BMA Junior Doctors dispute – next Wednesday March 9th, Junior Doctors will start the first of three more 48-hour strikes after the Tories announced their plan to impose the new contract latest update.
The planned dates of industrial action are:
9 – 11 March: Emergency care only between 8am on Wednesday 9 March and 8am on Friday 11 March (48 hours)
6 – 8 April: Emergency care only between 8am on Wednesday 6 April and 8am on Friday 8 April (48 hours)
26 – 28 April: Emergency care only between 8am on Tuesday 26 April and 8am on Thursday 28 April (48 hours)
The NSSN will continue our support for the BMA and their members and to call for the TUC and the trade unions, particularly in health, to organise a national demonstration to defend the NHS and support the BMA and the junior doctors as well as defending NHS bursaries. This could really build confidence about co-ordinated industrial action across the health service.
To assist in this, we have produced a model motion that can be used in unions at all levels and trades councils:-
This (union organisation) notes that the Government, through health minister Jeremy Hunt, has signalled their intention to impose the new contract on Junior Doctors from this August.
We note that a number of NHS chief executives, although supportive of the new contract have opposed imposition under pressure. But Hunt is threatening cuts to funding if they don’t carry it out.
We salute the defiant struggle of the Junior Doctors and their union the BMA, which is continuing with further days of strike action which will be supplemented by a legal challenge.
We condemn the contract imposition and resolve to give support and solidarity to the BMA and their members in the action that they take, including local protests and lobbies to pressure Trusts to refuse to implement the contract.
We call on the NEC and all constitutional committees and branches to invite BMA members to address their meetings and visit Junior Doctors’ picket lines.
We believe that this imposition is part and parcel of a wider Tory attack on the NHS, including the real likelihood of similar changes to terms and conditions of other NHS workers.
We therefore resolve that our union call on the TUC to urgently convene a special General Council with an invitation to the BMA and the other health unions.
This meeting should discuss organising an emergency Saturday national demonstration on the theme of ‘Defending the NHS, supporting the Junior Doctors’ and co-ordinating industrial action against Tory health service cuts and their effect on health workers, such as the attack on NHS bursaries.
We believe that such a demonstration could coincide with planned industrial action called by the BMA Junior Doctors committee
International Women’s Day March 8th
This is the last NSSN e-bulletin before this year’s IWD. Please keep an eye out for events on the TUC website and via #IWD16 on twitter.
NUT
The academy threat to Small Heath School has been withdrawn – now lift Simon O’Hara’s suspension! — On Friday 29th January Birmingham City Council informed the unions that the threat of the academisation of Small Heath School was off the table as the sponsors had walked away. This came after staff from the NUT, NASUWT and ATL increased their strike action and campaigned with parents to say that students in Small Heath are best served by their school remaining as part of the Local Authority family of schools. Staff are committed to getting the school out of special measures but for this to happen the suspension of the NUT Rep Simon O’Hara must be lifted. NUT members in the school have voted 100% in favour of striking to defend their Rep with strikes on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 February as the school has refused to end the victimisation of Simon O’Hara. Please share the petition and encourage as many people as possible to sign. We say well done to the strikers for stopping the academisation of Small Heath School and that now the LA and the IEB should lift the suspension of Simon O’Hara. You are encouraged to send messages of support to David Room at [email protected]. A petition to defend Simon and to say ‘no to academisation’ of Small Heath School has attracted nearly 3000 signatures – please add your signature sign here
NUT sixth form colleges strike on March 15 (29 Feb) – NUT sixth form college members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. The ballot, which closed today, showed 86% of members in favour of action on a 44% turnout. The day of action will be Tuesday, 15 March read more
CWU
Reinstate Clive Walder
The NSSN is delighted to announce that John Vasey a sacked CWU postal rep in Wakefield, West Yorkshire has finally been reinstated by Royal Mail (see CWU website). We now demand that Clive Walder gets his job back at British Telecom.
Clive Walder, a longstanding leading rep in the CWU had an appeal against unfair dismissal rejected by British Telecom on 9 November, confirming his sacking after 38 years of service. Clive is chair of the CWU Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester branch.
Clive worked in a BT call centre and was dismissed after an aggressive customer reported him to management just 33 seconds into a phone call. The decision was made without taking stress into account despite the local CWU branch reporting that 7% of staff at the call centre leave their jobs each month, some walking out mid shift. Management took the decision without consulting any medical advice or taking into account any mitigation.
