The National Shop Stewards Network is delighted to announce that Harris Sideris from Athens is going to speak at NSSN conference. He is one of two workers sacked by Vodafone bosses a few weeks ago and is a member of the trade union committee of the contract workers (at Vodafone) – who are fighting for full union rights. There have been two one-day strikes at Vodafone since the sackings – the second was last week
The fact that our conference is a day before the Greek referendum on the EU austerity package will give union and anti-cuts activists the opportunity to show their solidarity to both Harris and his fellow sacked comrade and the wider working-class in Greece.
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, Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Peter Pinkney RMT President, Helen Pattison Youth Fight for Jobs, Dave Smith anti-blacklisting campaigner, Isai Priya Tamil Solidarity trade union co-ordinator and Rob Williams NSSN national chair. Download new leaflet It is £6 to attend. You can pay on the day.
Conference agenda:-
11am – Conference opens
1st session ‘Stop the Tory union-busters! – striking gets results’
Lunch
Workshops:-
Transport workers strike back
Organising migrant workers & youth into the unions
Fighting NHS cuts
Fighting back in the workplace & role of a shop steward/rep
Organising in the care sector
Political representation: how do councils fight the new wave of cuts?
Housing crisis / workers in the sector fighting back
2nd session ‘Fight austerity – build for July 8 budget day and beyond’
4.30pm End of conference
To register in advance, email: [email protected]
Please share the Facebook event for NSSN conference – https://www.facebook.com/events/1056499494377353/1056507344376568/
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
RMT
Overwhelming RMT votes for action in LUL disputes (30 June) – Overwhelming RMT votes for action in disputes over tube night running, pay, staffing, safety and use of agency staff. Ballots of RMT members concluded today in a series of disputes on London Underground, including the dispute over pay and night running, as the union warned again that working conditions, pay, jobs and safety are facing an almost unprecedented assault which has united all four tube unions in a campaign of resistance.
The ballot results are as follows:
Pay and Night Tube – 91.7% vote YES for strike action
96.5% vote YES for action short of a strike
Defending Jobs on London Underground – 91.8% vote YES for strike action
94.9% vote YES for action short of a strike
Introduction of agency trainers – 69.2% vote YES for strike action
92% vote YES for action short of a strike
Door alarm procedures – Jubilee Line – 93% vote YES for strike action read more RMT confirmed today that members will be taking the following industrial action on London Underground following ballots over pay, night running, safety and casualisation: Not to book on for any shifts between 18.30 hours on 8th July 2015 and 18.29 hours on 9th July 2015
TSSA Votes to Strike in Night Tube Row Unite’s Tube workers vote for strike action in all-night services row
Ballot records overwhelming vote for action on FGW (30 June) – Ballot records overwhelming vote for action on First Great Western over jobs and safety threat from new trains. RAIL UNION RMT’s 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 has recorded overwhelming votes in favour.
Strike action – 80% yes vote
Action short of a strike – 92% yes vote read more
CalMac pickets out in force today as RMT action (26 June) – RMT pickets out in force in CalMac dispute today as RMT confirms that the action in defence of jobs, working conditions and services has been rock solid read more TSSA Calls Strike Ballot At CalMac
Scotland Unite and Unison indefinite strikes
Unite hails ‘justice’ for NHS Tayside Porters as strike action ends (30 June) – A deal ending the NHS Tayside porters dispute in Scotland was hailed as ‘justice’ by their union Unite today (Tuesday 30 June), after members involved in the four month long dispute voted to accept an improved offer. Workers met to discuss the offer with 86 per cent of those voting to end the strike at Ninewells and Royal Victoria hospitals in Dundee. The dispute centred over low pay which saw the porters being among the lowest paid in the NHS stretching back over a decade. The return to work will be phased between tomorrow (Wednesday 1 July) and Monday (6 July) read more
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 Breaking News!! Workers from the dispute will be speaking at the NSSN conference
BFAWU
BFAWU Members Strike at Gunstones Bakery, Sheffield! – Send messages of support and donations to John Higgins Tel: 07739326012; email [email protected] read more
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
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
MPs debate National Gallery sell-off (26 June) – The government has been urged by MPs to intervene to resolve our dispute over privatisation at the National Gallery. Speaking in a debate he initiated in the Commons last night John McDonnell described the gallery as “one of our national treasures” and called directly on the culture minister to step in read more PCS members at the National Gallery will be completing another 10-day strike this Thursday, taking them to 45 days of action – there will be a strike rally outside the Gallery at 1pm on the day
Unite
TRADE UNION LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT IN DEFENCE OF PUBLIC SERVICES AND TRADE UNION RIGHTS – 8TH JULY ASSEMBLE AT 1PM PARLIAMENT SQUARE (OPPOSITE WESTMINSTER ABBEY) – Unite Trade Union members in Bromley are under attack. The Council has withdrawn all trade union facilities and is now victimising trade union leaders. This comes at the same time as an all out assault on services through mass privatisation. On 8th July, George Osborne, through his budget measures will ensure that the attack in Bromley spreads across the country. Now is the time to unite trade union members and campaigners in a national campaign against austerity.
