Sentiments from the Bottom: Challenging the Movement
14 Monday Nov 2011
Written by Occupy Sheffield in Uncategorized
By Dawn Hunt.
As someone who has been homeless and then done a degree, while being a visually impaired single-parent, I know all too well what it is not to have your voice heard and be permanently marginalised.
I am personally fed up, with the union and trade’s council domination of the whole anti-cuts and challenging of the austerity measures.
Time and again, the same union representatives, executives, key note speakers or prominent figures are given the same platform, to reiterate the same message…
Their message of course is crucial in mobilising a contingency of bureaucratised union culture, which is pitted against some of the toughest anti-union laws in the west.
However, the complaint of myself and others, is the hardest hit, poorest and disadvantaged never, ever get a platform to tell their stories of how this rogue, capitalist blanket regime has affected us.
David writes: “The unions shouldn’t be allowed to hijack a movement that has sprung up from grass roots across all sections of our society without their instigation.”
Who is representing the volunteer sector as it faces slash after slash? Who speaks up for ethnic minorities, the homeless, the unemployed, people with additional needs or tenant’s associations?
With these questions in mind, I went to the Occupy Sheffield camp and sought the opinion of others:
Lesley stressed: “I would like to see, more people from the communities coming forward — especially ethnic minorities, this is a very white camp.”
Gerry said what was so great about Uncut, is real people were taking charge in directly challenging the rich and powerful, like when they turned a bank into a library.
Adam felt strongly that, the homeless or jobless weren’t being acknowledged, as he pointed out people can’t be expected to live on £100 per fortnight.
As I spoke to several people and listened to what people wanted at the general assembly, it was unanimous: people are there and passionate about giving a collective voice to those who are never given the opportunity.
The widespread occupation movement, is a coming together of communities who have no representation or platform to be heard — we are the majority, with no executives to rally our plight; we are the 99% silenced no more! (Challenging the bankers, politicians, rich and influential, who are the 1% leading us toward self-destruction).
Thankfully, there is now the ambition to have a rally, where people from the most marginalised in society can make their voices heard.
In human terms, as Chris stated:
“We are given the gift of a voice — but what good is it if we can’t speak?”
How right he is, so lets have a rally with speakers from the above mentioned communities; a rally from the bottom — our rally, THE RALLY OF THE 99%!
As a final yet crucial thought, I strongly feel, as Occupy London Stock Exchange are now having a rally; they must be localised and widespread, to raise the awareness that — the movement is everywhere…
Contributions from:
Lesley, Gerry, Adam, Chris and David K
5 comments
November 14, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Can’t say I really agree with these sentiments – what is being gained by attacking trade unions and the anti-cuts movement which has been supportive of Occupy.
If people want representation in the anticuts activities I suggest they speak up at their meetings – to stand by, do nothing then moan is not helpful and does your issue no good at all.
November 15, 2011 at 1:04 am
The Occupy movement needs to realise it is not the modern pariah of the anti-capitalist movement. I 100% support the occupations and call for all working class people to see they ARE the 99%, but to shrink the anti-capitalist movement with such exclusivity is completely regressive.
The labour movement has been born out of a tradition of working class unity through unions and political relationships, and still retain huge amounts of working class members. Anti-cuts groups like the Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance have also build huge links between workers facing cuts, and sought to bring working class people together to resist the cuts.
Look back at the history of capitalism you can see that unions and other political forums are some of the only outlets for the oppressed.
