106 — For decent, affordable, accessible sport, housing, jobs & welfare!
This week the attention turns from the Olympics to the Paralympics. Traditionally a much smaller event but this year is set to benefit from the coverage of the Olympics. We will all enjoy the games and what can be done, but for disabled people life outside the games is very different and outrageously getting worse.
For some who are competing in this year’s games they will be affected by cuts to disability benefit, welfare, housing, transport and the NHS That for me is a disgrace and no way to treat people who are defying barriers to take part.
The idea that despite being disabled these athletes can still compete is testament to their bravery and strength and endeavour. For me knowing that many will be losing their disability benefits, Independent Living Fund, Care support, transport, access to quality and timely health intervention during and after the games does means I can’t see myself enjoying the sport as I would like to.
With the governments cold cruelty of attacking the disabled on benefits that cannot work, or are not given the proper opportunities and access support needed is sickening. The continued impact of the closure of Remploy factories that employ many disabled workers is on going. Remploy workers and supporters protested outside the Olympic stadium yesterday to demand the closures stop and some factories next week will be taking strike action. Protests took place in cities across England & Wales at ATOS the private company that has the cheek to sponsor the Paralympics whilst harassing and undermining disabled peoples access to benefits. Benefits, which are already being cut and hardly cover the real cost of living. With 70% of ATOS decisions are overturned on appeal, its hardly any wonder why the process has led to further despair and desperation that has seen some people take their own lives. These tragedies are avoidable and there is blood on the hands of those companies, the governments past and present who have allowed these tests and companies to continue.
The NSSN fully support supported the struggle for Jobs, services, decent and accessible homes and transport for all and will continue to do so. With over £120 billion in uncollected corporate tax, the money is there, they just choose to target us not their rich friends.
So please join myself a disabled activist in supporting the NSSN and its lobby of the TUC on September 9th in Brighton in calling on the TUC to call a 24-hour general strike these cuts must not be allowed to continue. It’s time we all stood together struck together and won together! Mark Wright Unite member (you can follow me on twitter 😉
Also see Mark Steel: They can’t be disabled, they can swim! & DPAC for further information & actions.
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Lobby the TUC on Sunday September 9th in Brighton – march together on October 20th against austerity then strike together! Assemble 1pm at The Level park – Union Road, Brighton BN2 for march at 1.30pm to Brighton Conference Centre and then rally at Hilton Metropole. Speakers include: Bob Crow RMT, Mark Serwotka PCS, Steve Gillan POA, Remploy Rep and Reps from a numer of different disputes and campaigns linking to the TUC conference which has two motions on more co-ordinated action from PCS & the POA.
Over 350 people have already committed to coming to the lobby of the TUC. So book a place and get your members, workplaces, families behind the NSSN lobby of the TUC in Brighton, Sunday September 9 to call for a 24 hour general strike against austerity. Please sign & share the PETITION we will hand to the TUC over this, thanks. More info and travel details. If your area is not covered but you want to come let us know. [email protected]
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GENERAL UPDATES
b) STRIKING
HMRC strikes again next week, Mon 3rd and Fri 7th Sep, same places as last time. These are 7-9am and 3.30-5.30pm. This is part of the PCS Month of action by tax workers against cuts. More (STRIKE SUSPENDED DUE TO NEW OFFER!)
Remploy – 4 day strike in Chesterfield and Springfield early next week. The occupation last week brought the campaign back into focus as workers are being laid off. Messages of support to Les Woodward national Remploy convenor[email protected] 07977436251 and messages of protest about closure of Remploy factories to Maria Miller (‘factory killer’) DWP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State [email protected] Messages of support also welcome to: GMB Chesterfield [email protected] GMB Springburn [email protected]. Donations can be made out to ‘GMB’ and sent to GMB, Grove Hall, 60 College Grove Rd, Wakefield, WF1 3RN.
Unite members at Bombardier vote for industrial action: Hundreds of workers at Bombardier have voted to take industrial action and action short of strike in the coming weeks in a long running dispute over pay. The majority of the workers are based in the Central Rivers depot, Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire. The action will consist of a continuous overtime ban effective from Saturday 25 August and six periods of discontinuous strike action between Sunday 26 August and Saturday 9 September. More
Unite members working in Reading, Craigforth, Birmingham and Bournemouth will be taking continuous action from 4 September. The dispute centres on Capita’s plans to offshore work to India and a wider compulsory redundancy programme. four sites in Reading, Craigforth, Birmingham and Bournemouth where 220 staff are employed. The impacted sites serve Prudential Phoenix and Abbey Life customers. More
RMT members in Carlisle Cleaning & Support Services (Transpennine Express) – 24-hour strike on Friday 24thAugust and industrial action short of a strike in the form of an overtime and rest day working ban 25th August – 8th September.More
c) BALLOTING
RMT balloting crew working on the Mitie contract on First Great Western for both strike action and action short of a strike over the blatant victimisation of union representative Sharon Petrie. More
RMT to begin balloting CalMac Scottish ferries staff for strike action in an on-going dispute over pensions and workplace rights. More
POA REJECT FINAL OFFER ON PENSIONS – POA members have overwhelmingly rejected the final offer from the coalition government on changes to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) following the conclusion of a postal consultative ballot of members in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. FBU vote to REJECT the pensions deal with over 80% to support this. Unfortunately Members of Unite, who work in local government have voted to accept the proposals negotiated between local government employers and the trade unions on changes to the local government pension scheme (LGPS).