Bromley Unite is therefore calling a lobby of Parliament on the day of the budget. Our lobby will complement the numerous other protests taking place on the day. We invite all those fighting austerity to join us.
For further details contact Onay Kasab on 07771818637 or [email protected]
Unison
London Met Unison strike against job cuts (June 25) – Unison members at London Metropolitan University held a day’s strike action today. The strike was called in response to management plans announced in March to slash 165 jobs at the institution. The walkout follows on from a number of days on action short of strike by Unison members. The other union at the University, UCU, is also in dispute with the employers. A rally of striking members was held outside the main campus building on Holloway Road, supported by the local UCU branch as well as Unison members from Islington and Camden Local government as well as a representative from the Unison national leadership read more from NSSN website
UCU
Strike at Bradford College and rally in Leeds (30 June) – Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Bradford College walked out today in a row over job losses, and then joined colleagues from across the region at a rally supporting further education in Leeds city centre. UCU members at Bradford were on picket lines across the college’s entrances from 7:30am before making their way to the lunchtime rally. Hundreds of campaigners congregated outside Leeds Art Gallery to hear speeches from some of the Bradford strikers, as well as TUC regional secretary Bill Adams and UCU president Liz Lawrence read more
GMB
Strike Ballot At Staffordshire Housing (June 30) – GMB Official Strike Ballot Underway At Aspire Housing In Dispute Over Cuts To Pay And Conditions. Some employees are losing over £5,000 per year and facing cuts sick pay, removal of paid allowances, and on top some are being asked to work extra hours read more
Possible Brighton NHS Dispute (June 29) – GMB call on Brighton & Sussex University NHS Trust to stop blocking end of two tier structure for transferred facility staff or face industrial action. Patient services at both The Royal Sussex and Princess Royal Hospitals will be affected if fed up low paid staff make the stand for fair pay and equal terms and conditions within the NHS read more
Runcorn Strike Ballot (June 29) – Official strike ballot for GMB members at Saint Gobain Isover in Runcorn in Pay Dispute. The company’s take it or leave it offer falls short of what our members believe is fair, particularly given all their efforts and the huge increase in production read more
NUJ
Newsquest London strike pauses for talks (June 30) – The 12-day Newsquest London strike has been put on pause to allow negotiations to take place. The NUJ members agreed to go back to work today and a meeting with the management will take place this afternoon read more
UCATT
Construction workers urged to check their pay packets (29 June) – Construction workers are being urged to check their pay packets to ensure that employers are honouring the latest pay deal. From today (29th June 2015) pay rates for workers covered by the Construction Industry Joint Council (the largest agreement in the construction industry) increase by 3 per cent. The new minimum rate for a General Operative is £8.52 an hour and the rates rise to the craft rate of £11.33 an hour read more
NUT
Solidarity with George Monoux strikers in Walthamstow – NUT members at Monoux College in Chingford Road, Walthamstow, are taking industrial action following the sacking of two teachers, who are NUT representatives. The union sees it as an attempt to undermine the union and the management have refused an offer by the NUT to go to ACAS. The members have taken five days of industrial action and will be striking again this Wednesday and Thursday with more action planned in September after the summer break. The strikers really welcome support from others and it would be great if you could visit the picket on Wednesday and or Thursday between 7.30am and 9am
NUT members are on strike again on Thursday the 2nd and Tuesday the 7th July at the Eastbourne Campus of Sussex Downs College. Supporters welcome at the pickets from 8:30am in Eastbourne. Thank you for so many messages of support already, continue this by: Signing the petition http://tinyurl.com/sdccuts and pass the link on Tweet your support with a message using #sdcstrike and ask everyone to RT – please do this on strike days if you can! The cuts severely undermine post 16 education provision in Sussex
- Major A-Level Courses won’t be run at the College
- Students told courses won’t run just weeks before starting
- Only 12 A-Level teaching hours a week for full time students
- Teachers losing their Jobs
- Library Shutting
- Counselling Service Cuts Completely
Please so your support however you can
Thanks
Phil Clarke
Secretary Lewes Eastbourne and Wealden NUT
Education Bill – Morgan takes another step towards total school privatisation (June 30) from blog of Martin Powell-Davies NUT NEC
FBU
July Firefighter 2015 now online read more
IWGB
Citysprint pushbike couriers take London living wage campaign to employer’s major clients (June 30) – Pushbike couriers employed by City Sprint will tomorrow stage a flash indoor protest at one of City Sprint’s major clients as part of their campaign to win the London Living Wage of £9.15 per hour. The day will begin with a pre-protest breakfast at the IWGB office (80 Lambs Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3LQ) at 8 a.m. after which the couriers and their supporters will head to the mystery client read more
Legal Aid strikes – follow #legalaid on twitter for updates
Barristers and solicitors across UK are supporting direct action, arguing cuts will lead to miscarriages of justice and drop in quality of representation
Ireland – Justice for Clerys Workers
Workers in Dublin’s iconic Clerys Department Store were locked out of their employment on Friday 12th June. Clerys Workers demand justice now www.facebook.com/justiceforclerysworkers?fref=ts
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
Mesothelioma Action Day
All welcome to attend, we have produced a special edition of London Hazards Centre’s (LHC) magazine, with the support of a number of Trade Unions whose members are some of the 1000’s killed every year. From Teachers / Pupils / Building workers / Sea farers / ship yard & shop workers and many more because they were exposed to Asbestos at work. If you’d like a copy or copies of this special edition please contact me or LHC. We will be happy to send you it. LHC email —- [email protected]
Regards Pete Farrell Chair LHC
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 Dave Smith is speaking at NSSN conference
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)
Blacklisting back in the High Court – BSG Update 1st July 2015
- High Court
The next dates for the High Court group litigation is set for 14th July – it will be a very busy schedule covering disclosure of documents, destroyed evidence, expert witnesses etc.. If all items are not finished, the hearing will carry over into the 15th July.
