340: Support RMT London Bridge 3 & Blackpool needs pay rise: £10 now

RMT members are on strike today at London Bridge after one member was sacked and two others disciplined for intervening to stop a serious assault by a fare-dodger on fellow staff members including one who was pregnant read more

NSSN supporting May 8 strike
NSSN supporting May 8 strike

RMT on London Bridge strike action in defence of sacked and victimised members (8 May)

General Secretary Mick Cash said;

“RMT members are solid in their support of the three members at London Bridge who have been subjected to the most appalling miscarriage of justice after a violent incident involving a fare-dodger at the station last autumn.

“The union is well aware that LU have mobilised an expensive and sophisticated scabbing operation that raises serious issues about the safety of the travelling public. We will be monitoring that situation throughout the day and filing reports ‎to the regulator.

“Instead of wasting time and money on bank-rolling a scab army LU should be recognising their duty of care to front-line staff confronted with violent thugs on their stations and supporting out members who have been sacked and victimised as a result of this shocking incident.

“RMT will continue to fight for the sacking and disciplinary sanctions to be lifted. We remain available for talks.”

Please sign RMT petition to defend the London Bridge 3 at: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/defend-the-london-bridge-three

Tube strike ballot to be held in defence of London Bridge 3

Watch Reel News video:-

 

 

Blackpool needs a pay rise: £10 now! – Launch Saturday May 13th from 10am Savoy Hotel Queen’s Promenade, Blackpool FY2 9SJ. Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Trades Union Council is organising a campaign aimed at improving pay and calling for investment to create long term employment opportunities available in the Blackpool and Fylde area. We are joining the call for the minimum wage to be a real living wage of at least £10an hour and will be working with Fight for 10 and fast food rights amongst others to win for all in our community read more

Blackpool £10 Now

 

 

NSSN news

Trade Union Act came into force on March 1st – TUC call a special conference

The NSSN calls on the TUC to implement the policy passed at last September’s TUC Congress which was moved by the RMT which includes:

“Congress believes the General Council needs to convene an urgent conference of affiliates to provide a practical forum, including workshops, as to how to best coordinate our legal and industrial response to the Act in line with policy already set by Congress.”

and an amendment from the FBU:

“Congress should discuss all options for challenging the new legislation. This should include stepping up the campaign to scrap the Act and other anti-union legislation as well as the practical steps to be taken to support any unions and groups of workers threatened by this anti-worker legislation.”

 

The 11th annual NSSN Conference will be on Saturday July 1st 2017 from 11am in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. It is open to all trade union and anti-cuts campaigners Facebook event

This is a video of the NSSN TUC Congress Rally on 11 September – 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

More RMT

RMT protest Save Our Seafareres 2020 Day of Action – Thursday 18 May, 8am, Poole Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG

Glasgow protest Monday in support of disabled people’s access to rail travel (5 May) – RAIL UNION RMT and Disabled People Against Cuts Glasgow will be protesting on Monday for the rights of disabled people to have a fully accessible and safe rail service. There will be joint protests and leafleting on Monday 8th May 2017 outside Glasgow Central Station at 14:00 hours and outside Glasgow Queen Street Station at 16:00 hours read more

RMT to fight Greater Anglia Ticket Office massacre (4 May) – Rail union RMT confirmed today that it is to launch a campaign to fight a planned programme of ticket offices closures the length and breadth of the Greater Anglia franchise read more

Offshore Co-ordinating Group on potential North Sea strike (3 May) – Unite, RMT and GMB members working for nine different OCA companies across North Sea installations are to be balloted for industrial action read more

 

Unite

AWE workers strike again to defend their pensions (8 May) – next action today, May 10 and 18. Send messages of support to [email protected]

Five more Fujitsu strike days in ‘1,800 job loss’ dispute (5 May) – Unite has called five more days of strike action in the long-running dispute involving the IT giant Fujitsu which could see 1,800 job losses, with many of them being outsourced overseas. The union reiterated its call today (Friday 5 May) for the company to negotiate in a constructive fashion in the wide-ranging dispute over pay, pensions, job security and union recognition. To ram home the message that customer service will be badly hit by Fujitsu outsourcing plans, Unite activists demonstrated outside one of the company’s biggest clients, Sainsbury’s in Oxford Street, Manchester today. A similar protest was held at Sainsbury’s headquarters in London yesterday. Unite activists will also be protesting  outside the Regional Business Technology Expo – another venue for Fujitsu’s clients – at London’s Olympia  on Monday (8 May)  between 09.00-14.00. Unite also announced five days of new strike action on top of the days already held or to be held; bringing the total to 20 read more  read more on Fujitsu dispute page. Send a message of support to [email protected] or Unite the Union, Fujitsu MAN34, Central Park, Northampton Road, Manchester, M40 5BP