Journalists in York who face a pay freeze – which when inflation is taken into account is equivalent to a pay cut – are balloting for industrial action.More
NUT urges YES vote on ballot open over workload.
d) OTHER UPDATES
Unite and Rank & File Sparks target Crown House to stop ‘BESNA 2’ – nationwide protests start against company who’ve withdrawn from JIB after defeat of BESNA earlier this year. “There have already been loads of activities against ‘The rogue that is Crown House’. We have had plenty of site protests, in Wales, Leeds, London and Middlesbrough too. TopMarx goes out to one and all.” R&F. Protests planned this week (Friday 31st) All starting at 7am. Leeds City Centre Laing O’ Rourke site, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, London, Lime Burner Lane [a substation 5 minutes from St Pauls, Thameslink].[email protected]
PCS are currently consulting over the closure of 8 nurseries. More
UNITE Bus drivers, working for the Dutch government-owned company Abellio at the Byfleet depot in Surrey, have overwhelmingly accepted a pay offer. The deal, brokered under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas, resulted in a 2.35 per cent pay rise, effective from 5 January 2013. More
NUT protest against the way in which the exam boards downgraded thousands of pupils’ GCSE grades. They staged a protest outside the Department for Education. A Head of English, a South London English teacher, a NUT rep and John Wilks, the General Secretary of the London Association of Teachers of English (LATE) all speak out. More
Daniel Roque Hall, a severely disabled man, is fighting for his life in intensive care in UCH London after 7 weeks of pain and neglect in Wormwood Scrubs prison. [email protected]. For more information contact: Angie 07827 817788. Sign thepetition.
Dirty B*****s! & the NUJ response to work experience woman stripping for the Sun. More
Public meeting called over plans to close 16 Derbyshire ambulance stations. The issue has already prompted a public backlash, with almost 3,500 signatures on a petition against the proposal. More
Young unemployed Londoners will be forced to do three months of unpaid full-time work or have their benefits cut, the Government announced today… They will do work experience placements in charities or social organisations such as care homes for 30 hours a week over 13 weeks” Unite housing workers will be fighting this alongside Youth Fight For Jobs! More
VICTIMISATION…
Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets – The Conspiracy Continue, Defeat the Conspirators . ‘We are on the eve of unprecedented struggles, where trade union activists will be called upon to give leadership to their workmates, in defiance of the anti-trade union laws and the Labour Party leaders, and probably in defiance of official trade union leaders“.1st September, 12 noon, Unite HQ, 2 Churchill Way, Liverpool, L3 8EF
Anti Blacklisting Protesters blocked the main road outside the Balfour Beatty offices in Hillington Park, Glasgow in a protest to expose the role played by Balfour Beatty in the Consulting Association blacklisting scandal. The protesters also highlighted the case of a young electrician and UNITE union activist who has been on notice of redundancy for around 4 months and was told to finish up on Thursday 23rd August by a member of Balfours HR team, although his official finishing date was 31st August, he had requested. Jim Harte, spokesperson for the Scottish UNITE rank and file, gave an even starker warning regarding the fate of the victimised union member: ” We have to send a clear message: If he is not reinstated by 10th september, then action will be taken by the rank and file and by the workers at Grangemouth to make sure he is reinstated”.[email protected]
Scottish Affairs Select Committee Tues 4th September 2pm, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, GMB give evidence to blacklisting inquiry
SHREWSBURY: 1st Sep Justice for Shrewsbury Pickets 40th anniversary conference. [email protected].
INTERNATIONAL…
Kazakhstan -Leading activist Vadim Kuramshin has been released! Thanks to all those who have have campaigned for his release internationally, please continue to support the wider campaign. More
South Africa – Protests have continued to take place in England, Austiria, Isreal & Ireland. The shock to trade unionists and communities internationally is particularly heightened by the fact it is an ANC government, one supported by many internationally to fight and take over from apartied.
ITALY – Up to 100 Sardinian miners armed with hundreds of kilogrammes of explosives have barricaded themselves nearly 400m underground in Italy ‘s only coal mine to put pressure on the Rome government to protect its survival.
