Austerity, Resistance and the Pensions Fight - Unite the Resistance conference London

From UtR: More speakers announced for the Unite the Resistance conference in London on 23 June.

We are pleased to announce further speakers at the ‘Austerity, Resistance and the Pensions Fight’ conference on Saturday 23 June.  In particular, we are proud that the following international guests will be joining the ‘Europe’s fight against austerity’ session. With the conference falling just days after the Greek and French elections it will be an interesting debate:

From Greece, Themis Orfanakos (doctor),

From Spain, Enrik Rodrigo (Madrid Indignados movement)

Also joining this session will be a Quebecian student who will report on the inspirational student movement that has exploded onto the streets in the last month)

There will also be a session at the conference organised by people involved in the recent electricians’ dispute which stopped powerful companies like Balfour Beatty in their tracks as they tried to drive through pay cuts. Unofficial action last week by hundreds of workers at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station saw the reinstatement of health and safety steward, Jason Poulter, who played an important in the BESNA dispute. Speaking at the workshop will be:

Dave Renton, author of ‘Struck Out - Why Employment Tribunals Fail Workers and What Can be Done’

Dave Smith, Blacklist Support Group

Plus, a rank and file electrician

They join Mark Serwotka, John McDonnell MP, Gill George (Unite Health NISC, pc) and a speaker from the BMA will speak at the opening session. And Steve Headley (RMT Regional Organiser London Transport), Jane Aitchison (PCS DWP group president 2004-12) and Sean Vernell (UCU nec, pc) who will speak in the ‘Where next for the pensions campaign?’ session.