Clive is a NSSN steering committee member and we will be supporting the campaign protesting the sacking and campaigning for his reinstatement.
Contact Clive to send messages of support and invite him to your union branch, shop stewards committee, trades council etc – [email protected] 07771931185
NSSN / Kill the Bill news
As expected, the Tory Trade Union Bill passed its 3rd reading on November 10th. It now is now going through the Lords. But we must keep up the pressure and prepare for resisting it if it becomes law.
BREAKING NEWS!! The NSSN is supporting the protest called by the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group of unions (TUCG) when the Trade Union Bill gets to its Report Stage on Wednesday 16th March at 6pm. It will be at Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament http://www.tucg.org.uk/
The 10th annual NSSN conference will on Saturday July 2nd 2016 in Conway Hall, London. Please put in your new diaries!!
THIS SATURDAY!! Yorkshire NSSN Conference: Stop the Union Busters / Organise the Unorganised – Saturday, 5th March at Ebor Court, Skinner St, Leeds, LS1 4ND https://www.facebook.com/events/514766158692960/
The last two pink NSSN ‘£10 Now’ t-shirts are available for £8. Both are women’s large sizes. First come first served! Order by emailing [email protected]
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 attached and here
Download the ‘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]
More Union News
Unite / GMB / UCATT #PayTheRate protests against Interserve & BMV March 1st
Construction workers target energy projects in ‘pay the rate’ protests (29 Feb) – Two construction firms, Interserve and Babcock & Wilcox Vølund from Denmark, will come under fire tomorrow morning (Tuesday 1 March) for seeking to undermine industry wide national agreements in a series of protests outside major energy construction projects in Rotherham, Port Talbot and Dunbar read more
Unite
Unions to lobby LGA employers to save youth workers’ ‘pink book’ (1 March) – Britain’s biggest union, Unite, will be part of a joint lobby outside the offices of the Local Government Association (LGA) in central London on Thursday (3 March) to drive home the importance of protecting youth workers’ pay, terms and conditions in the ‘pink book.’
WHEN: Thursday 3 March, 12.45 to 14.15
WHERE: Local Government Association (LGA) head office Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ read more
Unite local government members overwhelmingly reject ‘paltry’ pay offer in consultative ballot (26 Feb) – About 70,000 local government workers, members of Unite, the country’s largest union, have overwhelmingly rejected the ‘paltry’ two-year pay offer in a consultative ballot. Unite’s local government national committee had recommended that its members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reject the pay offer from the Local Government Employers for a two-year pay deal of one per cent for the years starting April 2016 and April 2017. Unite announced today (Friday 26 February) that its local authority members had voted by a majority of 87 percent to reject the employers’ pay offer – See more at: read more
Please share this leaflet and support Bromley Unite in calling for the Tory Council’s privatisation of the libraries to Community Links to be stopped!
GMB
Huge BA Rally Feb 29th against outsourcing as dispute looms At BA Over Pay Deductions – GMB To Consult Members At British Airways Over Pay Deduction Of 4.5% When New National Insurance Rates Start On 6th April. BA managers have decided to pass on the company National Insurance liability of 3.1% to its employees, meaning they will be forced to pay an extra 4.5% from 6th April says GMB. About 500 workers attended a rally and march this Monday lunchtime to protest against these attacks and outsourcing read more
Dispute Looms At Sussex Patient Transport Services (Feb 29) – Dispute Looms As GMB Reject Unreasonable Preconditions For Talks Set By New Contractors At Sussex Patient Transport Services read more
Glasgow City Council Ballot Result (Feb 29) – GMB Scotland Announces Glasgow City Council Ballot Result With Huge Support For Industrial Action In Glasgow. After years of pay freezes and seeing their standard of living eroded, our members have had enough says GMB. A consultative ballot for industrial action amongst GMB members in refuse, street cleaning, parks and gardens has seen an unprecedented level of support for industrial action in Glasgow City Council. Workers were balloted after the Council tabled proposals that will see pay and conditions slashed for many members as part of a drive to save money. Of the 1,000 GMB members who were balloted, over 80% voted with 95% voting in favour of industrial action including strikes read more
Unison
Yorkshire ambulance paramedics win pay rise (Feb 29) – Agreement reached on regrading to reflect paramedics’ skills as UNISON prepared for industrial action ballot read more
Glasgow CCTV workers to take strike action in pay dispute – Eighteen members of UNISON employed as CCTV operators and supervisors by Community Safety Glasgow (CSG), an ALEO of Glasgow City Council, will take strike action next week. Over 90% of the workforce are in UNISON. The members work shifts for no extra money and their hourly rate is Scottish Living Wage rate of £8.25 per hour. They work 12 hour shift patterns, providing a 24 hour service. Other workers in CSG on similar shift patterns receive an additional annual payment of £7,500.
