"We are here, we are demanding change, we refuse to be poor, and we are going to win for our people on our terms.”
The General Secretary of the RMT Mick Lynch is being praised for delivering a powerful speech on the picket line yesterday, after half a million workers took industrial action.
Teachers, university staff, civil servants, train drivers and rail workers all took industrial action yesterday, with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) also holding a national protest against the government’s proposed anti-strike laws.
Lynch took to the stage in front of thousands of workers, declaring that ‘the working class are back’.
He told the cheering audience: “Welcome to Westminster, the house of fools and the house of the corrupt.
“Last year, Grant Shapps, remember him? He’s still around. Lurking around all of these buildings here, running the government, telling Rishi Sunak what to do, trying to ban the working class.
“He was telling the media that the railway workers have got no friends, that we would be back at work, and how dare we ask for a pay rise when teachers can’t afford to live, when nurses are a more deserving case, when public-sector workers can’t get a pay deal.
“Our message then, as it is today, is every worker needs a pay rise, every worker needs a square deal.
“And our message is both this, we demand, and we are united. We will not be divided on the basis of who we work for. We will not be divided on the basis of our belief, or the colour of our skin, or the part of the country we are from.
“We are the working-class, we are back. We are here, we are demanding change, we refuse to be poor, and we are going to win for our people on our terms.”
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.