Donations payable to “Manchester IT Workers Group” can be sent c/o John Wood, 50 Brooklyn Street, Crewe, CW2 7JF. Or transfer online to Account: 00980539, Sort Code: 30-91-48 and email [email protected] with details. Follow and promote the campaign on social media using #FujitsuFightback. www.facebook.com/uniteatfujitsu  www.twitter.com/unitefujitsu   picket line details

Pensions strike at Rolls Royce (5 May) – Production lines are quiet today at the Goodwood plant near Chichester as hundreds of noisy pickets are providing a ‘welcoming party’ for visiting BMW board members from Germany. The front gate and manicured lawn of the grand entrance is now occupied by strikers who stand to lose up to £160,000, 20%, of their defined benefit pension scheme. Workers here are angry that after record sales of the Mini and Rolls Royce with profits of over 6 billion euros, they are told the company can’t afford to continue the scheme. Further strikes across BMW plants are planned for 16 and 18 May read more   Send messages of support to [email protected]

May 5th Rolls Royce strike
May 5th Rolls Royce strike

BREAKING NEWS!! DHL Yorkshire pay dispute resolved, says Unite

DHL faces 15 days of strike action in Yorkshire site closure and pay row (4 May) – The ‘brutal’ planned closure of a DHL Supply Chain site in South Yorkshire and a ‘derisory’ pay offer has prompted 15 days of strikes, Unite, the country’s largest union, has said. About 120 warehouse workers, members of Unite, at the two sites at Tickhill, Doncaster and at the nearby site at Harworth will start their rolling programme of strikes on 15 May in protest at the closure of the Harworth site and a pay offer of 1.25 per cent for the year starting June 2016. The union warned that many of the 150 workers at the threatened Harworth site faced losing their jobs. The workers voted by a majority of 78 per cent to strike for 24 hours on 15 May; for three days on 25 May; and for 11 days from 1 June. All strikes will start at 22.00 http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/dhl-faces-15-days-of-strike-action-in-yorkshire/

Mixed Fleet cabin crew re-ballot: 90% vote for more strikes!! Keep supporting the workers! – Send messages of support and donations (make cheques out to Unite the Union and write ‘Mixed Fleet Hardship Fund’ on the back) to: Unite the Union, Ron Todd House, 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB. Tweet support to @MFUnite

 

Unison

Unions issue final warning to school academy chain over cutbacks (4 May) – An academy chain with schools in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humberside is facing possible action from eight education unions over plans to axe support staff read more

Derby Teaching Assistants have ended their 10-month dispute against 23% pay cuts after members voted to accept a new offer from the council. Their colleagues in Durham who have also been taking action against similar attacks marched on March 25th

Donate to the Durham TAs’ fund here

Durham TAs Facebook page here

Support ongoing Glasgow Unison janitors’ dispute – Facebook group and website

Support the Kinsley School cleaners in Wakefield on indefinite strike since September 6th – Facebook Group. Donate to strike fund – send to Wakefield Unison, 18 Gills Yard, Wakefield WF1 3BZ

 

PCS

20 days of strikes called at Equality and Human Rights’ Commission – The PCS union has called a further series of twenty days of strikes in the Equality and Human Rights’ Commission following the sacking by email of 10 members of staff at 24 hours’ notice. There will be strikes, on a rolling regional basis as follows: EHRC’s Glasgow Office from 15 – 19 May, followed by London 22 – 26 May, Cardiff 29 May – 2 June, and Manchester from 5 – 9 June. Send messages of support to: [email protected]

London protest including sacked PCS rep Finola Kelly & PCS President Janice Godrich
London protest including sacked PCS rep Finola Kelly & PCS President Janice Godrich

 

