RMT members working on London Underground (LU) will strike on 28-30 April and 5-8 May. This is because talks at Acas with LU have failed to make any progress. In fact LU have reneged on their undertakings made when our strike in February was suspended to allow talks to take place. During this time LU has also tendered for driverless trains – another threat to safety on the tube.
After eight weeks of negotiations LU are still saying that every ticket office will close by the end of 2015. When we suspended our strike they undertook to review every station and that some ticket offices could stay open. But only five stations have been reviewed.
They plan to cut nearly 1,800 front-line staff and create 900 new managers. This clearly shows that these cuts are nothing to do with ‘modernisation’ but everything to do with cutting station staff and threatening safety on the tube. Our work is being downgraded and we face job cuts and pay cuts unless we fight for every job.
As well as the series of strikes in April and May we will be campaigning to get our message across to tube travellers – this will include demonstrations and protests.
The RMT has called a national mobilisation for the London May Day demo (details below). We will be celebrating the life of our general secretary Bob Crow with a rally in Trafalgar Square. And the building of an effective struggle to defend our members’ jobs on the tube is an important part of that commemoration.
Tube travellers know that their safety depends on proper staffing levels in the stations and elsewhere. They supported our strike in February and we will be campaigning for their support again.
Defend every job!
John Reid
President RMT London Transport regional council (and NSSN steering committee)
The strike runs from 9pm on 28 April to 9pm on 30 April and from 9pm on 5 May until 9pm on 8 May (Fleet grades will start and finish both strikes at 6.30pm). There will be an overtime ban among station staff from 29 April until further notice.
May Day March for Bob
Assemble at Clerkenwell Green (closest station is Farringdon), London from 11.00am. The march moves off at 1pm. The rally will be in Trafalgar Square at around 2:30pm.
RMT declares new tube strike dates (18 April) – RMT declares new tube strike dates as London Underground wreck talks and confirm even worse cuts to jobs, services and safety. TUBE UNION RMT today confirmed five days of all-out strike action across London Underground as long-running talks hosted by ACAS, aimed at settling the dispute over cuts to jobs, ticket offices and safety, were wrecked by a combination of management intransigence and the introduction of additional measures that actually worsened the original toxic package. It has also been made crystal clear to the union that this is just a first tranche of cuts with even harder attacks being lined up for the near future read more from RMT website
NSSN News
Come to the 8th Annual NSSN Conference on Saturday July 5th – ‘What recovery? We want our share! Fight Together for a Pay Rise! – Break the pay freeze, fight for a real living wage, oppose zero-hour contracts, fight for PAYE’
It will be on from 11am-5pm in Conway Hall – 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL – delegate/visitor fee £6. Confirmed speakers include Ronnie Draper BFAWU bakers’ union General Secretary, POA General Secretary Steve Gillan and Janice Godrich PCS President.
