*PCS Culture Takes a Knee to Take a Stand
(*This was originally written for the online PCS union magazine)
We currently have the “Crime and Justice” bill going through the House of Commons committee stage. The numerous provisions in it provide a chilling effect on the legitimate right to peacefully protest.
During 2020, despite the pandemic, PCS Culture sector members took industrial action against redundancies and other issues, in also most unprecedented numbers. Members of PCS Culture who’re POC/WOC (People of Colour/Women of Colour) were it seemed also targeted for redundancies at certain cultural institutions such as the Southbank, Tate, etc.
Their crime was speaking up against racism and discrimination, and for attempting to hold where they work to their own equality policies. One case example is here at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP); https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/17/historic-royal-palaces-settles-bullying-and-racial-discrimination-complaints
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021, will have the effect of outlawing any meaningful way that workers have for taking industrial action. What’s more it provides means by which potentially POC trade union activists can be targeted, by the state.
For example to quote from the fact sheet signed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick “Provisions in the Bill will:
· Widen the range of conditions that the police can impose on static protests, to match existing police powers to impose conditions on marches
· This measure will enable the police to impose conditions such as start and finish times and maximum noise levels on static protests. The police already have the power to impose such conditions on marches.
· Broaden the range of circumstances in which police may impose conditions on a protest
The right to both protest and the right to take industrial action are being criminalised. But ordinary people have over March and April 2021, made it clear that “they will not go gentle into this good night, but will rage, rage, rage against the dying of the light”, as the Welsh bardic poet, Dylan Thomas put it.
There have been large-scale protests and demos in London, Manchester, Bristol, etc. with more to come. PCS itself in March issued this official statement against the Police Crime Bill; https://www.pcs.org.uk/news/pcs-statement-on-the-policing-bill
Prominent LP MP’s have spoken out against the bill, as have several prominent figures from culture, the law, etc. PCS Culture and the various sections within it will be there to take a knee, to take a stand, with other progressive forces.
It is now being spring, and the sun shining gives us a preparation for good weather. But politically, to quote a line from Game of Thrones, though “The night is long…dark…and full of terrors.” but despite everything we are not afraid
(Now that you have come to the end of this article, can I prevail upon your kindness further, by giving it extra claps and also giving my blog a follow. That’d be a great encouragement, to keep me writing more articles)
(Please also sign this important petition; https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/end-race-discrimination-in-the-culture-sector-reinstate-amanda)
