- Cost of Living Action launches, aiming to bring together campaigns across country
- New map and calendar aims to list all protests and meetings around the cost of living crisis in one place
- Activists call for local assemblies to coordinate action on strikes, protests and energy bills
A new initiative – Cost of Living Action – has launched today, calling for united local assemblies across the country to coordinate action on strikes, protests and energy bills. Activists also hope to join the dots between the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis.
Its website, and launch statement, can be viewed here. “Everything is going up: our food costs, our bills, our rent, our mortgage and debt payments”, the statement reads. “The wealth of billionaires, the profits of big businesses and the CO2 we pump into the atmosphere are going up too. The only thing that isn’t is our pay.”
In recent months, hundreds of thousands of people have become involved in a growing mass movement around the cost of living crisis. Millions of workers are contemplating strike action. Enough is Enough, is holding rallies across the country and has gathered hundreds of thousands of email addresses. Don’t Pay is running a high profile campaign for a boycott of energy bills. The People’s Assembly has called a national demonstration in London for November 5th. Independent meetings and protests are now springing up across the country.
Cost of Living Action aims to provide a neutral space to collate and promote all protests and events in relation to the cost of living crisis in one place. Its interactive map and calendar is open for anyone to use and add events.
It has been organised by a range of grassroots groups, including Fuel Poverty Action, Just Stop Oil, the London Renters’ Union, Global Justice Now, the Young Greens, Another Europe is Possible, Covid Action, LGBT+ Socialists, as well as left wing Labour MPs Nadia Whittome and John McDonnell.
Ygerne Price-Davies, an activist with the London Renters’ Union, said:
“We are witnessing the development of a mass movement against corporate greed, corrupt politicians and climate apocalypse. Unions are leading the fight back, and campaigns like Enough is Enough and Don’t Pay are drawing in hundreds of thousands of people. Tenants’ Unions and grassroots campaigns on fuel poverty, racism, global justice and the fossil fuels are linking their struggle to the cost of living crisis. To move to the next stage, we need to build democratic local groups in every town, city and neighbourhood. That is why we are joining forces to call for united local assemblies in September and beyond. Through these meetings and the alliances forged, we can help to organise a huge movement around this crisis.
Nadia Whittome MP said:
“The growing mass movement around the cost of living crisis – from striking workers to protests to action against rip off energy bills – is an inspiration. We are facing an unprecedented attack on the living standards of working class people, and rather than campaigns trying to compete with each other, we need to work cooperatively and coordinate. By providing a neutral platform for all campaigns to promote protests and local meetings, I hope that this project can play a role in bringing people together.”
ENDS
NOTES
1. For more information please email info@costoflivingaction.org
2 COLA’s website and launch statement can be viewed here
3. A similar kind of map – Strike Map – already exists to advertise strikes and picket lines nationwide. It can be found here: strikemap.co.uk
