The NSSN is delighted to devote this week’s bulletin to the struggle of the blacklisted workers.
The film by Tom Wood from Reel News ‘Blacklisted – a film about power, the organisations that wield it and the people who fought back’ was premiered at the ‘Blacklisting, Bullying & Blowing the Whistle’ conference that took place in the University of Greenwich last weekend, where speakers included Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell alongside blacklisted workers and other campaigners, academics and representatives from the legal profession such as John Hendy QC.
It follows on form the book co-authored by Dave Smith and investigative journalist Phil Chamberlain ‘Blacklisted: the secret war between big business and union activists’ which was launched last year but has now been updated and expanded in time for the conference and is now on sale. The film and the updated book also bring into view the role of the state in colluding with the bosses as well as the undercover policing which is the subject of the Pitchford Inquiry.
It took 7 seven years to get anything that looked like justice after a heroic campaign from the blacklisted workers and their supporters around the Blacklist Support Group which was set up in the aftermath of the raid on the Consulting Association in 2009 with Dave Smith as its Secretary.
The historic £75million settlement won by the workers and their unions – Unite, UCATT and GMB – represents a huge victory but is only a fraction of what is really owed in terms of lost wages over years and decades. But the fight for real justice, to secure employment and unionise the sites is still ongoing. Solidarity!
Book: https://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
Blacklist Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
NSSN news
This is a video of the NSSN TUC Congress Rally – Tories Out! Keep Corbyn!
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 is below
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]
Union News
BMA Junior Doctors
Strikes suspended September 12-16 but action continues read BMA statement Please sign this petition to support the junior doctors
BURSARY OR BUST: Continuing the fight to save NHS bursaries https://www.facebook.com/NHSbursarycutsforum/
IWGB
SIGN PETITION: UBER-EATS: STOP VICTIMISING YOUR WORKERS – reinstate Imran Siddiqui NOW Watch video and here
RMT
RMT secures ScotRail victory (20 Sept) – RMT secures major victory in battle to defend guards with Scotrail proposal endorsed by union executive today – Union to conduct referendum ballot with recommendation to accept read more
Hammersmith & City and Circle Line strike rock solid (16 Sept) – Strike action on Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines over heavy handed and aggressive management, including putting staff toilet breaks on a stop watch, and a flagrant disregard for agreed policies and procedures is rock solid this morning read more
RMT strike dates at UK freight giant Freightliner Heavy Haul over pay (16 Sept) – TRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that 24-hour strike action will take place on September 22/23 at Freightliner Heavy Haul in a dispute over pay. Over 75 per cent of members voting backed the action in a dispute at one of the largest freight companies in the country. The union instructed all affected members not to book on for any shifts that commence between:- 00:01 hours on Thursday September 22 and 23:59 hours on Friday September 23 read more
Justice for cleaners: RMT day of action (14 Sept) – DEMONSTRATE: Thursday, 13 October, 2016 -10am, City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, SE1 2AA, London Bridge Tube), and 3pm, Interserve HQ (1-3 College Hill, EC4R 2RA, Cannon Street Tube). Bring flags, banners, and noisemakers. Every day, more than 3,000 cleaning workers clean stations, depots, trains, and other facilities to ensure London Underground can run read more
TSSA
Support the Dublin Bus Workers Facebook Group
PCS
Sign the petition to end privatisation at the Imperial War Museums sign here
Successful strike by Met Police security guards to continue for fourth day (19 Sept) – Each strike day so far has seen 100% turnout by members in the dispute over pay. Security guards at the Met Police who work for private company Engie have now taken three days strike action since 9 September. The guards, who are based at the control centres in Bow and Hendon, are suffering worsening pay, with real terms rates falling year on year and starting salaries now less than £22,000 in London, including working nights for no extra. The third day of strike action, held on Friday (16 September), saw 100% turnout yet again at Bow. Despite very wet weather, three members were on the picket line in PCS plastic ponchos. There was also 100% turnout at Hendon and 10 members braved the appalling weather to go on picket duty. The fourth day’s strike action will take place on Thursday (22 September)
Show your support on picket lines in:
Hendon Peel Centre – Aerodrome Road, The Hyde, NW9 5JE
Bow – Metropolitan Police, 2a Wellington Way E3 4ND
How you can help:
Donate to our commercial sector hardship fund, account number: 20244707, sort code: 60-83-01
Send cheques to the PCS London and south east region, 160 Falcon Road, London SW11 2LN
Email messages of support to [email protected] read more
Unite
Protest against sacking of Australian electricians – Unite is now standing shoulder to shoulder with its Australian comrades in the ETU and the CUB 55 who have now been locked out for 102 days in Melbourne Australia. First demonstration is on the Thursday 12:30pm 22nd September @ SAB Miller London headquarter. Stanhope Gate London w1K1AF nearest tube Hyde Park Corner / Green Park
Newspaper delivery threat as Menzies staff prepare for two days of strikes (16 Sept) – Newspaper deliveries to newsagents across the UK will be hit as staff at Menzies Distribution prepare to hold two 24-hour strikes on 23 and 26 September for the first time ever over a ‘pitiful’ pay offer. Unite, the country’s largest union, warned that commuters won’t receive their favourite read at stations, particularly in the south east and Scotland, when 300 packers, pickers and drivers go on strike read more
NUT
Read the latest issue of The Teacher magazine here
It’s Only Teacher Wasteland (19 Sept) – At the same time as Justine Greening was trying to grab cheap headlines (but little backing) for her plans for selection and the expansion of grammar schools, the Department for Education were releasing shocking statistics, data which again exposed the real issues which politicians should be talking about if they really cared for children’s education read more on blog of Martin Powell-Davies NUT London Regional Secretary
Support Simon O’Hara — victimised teacher at Small Heath School in Birmingham
