Strikes part of ‘rising global fightback’ says socialist candidate

THE Socialist Party’s candidate for West Tyrone has sent support to workers who will be taking industrial action locally this week.

Staff in public transport, local councils, education and the Housing Executive will be striking over pay. They will also be joined by manufacturing workers in Caterpillar in Belfast and Larne.

Amy Ferguson claimed the strike wave as part of a ‘rising global fightback’.

She said, “As a socialist and trade union activist, I will be proud to once again stand on the picket lines with workers fighting for pay justice. Thanks to the Tories and the Stormont Executive, real wages in the public sector have been falling for over a decade, while poverty pay has become the norm in the private sector.

“Now all workers are facing the sharpest cost-of-living crisis in half a century. Many are being forced to choose between heating and eating, while the likes of BP and Shell reported £40billion in profit over the last year. To add insult to injury, the Tory national insurance hike will hit low-paid workers hardest.”

Ms Ferguson added, “A victory for these strikers would be a victory for all workers. Their campaign is part of a rising global fightback, from Amazon and Starbucks workers unionising in the United States, to recent general strikes in Greece and India. When workers stand united and determined, we can win,” she explained.

“We need to build a movement for living incomes for all.”