The speakers included Lee Barron (CWU Midlands Organiser), Andrew Lloyd (PCS Regional Secretary), Karen Reismann (UNISON Health Exec.) and Roger King (Birmingham NUT Sec.).

Roger King opened the rally by explaining how the defeats of the last twenty years have weakened the position of education workers when it comes achieving workers demands, the others talked about how united action is needed. Comrade Reismann who has recently being suspended for her being a leading militant in the community health workers strike in manchester, spoke how sectional defences are weakening the movement and we need to move towards united action, unfortunately comrade Reismann gave no indication of how this would happen with the current state of the unionist movement. Lee Baron explained the causes and the strength of support for todays postal strike and how it is essential for trade unions to organise workers in the communication industry who work in the private sector to ensure a decent standard of conditions and wages for all in the industry, again he did not elaborate on how we will get to such a situation or how that can be achieved with the current state of the movement.

Overall the rally was poor, and not much of a rally. The highlight was listening to comrade Reissman. The rally does show the beginnings of more united militant action but still whilst the unions are tied to the Labour party and a union leadership which is intent on stifling working class discontent and undermining class power through sectionalism and token one day strikes a proper defence of conditions, jobs and pay seem along way off.