March together this Saturday against the ConDem austerity offensive…then strike together!
We have spent the last few months helping to build for Saturday’s TUC demonstrations in London, Glasgow and Belfast. We also lobbied the TUC conference last month for the unions to follow up the October 20 mobilisations with a 24 hour general strike to defeat the ConDems’ austerity offensive. We were delighted that the motion of the POA prison officers union was passed at the TUC conference calling for co-ordinated action, including the consideration of a general strike. Since the TUC, we produced a model motion backing up this decision which has been taken to shop stewards committees, union branches and trades councils and debated and passed by many of these. This will continue after the demonstrations. The TUC are now discussing with member unions the practicalities of such action.
The government’s Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (ERR) Bill sits alongside the attack on PCS facility time agreement as a serious turn in the ConDems’ assault on workers and their unions. It is further evidence that if they are not stopped, this weak and divided government will stagger on, inflicting ever more hardships on our class. This Bill merely reinforces the urgency for this and emphasises that whatever happens on Saturday, it’s a new stage of the struggle not the end of the campaign against austerity.
We would encourage everyone to take part in the protests and invite others too. On Saturday, the NSSN will be giving out tens of thousands of our leaflets and thousands of our placards calling for a 24 hour general strike. We’ll also be distributing our new NHS bulletin, the 2nd we’ve produced. We are organising meetings and conferences around the country after Saturday on this and directly related consequences of the austerity cuts, like the NHS cuts & regional pay. See our website FB, twitter for daily updates.
Have a great day protesting against this government of the fat cats and their attempt to make us pay for the bankers’ crisis. But please pick up our leaflet and the bulletin that the NSSN has produced to defend the NHS. Better still pick up a handful for your work colleagues or your trade union branch. Come to one of our meetings and take the model motion to your next union meeting and keep the pressure up on the union leaders. Coventry Unison also unanimously agreed to support this alongside several other trades councils and union branches and the Unite Youth, Community and Not for Profit NISC also supported a motion about a general strike.
March together today…then strike together to stop the ConDem cuts!
Rob William Chair NSSN
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Here are next week’s NSSN post Oct 20 demo public meetings:
Tuesday 23rd
Defend NHS Workers! SW NSSN Bristol Public meeting 7pm
Cheltenham road library, Bristol
Wed 24th
What next after the 20th Oct March? Building for a 24hour General Strike 7pm
University of london union, mallet st, London
Build a one day general strike! (Reading) 7.30
Reading international solidarity centre, Reading
Fight the NHS cuts! For a 24 hour doctor-led A&E service for the new hospital in Ystrad Fawr! 7.30pm Tower Room, Caerphilly Wales
Others are listed in the diary section below & events page.
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RMT
Stop cuts to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme: We call on the Government to withdraw its planned cuts to payments under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme which would penalise and hurt innocent victims of crime and violence. Sign the petition set up by Bob Crow.
RMTDHL Neasden Depot pay fight casts a shadow over Man Utd sponsorship and strike on Monday 22nd. More
Virgin – the Government announced that Virgin have been awarded an 18 month “pay as you go” contract to carry on running the West Coast Main Line, RMT warned that ministers are preparing to step into another legal and operational quagmire simply on the basis of their ideological opposition to public ownership. More
Southampton protest over treatment of seafarers. RMT shipping branch was joined by branch members from all over the UK on Saturday morning from as far away as Belfast, Glasgow and Aberdeen in opposition to Condor ferries’ treatment of seafarers employed by Condor Ferries. More
Fight low pay! Free travel for RMT cleaners! RMT cleaners and supporters demonstrated outside Mayor’s Questions, 9am, City Hall, Wednesday 17th October. Labour GLA member Andrew Dismore will be asking Boris why cleaners on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway are still suffering poverty pay. The Tories say they are the party of the ‘want to be better off’. Well, RMT cleaners want to be better off!
