A couple of hundred people turned out to oppose cuts to bus services in the Eastern suburbs last Sunday.
The rally organized by NSW branch of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) in Randwick saw a variety of speakers condemn the planned cuts to over 25 bus services. These cuts are being rammed through for two reasons: to pay for the light rail they’re trying to force people into using, and to further their privatisation agenda.
Members of Mutiny – Black Flag Sydney and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) attended the demonstration to show our solidarity with the residents, commuters and residents affected by the cuts and privatisation agenda.
While some of the speakers and local politicians pointed to the need to for an “independent enquiry”, we can’t afford to wait. Lobbying politicians and marching from A to B has limited returns and can even add to the pervading sense of powerlessness. We need to build a mass militant campaign which is opposed to all cuts and attacks on services, controlled by rank and file workers and the local community independent of all opportunist political parties who are only interested in elections.
Our rulers don’t care about doing right by us. What they care about is power and wealth, and supporting the interests they represent. Unless we want more of the same and want to build a better society for ourselves and future generations, we will have to empower ourselves through direct action, by fostering a culture of resistance and solidarity in every aspect of our daily lives.