Our members will take strike action in the two following 48 hour periods:
- Friday 4 March at 7pm to Sunday 6 March at 7pm
- Thursday 17 March at 7pm to Saturday 19 March at 7pm
The purpose of the action is to force CSG into offering an acceptable payment for working shifts, unsocial hours, 39 hours per week, etc. A UNISON picket line will be organised on Friday 4 March from 6.30pm at CSG HQ, Eastgate, 727 London Road, G40 3AQ https://www.facebook.com/Unison-Glasgow-City-Branch-204709069566277/?pnref=story
UNISON Glasgow school janitors dispute Glasgow Unison Facebook page
RMT
Maritime Union of Australia in solidarity over CalMac (1 March) – Maritime Union of Australia sends international message of solidarity to RMT members fighting to keep CalMac Scottish ferry routes public read more
Eurostar staff to be balloted for strike action (29 Feb) – RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it will begin balloting Eurostar train managers based at St Pancras from tomorrow for both strike action and action short of a strike over lone working and the victimisation of one individual member of staff read more
Transpennine Express Drivers balloted for strike action (25 Feb) – RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it will begin balloting drivers on First Transpennine Express next week for both strike action and action short of strike after it emerged that the company has been bypassing the agreed machinery of negotiation in relation to non-approved staff driving trains read more
RMT to ballot Test Train Operators alongside sister union ASLEF (Feb 26) read more
Industrial action called to defend Glen Hart (25 Feb) – Following the recent ballot result where RMT members voted ‘YES’ in favour of taking strike action and industrial action short of a strike this matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee, who have taken the decision to call an OVERTIME BAN – You are therefore instructed NOT TO WORK ANY OVERTIME between 18:00 hours on Wednesday 2nd March and 17:59 hours on Thursday 3rd March 2016 read more
PCS
PCS Westminster March 1st rally against HMRC closures read more
Equity
ENO Chorus vote to strike (26 Feb) – The Chorus of the English National Opera (ENO) has voted to strike because of planned redundancies and wage cuts at the ENO. Equity is calling on ENO management to keep a full-time, world-class Chorus and to reverse the decision to reduce their salary to 75% and cut jobs read more
BFAWU
BFAWU Samworth meeting Friday Feb 26 read more
FBU
Warning over chronic staffing shortage in West Midlands Fire Service, as firefighters vote for industrial action (25 Feb) – Firefighters in the West Midlands have voted to take industrial action in protest over plans that would lead to staff shortages and fire engines being unavailable for rescues. The results of the ballot mean staff will now participate in a ban on overtime shifts read more
EIS
EIS West Dunbartonshire teachers are striking for two days this week, Tuesday 8th March and Wednesday 9th March. Send solidarity to [email protected]
Mandate
Tesco staff may strike, union warns read more
UCU
Save the CASS – Supporters of the “Save the CASS” campaign have organised a “Mobile Arts Easter Parade”. This will be taking place on Monday 14 March from 1.00pm onwards. The march will line up at the entrance to the London Hospital, (Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BZ), and proceed to Central House, (59-63 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7PF) via the Cass building in Commercial Road, (41/71 Commercial Road, London E1 1LA) https://www.facebook.com/Save.the.CASS/?fref=ts
TSSA
Rail engineers vote for strike action on East Coast mainline (29 Feb) – Maintenance and safety engineers on East Coast mainline have voted overwhelming for strike action in a dispute with their Network Rail (NR) employer over back payments. Network Rail (NR) have been failing to honour annual incremental grade payments – for up to 10 years – yet bosses have repeatedly refused to negotiate with TSSA representatives to settle the dispute read more
United Voices of the World the union
Protest at Topshop, Oxford Street. LIVING WAGE NOW! – 12 March 3pm Topshop, 214 Oxford St, London W1W 8LG – Come and join UVW for a mass protest at Topshop flagship store in Oxford Street demanding a Living Wage for all workers, both the outsourced cleaners and the in-house sales assistants… Despite huge profits workers on the shop floor are paid poverty wages which stand some 30% below what is accepted to be the current London Living Wage of £9.40 per hour https://www.facebook.com/events/984893508252657/
IWGB
ECourier submits offer of pay rise to avoid impending campaign! (Feb 26): at the 11th hour ECOURIER HAS PUT IN AN OFFER to the IWGB Couriers Branch to negotiate the terms of a substantial rate-rise in order to avoid the campaign set to launch tomorrow. In a gesture of goodwill the impending campaign will be POSTPONED until negotiations have been concluded, and the final offer accepted or rejected by our members read more
Other News
Kill the housing bill national demo 13 March – Keep your diary free for this national demo in London on the housing bill. Sunday 13 March at 12:00–14:00 – Lincoln’s Inn Newman’s Row, London WC2A 3TL, WC2A 3TL London.
