Today saw mass protests around Birmingham, culminating in a rally in Victoria Square and a march around the city where public sector workers showed their objection to changes to contracts, redundancies and pension reforms.
Among those protesting, I spoke to Library Workers dismayed by the council's decision to categorise them as generic council workers who could be called upon to work in any council function and not in the work for which they had experience and training.
This contract change, nicknamed the 'Martini Contract' after the old Martini advertising slogan which read "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", is of great concern to many of the workers I spoke to who also expressed dismay at the removal of overtime/weekend payments, revised hours which could include Sundays and it being against the terms of the contract to get a second job.
Phillipa Hands who is a library steward described how her pay had only increased £3,000 over 21 years which in real terms amounts to a pay cut.
Below are a series of audio interviews with protesters, recorded in Victoria Square.
Among those protesting, I spoke to Library Workers dismayed by the council's decision to categorise them as generic council workers who could be called upon to work in any council function and not in the work for which they had experience and training.
This contract change, nicknamed the 'Martini Contract' after the old Martini advertising slogan which read "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", is of great concern to many of the workers I spoke to who also expressed dismay at the removal of overtime/weekend payments, revised hours which could include Sundays and it being against the terms of the contract to get a second job.
Phillipa Hands who is a library steward described how her pay had only increased £3,000 over 21 years which in real terms amounts to a pay cut.
Below are a series of audio interviews with protesters, recorded in Victoria Square.
A protest march from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament took place last Wednesday to protest against Chancellor George Osborne's first budget. We headed down to London to see what the protesters had to say.
Trafalgar Square, 5 PM, protesters begin to gather.
Groups represented at the protest included:
CND (Campaign For Nuclear Disarmanment).
Disabled People Against the Cuts.
The NHS.
The Homeless.
And the Stop the War Coalition
After gathering numbers, handing out placards and okaying the route with the police, the March began. Traveling the short distance from Trafalgar Square to a location near the Houses of Parliament, the protesters sang songs, chanted and were with met applause from passers by.
Once at the allotted space near Parliament the protest organisers took it in turn to address the crowd.
Paul Mackney, speaking for the ‘Coalition of Resistance’, congraltulated the people who had occupied banks and the buildings of Philip Green (Owner of Topshop).He talked of the hypocrisy of the government having no money for libraries but plenty of funds for Libya.Mr Mackney called Nick clegg a ‘lying sycophant’ saying ‘scratch a Liberal, find a Tory’. He called for people to support the Trade Union Council (TUC) march on Saturday saying that students have demonstrated what to do, and stating that the TUC march is’ only the end of the beginning of these marches’.
Paul Mackney
Lindsey German spoke for ‘Stop the War’, Lindsey said that whilst welfare is being cut money is being thrown into wars in the middle east to protect our own interests in oil and gas. She told the crowd that the war in Afghanistan has been going on for longer than either of the World Wars. She finished her speech with a comment directed at the Nick Clegg and David Cameron ‘do not think that you can cover up bad government by taking us to war’.
Lindsey German
Eleanor Lisney, who had traveled down from Birmingham, talked on behalf of ‘Disabled People Against The Cuts’. She announced that this Saturday would be the first time that disabled people had marched along with the main protests. She said that they are doing this because they are very angry over the announced cuts. Lisney went on to say that basic human rights are being lost and that ‘if this is Cameron’s idea of a big society, we don’t want a part of it’.
Eleanor Lisney.
Kate Hudson, who is the general secretary of CND, asked the crowd 'Why is our government squandering billions of pounds a year on weapons of death and mass destruction?' She said that this year we will spend 2.2 billion on weapons which could be spent on welfare instead.
Kate Hudson.
After all the speakers had, had their say the crowd struck up a chant encouraging more protesters to gather for the TUC march on Saturday 'We say tax the rich, join us on the 26th, we say tax the rich, join us on the 26th.'
