
come along or send a
performance markings
enquiry centres across the message of solidarity, or any
suddenly being told they
country, removing jobs and other action which comes to
- Keith (westscotland@iww.org.uk) need to improve and fearing depriving people (especially mind!
By joining the IWW an individual
worker becomes part of a
revolutionary union in the
syndicalist, bottom-up tradition.
Many who join have busy lives,
partly dictated by work or care, and
participation may be occasional
and restricted.
However, many who are joining especially online - have little
contact with active branches, and
like social media in lieu of email
& face-to-face contact with their
fellow workers. Yet by joining the
IWW you are strengthened by a
community of solidarity, at least in
theory. All theory has to be put into
practice, if it is to avoid becoming
detached from social reality.
Its a Scotland-wide issue, and
the union needs to offer more in
the way of explanation of how we
operate. We need a more social
and supportive side to our union,
and in so doing instil the wobbly
ethos that we are all organisers:
reducing passivity and uncertainty
about how new members can
contribute.

by A Leither

IWW StrikeBack! #2, Aug - Sept 201 4

"We are at the end of the line": Health workers speak out
by Anne O'Neamus

Alcohol support
group loses, er,
support

For 1 4 years now my job has

allowed me to move around
by Black Bairn
the wards, getting to know a
wide variety of staff. Auxilliary
The managers have taken
nurses have lately expressed
over the asylum.
concerns about their
Congratulations to the
increasing workload of
health workers throughout
additional tasks: as one put it,
Scotland for reducing the
things are getting shunted
amount of alcohol abuse and
onto us extra duties that
harm reduction in the
BLED DRY: Nurses say they cannot cope with new workloads. (credit:
were once the remit of the
LupineHorror, Flickr)
population at large.
trained staff. We have no one
Weve been working for
else to delegate them to, as makes it impossible for them There is also pressure to
we are the end of the line. to challenge whatever extra accept bank work at any time many years to try and counter
He had been on the job for duties they are instructed to for fear of being passed over: the mega-powerful alcohol
1 9 years and said he was now incorporate.
too many workers scrabbling companies' backhanders and
performing the same role as a Both staff and auxilliary
against each other for too few their lobbying of parliaments.
trained
nurses report increasing
shifts, in the words of one
In recognition of this
"One
enrolled
levels of stress due to the
community staff nurse.
success the high heed yins at
confessed nurse's
pressure to complete the
Another admitted she often no Forth Valley have decided to
a patient
when he first amount of daily tasks, often longer had time to carry out close their weekly Alcohol
had waited began,
accompanied by guilt about some tasks at all; yet if
Support Group!
until 5pm without the unacceptable delays in
anything went wrong with the Job done, it seems.
until a staff same
meeting patients needs. One patient, she would be held
member
degree of auxiliary in an oncology ward accountable under a duty of
could wash training and confessed a patient had
care clause.
them"
for a far
waited until 5pm until a staff
All this only scratches the
lower pay. member could wash them. surface. The thing which
Auxilliaries are now expected
Divide and Rule
amazes me is that they all
to take blood samples, record Precarious work has exploded seemed resigned to the
blood pressure, temperature, in recent years and
deterioration in their working
can launch action. Late last
respiration rate and pulse and permanent contracts are few conditions, and to the decline
year a claimant was sent on
apply simple dressings.
and far between. Short
in the quality of the care they
"mandatory work activity" at
Now theres also talk of
contracts of a year, six
realised they were able to
Leith Walk's Salvation Army
urinary catheterisation and months and even three
provide. To counter this,
charity shop. By -coincidence- cardiology monitoring, and it months are commonplace, setting up a network of Health SCOTTISH EDUCATION
he reported for duty to find a seems like there's no end to and many staff are employed & Care workers would be a
WORKERS NETWORK
dozen anti-workfare
the tasks that can be pushed on bank work as and when positive step towards fighting
A grassroots group
demonstrators parading
onto staff at the discretion of available offering no job back, sharing experiences
welcoming students &
placards and banners down
the line manager. Staff have security, sick pay or
and offering each other
staff alike. Join today!
the aisles!
said they feel this clause
consistency of care.
solidarity and support.
sewn@gmail.com

Edinburgh workers, jobless ally against austerity

by Michael Cormack

claimants through the

governments compulsory
In Edinburgh claimants and work-for-your-dole schemes,
lowpaid workers are organising such as Learndirect, Leigh
through Edinburgh Coalition jobcentre and Atos.
Against Poverty to support
Weekly drop-in solidarity
each other and resist austerity. sessions at the Autonomous
Recent occupations and
Centre of Edinburgh are the
blockades have hit
basis for everyday mutual aid
organisations exploiting
to support individuals facing a

punitive benefits system, debt,

housing issues and other
poverty-related problems.
Activists accompany claimants
to interviews and
appointments, and encourage
others to attend their friends' .
If official channels don't get
the desired result the ECAP
Solidarity Network phone tree

IT'S OUR WORLD LET'S CLAIM IT BACK! edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk

ecap@lists.riseup.net www.boycottworkfare.org

DO YOU HAVE A SIMILAR STORY? JOIN THE HEALTH WORKERS NETWORK!

email Keith at westscotland@iwww.org.uk for more details