Email us now if you want to come as well as if you want leaflets – [email protected]. If you want to put yourself forward for the NSSN steering committee, email us by 12noon on Thursday July 3rd
Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month. You can set up a similar standing order to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. Our address is NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE. Affiliation letter here
And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]
Union News
NUT
NUT votes for strike action in week beginning June 23rd and lobby of Parliament on June 10th (April 21) NUT press release
Unite
Protest at hearing of Unite Convenor Bryan Kennedy Wed 23rd April 12.30-1.30pm (April 17) – Dear Members, thank you for your ongoing support and solidarity to our branch campaigns. We are inviting you to join our protest outside of the hearing of suspended Unite convenor Bryan Kennedy on Wednesday 23rd April 12.30-1.30pm at One Housing Group Head Office, 100 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1. (Nearest Tube Chalk Farm). On 12th February 2014 Bryan Kennedy, Project Manager and Unite Workplace Convener at One Housing Group was suspended from his job pending an investigation. It is the view of this Branch that Bryan has been targeted as a direct result of his trade union activities read more
Occupational therapists to vote for strike action over ‘bullying culture’ at Greenwich council (16 April) – Occupational therapists (OTs) at Greenwich council, fed up with an alleged ‘bullying culture’, are gearing up to vote for strike action. The 11 therapists, members of Unite, the country’s largest union, will start voting on whether to take strike action or industrial action short of a strike on 28 April. The ballot closes on 7 May read more
The fight for PAYE continues (April 10) – last Wednesday’s Unite 0555 construction branch had to take place in Red Lion Square park because so many turned up to fight against deductions from their wages see photo
Rank & file meetings:-
Wednesday 16 April, 6:30pm – London Conway Hall
Saturday 19 April, 10am – Glasgow John Smith House
Thursday 24 April, 6:30pm – Southampton CIU Working Men’s Club, Swaythling
PCS
HMRC balloted over jobs and staffing (17 April) – We are balloting all members in Revenue and Customs over job cuts and staffing issues. We are asking every member in the group – more than 50,000 – to take part and vote ‘yes/yes’ to protect thousands of jobs and HMRC offices and to support our campaign for adequate staffing levels in HMRC. The ballot which starts on Monday, 28 April and closes at noon on Friday, 16 May asks members to support discontinuous strike action and continuous action short of strike read more
UCU
2% pay offer for HE staff put to UCU members (16 April) – The Universities and Colleges’ Employers Association (UCEA) has offered a 2% pay increase for UK higher education staff at the latest round of negotiations. This offer for 2014/15 will now be put to members of UCU in a consultative ballot read more
Unison
HE employers offer 2% and living wage (April 16) – Higher education employers have made a “full and final” pay offer of 2%, with a minimum pay point equal to the living wage, following pay talks with the unions. UNISON’s higher education service group executive will meet on 23 April to discuss the consultation with members on the 2014/15 offer and the dispute over 2013/14 pay read more
FBU
Write to your MP over the fire minister’s inaccurate claims on pensions (April 18) – On Monday 7 April, Westminster fire minister, Brandon Lewis, told the House of Commons that the Fire Brigades Union had not sought to obtain protection from changes to firefighters’ pensions scheme for members read more
BECTU
Ritzy strikers boosted by shadow business secretary visit (19 April) – Workers on strike at the Ritzy cinema in South London got a boost today (19 April) with a visit from local MP and shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna. The shadow business secretary, a regular user of the venue, said that where businesses could afford to pay the London Living Wage that they should read more
TSSA
Boris provokes cost of living dispute at TfL (17 April) – Boris Johnson is facing a cost of living strike at TfL over plans to freeze wages and cut pensions for supervisors and managers. TSSA announced today that 1,000 backroom staff have voted more than 3-1 to strike over the Mayor’s plans to freeze annual pay increases and cut their final salary pensions read more
Massive support for action at TfL (17 April) – TSSA members have delivered their verdict on TfL’s pay for performance proposals. Nearly 80% of members said they would rather strike than accept the pay freeze and pension cuts. Over 90% said they would take action short of strike read more
BFAWU
International Fast Food Rights Day of Action May 15th
See reports of March 29th Day of Action on BFAWU website Fast Food Rights website Youth Fight for Jobs website
NUM
Nottingham NUM call for immediate investment – Nott’s NUM have met with local MP’s and have urged them to put pressure on the Government to provide the urgent investment needed to keep Thorseby and Kellingley Collieries open read more
Sign These Petitions – Save Thoresby Colliery here Save Kellingley Colliery here
CWU
**New video** BT’s “insulting” pay offer rejected (17th April) – CWU negotiators have rejected the latest pay offer tabled by BT – only part of which is consolidated – as “insulting”. “The 2% base pay award offered to the team member* population represents a pay cut in real terms – despite the company’s offer of a further, currently unspecified, non-consolidated flat rate payment,” said deputy general secretary, Andy Kerr read more
Other News
International Workers Memorial Day (IWD) – April 28th
The NSSN offers its sincerest sympathy to the latest casualty of the construction industry in Grosvenor Square on Tuesday
REMEMBER THE DEAD FIGHT FOR THE LIVING
Fight the attacks by this coalition on Workers Health and Safety
After decades of Blacklisting thousands of workers many for speaking out over Safety not a single apology has been issued!
