The National Shop Stewards Network sends solidarity to the unions representing over 17,000 steelworkers who will be taking strike action on June 22 against their employer Tata’s attack on their pensions. This will be the first national steel strike for 35 years. This is a joint statement by Community, Unite, GMB and UCATT:-
Steel unions have agreed Monday 22 June as the date for strike action at Tata Steel in their ongoing dispute over pensions. The strike action will be preceded by action short of strike action involving an overtime ban and a work to rule. The action short of strike action will begin as soon as legally practical around the middle of next week.
Unite national officer Paul Reuter said: “Strike action is the last resort for our members, but they’ve signalled very clearly that they are not prepared to stand by and see the retirement they have worked so hard for, in such a physically demanding environment, robbed from them.
“We have offered the savings the company says it needs. Instead Tata Steel UK wants to financially penalise its workforce and force it to work another five years to get their full pension.
“We would urge the company to do the right thing and enter into further meaningful talks to avoid the disruption of industrial action.
Roy Rickhuss, chair of the National Trade Union Steel Co-ordinating Committee, and general secretary of the Community trade union, said: “Tata have given us no option but take industrial action. The company has not shown any willingness to return to meaningful negotiations to find an end to this dispute. Our members are determined to stand up for their pensions. They delivered a massive vote in favour of industrial action, so that is what will happen. An overtime ban and work-to-rule will cause massive disruption to Tata’s operations and severely limit production. The company could avoid this by returning to the table. But in the meantime all the unions will also be making preparations for a national day of strike action on 22 June.”
Dave Hulse, GMB national officer, said: “It’s time Tata got back round the table and looked for a way to resolve this dispute. Our members are ready for industrial action and the company should heed the message that their workforce is delivering.”
Nick Blundell, regional secretary for UCATT said: “Tata should listen to its workforce and recognise that to resolve this dispute it needs to get back round the table with the unions for meaningful discussions. Industrial action is a last resort for any union but Tata has given us no choice.”
NSSN News
‘Stop the Tory union-busters! Fight the cuts together!’ This year’s NSSN conference, our 9th, will be on Saturday July 4th in Conway Hall in London. Confirmed speakers include Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary, Ronnie Draper BFAWU General Secretary, Matt Wrack FBU General Secretary, Peter Pinkney RMT President & Dave Smith anti-blacklisting campaigner. Download new leaflet It is £6 to attend. Pay on the day or post us a cheque (details below). To register in advance, email: [email protected]
The famous pink NSSN £10 minimum wage t-shirts are still available. Email us to order – £8 each. However we only have women’s sizes left in the following: small, medium, large, XL
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 Affiliation letter here
Download the new ‘Join the NSSN’ leaflet 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
Scotland Unite and Unison indefinite strikes
Please support Dundee porters: [email protected] Donations to Unite, 110 Blackness Road, Dundee DD1 5PB (cheques to Unite). Facebook: Support Ninewells Porters
Please support Glasgow Homeless case workers: email [email protected] Cheques to Glasgow City Unison 84 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LQ. Facebook: Glasgow Homeless Caseworkers strike
PCS
Download NSSN leaflet supporting PCS from the government’s attacks: ‘Stop the union busters!’ here MARK Serwotka PCS General Secretary to speak at NSSN conference on July 4th
PCS in Universal Credit strike ballot (9 June) – PCS is to ballot members at the Glasgow and Bolton Universal Credit service centres for industrial action. Universal Credit management is imposing its ‘Ways of Working’ proposals on staff, which introduce the scheduling of start and finish times for staff at the service centres, severely restricts access to flexitime and threatens long-standing working patterns. This comes on top of other problems that members on UC have had to face, including excessive pressure to meet targets, poor IT, inadequate training and exceptionally high levels of stress. While new recruits are only being offered temporary contracts read more
Next National Gallery strike June 11: New gallery director must meet to resolve dispute (5 June) – PCS has asked for an urgent meeting with incoming National Gallery director, Gabriele Finaldi, to resolve the long-running dispute over privatisation and the sacking of Candy Udwin. The request, which we have also extended to the new chair of trustees Hannah Rothschild, comes after our members ended their latest round of walkouts yesterday, taking the total strike days since February to 34. There will be another 24-hour strike on Thursday 11 June, with plans for an all-day picket and lunchtime rally, and further action will be considered through the summer if the dispute is not resolved For latest news – follow #NationalGallery #ReinstateCandy
Unite
Surrey bus drivers call off strike action following breakthrough in Acas talks (9 June) – Over 100 bus workers working for Abellio Surrey have suspended strike action following a breakthrough in talks at the conciliation service Acas, Britain’s largest union Unite announced today (Tuesday 9 June). The drivers had been threatening to take strike action on the 11, 12, 15 and 16 June over unilateral moves by Abellio Surrey to tear up a two-year agreement covering pay, terms and conditions that was signed in 2014. Following talks at Acas the company has now agreed to honour the original agreement and withdraw the imposition of a new lower starter rate of £9.46, with no pay progression read more
Deadline set for offshore caterers pay negotiations (4 June) – Offshore trade unions have set a deadline of Friday 19 June for employers in the Caterers Offshore Trade Association (COTA) agreement to return to negotiations over a pay deal for 2015/16. COTA employers informed unions in April that commercial pressures imposed by major client companies in the UK oil and gas industry meant that the second year of a two year pay deal, worth around 2 per cent, would not be honoured. The COTA agreement sets-out the terms and conditions of over 3,000 catering and auxiliary staff working across six employers in the UK offshore industry – Aramak, Entier, ESS, FOSS & ESG, Sodexho and Trinity International Services read more
Third wave of strikes at Bromley council start June 10, as Tories ‘run amok’ over mass privatisation plans read more
Bromley residents urged to take a stand against mass privatisation plans (9 June) – Bromley residents are being urged to take a stand against the mass privatisation of their local council services at the People and Services First march on 13 June, assembling at 12 noon at Norman Park.
WHEN: Saturday 13 June 2015, 12 noon
WHERE: Norman Park, Bromley Common, Bromley, BR2 9EL read more
RMT
RMT confirms timetable for ballot for action on FGW (8 June) – RAIL UNION RMT today confirmed the timetable for a ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike of all First Great Western members over the threat to jobs and safety from the introduction of the new Hitachi Inter-City trains. At the end of May the union confirmed that it had entered into dispute with First Great Western over the introduction of Super Express Trains on their franchise. We made it clear that RMT were seeking the following assurances from management to resolve this matter read more
Docklands Light Railway Interserve staff to strike Monday (5 June) – Docklands Light Railway Interserve staff to strike for a further 48 hours from Monday over a continuing assault on pay and working conditions. After a vote of over 80% for action, and a 48 hours rock solid strike at the end of May, transport union RMT has confirmed that staff working for notorious anti-union facilities company Interserve on Docklands Light Railway will strike from Monday for a further 48 hours in a dispute over an assault on pay and working condition read more NSSN photo
SFC News: Vote Yes for Strike Action (5 June) – Stations & Revenue Functional Stations Functional Newsletter Every Job Matters – Defending London Underground Jobs. RMT is balloting LU station members for strike action in response to LU’s revised proposals for job cuts and detrimental changes to working conditions. Our stations will be dangerously understaffed while our members rostering arrangements will be casualised leaving us with no work/life balance. Download and distribute the attached SFC News. It contains info about LU’s latest plans for stations and calls for a Yes Vote for strike action and action short of strikes. Printed copies will be available from Unity House from Wed 10 June read more