- Pitchford public inquiry into undercover policing
BSG have sent an official submission to the Home Office regarding the remit for the upcoming Pitchford Inquiry into undercover policing. We called for there to be a full investigation into undercover police infiltration of unions to spy on activists. Teresa May is expected to announce the full scope of the inquiry sometime in mid-July.
http://rt.com/uk/270676-trade-unions-police-spying/
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-f936-MET-SILENT-ON-BLACKLIST-SPY#.VZUgYvlViko
- Teeside #PayTheRate Protests
The ongoing SITA dispute in Teeside is still attracting 100s of workers to weekly early morning protests. Last week, scores of activists turned up unannounced at the Liverpool offices of the MRWA to press their point home. Keep up the good work brothers & sisters – you are leading the fightback against the attacks on our terms & conditions.
For more info and updates about the latest actions follow Teeside Construction Activists on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teesside-Construction-Activists/429641457200160?fref=nf
- Blacklisting events – Dates for the Diary in July
Thu 2nd (6:30pm) – Defend Our Unions, ULU
Sat 4th (all day) – National Shop Stewards Conference – Conway Hall, Holborn
Thu 9th (6:30pm) – Blacklisted book event – Black Pig, Tunbridge Wells, Kent – with Helen Clifford
Fri 10th (5:30pm) – Durham Miners Gala Education 4 Action event – NUM Offices, Redhills – in association with People’s Bookshop
Sat 11th (2pm) – Blacklisted workers filmed discussion, London – in association with film maker Lucy Parker – please contact BSG ASAP if you are interested in attending.
Tue 14th (10am) – High Court blacklisting trial case management hearing
Tue 14th (6:30pm) – TUCG Tolpuddle Seminar – Jubilee Room, Houses of Parliament – with MPs & Gen Secs www.tucg.org.uk
Wed 15th (10am) – High Court day 2 (tbc)
Wed 15th (7pm) – Hackney TUC
Sat 18th – Tolpuddle Festival
Thu 23rd – Dave Smith arrest trial – City of London Magistrates Court
https://www.facebook.com/Education4ActionTheStruggleforJustice
http://englandevents.co.uk/durham-book-launch-dave-smiths-blacklisted-the-secret-war/303066
- Get Carillion out of Liverpool
BSG are working with Spirit of Shankly supporters group in Liverpool FC about the contract given to blacklisting firm Carillion to redevelop the Anfield stadium.
BSG are also involved in ongoing meetings with Trust operating New Royal Liverpool Hospital that has also awarded a contract to Carillion.
Watch this space – this could get very big.
- Blacklist Support Group at Glastonbury Festival
BSG were at Glastonbury Festival appearing at Leftfield stage, Speakers Forum in the Green Futures Field and the Reel News installation in Shangri-La. Phil Chamberlain, Tom Fowler, Martin Smith, Shaun Dey, Merrick Badger, Dave Smith were flying the flag. All the photos are on social media
- Other Blacklisting news items:
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ Gen Sec review in the Morning Star: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-7520-Intimidation-on-an-industrial-scale
Join Blacklist Support Group on FaceBook or follow @daveblacklist on Twitter for the most up to date news as it breaks
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)
Malaysia: Stop union busting in SFI read more
Diary (see & use false economy)
July
4 ‘Stop the union-busters!’ 9th annual NSSN conference – Conway Hall in London
10 As part of the Leytonstone Festival, the trade union movement in Waltham Forest has organised ‘an evening of radical entertainment’. Featuring Waltham Forest’s own Steve White & The Protest Family, the fantastic Maddy Carty, and ranting poets Janine Booth and Tim Wells – and compered by Chip Grim. Immersed in the union movement themselves, their songs and poems reflect the lives of the 99% – the problems working people face, the union causes, the laughs. Supported by Waltham Forest Trades Council and the RMT Central Line East branch. PA provided by Ramblin Steve of What’s Cookin. Entry is free and a good time guaranteed.
From 8.00pm – Ex-Servicemen’s Club Harvey Road Leytonstone London E11
11 Durham Miners’ Gala details here
17-19 Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival details here
22 Cuts to our community public meeting at Stockport Town Hall – 7.00pm. Guest Speaker Owen Jones
27 Rally in Stockport Saturday 12.00pm Bear Pit, Mersey Sq against the closure of the Well Being Centre in Chestergate
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
