NSSN 356: Watch VIDEO of NSSN TUC Rally – march & strike together for a pay rise!
Last Sunday, up to 300 union activists, including TUC Congress delegates crammed into the National Shop Stewards Network Rally in Brighton, chaired by Janice Godrich PCS National President.
They listened to Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and leaders of fighting unions as well as some of the main reps of the summer strike wave. So alongside Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey stood Unite strikers from the Birmingham Bins, BA Mixed Fleet and Barts NHS Trust disputes as well as the London Bus safety protest that took place today. And speaking with BFAWU leader Ronnie Draper was a McDonald’s striker.
The main theme of the rally was the need for the public sector unions to fight together to defeat the Tory pay cap. Mark Serwotka from PCS called for co-ordinated strike ballots and said that “It’s now time for action.” The Congress passed the motion that called for joint strikes and a national demonstration against the pay freeze.
The NSSN says that the unions now need to immediately come together to put this into action by arranging the balloting proves and name the date for a national demonstration.
We believe such mobilisations would be massive and could link in with the long-running RMT strikes against Driver Only Operations which are spreading and the CWU ballot in Royal Mail that has now gone out to members. Both these struggles were outlined in our rally.
During TUC Congress, the Tories have tried the tactic of divide and rule by appearing to break the pay cap for the police and prison officers. But the POA have already said it is not sufficient. All public sector workers deserve a pay rise above inflation, with extra funding so that it’s not paid for by job losses or attacks on terms and conditions.
The message is clear from TUC Congress delegates this week, which we believe reflects the view of most public sector workers: it’s time to act – name the dates!
More videos of the rally speakers are available on the NSSN YouTube channel
CWU
CWU sends out National Industrial Action Ballot of over 100,000 members in Royal Mail Group – watch video announcing the Ballot by Terry Pullinger DGSP here
Unite
TUC condemns Birmingham council for reneging on Acas brokered bin strike deal (12 Sept) – The TUC Congress has today (Tuesday 12 September) unanimously supported a Unite emergency motion which condemns Birmingham council for reneging on an Acas-brokered settlement which would have ended the Birmingham bin strike. Having received the backing of the entire labour movement, Unite has announced that it will be holding a rally in support of the bin workers this Sunday (17 September). The rally will take place in Victoria Square, Birmingham. People attending the rally are asked to assemble from 11:00am and speeches will begin at 12:00 noon. Speakers will include Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite.
Rally in Support of Birmingham Bin Workers
Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD
Assemble 11am, speeches from noon
The dispute is a result of plans by Birmingham council to reduce the pay of refuse collection loaders by £5,000. Instead of honouring the Acas deal, the council without warning instead issued redundancy notices to the affected workers. Unite is seeking an injunction against Birmingham council’s issuing of the redundancy notices. The case will be heard in the High Court this Thursday (14 September) read more. Send messages of support via [email protected] and donations to Unite the Union, 9-17 Victoria St, West Bromwich B70 8HX
FBU
Pay offer fails to address pain of falling wages, says firefighters’ union (13 Sept) – Following a democratic consultation with members, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has today rejected the recent pay offer put forward by the national employers of the fire and rescue service. The offer of an immediate 2% rise came with a whole host of strings which included the continuation of the current trials of emergency medical responding (EMR) and other, new work in the fire and rescue service. These trials will now come to an end on 18 September 2017. The funding of this work has never been confirmed by government. A lack of clarity in the employers’ proposals, uncertainty about funding arrangements and concerns about the details of some of the new areas of work under consideration in the trials all contributed to members deciding not to accept the offer, the union says read more
NSSN news
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
Britain still needs a pay rise – TUC Parliamentary Lobby and Rally
Date: Tuesday 17 October
Time: 4.30pm – 6pm for the rally (which follows a Parliamentary Lobby)
