In Newcastleupon Tyne FRFI supporters joined the 22 picket lines across the city from the early morning. A key picket line was held at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) Hospital including staff from RCN, Unison, GMB and UNITE unions. Nurses, physiotherapists, support workers, administrators and porters stood shoulder to shoulder, protesting against the attacks on NHS pensions and the privatisation of the NHS. Linda Hobson, critical care nurse at the RVI informed us ‘We shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of the banking crisis with a 50% increase in our contribution rates, and none of that extra money going back into the pension scheme. In critical care we work 12 and a half hour rotational night and day shifts. It’s hard. To expect us to do these shifts at the age of 67 just seems unfair.’
FRFI supporters also joined UCU pickets at Durham University with ‘Durham Defend Higher Education’ who have been campaigning locally to take action against public funding cuts to higher education and privatisation.
At 11.30am eight to ten thousand striking workers marched from Gateshead civic centre, across the river Tyne and down Newcastle’s Quayside, flanked and applauded by people coming out to watch and support the march. The march itself was lively and noisy, however the sound of thousands of vuvuzela horns dominated much of the chanting, restricting the political message. In a clear attempt to restrict the impact of the march, the TUC chose to hold a dead end rally at Spiller’s Wharf, an abandoned industrial estate well out of the way of Newcastle’s bustling city centre. In addition, a band played for 45 minutes before the speeches started, so that many trade unionists quickly left. FRFI supporters joined a group of activists who, out of frustration with the failure of the march to engage with the public in the city centre, organised an unofficial rolling picket of banks in the city centre. To cries of ‘banks got bailed out! We got sold out!’ protestors targeted Lloyds TSB, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest and others. These banks made combined pre-tax profits of £22.9bn in 2010 whilst at the same time dodging taxes and using offshore tax havens (for example in 2009 Barclay’s only paid £113m UK corporation tax). Our message was clear; we refuse to pay for the capitalist crisis, no cuts full stop! Bankers beware when you are announcing your Christmas bonuses, we will be taking note!
Sam McGill
