Dear All
It’s time to forget the ‘Winter of Discontent’ and prepare for discontent for the foreseeable future, four seasons.
The financial markets are based on fraud and are collapsing.
As austerity kicks in Scotland, people will be losing their jobs, we will have talk about cost savings and restructure, but at the end of the day, people are getting the boot or having their pay cut in real terms.
No singing or dancing or spin will change that fact.
People who leave a job will see that job simply vanish; it isn’t a job loss in the tradition sense but it is still a loss.
No one will be replacing them as budgets get cut.
Teachers’ representatives are up in arms at present and have called for a ballot on industrial action.
Their reason for strike action is in response if the Scottish Government moves to change their daily hours and working conditions.
The Scottish Government won’t be increase pay or conditions, rather the opposite as the money is drying up.
This reminds me of Greece, were the workers ended up on the streets as pay cuts and higher standards of living drove the population to the brink.
Greece is ruined.
In Scotland, members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s largest teaching union say they will ‘hit the barricades’ and strike if controversial plans outlined in the McCormac Review were brought into force.
Reviews are generally carried out by a university professor who usually doesn’t work in the sector that is being cut.
The reason is to give the illusion of independence and fairness.
It’s allows politicians to say, ‘it’s not me Gov, it’s him and I had nothing to do with it’.
That won’t cut any ice with the Teachers.
Discussions on the new deal for teaching are due to take place between the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities early next year.
I can see that being postponed for political reasons to beyond the May Council elections.
The EIS is already planning to oppose the plans and has done up a motion at a special general meeting in Edinburgh.
The motion states:
“Any outcome of SNCT negotiations on the recommendations of the McCormac Report should be subject to a ballot of those members who are covered by the provisions of the SNCT Handbook and, if rejected, any attempt to impose changes will be opposed using industrial action if necessary.”
It seems that this is one fight that the Scottish Government should kick into the long grass till after the Council elections.
You can’t sell screwing people out of money and making their life harder and sell it as something positive on a doorstep.
This is one fight that will produce no winners but will leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Maybe the Scottish Government should have gone with my higher education idea to reform education from primary to university.
I think the Education Sec Mike Russell will not win any friends out of this 'adventure' into education.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
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