London Demonstration outside the Qatar Embassy in protest over the slaughter of workers on building sites in Qatar. Assemble: 8.30am – 9.00am at 1 Audley Street, W1K 1NB. Hand in letter of protest: 9.15am
London Memorial rally at Building Worker statue, Tower Hill EC3.10.30am. Black balloons will be released representing workers who’ve been killed. Trade union and safety activist speakers. Wreaths will be laid in remembrance to all those who have lost their lives. A lone piper will play a lament. So far confirmed speakers: Steve Murphy Gen/Sec UCATT. Gail Cartmail Ass/Gen/Sec UNITE. speaker from London Hazards and Tony O’Brien . Construction Safety Campaign.
List of UK IWD events List of global IWD events
Blacklisting & Victimisation
http://www.cmurphy.org/blog/march-2014/construction-blacklisting
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ70
Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
International (also see Labourstart)
China: Massive strike by footwear workers in Dongguan (April 17) – 40,000 workers paralyse production at world’s largest sports shoe maker as labour disputes soar in China. Workers at six out of ten factories in Dongguan owned by Taiwanese multinational Yue Yuen have been on strike for the past three days after discovering the company has not been paying legally required levels of social security and housing contributions read more
Diary (see & use false economy)
April
22 Public Meeting – What now after the floods? Why we need to keep our current fire service levels 7.30pm Staines Community Centre
28 Workers’ Memorial Day visit TUC website for info about events Hazards magazine
May
1London May Day demonstration – assemble Clerkenwell Green EC1 12 noon (nearest tube Farringdon) download leaflet
3 Cardiff Trades Council May Day march & rally details here
5 MAY DAY MAY DAY Save Sunbury and Staines fire stations benefit – from 12noon The Magpie – 64, Thames Street, Sunbury on Thames TW16 6AF
Chesterfield Trades Council 37th May Day People’s Gala and Demonstration – assemble Town Hall 10.30am leaflet here
24 National Anti-McNulty march and rally in Doncaster
June
21 “No to Austerity” demo at the BBC, 21st June….No More Austerity – Demand the Alternative National Demonstration + Free Festival, Sat 21 June 2014 – Assemble 1pm BBC HQ, Portland Place London W1 1AA Then march to Parliament
Hurrah for the Luddites: challenging the myths about Luddism – 2-4pm at the Red Shed, Vicarage Street, Wakefield WF1.
The event is about seeing the Luddites in their proper historical context. Contrary to myth, they weren’t a bunch of head bangers. Luddism was a genuine social movement made up of normal working people fighting for justice. They had immense support, were well organised and for a time were immensely successful. Come along and hear more about the true Luddites!
Speakers are:
Ken Rowley: Ken is a former Vice President of the National Union of Mineworkers. He is a member of the Wakefield Socialist History Group. He has spoken widely on the Luddites and their West Yorkshire connections to both the University of the Third Age and to local history groups.
Shaun Cohen: Shaun is a member of the Ford-Maguire Society. The Society is named after two notable Leeds socialist pioneers Isabella Ford and Tom Maguire. Shaun’s particular interest is the radical history of Leeds. He has researched widely into the Luddite revolutionary tradition.
Admission to the event is free and there will be a free buffet.
Fraternally
Alan Stewart
Convenor, Wakefield Socialist History Group
01924 360565
July
5 8th Annual NSSN Conference – Conway Hall – 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
12 Durham Miners Gala 2014 visit Durham Miners’ Association official website
18-20 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival – Tolpuddle, near Dorchester, Dorset visit Tolpuddle Martyrs museum
October
18 TUC demonstration in London – ‘Britain Needs a Pay Rise’. It will begin with a march through central London, culminating in a rally in Hyde Park read more
CONTACT US
PHONE 07952 283 558
EMAIL mailto:[email protected]
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts
FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP or STOP The CUTS Likes page
ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE
