SEIU and the 99% Support the 99% in the UK

More than 2 million workers comprised of teachers, doctors, court reporters, border-control agents, ambulance drivers and other public-sector workers went on strike across Britain on Wednesday in a massive protest against Prime Minister David Cameron's brutal cuts to vital public services.

Unison, Unite the Union and the GMB were among 23 unions around the world who participated in this day of action--coordinated strikes--throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers from the U.K., SEIU joined with National Nurses United, the Teamsters, the American Federation of Teachers, and Occupy DC outside the British Embassy in Washington to protest Cameron's cuts as well.

Power in the Union!

Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said:
Our members work every day of every year to provide the services our communities rely on. Many work behind the scenes in schools, hospitals, town halls, libraries and a thousand other workplaces unseen by the media and politicians.

But today they made their presence felt and their voices heard throughout the UK.

They told politicians that they would not stand by and see their pensions attacked and undermined and they would not be made to pay for the crisis caused by speculators and bankers.

The massive day of action pushed thousands of elective operations at National Health Service hospitals to be postponed, while ambulance services in many parts struggled, dealing only with emergencies in some districts.

European newspapers are reporting that 85 per cent of schools in Wales and two-thirds in England were fully closed, with another 13 per cent in England described as partially closed.

"Corporations and the politicians they control have launched an assault on middle class workers in the U.S., the U.K., and all over the world," said SEIU Executive Vice President Tom Woodruff, who marched in the picket line. "We're here today to show David Cameron that the U.S. 99% are standing with the U.K. 99% ."

Workers around the U.S. took part in solidarity marches in six different cities, each beginning at 12-noon EST.

Washington, D.C. - Embassy of the United Kingdom
Boston - Consulate, One Broadway, Cambridge
Chicago - Consulate, 625 N. Michigan Ave.
Los Angeles - Consulate, 11766 Wilshire Blvd.
Orlando - Consulate, 200 South Orange Ave.
San Francisco - Consulate, One Sansome St.

View photos from the DC solidarity action on SEIU's Flickr account here.

Photos and updates from the U.K. actions on Unison's Facebook wall here.