THE Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils (GLATUC) is hosting an excellent and necessary initiative against austerity on Saturday. It’s aimed at preparing for an unstoppable mass anti-cuts movement led by trade unions, campaigners and empowered councillors.

Despite five years of austerity, this movement is still at an early stage. This conference will help us move forward and address some of the problems we face. Consider the following questions:

• If councils got together to challenge the impact of government cuts, would they be stronger?
• If trade union branches who had made gains with one council shared this with other branches or even other unions, could these gains be spread?
• If anti-cuts or anti-privatisation campaigns learned from others’ success, might this help them win their own struggle?

Sharing of information, ideas and organising details and spreading confidence and enthusiasm will be the business of this event.

There will be councillors from at least 10 of London’s 34 boroughs, some from councils like Islington — which has done much to protect its constituents from the cuts — and some who are minorities in enthusiastic cutting councils.

Many trade unionists involved in past and present struggles on libraries, protecting council jobs and services and against privatisation will be there to contribute to the day.

Campaigners such as successful hospital coalitions, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Keep our NHS Public (KONP) and many more will share experiences.

Recent campaigns have prevented evictions over the bedroom tax, got councils working with teacher unions to resist unwanted academies and persuaded councils to bring services back in-house. If we can spread successes like these, then we are well on our way.

This will not be a one-off event in London, it will be repeated and developed across the city and trades councils across the country will be trying the same sort of activity.

The anti-austerity movement will have many components and forms and this is just one of them. We must build the movement to make the imposition of austerity impossible.

• Andy Bain is chair of Islington Hands Off Our Public Services

8 The London Against Austerity conference is on Saturday from 10am-5pm at Islington Town Hall