15,000 steel jobs are on the line but the call to nationalise Tata is growing and the pressure on Cameron is building! Over the last few days, politicians of all parties in Cardiff and London are moving their positions but we have to keep the heat on them. Last Saturday, hundreds came on a ‘Nationalise Tata’ protest and demonstration in Port Talbot called by the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) and next Wednesday April 13, the NSSN is hosting a public meeting in the town. On Monday April 4th, NSSN national chair Rob Williams spoke at a lobby of the specially recalled Welsh Assembly to discuss the steel crisis SEE VIDEO OF SPEECH HERE
“We marched on Saturday around the simple demand that Tata Steel UK should be nationalised to keep the furnaces firing in Port Talbot and around the UK. That is the only solution. Not to bribe another vulture capitalist to asset strip the company. In fact it would cost the government more to bribe someone than take it over. They reckon the business is losing £1million a day. But that’s just half what Osborne gave to the super-rich in tax cuts in the Budget. It’s nothing when you consider the social costs of the steelworks closing.
It’s great to see the Assembly members united today so they should vote through a motion calling on Westminster to immediately nationalise Tata. Labour Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones seems to be coming round to nationalisation, at least on a temporary basis but it should be permanently nationalised along with the rail and energy companies. We need a real socialist economic strategy.
As we protest here, Tata union reps are meeting in London. Let’s give them the confidence to take the action that is necessary to keep the furnaces firing, to keep the steelworks going, to keep the communities alive!”
‘Nationalise Tata – keep the furnaces firing!’ – Port Talbot NSSN public meeting: Wednesday 13 April 7.30pm Grand Hotel (opposite train station) www.facebook.com/events/1689063208026256/
Sign online petition: Nationalise to #SaveOurSteel here
Steelworkers’ meeting outcome: new demands of Government (April 4)
Unite: Jaguar car workers urge Tata against steel ‘fire sale’
BMA Junior Doctors dispute – Junior Doctors are on the 2nd of three further 48-hour strikes from today April 6th after the Tories announced their plan to impose the new contract. BMA website – Junior doctors: 48 hour industrial action begins in England For info on picket lines, strike rallies etc follow #JuniorDoctorsStrike #NotSafeNotFair #JuniorDoctors on twitter. BMA launches judicial review http://oneprofession.bma.org.uk/
The next planned dates of industrial action are:
6 – 8 April: Emergency care only between 8am on Wednesday 6 April and 8am on Friday 8 April (48 hours)
26 – 28 April: Full withdrawal of labour between the hours of 8am and 5pm on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April (18 hours in total)
The NSSN has produced a model motion that can be used in unions at all levels and trades council here
PCS
Save BIS Sheffield: support Sheffield March for Jobs (22 March) – Thousands of people are expected to join a PCS march through Sheffield on 9 April to protest against the loss of hundreds of jobs in the city. At the end of January the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced plans to close its Sheffield site by January 2018, losing 250 jobs. Taken together with other closures including, HM Revenue and Customs Sheffield site, the overall loss of jobs to the city is 500 read more from PCS website
Urge your MP to stop Land Registry sell-off
More strike action for National Museums Wales
Unison
Support the occupation of Carnegie Library: Lambeth Unison statement – Carnegie library has been occupied by members of the local community protesting at the closure of local libraries by the Council. UNISON supports the campaign to keep our libraries open and has every sympathy with the campaigners in occupation. We call upon the Council to reverse the decision to close libraries http://lambeth-unison.org/2016/03/31/unison-statement-on-the-occupation-of-carnegie-library/ https://www.facebook.com/LambethUnison/
NUT
NUT Conference votes for strike action to defend teachers and education from forced academies (26 March) – This afternoon, NUT Annual Conference voted overwhelmingly for a Priority Motion on ‘The White Paper: The Wrong Priorities’ which includes a call for a ballot for discontinuous action to begin with a one-day strike before the end of the summer term and to seek to coordinate action with other unions too read more
The academy threat to Small Heath School has been withdrawn – now lift the suspensions! — Teachers at Small Heath School in Birmingham have voted to continue their strike action. They have now taken 20 days of strike action. But despite eleven hours of meetings with management and the council in February, two NUT reps remain suspended. You are encouraged to send messages of support to David Room at [email protected]. A petition to defend the two reps, including Simon O’Hara and to say ‘no to academisation’ of Small Heath School has attracted nearly 3000 signatures – please add your signature sign here
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
Pay rise for Manpower agency workers ‘something to celebrate’ (April 1) – CWU members at Manpower are finally to see an increase in their pay after years languishing on low rates unequal to that of many of their fellow BT workers read more
People’s Assembly April 16 demonstration
People’s Assembly 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
NSSN / Kill the Bill news
This year’s annual NSSN conference – our 10th – will be on Saturday July 2nd in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL – 11am-4.30pm. Conference fee is £6 each. Please put in your diaries!! www.facebook.com/events/1361018323924300/
South London NSSN public meeting: ‘South London Fights Back’ – 7.30pm Wednesday April 13th Karibu Education Centre, 7 Gresham Rd, Brixton SW9 7PH https://www.facebook.com/events/845645872228112/
Triple defeat for the government on trade union bill (17 March) – Peers in the House of Lords rebelled against the government on three key issues: electronic balloting, political funds and facility time. The trade union bill had its first day at report stage in the House of Lords on Wednesday 16 March, with a major backlash against the government’s unrelenting persecution of trade unions read more on PCS website
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
No library closures in Greenwich – Unite The Union is leading the fight to defend public services in Greenwich. If the Council gets its way, this will be a library closure, impacting not just on library workers but the much wider community. It will also signal an intensification of cuts in Greenwich. Over the next couple of months, the Council will make a decision about the future of the library. That is why we now need to step up the pressure. We have organised 3 lobbies. All will take place at the Town Hall
20th April – Lobby of Council Cabinet 6pm
18th May – Lobby of Annual Council Meeting 6pm
19th May – Lobby of Council Cabinet 6pm (Unite will be addressing this meeting which will make the decision on the future of the Mobile Library)
Pension row gathering steam at trainmaker Bombardier (4 April) – A ‘nifty’ pensions’ move by the government has caused uproar amongst 1,700 workers at the trainmaker and maintenance company Bombardier who are set to lose an estimated £830-a-year. As a result of the company’s refusal to pick up its share of pension contribution increases caused by the government’s ending of ‘opting out’ of state pensions, the workers are considering taking industrial action read more
Postal deliveries under threat as Royal Mail managers vote on strike action (4 April) – Royal Mail faces a possible strike by 4,900 of its managers in a pay dispute that could threaten deliveries to 27 million homes across the UK. Ballot papers for industrial action were today (Monday 4 April) dropping on the doormats of the managers, members of Unite, the country’s largest union. The ballot closes on Thursday 21 April read more
Bromley council ‘in dock’ over alleged victimisation of Unite branch secretary (31 March) – long-standing Unite branch secretary has been subject to an alleged sustained campaign of bullying and discrimination by Conservative-controlled Bromley council, says Unite, the country’s largest union. Papers were served on the council today (Thursday 31 March) by Unite legal services’ panel solicitors Thompsons to answer the case that grandmother Kath Smith, branch secretary since 2011, was subject to concerted victimisation as she tried to carry out her legitimate trade union activities, while the authority embarked on a mass privatisation campaign read more
Unite/GMB protests this 6.30am Thursday April 6th to get Interserve and BMV to pay the rate:
Margam Green Energy Plant, Longlands Lane, Harbour Way, Margam, Port Talbot SA13 2SU – off junction 38 M4
Dunbar landfill, Oxwellmains, Dunbar EH42 1SW
Rotherham Templeborough Site, Sheffield Road, Rotherham S60 1AD
Unite Construction Rank & File National Meeting: Saturday 14th May 2016, Methodist Central Hall Manchester 12 – 3pm GMB: Engineering Construction Protest 7 April