Venue: Parliament Square https://www.tuc.org.uk/events/rally-and-lobby-parliament-fair-pay-public-servants
RMT
RMT members vote by more than nine to one for action over CCTV staff cuts on Scotrail (14 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT said today that members have voted by more than nine to one for industrial action over the proposed redundancy of 22 CCTV staff at Paisley and Dunfermline. The mandate for action will now be considered by the union’s executive. RMT officials have made strenuous efforts to resolve the dispute through the negotiating machinery but have drawn a blank at every stage. The union has made it clear that we will do everything in our power to protect jobs and safety read more
RMT confirms vote for action on Greater Anglia over threat to Guards (12 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT today confirmed that members on Greater Anglia have voted overwhelmingly for both strike action and action short of a strike over the potential extension of Driver Only Operation, and the clear threat to passenger safety, following the company’s continuing refusal to give a guarantee on the role of the guard throughout the length of the franchise. RMT has balloted both drivers and guards members and over 200 Greater Anglia guards, on a whopping 90% turn out, have voted by a massive nine to one for strike action. The drivers vote was two to one for action on a 75% turn out read more
RMT confirms vote for action on Stagecoach South West Buses (12 Sept) – BUS WORKERS UNION RMT today confirmed that members on Stagecoach South West buses have voted overwhelmingly for both strike action and action short of a strike over a pay dispute. Over 78% of RMT members’ voted for strike action whilst nearly 90% voted for action short of a strike. RMT members are angry that the company has tabled a pay and conditions package that doesn’t even keep pace with the Retail Price Index and which would condemn a key group of transport staff who are already on low pay levels to a de facto pay cut. Today’s inflation rise has rubbed yet more salt in the wound. The dispute involves over 750 bus drivers, cleaners and engineering grades at the Exeter, Torquay and Barnstaple garages read more
RMT on Government announcement on public sector pay (12 Sept) – RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said; “Divide and rule will not deflect from the campaign to scrap the pay cap for all and that includes our members on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary down in the Caribbean dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. “With inflation now touching 4% if it takes coordinated trade union action to secure a fair deal for all then so be it.” Read more
RMT warns of looming dispute in fight for pay justice on East Midlands Trains (7 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT today warned of a looming pay dispute on East Midlands Trains as the company continues to drag its heels on a fair settlement for this year despite the board room being awash with cash. Staff on EMT should have had their pay rise in April and we are now in September. The company has offered 2.7% with proposed productivity strings, an offer branded “totally inadequate” by the union and well below the industry average agreed by similar train companies with no strings read more
More Unite
Co-op Christmas deliveries under threat as Thurrock ‘disability sacking’ row escalates (14 Sept) – Christmas deliveries to 650 Co-op stories in London and the south east could be hit, if a dispute over the sacking of two disabled workers at its Thurrock distribution centre escalates, Unite, the country’s largest union, has warned. Unite’s 345 drivers at Thurrock are currently voting as to whether they wish to go to a full-scale industrial action ballot in defence of two sacked colleagues and a third facing a similar fate. The consultative ballot closes on Thursday 21 September. Unite said that the two members were sacked for being disabled by Co-op bosses in Thurrock and had now lost their appeals against dismissal read more
Support striking British airways Mixed Fleet cabin crew read more. Donate to hardship fund – account name: Mixed Fleet Branch, sort code: 60-83-01 account number: 20376387 ref: MFU or make cheques out to Mixed Fleet Branch and post along with messages of support to: Unite the Union, 99 New Road, Harlington UB3 5BQ. Send messages of protest to BA CEO Alex Cruz [email protected]. Follow @MFUnite on twitter