BFAWU
Reinstate Kumaran Bose – sacked by Samworths! The NSSN is supporting the BFAWU’s campaign in support of Kumaran Bose who was dismissed for speaking out and for organising a union in his workplace read more Facebook group Protest in Leicester Granby Street on Saturday October 1st from 12.30pm https://www.facebook.com/events/114487905678676/
Unison
Jeremy Corbyn backs Kinsley strike by cleaners – Cleaners taking strike action against the company which employs them at Kinsley Academy have the support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Corbyn met the three women at a Rally in Featherstone on Saturday after they started an indefinite strike in a dispute over pay and conditions read more in Pontefract & Castleford Express for updates follow @KinsleyCandD on twitter
Video of school support staff lobby Parliament here
Support school support staff against pay cuts – Join teaching assistants Facebook Group here
FBU
Fury at plans to sack Greater Manchester’s entire firefighter workforce (19 Sept) – Greater Manchester firefighters are astonished as fire and rescue service managers announce plans to sack every frontline firefighter in the area, totalling 1250. Only those who agree to new imposed conditions of service will get their jobs back. Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) managers are planning to sack all of its firefighters using Section 188 of the Trade Union Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, then re-engage those who agree to a new 12-hour shift system. The whole process has begun with limited discussion and no agreement from Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members – an estimated 95% of all firefighters in Greater Manchester are members of the FBU read more
UCU
London Met UCU members voted for strike action on Sept 29 (17 Sept) – London Met UCU members have voted by 63% to take strike action to demand the reinstatement of our union reps: Mark Campbell and David Hardman, and as importantly to escalate our fight against the compulsory redundancies that a large number of members are still being pooled for read more
CWU
CWU takes POL day of action (19 Sept) – Andy Furey saluted striking Post Office members “for their staunch support across the whole country,” as he opened his speech to a packed central London rally this afternoon read more
Reinstate Clive Walder – Clive Walder, a longstanding leading rep in the CWU was sacked last November after 38 years of service with British Telecom. Clive is chair of the CWU Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester branch. Last week, his Employment Tribunal was dismissed on a technicality after a claim by BT, denying Clive the right of a fair hearing. This is outrageous.
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
Nationalise Tata – support the Steelworkers
For latest developments, follow Facebook group
BECTU
Brixton Ritzy workers to strike on Saturday 24 September from 12noon https://www.facebook.com/events/1577031612602503/
UCATT
UCATT is appalled by chronic lack of Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspections (19 Sept) – New research carried out by the TUC has discovered that 80 per cent of British construction sites have never been inspected by the Health & Safety Executive read more
United Voices of the World
John Lewis Protest: bring the Cleaners into the partnership! (Sept 16) – SAVE THE DATE: 5 NOVEMBER 2-5pm (John Lewis, Oxford Street) https://www.facebook.com/events/1765354393752143/
Read more on United Voices of the World Facebook Group and Website
Other News
Butterfields Won’t Budge – Butterfields tenants in Waltham Forest in East London have been fighting eviction since January 2016. They have put up spirited resistance. But now the new landlords are bringing possession summonses. The courts are stacked against tenants in every way. Tenants have already raised funds with a comedy night, donations from various organisations, trade unions and individuals, and through crowdfunding. But the courts are another matter. The families urgently need your help to raise £15,000.
If we can’t raise money then their campaign will move straight to facing bailiffs. Can you and your organisation make a donation towards our legal challenge?
To send a message of support please contact the TRA secretary – [email protected]
To donate contact the TRA treasurer – [email protected]
Also contact Waltham Forest Trade Union Council via [email protected] or ring 07952 283 558
Get the latest information on the Facebook page – Butterfields Won’t Budge
Axe the Housing Act – Build the Housing Summit
Saturday 22 October 2016 11.30am @ NUT HQ, Hamilton House
Workshops, Discussions and planning of future actions to resist the vicious, destructive Housing and Planning act!
The Act attacks existing tenants and will push more into private renting without rights or rent controls. It will not come into full force until after April 2017 and this allows us a little time to build on nation wide consensus against it. A big and growing grassroots movement is determined to resist and defeat it. Trade unions and councils have a key part to play to stop this Act
#AxeTheHousingAct https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/axethehousingact
#WeAreNotMoving https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wearenotmoving
#RentControl https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/rentcontrol
London Labour Film Festival 22- 24th September 2016 at the beautiful Art House Cinema, Crouch End http://londonlabourfilmfest.com/
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 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)
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
UN general secretary condemns attacks against journalists’ union in Somalia read more on NUJ website
This Saturday marks the 600th consecutive weekends since Saturday Mothers began protesting the disappearance of their children in Turkey – Britannia Democratic Union Initiative will be holding a rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 24 September, between 12 noon and 1pm, in support of the on-going campaign in Turkey. Please find attach the Saturday Mothers press release calling for all to join them this weekend. If you require further information please contact Orhan Dil, [email protected]
Diary (see & use false economy)
2016
October
2 Demonstration outside Tory Party Conference in Birmingham read more
9 Battle of Cable St 80th anniversary 12noon-5pm Location: Altab Ali Park, London E1 read more
November
5 National libraries, museums and galleries demonstration https://www.facebook.com/events/282708008768589/
19 NUS/UCU United for Education national demonstration in London 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
