European workers march

Submitted by Matthew on 7 October, 2010 - 9:44 Author: Tony Byrne

Under the slogan “No to austerity. Priority for jobs and growth” 100,000 workers marched through Brussels on 29 September. I traveled as part of the delegation from the rail union RMT.

With 200 marchers, we were the largest component of a British contingent that included workers from CWU, FBU, TSSA, Unison and Unite.

The RMT leaflet contained the now familiar charge that it is the EU alone that is driving privatisation and austerity, that if only we were free of it “…elected national governments could develop vital public services…” Maybe that’s why the Tory party has such a problem with Europe — they’d like to be nice to the workers but those nasty EU bureaucrats won’t let them!

As the whole British contingent was marching behind the RMT they were, unwittingly I suspect, lending support to one of the banners at the front which proclaimed “No2EU — Yes to Democracy”.

Better were those that declared “No to EU austerity, stop EU liberalisation” and “Rail Safety Before Profit, Stop EU liberalisation”.

If only there had been one that said “No to EU austerity, yes to EU democracy” or, better still, “No to EU austerity, yes to European workers’ unity”.

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.