Massive vote for strike action and action short of a strike of staff on First Devon and Cornwall buses in a dispute over pay. The ballot follows the rejection of this year’s long overdue pay offer. The company proposal is self-funding – meaning it would have no cost impact on the company and ring-fences their profits. More
FBU
The Fire Brigades Union has expressed grave concerns over proposals by the London Fire Brigade to close 17 fire stations and slash around 600 jobs. More
PCS
Mark Serwotka to appear on BBC’s Question Time this evening. More
Trade unions, whose members are among Hewlett Packard’s 80,000 European workforce, have established a continental alliance aimed at co-ordinating collective action and sharing knowledge. More
NUT
Teachers vote to escalate to strike action over excessive observations. More
ULU
UEL being two day strike today over plans to increase the workload. Messages of support to [email protected] More
UNITE
Unison, Unite and GMB, who together represent 1.6 million local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, are today submitting their pay claim to the National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC), calling for a substantial increase to deliver fair pay for their members. Care workers, librarians, school dinner ladies, teaching assistants, bin men and street cleaners are among the council workers who have been hit hard by the government’s pay freeze. More
Amnesty IS also took strike action yesterday over broken agreements. More
Professors to porters in universities vote yes for strike action. Unite, working in higher education institutions across the country, have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay. The union’s members – ranging from professors to porters – could take action within the month after 63.3 per cent of those who took part in the ballot voted in favour of strike action against the national employers’ pay offer of just 1 per cent for 2012-13. 36.7 per cent voted against. More
Tesco drivers’ offer to be discussed on Friday, as industrial action is suspended. More
GENERAL
Welfare cuts updates as many more join anti Atos protest across the UK.
Guardian reported that “Nearly half a million disabled people and their families could lose up to £58 a week under the coalition’s flagship welfare policy – cuts so deep that one in 10 disabled households with children fear they might lose their home”. More
Poll Tax: When organised mass action defeated the Tories. More
Youth fight for jobs Scotland! From the 17th -20th October, unemployed youth, young trade unionists, students, school students and anti-cuts campaigners will be marching from Stirling Castle to Glasgow, against cuts to jobs, benefits and public services. The march has been organised by the Youth Fight for Jobs Scotland (YFJS) campaign and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Young Members Network.
Contact marchers for interviews and more info on 07927342060, [email protected], Follow Twitter @YFJScotland, Blog.
Youth Marched for a future in Northern Ireland – Over 300 young people and trade unionists took part in last Saturday’s ’March for a Future’ called by Youth Fight for Jobs & Education, in Belfast. More
The We Own It website has gone live! It’s a new hub for campaigns and evidence against privatization.
VICTIMISATION
Crossrail picket lines and protests continue of the sacking of 28 workers after serious H & S issues were raised. Photos & Video from the roadblock NSSN took part in last night even the HR manager for Crossrail Westbourne Park took part, be it from the sidelines!
More information on the blacklist comes to light in the national papers today with up to 60,000 workers on file. More
Please support this petition calling for the reinstatement of Ian Parker. Ian was suspended from work after having been unable to arrange, with barely 18 hours notice, for a union official to come with him to hear a charge that the university said amounted to ‘gross professional misconduct’. More
INTERNATIONAL
The call for a Europe wide general strike is gathering momentum and the 14th of November is a date that is being discussed. Video from Reel News
South African mine workers appeal for financial support as they being the process of creating their own strike committees and will be marching on the 3rd Nov on the government.. More South African gold miners face D-Day today! More
Greek general strike gets under way today as EU leaders meet. More
Spanish Students stage 3 day rally over cuts. More
Namibian hospital workers down tools in a wildcat strike over salaries as well as housing and transport allowances More
Lebanon – Teachers Strike over wages. More
Palestinian education strike over unpaid salaries. More
USA Wal-Mart Strikes Mark New Chapter In Labor’s Fight With Mega-Retailer. More
Khazakstan – Campaign Kazakhstan activists in Austria held a protest at an international football match, on 16 October, between the national teams of Austria and Kazakhstan. More
Turkey Motor Vehicle and Transport Workers’ Union, Tumtis in DHL Turkey. So far, over the last year, 20 workers have been dismissed for attempting to organise a union. More
Ireland Protesters to march on Dáil over cutbacks to home help
DIARY
18th Oct
Brighton Keep Our NHS Public Fundraiser 8pm Latest Music Bar
Prior to this at 6:30pm there is a Defend the NHS meeting in the King and Queen
19 Oct
Militant direct-action struggle for Justice for Cleaners at the bank Societe Generale 19th oct 5pm 41 Tower Hill EC3N 4SG.