GMB
Royal Parks 48 Hours Strike (June 8) – GMB Members In Royal Parks In London Further Strike For 2 Days On Friday 12 And Saturday 13th June. This dispute can be resolved if management are willing to negotiate, compromise and look at everyone’s best interests and not simply their own says GMB. GMB members employed by OCS to maintain Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, The Green Park, Grosvenor Square, Downing Street and Brompton Cemetery in London will take strike action further strike action on 12th and 13th June over OCS move from weekly to monthly pay in a manner detrimental to staff without agreement and on a number of other issues such as non-payment of a living wage. They took strike action on 26th May on this matter read more
Barking and Dagenham strike suspended (June 4) – GMB and Barking and Dagenham Council agree to ACAS talks to resolve drivers dispute and GMB suspends strike action read more
Unison
Probation strike action suspended (June 10) – UNISON’s Probation Committee has agreed to suspend the strike called for Thursday 11 June, and the action short of strike action due to have started on Friday 12 June, in order to allow further talks to take place to seek to resolve the 2014 pay dispute. This follows discussions with the employers at ACAS, the government’s Arbitration, Conciliation and Advisory Service, on 5 and 8 June. At these talks, the probation employers agreed to a request from UNISON to extend the period in which we can call further industrial action in order to allow pay negotiations to restart read more
UCATT
Battle for justice for Connaught workers finally over (4 June) – Nearly five years after workers employed by Connaught were made redundant when the company collapsed; the battle for justice is finally over. This week solicitors Dallas McMillan acting for UCATT won a protective award for 17 members who were previously employed by Connaught at Renfrewshire Council and Riverclyde Homes (an Inverclyde housing association read more
UCU
Aberdeen University staff vote overwhelmingly for industrial action in row over job losses (8 June) – Staff at Aberdeen University have today (Monday) backed plans for industrial action in a dispute over 150 proposed job losses. In the ballot of University and College Union (UCU) Scotland members, 73% of those who voted backed strike action. Four fifths (80%) of members also voted for action short of a strike, which could see staff working only contracted hours or refusing to set and mark additional work read more
EIS Scotland
Schools face disruption as teachers back strike (June 5) – Scotland’s schools face major disruption in the coming months as teachers yesterday backed the prospect of strike action and a boycott of the national exams system. Spiralling concerns over teacher workloads saw delegates at the EIS union’s annual meeting yesterday back motions calling for a ballot on industrial action, including strikes over pay and a boycott of work associated with the new Nationals exam read more
NUJ
Rotherham rally shows solidarity with Phil (8 June) – Union members and supporters of Phil Turner took to the streets to protest against the FoC of the Rotherham Advertiser being singled out for redundancy read more
Twelve-day strike set for Newsquest titles in south London (9 June) – The NUJ chapel representing journalists working on Newsquest titles in south London has called for a 12-day strike in its dispute over redundancies, staffing levels and pay. The strike will be followed by a work to rule. Last month the company announced plans to restructure and cut staff in the region. Newsquest is one of the UK’s largest regional newspaper publishers with more than 200 newspapers, magazines and trade publications, including 17 dailies read more
FBU
Firefighters and 999 emergency control in Essex set to strike as managers urged to negotiate (June 5) – Firefighters and 999 emergency control staff in Essex are preparing for further strike action over huge cuts to frontline staff. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service plan to cut at least 179 full time firefighters working at frontline fire stations – more than a 25% reduction in the full time 999 fire and rescue response force immediately available to respond to 999 calls read more
BECTU
Massive support for UK Theatre pay deal (June 5) – BECTU members have today posted a massive vote in favour of a two-year pay deal for workers in regional theatre. At the close of the ballot at 12.00 noon the result was a majority of 94.3% of votes in favour, with 5.7% against. Members’ acceptance of the pay proposal means that wage rates will increase by 3% backdated to April this year, with 3% to follow from April 2016 read more