GMB
Glasgow CC Strike Ballot Notice (April 4) – Scotland Brings Forward Strike Ballot As Glasgow City Council Serves Employees 90 Days’ Notice Of Changes To Contracts And Pay. Politicians had intimated that they wanted to talk to us but instead they have fired the first salvo in what is going to be a bruising battle says GMB Scotland read more
Sheffield Refuse Workers Strike On 1 April (March 31) – Bullying Of Sheffield Bin Workers Results In First Strike For 17 Years. No one wants a strike but this ballot resulted in a 92.5% vote in favour of action that shows the level of our members’ anger at mistreatment says GMB read more
Unison
CCTV workers take further strike action 1 April to 4 April – Nineteen UNISON members employed as CCTV operators and supervisors by Community Safety Glasgow (CSG), an ALEO of Glasgow City Council, are taking further strike action from the 1st to 4th April. Over 95% of the workforce is in UNISON read more CCTV Strikers Lobby of Community Safety Glasgow HQ – Friday April 8 Community Safety Glasgow London Road, G40 3AQ www.facebook.com/events/1673913739527654/
National Demo 18 April 1pm SOAS, University of London: Stop the contract, cleaners in-house now! SOAS J4C is calling for a national solidarity demo after SOAS senior management declared today they intend to sign the contract to outsource the cleaners for five years on April 18th, and postponed any further negotiations to April 21st https://www.facebook.com/events/1750430338524998/
RMT
RMT to ballot Virgin Glasgow Train Managers over leave arrangements (March 31) – RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it is to ballot Virgin Train Managers at Glasgow Central for both strike action and action short of a strike over leave arrangements which have had a severe negative impact on this particular group of staff read more
UCU
Staff at Hull College to be balloted for strike action (4 April) – UCU has announced that it will ballot members at Hull College for strike action in a row over pay and a controversial teaching and learning lesson observation system for teachers read more
BFAWU / Fast Food Rights
We won’t be fooled by Osborne’s gimmick wage! #FastFoodGlobal Day of Action on 14 April
The Tories will be re-branding the minimum wage as National Living Wage this Friday April 1st. The 50p rise is nowhere near enough to take low-paid workers out of poverty pay and the under-25s are excluded!
But we won’t be fooled by Osborne’s gimmick wage! To counter the Tory hypocrisy, a campaign is being launched to fight for a real minimum wage of £10 per hour with no youth exemptions. This is being headed by the BFAWU bakers’ union, the GMB and the Hungry for Justice / Fast Food Rights coalition (in which the NSSN campaigns alongside the BFAWU, John McDonnell Shadow Chancellor, Youth Fight for Jobs, Unite the Resistance, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and others).
We took part in the protest last Friday April 1st opposite Downing Street and we also be taking part in the #FastFoodGlobal Day of Action on 14 April.
There will be a big focus in Wakefield on April 14, where on the day there will be a demonstration and social. There will also be protests led by BFAWU fast food workers in Glasgow, Scarborough and Cambridge as well as the events in Wakefield. Join the April 14 protests or organise your own. Please also use and follow on social media – #FoolsGold #A1 #WakeyFor10 #10Now4All #10AndAUnionThis is a statement from BFAWU National President Ian Hodson read more on NSSN website GMB On National Living Wage
For more see Fast Food Rights / Hungry for Justice website
Youth Fight for Jobs: ‘National Living Wage’ = Fool’s Gold: Take action 1 April, 14 April
FBU
‘Never again’ say FBU, as inquest into death of Manchester firefighter opens (4 April) – The inquest into the death of Manchester firefighter Stephen Hunt opens today, 4th April, as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) declare that the needless deaths of firefighters killed in the line of duty have to stop read more
UCATT
Hundreds of thousands of workers receive financial kick in the teeth as tax free expenses axed (6 April) – Hundreds of thousands of workers, many of whom work in construction, face a financial kick in the teeth, due to tax changes on expenses, which come into effect today (April 6th 2016) the start of the new financial year read more
EIS
West Dunbartonshire Secondary Teachers Commence Two-Day Strike (March 30) Messages of support to [email protected]
BECTU
