The English Trades Union Congress (TUC) has organized a march through central London, demanding a new minimum wage of £10 per hour, as well as a money boost for the NHS, education and other public services.
As the union's General Secretary Frances O'Grady described the rally's aim: "There is a new mood in the country. People have been very patient but they are now demanding a new deal."
#FBU entering Trafalgar Square as part of the #TUCNewDeal March — demanding an end to austerity & a fair deal for all working people ✊️🚒🔥 pic.twitter.com/LUg0bkVtS3 (via @SouthWestFBU)
— Didier Delmer 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 (@didierdelmer) May 12, 2018
🤔
In Trafalgar Square the protest turned chaotic, with some flag-waving demonstrators firing smoke bombs.
Ten of thousands at the powerful #TUCNewDeal march in London demanding an end to AUSTERITY, POVERTY WAGES & ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS which have plunged millions of working families into poverty! pic.twitter.com/sryaMof7Av
— The Pileus (@thepileus) May 12, 2018
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) May 12, 2018
The protest, the largest in the last few years, gathered representatives of almost all British trade unions from all over the country, activists of left organizations, pacifists, retired employees and members of their families in the center of London. Employees of the health care system, educational institutions, and the service sector participated in the rally.
The march was attended by Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbin, expressing the party's support for workers' rights.
Corbyn smashing it in the rain in Hyde Park #TUCNewdeal #anotherworldispossible pic.twitter.com/CkPTx2PzQl
— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) May 12, 2018