20 Oct
TUC Mass demonstration, ‘A Future That Works’ TUC demos in Belfast, London & Glasgow. Access & Transport details on the TUC website. No to Austerity!
22 Oct
Brighton 38 Degrees/Keep Our NHS Public Meeting 7pm Community Base, Queens Road
NUJ Black History Month Claudia Jones Memorial Lecture. 7pm London by Professor Paul Gilroy on “The Value of Multiculture”. Register at [email protected]
23 Oct
South West NSSN in Bristol public meeting to build for a general strike! Cheltenham Rd Library, BS6 5OX
TUC Green is Good for Growth conference. 9.45am Congress House with Frances O’Grady TUC, Vince Cable MP see www.greenisgoodforgrowth.eventbrite.com or Philip Pearson [email protected]
24 Oct
London NSSN public meeting: ‘How do we build for a one day general strike’– 7pm ULU, Malet Street WC1E 7HY Chris Baugh PCS AGS, Steve Hedley AGS RMT & Suzanne Muna, Unite Housing workers
Caephily NSSN ‘ Fight the NHS Cuts!’ Tower room, Twyn Community Centre, Caerphilly
Reading NSSN ‘Build for a one day general strike’. Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC), Room 1, 35 – 39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS
25 Oct
Stop the Closure of Brighton Care Homes Council Lobby
3:30pm Hove Town Hall
27 Oct
Scotland NSSN conference – Glasgow Unison Offices, 84 Bell Street 11am -4pm
South West NSSN public meeting ‘Defend NHS workers’ – 2noon to 4pm, at the Great Western Hotel, Station Road, Swindon just opposite entrance to the railway station.
North West NSSN ‘ Build for a general strike’ Town Hall Tavern (upstairs), 20 Tib Lane, Manchester City Centre M2 4JA. Speakers include Steve Acheson – Unite Construction NISC and Sparks rank & file and Alex Davidson – PCS North West vice-chair. 1-3pm
London demo against return of EDL to Walthamstow, meet Town Centre. The racist EDL is threatening to march through the streets of Walthamstow on Saturday the 27th October. More
London SERTUC Regional Council at Congress House speaker Frances O’Grady TUC general secretary elect 10am. All trade unionists welcome but registration essential: Darren Lewis [email protected]
31 Oct
Hands of our Bus passes! National Pensioners Convention rally and lobby of Parliament “Hands off the bus pass” Wednesday 31 October 11.30am protest Old Palace Yard, 1pm rally/lobby
1 Nov
Brighton Stop the Cuts Organising Meeting 7:30pm King and Queen
8 Nov
Gloucester NSSN Defend the NHS – Fight Consortium pay. 7.30pm Barton & Tredworth Community Centre, 199 Barton Street, Gloucester GL1 4HR.
17 Nov
MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 12.00-16.00. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Assistant General Secretary POA
24 Nov
YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE NSSN Conference 10am-4pm. Leeds, Cosmopolitan Hotel, 2 Lower Briggate, LS1 4AE. Contact Kevin Pattison 07962867034.
Construction Safety Campaign National Meeting & AGM. Affiliates and supporters of the CSC are invited to attend. 11.00am to 3.00pm. Venue: Doncaster Trades, 19 South Mall Second Floor, Frenchgate Centre, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 1LL
25 Nov
Scotland Commemoration in Glasgow of Red Clydesider John Maclean. Assemble 1pm at Eastwood Cemetery for graveside oration, march MacLean’s Cairn at Shawbridge.
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Twitter NSSN_Anticuts
Facebook main group ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ & ‘Stop the cuts’
New website: www.shopstewards.net
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07952 283 558
Post: NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9D
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