Hastings rally backs striking workers

Gabriel Carlyle reports on Saturday’s Enough is Enough! cost-of-living protest. Photographs by Paulo Figurelli.

Over 200 people attended the Enough is Enough! emergency rally outside Hastings Railway Station on Saturday (1 October).

The event was one of 50 protests that took place in cities and towns across Britain to support the strikes, as well as the campaign’s five demands (see below).

The Hastings event, organised by Hastings & District Trades Council, heard from striking rail and postal workers, as well as BT engineers (who have also been on strike), teachers and fire fighters. Nurses, teachers and firefighters are all expected to back strike action in the coming month.

Members of the public were urged to show their support for striking workers by visiting picket lines, taking collections and explaining to friends and colleagues what the strikes are about and why they matter for everyone.

Kevin Crisp from the rail workers union, the RMT, told the rally: “They want you to live to work. They don’t want you to work to live … They want you to work longer and harder. They want to cap the state pension. We’ve got to fight for future generations… What about your children, your grandchildren? What sort of working environment… will they inherit from us if we don’t stand up now and fight back against [this]?’

The Chair of the Trades Council, Simon Hester, warned that as the climate and economic crises continue to escalate the Government was likely to double-down on its racist scapegoating of migrants as a means of distracting the public: ‘We can see what’s happening in Italy. We can see what’s happened in Sweden and in France and in Spain. The far-right is on the move in a big, big way – in a way that hasn’t been seen since the 1930s. So while we fight the system – the government and the employers we have to be very clear on the politics. We have to say refugees welcome here and black and white unite to fight the bosses.’

Your next opportunities to visit a local picket line are:

Wednesday 5 October: outside Hastings Railway station, times tbc (train drivers’ picket line)

Thursday 6 October, Monday 10 October, Thursday 20 October and Monday 24 October: 7.30am–12 noon on Sedlescombe Road North, just before the driveway leading to Hastings TEC at TN37 7PE (BT / Openreach workers’ picket line)

Saturday 8 October: 9am–1pm, outside Hastings Railway Station (Rail workers’ picket line.)

Thursday 13 October, Thursday 20 October, Tuesday 25 October, Friday 4 November, Thursday 10 November, Wednesday 16 November, Friday 25 November, Monday 28 November and Friday 2 December: 6.30–10.30am, outside the Royal Mail Delivery Offices on Drury Lane (TN38 9AA) and Braybrooke Road (TN34 1BA). (Postal workers’ picket line.)

See here for more background on the strikes.

The Enough is Enough! Campaign’s five demands:

(1) A real pay rise: a public sector pay to increase in line with inflation, a pathway to a £15 per hour minimum wage, and an increase in pensions and benefits to ensure that those who need support aren’t left behind.

(2) Slash energy bills: cancel the October price hike and return to the pre-April energy price cap.

(3) End food poverty: enshrine a Right to Food in law and put this into practice by introducing universal free school meals, community kitchens, and reinstating the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift.

(4) Decent homes for all: cap rents, build 100,000+ council homes a year, insulate homes and introduce a charter for renters’ rights.

(5) Tax the rich: introduce a wealth tax, raise taxes on corporate profits and the top 5% of earners, close tax-dodging loopholes, abolish non-dom status and introduce a new tax on speculation.

More info: https://wesayenough.co.uk

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Posted 21:58 Sunday, Oct 2, 2022 In: Campaigns

4 Comments

Please read our comment guidelines before posting on HOT

Ann Kramer
Thanks to HOT for printing an account of the 1st October rally. I was away and not able to attend, so it’s good to read about it and to know it was so well attended. It makes me proud to be in Hastings where so many people of all ages and backgrounds respond to a call to unite and take action against the worst and most extreme right-wing government Britain has had in my lifetime. Life is very tough at the moment for many many people and this bottom-up, grass roots movement of trade unions across the board, of community groups, and environmentalists offers enormous hope of change. It is imperative to support this in whatever way we can.

Comment by Ann Kramer — Thursday, Oct 6, 2022 @ 10:11
Donut Dunker
Sadly June has been wheeling out these fantasies for many years, accusing all sorts of people of all sorts of things, none of it is based in reality. No reason for anyone at all to take any of it seriously.

Comment by Donut Dunker — Monday, Oct 3, 2022 @ 11:53
Erica Smith
Some points in response to June’s message.
I was at the event. I’m pretty sure I’m one of the ‘usual suspects’ June talks about with such hatred. I recognised some of the people at that event, but there were lots of people who I had never seen before – including all of the people in the photographs in this article.
200 people there is a *really* low estimate – it was probably at least 300 if not 400. I can confidently say this because I was one of several people there collecting signatures for the Divest East Sussex campaign petition and we got 209 signatures for the petition. Whilst we were pretty thorough, not everyone signed, and there were people who attended for some of the rally, but not all (it went on from 11am to about 12.30pm).
I am of Jewish heritage – and I question the current policies of the current government of the state of Israel in respect of the rights of Palestinian people. So many of the people who have been expelled from the local Labour Party (or left of their own accord) are Jewish. I find it beyond irony that left-wing Jews are being expelled because they are deemed to be anti-Semitic.
I cannot comment about the person buying courgettes whilst talking about smashing windows come the revolution, but I wonder if it could have been a joke? I expect if they really disagreed with the greengrocer’s views, they would have left the shop without buying any vegetables.
For the time being at least, we have freedom of speech and the right to protest – so long as we do not slander others or use hate speech or damage property. Gathering to show support for striking workers is a strong way to show solidarity. I expect it has a lot more impact than writing below the line comments here on HOT.

Comment by Erica Smith — Monday, Oct 3, 2022 @ 10:01
J B KNIGHT
200 hundred people (Did you count them?) Is Not Hastings.
It is the same faces, the same clique who have actually put many people off by their antics and values. So many people will not be there, although they feel strongly and suffer deeply. I see faces who hate blacks, hate working class, don’t like manual workers, speak to contractors as if they are plebs and coolies. hate Jews, hate disabled and think and say openly that old people and disabled and handicapped babies should be put down. Are for the Revolution, You know, Violence, Burning People Alive, Smashing Peoples Shops up and setting fire to them and saying women have to accept violence and rape as acceptable collateral damage for the Price of Freedom, (DUH!) Lets remember that first task of Anarchy is to purge and get rid and kill all those who are worthless useless and defective.

One Community Art Project leader was ahead of me in a local greengrocer when she was telling the greengrocer and his wife and family that come the revolution they would smash their windows, set fire to their shop, slit their throats and take over. While picking out courgettes and a yellow pepper. And exhulted and delighted to say how they would be building the guilotines and cutting peoples heads off like PC Keith Blakelock.

Have all kinds of ideas which are unacceptable.

Yet apply and get thousands and hundreds of thousands from public money for indulgent projects and crappy art.

Urgh. No. Despite what everyone belives and is going through, many people and most people will not be on these protests. In fact one elderly Jew fears them and starts feeling distress and shakes. so moves when they are in town and around.

Same People, Same Faces, Same Vile Obnoxious Ideas stuck on peoples lives and issues and like to claim They Are The People and are Hastings.

Thye Are NOT!

Empathy with the Postal Workers and Train drivers and staff and all, I have worked in these areas and more. But don’t want these people alongside. Who secretly in their hearts either Condescend or Despise Us.

Urgh!
And I have been in 6 Unions, so they can take a run and jump too.

Unions have lost people for same reasons Labour has lost its members abused used and offended them.

NOT HASTINGS! NOT “THE PEOPLE”

Comment by J B KNIGHT — Monday, Oct 3, 2022 @ 09:04