GMB

GMB Celebrates Lidl Victory (May 4) – Today is a massive victory for workers’ rights, says union. GMB, the union for supermarket distribution centre workers, has scored a huge victory against Lidl after the low-cost supermarket’s bid to deny its workers union representation failed. The Court of Appeal has today (May 4) thrown out the company’s attempts to overturn a ruling ordering them to allow staff trade union representation read more

 

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   BFAWU Statement On Samworth Brothers’ Sacking Of Kumaran Bose

 

UCU

Sign petition: reinstate Indro Sen immediately – Indro Sen, a maths lecturer and trade union branch officer at the College of North West London (CNWL) has been dismissed for actions in assisting a former colleague at an employment tribunal case. He was voted by students as the most popular teacher, 2014-15. We demand that the College Governors and Senior Management Team reinstate Sen immediately sign here

Support the reinstatement of London Met union reps: Mark Campbell and David Hardman https://uculondonmet.wordpress.com/

 

NUT

Stop education cuts rallies:-

London – Thursday May 18, assemble 5pm Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament

Newcastle – Saturday May 27, assemble 12.30pm Grey’s monument

Watch video of march & rally for Forest Hill School in Lewisham on April 22

 

EIS

Massive Support For FE Lecturers’ Strike Continues To Urge Colleges To ‘Honour The Deal’ (3 May) – Thousands of Further Education Lecturers in colleges across Scotland were on strike for a second day over the refusal of College Management to honour a deal on pay and conditions that was reached more than a year ago. Support for the strike has been overwhelming, with picket lines in place at colleges across Scotland read more

 

BECTU

Keep supporting the Picturehouse workers: read the latest on Brixton Ritzy Facebook Page and those of Hackney, Crouch End, Central, Duke of York Brighton and Dulwich East  Picturehouse cinema strike spreads  Support the Picturehouse Strike Fund – donate now

 

IWGB

University of London security officers call second round of strikes for 16 and 17 May – The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) announces a second round of strikes of security officers working at the University of London central administration buildings for 16 and 17 May. The vast majority of security officers working at the central administration buildings already went on strike between 25 and 26 April, demanding the university and contractor Cordant Services put an end to disguised zero hours contracts, implement the 25% pay rise promised six years ago and give their workers itemised pay slips. The picket will take place at the Russell Square entrance of Senate House from 7am to 7pm on 16 May and 7am to 1pm on 17 May. The strike will coincide with an event honouring T.S. Elliot taking place on the 16th at Senate House, which will be attended by Academy Award winning actor Jeremy Irons read more

 

United Voices of the World union

Cleaners at the LSE vote to strike every single week indefinitely until victory! – Cleaners at the LSE have today voted to take further strike action following the LSE’s failure to concede their claim for parity of terms and conditions of employment with in-house staff, or make any offer of settlement. The cleaners have voted to strike one day a week, every week, forever, until the LSE sees sense and concedes their demands. The first day of renewed strike action will be on 10th May 2017 and will continue one day a week, every week thereinafter read more

Please consider making a donation to LSE cleaners’ strike fund – http://www.uvwunion.org.uk/justiceforlsecleaners/

Website: www.uvwunion.org.uk   Facebook: www.facebook.com/uvwunion   Twitter: @UVWunion

 

 

Other News

Support the Irish anti-water charge protestors who are facing trial for a protest in Jobstown

Please send messages of protest:  https://sites.google.com/view/jobstownnotguilty/     https://www.facebook.com/Jobstown-Not-Guilty-1056889327677242/

 

 

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.

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)

Support Frank Morris who has been thrown off a job AGAIN after previously being sacked and blacklisted on the Olympics and Crossrail projects for being a member of a trade union. This time it’s the electrical contractor W.Portsmouth, working with the employment agency 1st Step Solutions – an agency notorious for blacklisting practises. Frank will be protesting every day outside W. Portsmouth’s biggest contract, weapons manufacturer MBDA in Stevenage, until he gets his job back Watch Reel News video

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

Big, jubilant, mass May Day demos in Turkey despite the state of emergency read more

 

Diary

 

2017

June

24 Tamil Solidarity: Solidarity Day 10.30am – 17.30pm. At Unite the Union, 128 Theobalds Rd, Holborn, London WC1X 8TN http://www.tamilsolidarity.org/solidarity-day-2/

 

July

1 11th annual NSSN Conference 11am in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL

8 Durham Miners Gala www.durhamminers.org

14-17 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/festival

 

September

10 NSSN rally at TUC Congress

 

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