TUC Generals agree an industrial strategy - what happens next?

The consensus across unions attending yesterday's TUC summit on co-ordinating action against Government austerity cuts is that it was a productive session which mapped out a clear line of advance on both anti cuts campaigning and the defence of public sector pensions.

Immediately after the meeting UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis, who chaired the summit, gave an upbeat report to all activists and branches: 'I am proud to report that we agreed a join strategy to bring all unions together to fight cuts to jobs, pensions and public services. All unions will work with campaigning and community organisations to push our alternative agenda': http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=6535

Speaking for all affiliates, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said the purpose of the meeting was 'to consider the appropriate industrial response to the volatile cocktail of issues that face union members across the public sector - the pay freeze, job cuts and attacks on pensions.

'No-one is talking about a general strike, but of course these attacks on our members could well give rise to industrial action around specific disputes. Today's meeting showed a clear determination for unions to work together on industrial issues including, as a last resort, industrial action when members support it.

'The TUC will step up its work co-ordinating the industrial work of unions. There will be monthly meetings of all the TUC's public sector unions in the Public Services Liaison Group, and the TUC's General Council will consider at each of its meetings a report of what is happening across the whole economy':
http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-19061-f0.cfm

Where this might lead in practice was examined by Gregor Gall in the Guardian: 'unions have 7 million members and significant financial resources. But they will not win this battle on their own. They need to ally with others. But by the same token, others need to ally with them. Out of today's meeting needs to come a commitment by all unions to put their shoulder to the wheel to work effectively with campaigning organisations to create a tsunami of resistance':
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/28/coordinated-strike-action-cuts-tuc