On October 1 at 11.30am in Glasgow Green, public sector workers, organised by the Scottish Trade Union Council, and the communities they serve, will march to protest cuts to services and workers' rights.

The press has made much about the demand to retain the current level of pensions for the public sector, but the action this year is about much more than this.

This action is about communities coming together and demanding what is right.

It is about trying to protect the most vulnerable from the greed and selfishness of those who continue to increase their wealth in the midst of this recession.

It is refusing to accept that they can change the rules in order to reduce people's benefits.

It is about stopping them increasing homelessness by reducing Housing Benefit. It is about making sure that when abused children need support, someone is there.

It is about saying it is immoral to raise the retirement age past the mortality rate for some communities.

West Dunbartonshire is an area of high unemployment, high levels of domestic violence and one of the highest levels of poverty. We are the communities that the ConDems attack.

The October 1 2011 is a chance to stand together and demand our rights.

Ed Milband, leader of the Labour Party, has said the expected strike on November 30 is wrong.

What is wrong is that ill people have their benefits removed and are dying before they are rightfully returned, as highlighted by the Independent Resource Centre in Clydebank.

The implications of Welfare Reform are horrific for communities like West Dunbartonshire.

Not only for those who will see a reduction in benefits, but also for the local economy.

It is estimated that every £11m spent by benefits claimants in Glasgow creates well over 200 jobs.

We can only imagine the impact of cuts to West Dunbartonshire when 23 per cent of working age residents receive benefits.

One of the dilemmas we have is who are we protesting against.

When we demand more money from West Dunbartonshire Council they say there is no money due to cuts imposed by the Scottish Government; when we ask the Scottish Government they say they have been cut by Westminster, who in turn say it's the economy, despite the fact they have managed to find £25bn a year to pay for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

Maybe it is time to stop asking and start demanding.

Demanding our rights and that Scottish elected representatives stand beside us.

Instead of jailing young people for expressing an opinion on Facebook we should be jailing tax evaders, corrupt bankers and elected representatives who use their position to increase their personal wealth. We should be concerned that when ill people are thrown into deep poverty, due to changes in the benefits system, they are referred to as scroungers by national newspapers. It seems that those with little or no voice are easy prey, and those who try to defend them are criticised.

If we do not stand up now, we do not know where this will end.