Support Argos warehouse workers – Unite members have completed a 3 week strike on August 15 in Basildon in Essex, Bridgwater in Somerset, Castleford (West Yorkshire) and Heywood (Greater Manchester) and joined by workers at the Barton Business Park, Burton-on-Trent read more Please send messages of support to [email protected]. Strike fund donations should be made payable to Unite the Union and sent to Paula Hutchinson, 37 Camden Road, Airedale, Castleford, WF10 3LY
London bus workers protest at City Hall over shocking conditions read more
Oil giant’s training day set for disruption as Fawley canteen staff strike (8 Sept) – One of the biggest training days for employees at the Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire on Monday 25 September is set to be disrupted by a strike of ‘pitifully’ low paid canteen staff. Staff at the highly-profitable oil giant ExxonMobil’s operation should spare a thought for the 20 striking female workers, employed by Baxterstorey, struggling on wages on or just above the national minimum wage of £7.50 an hour. Up to 120 staff on the training day at the site’s training complex, known as The Tent, will struggle to find their favourite bacon ‘butty’ as the canteen staff will be staging the first of five days of continuous strike action on 25 September. Further strikes are planned for 26, 27, 28 and 29 September. They will run from 06.00 to 15.29 and then from 20.00, ending at 22.59. Staff have already taken four days of strike action read more Send messages of support to mick.polleck@unitetheunion Tel: 0771 105 7119 and post donations to Unite House, 41 Castle Way, Southampton SO14 2BW
PCS
Stop DWP office closures:-
Positive turn to Southall jobcentre campaign (8 Sep) – The vote for strike action by PCS members against the closure of the DWP Southall jobcentre has led to talks, progress and concessions, meaning that the strike due for 12 September has been suspended read more
Hoylake jobcentre strike underlines human cost of office closure – send messages of support to Martin Cavanagh at [email protected] read more
Whitley Bay: read more Sign the online petition
Rock solid support for Sheffield jobcentre strike read more. Send messages of support to [email protected] Sign the online petition
For all strikes to defend jobcentres and DWP offices: Make a donation to the PCS fighting fund online or by cheque to PCS DWP Group, 3rd Floor, Town Centre House, Merrion Centre, Leeds LS2 8LY
BFAWU
Support the McDonalds workers who went on strike in Cambridge and Crayford on September 4th – the NSSN was proud to support the historic strike by the BFAWU bakers union, the first in McDonalds in the UK on a global day of action by fast food workers. NSSN chair Rob Williams spoke on the Crayford picket and then again at the solidarity protest outside Parliament to give our solidarity and support to these exploited workers. Keep sending solidarity to the BFAWU, donate to the strike fund and also help the fund by buying a #McStrike t-shirt. More info on the Fast Food Rights/Hungry for Justice website
Unison
FE pay claim: union writes to college heads asking for a decent pay rise (14 Sept) – UNISON has written to all college principals urging them to make a decent pay offer to Further Education staff in England and to ensure that national pay recommendations are implemented. The letter comes ahead of a National Joint Forum (NJF) meeting on Tuesday 19 September between FE employers and the union. Even if colleges have implemented all of the recommended pay rises, pay for FE workers has fallen in real-terms by 21.5% since 2009 read more
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
GMB
GMB’s 3,000 Sellafield Members Will Strike On Wednesday, 27th September – Despite repeated requests by ourselves to try and get Sellafield Management to come to the table to talk, it is clear that Sellafield seem intent on being intransigent says GMB. GMB, the union for nuclear workers, has announced its 3,000 members at the Sellafield site in Cumbria will walk out on 27th September. Members voted overwhelmingly for industrial action by a ratio of more than three to one in a ballot which closed earlier this month read more
BECTU
From Ritzy workers in Brixton: We can’t believe it but we’ve been striking for a year! Yes, that’s right – a year! On Saturday 23 September we’ll be ON STRIKE and out in Windrush Square celebrating our anniversary and showing Picturehouse and Cineworld Cinemas that we WILL NOT GIVE UP! Please join us! More details about times of picket lines and things to look forward to COMING SOON! Every day until strike day we’ll be posting up some of our favourite photos from the last year so WATCH THIS SPACE. See you on the 23rd, and as ever, THANK YOU for all your support. Together we will win!
Donate to the strike fund: https://www.crowdpac.co.uk/campaigns/250/picturehousestrike
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.