RSC adopts Living Wage (1 April) – BECTU has reached an agreement with the RSC which will see minimum pay rates, both in and outside London, line up with the recommended Living Wage starting this month (April 2016). BECTU has welcomed the agreement and hopes it will encourage other theatre employers to go further to address the needs of their lowest paid staff read more
NAPO
Local Government Pension Scheme – Please Sign The Parliamentary Petition here
Mandate / SIPTU (Ireland)
Tesco workers to ballot for industrial action (April 1) – More than 12,000 Mandate and 1,000 SIPTU Trade Union members in Tesco Ireland are to be balloted for industrial action over the coming weeks after the company refused to accept a Labour Court recommendation and are now attempting to force significant wage cuts on a large number of staff members. The Labour Court issued its recommendation on February 19th which said all workers in Tesco are entitled to a 2pc pay increase and a share bonus payment read more from Mandate and SIPTU
Support the Luas workers. Support Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/533923853456339/
IWGB
Evening Standard – Bike couriers launch test cases in battle to boost ‘meagre’ pay (April 5) – Cycle couriers have begun a legal bid to earn the minimum wage and the right to holidays and sick pay. Test cases against London’s four main courier firms will try to end “meagre” pay of as little as £2 per job read more
United Voices of the World
Sign petition for Topshop to pay living wage – Over 33,000 people have signed this petition calling on Topshop to cough up and pay their workers a living wage. Please sign and share if you haven’t done so already. https://www.change.org/p/topshop-pay-your-cleaners-the-living-wage https://www.facebook.com/uvwunion/
Other News
Butterfields Won’t Budge!
Support the Butterfields tenants who live in Walthamstow, E17, who are trying to prevent the eviction of their community. Sing the online petition here
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)
Time is running out for blacklist firms – BSG Update 1st April 2016
- Time running out for blacklist firms
Countdown is progressing to the time when the multinational companies that organised the illegal blacklisting cartel are dragged into a full High Court trial.
Blacklisting High Court hearing
Thursday 7th April
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
Assemble: 9:15am
Important Notice: Bring a BIG CLOCK (you can buy one from Poundland)
Let’s make this a huge turn out to send a message to the rats and corporate crooks: our fight isn’t over til the clock strikes.
https://www.facebook.com/events/812975302136630/
The clock on the strand by Johnny Boy (March 2016)
Tick tock tick tock, the fingers move slowly around the face
The inexorable march of time that keeps that steady pace
It has taken so many years of hardship to bring us to this place
Curtains of lies have been drawn back now there’s only lace
Tick tock tick tock, we had to fight you once again
So down to the royal Courts we came, justice to attain
It was in these halls of justice the blacklisters would be slain
Guilty of heinous crimes that caused us so much pain
Tick tock tick tock, you thought you were home and clear
You never thought the BSG would make the people hear
The working men you sacked and blacked refused to shed a tear
All your malice and vexation didn’t strike them with any fear
Tick tock tick tock, it’s time for all of you to speak
To tell the truth don’t dare tell lies because it’s looking bleak
Now that it’s time for you, I bet your feeling weak
It has taken oh so many years for you to stand before the BEAK 🌍👁
- Major spycops conference
Doreen Lawrence, John McDonnell, Imran Khan, Diane Abbott, Jenny Jones, Helen Steel all confirmed speakers
Subvesrion, Sabotage & Spying conference
16-17 April 2016
South Bank Uni
http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=107
- Film maker Lucy Parker has asked the following questions – respond via: [email protected]
Are there any musicians among the blacklisted workers or supporters who would like to assist in the soundtrack to the film?
What would you like to see written in any apology that the firms lawyers had to read out in court? (actually BSG would like to know everyone’s thoughts on this one too)
https://www.facebook.com/events/812975302136630/
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
Spain: URGENT – Campaign for remission of Andres Bódalo’s sentence read more on NSSN website
Support the fight for rights and recognition at Canadian chips maker Covered Bridge! read more
Diary (see & use false economy)
2016
April
16 People’s Assembly 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