All this political exclusivity and sectarianism risks the 99% quickly becoming the 1%…
November 15, 2011 at 10:36 am
after 20 years of relative quiescence, the re-emergence of the trade union movement as a force in society should be welcomed. The trade unions, which are the organised expression of the working class, have the economic power to challenge capitalism and the government through strike action. It is a positive development that the trade unions are taking the lead role in fighting the Cuts and pressure from members has pushed the trade unions into the planned strike action on November 30th. The emergence of new social movements such as UKUncut and Occupy should also be welcomed as a positive development involving people new to protest and challenging capitalism or at least the effects of capitalism in crisis. It is significant how much popular support the Occupy movement has engendered as a reflection of the growing questioning in society about what’s happening. UkUncut has popularised the issue of corporate tax avoidance and Occupy has highlighted the 99%-1% split in society by new or different methods to those of the trade union movement. Generally speaking the trade unions here and in the US have been supportive of the Occupy movement without trying to take them over. If Occupy want to change society, then it is vital that links are made with the trade unions as the social force in society that can stop capitalism and lay the basis for a new society, one based on co-operation and collectivism, a democratic socialist society.
November 15, 2011 at 12:19 pm
I’d like to echo the sentiments of Ticky, WeRememberStoneWall and zapatista here. If the 99% are to prevail we must be united. Constructive criticism is fine but it is worth remembering that the trade unions are not the ones who deny a voice to the vulnerable. In fact nobody has a better record in defending these groups.
This statement stands out for me: “Who is representing the volunteer sector as it faces slash after slash? Who speaks up for ethnic minorities, the homeless, the unemployed, people with additional needs or tenant’s associations?”
In short, trade unions.
Many people in the volunteer, or third, sector are members of trade unions. The unions these people belong to are defending their jobs and the services they provide. Whenever there are antiracist or antifascist activities taking place a large amount, often the majority, of the funding comes from the unions. Trade union activists are always involved in these activities. Many unions do make donations to homeless charities and advocacy groups. Without union donations and trade unionists volunteering their time places like the Unemployed Workers’ Centres would cease to exist almost over night, leaving thousands of people with nowhere to turn to if their benefits are stopped are reduced, which would mean even more people being made homeless as they lose their housing benefit. In Tory wards the unemployed workers centres receive no state funding whatsoever – they rely on donations, by far the biggest coming from the unions. The unemployed workers centres do a fantastic job of representing people with additional needs, whether it be giving advice, obtaining grants for special equipment that enables them to do a job or facilitating campaigns against benefits cuts etc. Trade unions make donations to organisations like Defend Council Housing and I have never known a tenants association that didn’t have at least one trade unionist performing and essential role. Unions fund special educational facilities that give people who for whatever reason cannot succeed in conventional institutes, a chance of an education. In addition, although the official reason for the 30/11 strikes is pensions, if you were to ask a union activist, they would probably tell you that they are striking in order to protect far more than their own pension; they are striking to protect the services everyone, especially the vulnerable groups you mention, depends on. But because of the anti-union laws in this country the official justification for strike action must, by law, be a specific dispute between its members and their employer.
Union leaderships can often be next to useless, but that doesn’t mean unions are. It’s not the unions’ fault that people feel powerless and ignored – if we blame this on the unions, part of the 99%, we let the real villains, the 1%, off the hook. The trade unions are probably the most powerful tool at our disposal in the fight against the 1% but they cannot be expected to do everything. When criticising the unions it is important to be constructive and to remember where we would be without them – up the proverbial creak without a paddle.
Of course we should criticise the unions when they get it wrong, but we must also make sure our criticisms are valid and articulated in the spirit of fraternity.
November 16, 2011 at 10:56 am
I noticed yesterday a distinct lack of trade unionists around the site – have they took the hint and gone elsewhere? I posted a note yesterday on the board about this blog entry and the camp’s attitude but it was soon ripped down by the ‘yellow’ security guard on the entrance – I think that sums it up. Perhaps the author – who is nameless – thinks that trade unions are part of the 1%? I’m not sure as some of the comments above suggest that this is not a healthy state of affairs – other stories from camp are that the anarchist ‘swop’ shop was removed without concensus as were other campers expelled on the actions of the camp security – yet he’s allowed to stay despite his violent action as long as he promises to follow the rules? It smacks of double standards it really does. I know I have no rights to say this as I’m not a camper – you should ask why this is?