NUJ
Trinity Mirror announce cuts & restructuring in the latest blow to local news provision (13 Sept) – The NUJ has reacted with alarm to news that Trinity Mirror is cutting up to 40 jobs in daily and weekly local newspapers. Journalists working at the affected titles were told of the plans yesterday and reacted with dismay. The company’s proposals include greater regionalisation, cuts to print production, and expanding generic content across newspapers. Specific proposals include increasing standardisation, shared content and design across all titles, and using centrally-produced national and international news pages supplied by the Press Association read more
UCU
Strike action ballot opens at University of Manchester over threat of 140 job losses (10 Sept) – A strike action ballot has opened at the University of Manchester where there are plans to make up to 140 staff redundant by September 2018. The ballot closes on Wednesday 4 October. UCU says there is no economic rationale for job cuts on such an enormous scale and has rejected the university’s claim that it needs to create “financial headroom” in light of an increasingly uncertain climate for universities read more
UCU writes to colleges demanding better pay deal as figures show staff suffered 24% pay cut (8 Sept) – Staff in further education colleges in England have seen their pay drop by 24 per cent in real-terms since 2009, reveal new UCU figures. While the cost of living, expressed through the Retail Price Index (RPI), had increased by 27.6 per cent since 2009, pay had gone up by only 4 per cent. This means that staff have suffered a real-terms drop of 23.6 per cent in their pay. College staff have fared even worse than public sector employees who have received a 6.3 per cent increase since 2009 – a real-terms drop of 21.3%. See tables below. The figures come as the union writes to all colleges urging them to instruct their negotiators to make an acceptable pay offer at talks later this month (Tuesday 19 September) read more
NEU
SHAKE THE MAGIC MONEY TREE and SCRAP THE PAY CAP: Demonstration and rally – NOW TUESDAY OCTOBER 17th (same day as TUC lunchtime lobby of Parliament). Assemble 5:30pm opposite Downing Street. March past Department for Health – Treasury – Department for Education – Home Office
NIPSA
Read on page 5 of ‘NIPSA News’ how NIPSA is fighting to defend the facility time of leading elected lay reps, including President Carmel Gates and Maria Morgan
IWGB
Demonstrate: September 27th Precarious Labour Strikes Back – The IWGB is planning a big precarious labour bonanza march through central London in September! On the 27th of September Uber will be appealing last year’s Employment Tribunal decision which awarded ‘worker’ status to Uber drivers. The lead claimants in this case are members of the IWGB. We are going to march through central London to the Employment Appeal Tribunal in support of our members and all Uber drivers, and to show ‘gig economy’ bosses, the courts and the British public that we will not lie down as our employment rights are taken away! Facebook event
IWGB launches campaign to abolish outsourcing and zero-hours at the University of London (Sept 12) – Union launches “Back in House” campaign at the University of London. Outsourced workers are employed under worse conditions and are more likely to suffer from bullying. Outsourced workers demanding improved pay to strike on 27 September, coinciding with precarious labour protest. 12 September: The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is today launching its “Back in House” campaign, as it demands that the University of London end outsourcing, implement pay rises promised six years ago and abolish zero hours contracts at the institution. The University of London currently has around 250 outsourced workers including cleaners, security officers, receptionists, porters and post room workers, employed through several companies read more
United Voices of the World union
UVW members who clean and polish the Ferrari and Maserati showrooms in South Kensington are set to strike for a living wage. They are currently paid the minimum, poverty wage. Following a Yes vote an indefinite strike is expected to commence on 9th October. Please make a donation to their strike fund if you can – https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/hr-owen/ UVW Facebook page
SIPTU (Ireland)
Mayor of Fingal attends tenth day of protest in support of school cleaners in Swords (13 Sept) – The Mayor of Fingal, Mary McCamley, has attended a protest this afternoon (Wednesday, 13th September) by school cleaners to highlight the loss of their jobs, outside St. Cronan’s Senior National School, Brackenstown, Swords, County Dublin read more
Other news
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)
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
Pre-trial detention extended for Cumhuriyet journalists despite demonstration read more from NUJ website
Diary
2017
September
30 Construction Safety Campaign (CSC) AGM is the 30th September – Ricky Tomlinson invited speaker
October
1 Protest the Tory Conference. Let’s get this party started Facebook event
17 Britain still needs a pay rise: TUC Parliamentary Lobby and Rally, 4.30pm – 6pm for the rally (which follows a Parliamentary Lobby), Parliament Square https://www.tuc.org.uk/events/rally-and-lobby-parliament-fair-pay-public-servants
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