CWU
CWU opposes final sell-off of Royal Mail (June 4) – Responding to announcement today (Thursday) by the Chancellor to sell off the government’s remaining shares in Royal Mail, the general secretary of the CWU, Dave Ward, said: Dave Ward GS “Today’s announcement shows the Tories true colours, they don’t stand up for working people; instead they are only interested in privatisation dogma and making the rich richer…” read more
Openreach site rationalisation talks at “critical” phase (June 4) – Negotiations with Openreach over the company’s controversial site rationalisation proposals are entering a “critical” phase. BT Openreach Four weeks after the current round of talks began – triggered by the overwhelming passage of an emergency motion at CWU Annual Conference that ratified the union’s negotiating position on company proposals that the CWU has branded “entirely unacceptable” – it is still unclear whether the company is prepared to budge sufficiently to stave off the risk of a full-scale industrial relations showdown read more
IWGB
City Sprint pushbike couriers stage day-long London living wage protest (June 8) – pushbike couriers employed by City Sprint will tomorrow stage a full-day protest as part of their campaign to win the London Living Wage of £9.15 per hour. The protest will begin with a rally at 9 a.m. at City Sprint headquarters at 58-62 Scrutton Street, London, EC2A 4PH. At some point before 11 a.m. the protesters will then get on their bikes and do a whistle-stop tour of City Sprint’s high profile clients read more BREAKING NEWS: City Sprint respond to IWGB pressure – At the 11th hour, we have received a reply from City Sprint – you can read their letter here, and see below for the response from IWGB President Jason Moyer-Lee read more
BFAWU
A short animation including some researched facts about £10/hr can be found here
Reports of Fast Food Rights protests on Youth Fight for Jobs and Fast Food Rights websites
Please send details of any local actions to [email protected] / [email protected]
BFAWU bakers’ union General Secretary Ronnie Draper to speak at NSSN conference on July 4th
Other News
Youth Fight for Jobs are calling ‘Youth Fight Austerity’ protests on Budget Day July 8th
If you can’t see a protest taking place near you, why not organise one yourself? Drop YFJ an email: [email protected] – and we’ll help you out! Plus check back later, as more protests are added.
Birmingham – 6pm Victoria Square B1 1BB 07530429441
Coventry – 5:30pm Lady Godiva Statue Broadgate Square CV1 1LL 07530429441
Glasgow – 5pm corner of Union and Argyle Street MacDonalds
Liverpool – 12 noon Church Street McDonalds 07769 611 320
London – 5pm Downing street Helen 07540189052
Manchester – 12 noon Piccadilly Gardens by Queen Victoria statue 07769 611 320
Nuneaton – 12:30pm The George Eliot Statue Newdigate St CV11 4ER 07530429441
Southampton – 5:30pm Bargate Nick 07 833 681 910
Hanley (Stoke) – 4pm Clock Tower outside Potteries Shopping Centre ST1 1PS Liat 07900880146
Wolverhampton – 12:30pm The Man on the Horse Statue Queen Square WV1 1TL 07530429441
Blacklisting & Victimisation
Buy the book ‘Blacklisted: The Secret War between Big Business and Union Activists’ Author: Dave Smith and Phil Chamberlain. Blacklisted tells the controversial story of the illegal strategies that transnational construction companies used to keep union activists away from work. See the official trailer from ReelNews
Blacklist Support Group financial appeal: the Blacklist support group is desperately short of funds, to continue the incredible work in 2015 we need more finance, would you please consider making a donation, raise it at your branches and trade councils. Please make cheques payable to Joint sites committee and send to 70 Darnay Rise Chelmsford Essex CM1 4XA. Please forward onto your contacts many thanks Steve Kelly (JSC Treasurer)
Blacklist Support Group Update
Blacklisted book http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
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: Stop police violence against workers fighting for their rights read more
Diary (see & use false economy)
June
20 People’s Assembly anti-austerity demonstration in London details here
July
4 ‘Stop the union-busters!’ 9th annual NSSN conference – Conway Hall in London
11 Durham Miners’ Gala details here
17-19 Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival details here
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
