IF it had been a pantomime there was no doubt who the villains of the piece were.
The names of Prime Minister David Cameron, Education Secretary Michael Gove, along with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander were regularly roundly booed in pantomime fashion by those who gathered in Middlesbrough to vent their frustrations.
Popular refrains shouted out through megaphones to whip up the crowd included: “You say cutback, we say fightback”, “Nick Clegg shame on you for turning blue” and “No ifs no buts, no public sector cuts”.
The occasional bystander applauded as the protestors made their way through Middlesbrough town centre.
Whistles and horns punctured the buzz of conversation, while a colourful array of union banners waved above people’s heads.
David Branson, a representative of the University and College Union, told the crowd: “It is important to note that the pensions we have, we have got because we have fought for them and if you don’t fight for them you lose them.
“If you look at what has happened in the private sector over the past 20 years, you can see what the results are when you don’t fight.”
Meanwhile, David Campbell, of the Stockton branch of the National Union of Teachers, cited a number of examples of jobs where the individual would have to work into their late 60s because of changes to pensions.
Referring to the Government, he said: “Working longer – what are they after, blood?”
Helen Passman, a teacher from Thornaby, said: “We are fighting for the public sector. Somebody has to make a stand.”
She was holding a printed piece of paper with a formula on it, being used by the unions to work out how much their members could lose as a result of pension reforms.
“I would lose £90,994 if I go on to have a 25-year retirement”, she said.
Fellow teacher Simon Shepherd, 46, from Redcar, said: “We are being victimised for the fact that the bankers are not paying tax. We are not getting a pay rise and getting cuts to our pensions to justify this.”
Sajaad Khan, a Labour councillor for the Gresham ward in Middlesbrough, said: “The Government does not have to cut every essential service in this town.
“All they are doing with pensions and cuts is motivating the unions to take action.
“This is quite a good turnout and reminds me of the good old union days.”
A small number of police observed the event and were only required when a shopper – unconnected with the protests – collapsed and needed medical treatment. But by then, most of those attending the rally had drifted away, no doubt wondering if there would be further strikes and protests before the dispute is resolved.
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