Green politicians confirm they won’t cross picket lines
The senior elected representatives of the 3 Green Parties in the UK – the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party, and the Green Party of Northern Ireland – have all now confirmed that they won’t be crossing picket lines during today’s strike.
With staff at Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, the London Assembly, and the Northern Irish Assembly on strike, politicians and their support teams would have to cross pickets in order to go into work.
Earlier in the month, Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie brought a business motion to the Scottish Parliament calling for no business to be scheduled today so that all MSPs could join the striking workers outside the Parliament building, and he has now confirmed to Bright Green that he will not be crossing the picket line in Edinburgh.
Similarly, the Green members of the London Assembly Steven Agnew, Northern Ireland’s Green leader and Assembly Member for North Down, and Caroline Lucas, have all confirmed that they won’t be crossing pickets, and will stand in solidarity with the striking workers.
The real heroes today are of course those workers out in the bitter cold, losing a day’s pay before Christmas standing up for the future of pensions in this country. But it’s great to see every senior elected official in my party joining them on the picket lines today. Let’s hope politicians from across the party boundaries join them.
Alastair – Steve did give his salary away (to Age NI, presumably because it’s a pensions dispute). I don’t know about the others…
As a public sector worker, I would like to thank all of the MSP’s who supported our cause today by refusing to cross the picket line at the Scottish Parliament.
And shame on those who did.
Isn’t the NI Green Party part of the Irish Green Party, which when in government cut civil servants’ pensions and pay far more than the UK government are planning.
I’d rather see the Green Politicians give up their pay for the day. Donate it to a union. That would be more tangible solidarity with me and my fellow teachers than soundbites about not crossing picket lines. I’d hope no-one would cross a picket line, certainly not Green politicians – even if you’d almost expect it of a labour politician these days. They shouldn’t need to say it.
The unions in Scotland have made it clear that the support they are seeking from MSPs includes a commitment not to cross the picket lines at Holyrood, and to be fair the Labour group has taken the same stance we have (albeit we were there to help persuade them to do so). I’ll be speaking at an STUC event before a march to Holyrood, where we’ll join the picket line but not cross it.
Political posturing i’m afraid – Unions have sanctioned Labour MPs and their staff to work in order to hold the Government to account.