Turkey – 5,000 textile workers are striking indefinitely in Gaziantep for a wage rise. With the support of security forces the textile company bosses are planning to divide the workers’ struggle, increasing pressure on the workers and organising wide ranging attacks to force them to return to work at existing conditions. Messages of support [email protected].
Russia – Facing 2 years in jail for singing a song criticizing President Putin in a church, a member of Pussy Riot gestured to the court and said in her show-trial’s closing statements, “Despite the fact that we are physically here, we are freer than everyone sitting across from us … We can say anything we want...”. More
DIARY …
31 August
R&F Leeds City Centre Laing O’ Rourke site, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, London, Lime Burner Lane [email protected]
National Hazards conference, Keele University [email protected]
1st Sep
We are Waltham Forest march “We are united against the EDL” and event 11am
Justice for Shrewsbury Pickets 40th anniversary conference, 12 noon, Unite HQ, Liverpool, L3 8EF
02 Sep
Burston Longest strike in British history 10.45am-3.45pm Church Green, Burston, Norfolk. Music, speakers and march! In April 1914, two teachers at Burston Village School were sacked because one of them organised the labourers into the union. The pupils walked out & for many years were taught by those sacked teachers whilst money was raised for a Strike school.
04 Sep
Houses of Parliament, Westminster, GMB give evidence to blacklisting inquiry
06 Sep
Hope not Hate gig in Sheffield including ex-Housemartins & Beautiful South Paul Heaton. More
08 Sep
Wigan Diggers – A FREE Open Air Festival celebrating the life and ideas of Wigan born and bred Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) & the 17th Century Diggers’ (True Leveller) Movement. The Wiend, Wigan, 12-8.
Merton & Sutton trades council Save St Helier hospital services picnic and protest noon outside the hospital Kevin O’Brien[email protected] or 07718 585 717
09 Sep
‘Strike against Austerity!’ NSSN lobby of TUC conference: Brighton 1pm, assemble at The Level and rally at Hilton Hotel.
11 Sep
Rally against McNulty – Brighton, September 11 (TUC week), 2012 http://www.rmt.org.uk/
2-4pm. Meeting of the newly-formed Southwark group of Disabled People Against the Cuts. Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close SE17 2QB. Email to [email protected]
15 Sep
“No hospital closures, no cuts to services” Greenwich & Bexley trades council demo, Assemble 1pm General Gordon Sq.[email protected]
Ealing trades council “Save our hospitals” march assemble at 10am Southall Park [email protected] 07960 309 457
Brent trades council “Defend NW London NHS” march Saturday 15 September 12 noon Harlesden Jubilee clock to Central Middlesex Hospital more details from [email protected] 07906 313 954
22 Sep
Protest against the LibDem conference Brighton – No to Austerity! Noon @ The Level (Stop the Cuts & Brighton Trades Council)
Bromley trades council “Crisis in South London Health Trust & Cuts to Public Services” public meeting with John McDonnell MP and local speakers 7pm HG Wells Centre Monday 24 September more from Paul Rooney [email protected]
30th Sep
Rally against McNulty – Manchester, September 30 (Labour Party conference week More
Lobby of Labour Party conference for a clear commitment to repeal the Health and Social Care Bill and rebuild our health service.
07 Oct
Protest at Tory party Conference
14 Oct
Defend the Right to Protest National Conference 11.30 -5.30pm, London
17 Oct
Youth fight for Jobs Scotland & PCS Young members network March for Jobs!
MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 1200-1600. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Asst Gen Sec POA
20 Oct
TUC Mass demonstration, ‘A Future That Works‘ TUC with rally in Hyde Park, London & Glasgow. Transport details can be seen at, & should be uploaded to False Economy.
21 Oct
Ragged Trousered Philanthropist performance introduced by Matt Wrack, GS of FBU.
20-24 Nov
The Visteon/Ford Occupation, a play 7.30pm (£10) The emerald Roadhouse, Finaghy rd, North Belfast. For tickets contact John Dunne [email protected]
17th November
Yorkshire Youth Fight for Jobs and Yorkshire & Humber PCS Young Members Network demo. Fight for your future – we won’t be a lost generation
24 Nov
YORKSHIRE & HUMBER NSSN Conference 10am – 4pm. Leeds, Cosmopolitan Hotel, 2 Lower Briggate, LS1 4AE. Contact Kevin Pattison 07962867034.
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Follow us on Twitter NSSN_Anticuts, share information with us on Facebook main group ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ & the NSSN FB ‘Stop the cuts’ & regularly check our website! But most importantly get active to develop the NSSN and our trade union and community movement against the cuts! There is an alternative.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07952 283 558
Post: NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9D
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