The People's Charter - Meeting 10th December

Meeting 10th December

Since the People’s Charter was adopted by the TUC in 2009 it has gone from strength to strength in the Trade Union movement, with 16 national trade unions now signed up to the Charter. Now the Trade Union Councils, who are playing a leading role in the anti cuts movement in many areas have put their weight behind the Charter, taking up building the People’s Charter in its current work programme.

All Trades Councils are being invited to send a member to a meeting to discuss work to build the Peoples Charter, convened by Bob Crow, RMT and President of the TUC Joint Consultative Committee and Bill Greenshields, Trade Union Officer for the People’s Charter. Bombardier Works Committee are also invited.
The meeting will take place 1 – 3pm, at the Waterfall Bar, Midland Railway Institute Building, Railway Terrace, Derby DE1 2RU.

If you are a member of your local trades council please consider attending so that you can be part of this important meeting.

Find out more at: http://www.thepeoplescharter.org/

The People’s Charter is an alternative to austerity, cuts and unemployment

The People’s Charter is for all people who don’t agree that soaring unemployment and cuts to public spending, pay, pensions and benefits are unavoidable. Who think a fairer system, for the majority, would be more stable.

1. A fairer economy for a fairer Britain

• Claim back the £120b unpaid tax owed by the super rich, and end tax avoidance and evasion which costs us £70b each year
• Nationalise banking & finance industry and use the £90b a year this brings to the public purse to facilitate lending with low interest rates and invest in jobs and communities
• Progressive income tax, a new higher rate for £50,000+ and a wealth tax on the richest 10% to raise £83b a year
• Raise Corporation Tax and levy a windfall Tax on company superprofits to raise £26b a year, reduce VAT
• A tax on financial transactions, ban hedge funds to raise a further £20b

2. More and better jobs

• Legislate to prevent redundancies in profitable industries.
• Compel re-investment of a percentage of profits in industry
• Government support and private investment to create new jobs.
• Prevent the super-exploitation of migrant workers, which entrench poverty and undermines established rates for the job
• An education/work/training guarantee for young people.
• End casual work, and abuse of short contracts.
• Reduce working hours, not pay and enforce and increase the minimum wage.

3. Improved public services

• Publicly funded and accountable public services based on the needs of Britain and its people
• End all fragmentation, competitive market models, privatisation and profit making in public services
• Re-nationalise energy, transport, water, post and telecommunications.
• Get rid of the market from our Further and Higher Education systems, ensure access regardless of wealth

4. Fairness and Justice

• Redistribute wealth from the richest 10% who current own 80% of the nation’s wealth
• Pay, pensions and benefits policies for better standards of living
• Women’s equality in work and community
• Stop racism and scapegoating of migrant workers
• End the demonisation of young people
• Stop discrimination against disabled people; equal access to jobs and social provision
• Respect and equality for people of all sexualities
• Stop the erosion of civil liberties, and the use of oppressive policing
• Restore Legal Aid funding
• Repeal anti-union laws, restore union rights

5. Decent homes for all

• End repossessions through no-interest loans from nationalised banks
• Bring back rent control and security for private tenants, stopping the exclusion of the poor from our city centres
• End council house sales and transfers to the private sector
• 3 million new council homes and security for council tenants.

6. A secure and sustainable future for all

• Action and investment to defend the environment, for a million new green jobs.
• End the waste of billions of pounds on war for oil, and on nuclear weapons.
• End the debt economy in Britain and cancel the debts of the poor of the planet.
• Sovereignty and independence for all nations, and solidarity between ordinary people of all nations
• End economic competition between workers in different countries. Stop the race to the bottom.
• Stop the forced movement of millions of people in search of work and security.
• End austerity, economic collapse, war, famine and misery.

A Charter for the people!