The Public and Commercial Services Union has backed a major anti-Trident demo which is due to take place in central London later this month.
In a statement out today the union said “PCS national policy opposes Trident renewal because it is a costly and unnecessary programme that does nothing to improve our national security.
“It should be scrapped, with the money saved to be reinvested in our public services and infrastructure, generating thousands of jobs in the process.Those people currently employed to work on Trident should be given re-training and re-employment as part of this process.”
PCS is the latest to back the Stop Trident demo organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, joining twenty five national organisations, including War on Want, Greenpeace, Pax Christi, Stop the War Coalition, Friends of the Earth, Quakers, Green Party, and the People’s Assembly Against Austerity.
The union is encouraging its 250,000 members to join the 27 February demonstration and has announced that PCS regional and national offices are organising transport for the event.
The demo comes ahead of a parliamentary decision due in 2016 on whether or not to replace Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system.
A march from Marble Arch will end with a mass rally in Trafalgar Square, where Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas MP, as well as Mark Serwotka from the PCS union and Christine Blower from the National Union of Teachers, and other speakers.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“We are delighted that PCS is backing the Stop Trident demo and highlighting the positive impact that scrapping Trident can have on jobs.
“Reinvesting billions in our public services and helping to regenerate our industry and economy through defence diversification will result in hundreds of thousands of new jobs. This is the best use of the £183 billion earmarked for Trident, not the production of weapons of mass destruction.”
Notes
Demo speakers: SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Caroline Lucas MP, NUT general secretary Christine Blower, Vanessa Redgrave, Giles Fraser, CND general secretary Kate Hudson, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German, Bruce Kent, NUS vice president Shelly Asquith, Veterans for Peace spokesperson, and others.