Everyone out!

Photo: Vincent Brown and Darren Robinson

WALKOUT: pickets outside The Royal Oldham Hospital.

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Thousands of Oldham workers join strike
THOUSANDS of public-sector workers staged a mass walkout today to vent their anger at proposed pension changes.

Protesters flooded to the streets in solidarity across the borough as part of a national day of strike action that saw the country grind to a halt.

Children were forced to stay home as teachers and school staff rebelled. The doors remained firmly shut this morning at 89 schools across the borough, with closed secondary schools including North Chadderton, Crompton House and Waterhead Academy.

Lectures were scrapped at Oldham Sixth Form College as 2200 students were told not to attend.

It added to a day of mass disruption as public sector workers put on the biggest show of defiance in a generation.

Only six schools were set to open fully as the row over proposed pension changes reached a climax.

Diggle Primary, St James’, Holy Rosary, Mayfield and St John’s Infant and Juniors were the only schools opening fully while eight others were ‘part’ operational.

Early morning protesters united at picket lines outside Radclyffe School and Oasis Academy to vent their frustrations.

Tony Harrison, secretary for Oldham branch of the National Union of Teachers, was at Radclyffe.

He said: “People are passing by, tooting their horns and shouting their support.

“This is the only option, the government say talks are ongoing yet they also argue there is no further money to be put on the table. It’s sheer frustration, we don’t want to hit the pupils.

“Staff are so impassioned because we agreed just four years ago to changes to make it even more affordable, therefore we can’t put up with any more cuts.”

Staff from scores of services in Oldham were among those walking out, with council workers, health workers and police staff joining forces for mass effect.

Bins were left unemptied as refuse collectors gathered this morning at the entrance to the Moor Hey Street refuse depot.

Placards were waved from 6am today as workers from the Council’s Streetscene, parks, refuse collectors and highways departments took to the picket line. Around 18 people gathered as part of the Unite protest bearing placards and flags that stated ‘Cuts kill communities’.

Stephen Hewitt, health and safety representative and union Learn co-ordinator, said: “We are hoping to send out the message to the government that it is not fair to take our pensions.

“I’ve found out that I have to work for another two years and I’m not going to get a pay rise during it.

“There’s no increase in wages for the foreseeable future of more than one per cent.”

He added that they were happy to strike to again if they did not see a result following today’s industrial action.

The town centre was also a draw for dawn demonstrations, with picketers gathering outside Oldham Library and Gallery.

Protester David Halliwell, a gardener with the Parks Department, joined them and said: “This is not just for us, it’s for future generations. There are a lot of apprentices in the town. We haven’t got a golden pension, it’s not like we earn a massive wage because we are not in management.”

Protests were also planned for outside the Civic Centre and Chadderton Town Hall.

But austerity measures are set to come in the form of spending cuts for the next six years as public finances deteriorate according to Chancellor George Osborne.

Meanwhile the Royal Oldham Hospital was a hotbed of action with staff taking to the picket lines as early as 6.30am.

Workers with Unite and Unison targeted all six entrances to the hospital chanting the slogan ‘Do you want to pay more and get less?’

Liz McInnes, Staff Side Chairman for Pennine Acute Trust, was among protesters and hit out at the government, who she says have launched a deliberate attack on public sector workers.

Roughly 650 hospital workers were expected to strike, inlcuding radiographers, porters, caterers, maintenance staff and support workers.

Liz was keen to stress that emergency cover had been put in place to ensure patients did not suffer - on a par with arrangements for a public holiday.

She added: “This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly. I’ve worked for the NHS for 30 years and this is the first time I’ve ever been on strike - I think that reflects how severe people’s worries are. This is the only way we can get our message across that we will not be blamed for this government’s deficit.

“They have tried to set up this false war between the private and public sector and that is just not the case. We’re not just spoiling for a fight, we know that the extra money we’re paying in will not be coming to us, it’ll be swallowed up.”