The Working Class Response As we said in the last issue of Aurora, bosses are seizing advantage of increasing unemployment to reduce ‘labour costs’. It is encouraging to see a growing number of workers refusing to take this lying down. Certainly the insulting 1% pay rise nurses got for their key role in the Covid line of fire speaks volumes. When taking inflation into account this is a real-terms pay cut. Even the nurses union has been making motions towards strike action. Now every wage worker can expect their pay and conditions to come under threat. Amongst those already taking action are around 300-400 bus drivers in Manchester employed by Go North West. They have been on strike for weeks trying to resist the company’s attempt to cut sick pay and force them to work longer hours for less by "firing and rehiring" them on worse contracts. Throughout March, British Gas engineers staged walk outs to protest the same dirty trick. Across the country, electricians have been picketing Balfour Beatty and NG Bailey headquarters for weeks to oppose deskilling. Meanwhile, more precarious workers are rejecting impossible gig economy conditions. Over 200 Deliveroo couriers have refused to work and joined demonstrations demanding a guaranteed minimum wage, safety measures and worker status (their current “self-employed” status means they do not have the same rights to minimum wage, sick pay, etc., that employed workers have).