Opposing Austerity: Organising and Action Strategies

A GLANCE Action strategies deployed in the struggle against austerity and neoliberal policies provide lessons for how strategies might be developed in Australia.This, the second of three austerity briefings, raises wider and longer-term issues about the way in which trade unions, community and civil society organisations and social movements mobilise and organise, widen support and build stronger alliances. Although the financial crisis was caused by banks and market failure, action was targeted against government and troika-imposed public spending and wage/pension cuts, job losses and privatisation. Despite the worst economic crisis for 60 years, Labour and Democratic parties failed to deliver significant alternative policies or legislative change. The attack on public sector unions, workers' rights and legislation to reduce the ability to take industrial, civil and community action, ran parallel with public sector cuts and privatisation. Traditional industrial action, such as one-day strikes and large national demonstrations had an important role in strengthening solidarity and gaining support, but did not significantly change austerity policies. Cuts campaigns had an important role in challenging the composition and distributional impact of austerity policies, but rarely reduced the scope or scale of public spending cuts. A series of large public demonstrations at the Iceland Parliament, culminated in the resignation of the government and two referenda voting against taxpayers funding repayment of bank debt. The Quebec student strike stopped tuition fee increases, UK hospital campaigns stopped closures, many foreclosures and evictions were halted in Spain and US -all had active engagement of trade unions, community and social movements and drew wide public support. Democratic assemblies genuinely involved participants in discussion and decision-making in Spain's 15M and the Occupy Wall Street movements. UK trade unions have not developed adequate strategies to challenge the acceleration of neoliberal transformation of public services through outsourcing, private finance and privatisation. New national and local organisations and alliances created to resist foreclosures and evictions used imaginative direct action tactics, particularly in Spain and US. Trade unions are the strongest working class membership and resourced organisations.There are different types of membership organisations, such as student unions, worker centres and community organisations, plus involvement or affiliation to social movements.They must forge and sustain stronger alliances and coalitions. The process of learning lessons and developing future strategies needs to take account of the shifts in power, which the financial crisis and austerity measures have brought about. Divisions between pro-and anti-outsourcing strategies in the UK voluntary sector, mirroring a similar division in US non-profits, stunt the sector's opposition to austerity policies. Transnational Free Trade Agreements are being negotiated that will continue austerity measures, embed neoliberal policies and increase corporate power. Austerity measures will continue for many more years; cuts to services, jobs and wages will not automatically be 'restored', and government's will seek to consolidate economic 'reforms' alongside the 'transformation' of public services and the welfare state.WISeR (2013) WISeR (2013) Liberal du Quebec lost election.May 19 Blockupy Frankfurt 4-day action against European Central Bank ends with 25,000 march.May 22 400,000 march in Montreal in support of student strike and against austerity.September 15 Large 'Screw the Troika' demonstrations across Portugal.October 18 General strike in Greece with rallies in many cities against draft budget November 7 80,000 demonstration & 48 hour general strike in Greece against €13.5bnausterity cuts.November 14 European Trade Union Confederation day of union struggle in 23 countries; general strikes in Spain and Portugal, strikes in Italy, France, Belgium and Greece; large marches -150,000 in Rome and London, 100,000 in Dublin and in 130 cities in France.2013 March 2 1.5m participate in 'Screw the Troika' protest, Portugal, 200,000 at Finance Ministry, Lisbon.March 14 Europe-wide rallies organized by European Federation of Public Service Unions.May 31 and June 1 'People Against the Troika' day of action called by coalitions in Spain and Portugal with demonstrations in 99 cities in 12 countries.The previous day 3,000 Blockupy activists close the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.June 11 Public TV/radio network, ERT, closed by government then occupied for 5 months.June 15 8,000 doctors and medical staff march in Paris against budget cuts in health services.June 22 4,000 attend Peoples Assembly in London.June 27 General strike in Portugal against austerity policies.September 29 50,000 at Save the National Health Service march in Manchester.October 19 Large marches in Lisbon, Porto and other cities opposed to 2014 budget cuts.

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