Demands include rent control and a programme of council house building read more on Unite LE/1111 housing workers branch website
‘Show Culture Some Love’ London Conference – 12 March 11am–5pm at Trades Union Congress (TUC) Congress House, Great Russell St, WC1B 3LS London Facebook event
Book your place via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/show-culture-some-love-no-to-austerity-arts-budget-cuts-tickets-21203096031
New exhibition at TUC Congress House, London commemorating the miners’ strike of 1984-85: ‘Solidarity and the 1984/85 Miners Strike’ – March 14-15 details
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)
Shameful construction firms attempt to silence blacklisted workers thrown out by High Court
Construction firms attempt to ban a number of blacklisted workers from giving evidence in the blacklisting super-trial was thrown out by the High Court on Friday (26 Feb). Edmund Nourse QC representing the blacklisting firms; Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska and Vinci asked for the court to restrict the number of witness statements to 17 ‘lead cases’ and rule out a number of blacklisted workers from giving evidence. The firms specifically tried to ban the witness statements from electrician Billy Spiers and bricklayer John Bryan. But Lord Justice Supperstone ruled against the companies attempt to silence workers who have been victimised over decades.
After the ruling Billy Spiers, chairman of the UNITE national construction committee commented:
“I had a real bad time getting work on the cards after being put on the blacklist. I was sacked and apart from T5 and Isle of Grain where the union fought for me to be employed, I struggled, sometimes being out of work for a full year at a time. Along with a lot of my workmates who have been Shop Stewards or Health and Safety Representatives, its been difficult.
These blacklisters are still not showing any remorse. Trying to stop witness statements from blacklisted workers at yesterday’s High Court hearing just demonstrates their attitude: shame on them”
John Bryan, blacklisted bricklayer from Bermondsey commented:
“After waiting since the 1980s for some kind of justice, I cannot just walk away and leave our struggle without taking it as far as I can. I will support my mates in this fight. Blacklisted workers will not be silenced”.
Additional information from the High Court hearing on Friday:
- A total of 240 cases have now settled.
367 cases are still live.
Plus another 75 new claimants joined the litigation last week alone.
Final deadline for claimants to join the group litigation was extended by 7 days til Friday 4th March. It is excepted that the total number of claimants going to the full trial will reach over 450.
- The full trial is scheduled to start on 7th May and finish on 31st July. 16 witness statements have been submitted by the comanies including directors of multinantuonal companies who held the role of chairman and vice chairman of the notorious Consulting Association
- After being instructed by the court to go back and search again. The firms now claim to have found the computer servers where emails from Cullum McAlpine & Gerry Harvey were stored. They still haven’t actually handed them over yet.
- There will be another case management hearing some time in first week of April.
- German TV cameras filmed blacklisted workers outside the High Court.
- Print quality photographs available from Guy Smallman (NUJ) [email protected]
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/
Donate to ReelNews – http://reelnews.co.uk/donationssubscriptions/
International
National demonstration in solidarity with the Kurds
- Stop Turkey’s war on the Kurds
- Break the Silence
Sunday 6th March 2016, assemble 12 noon – March from BBC Portland Place to Trafalgar Square https://www.facebook.com/events/1552991251691159/
Iran: Release teacher union leader Esmail Abdi read more
Gambia: Justice for Sheriff Diba read more
Diary (see & use false economy)
2016
March
5 Yorkshire NSSN Conference: Stop the Union Busters / Organise the Unorganised at Ebor Court, Skinner St, Leeds, LS1 4ND https://www.facebook.com/events/514766158692960/
April
16 March for Homes, Health, Jobs, Education | End Austerity Now
Assemble: 1pm, Gower Street / Euston Road, London NW1 http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/hhje
July
2 10th annual NSSN Conference in Conway Hall, London
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
