The RMT is well into its third year of fighting Driver Only Operation (DOO). It has been forced to step up action on Northern Rail and South West Railway with strikes over the last few weeks with more called over the next month.
The NSSN was initiated by the RMT and their late great general secretary Bob Crow. We are proud to stand shoulder with them, and their members.
RMT confirms action goes ahead on Northern Rail in fight over guards and rail safety as company refuses serious talks (24) – RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that strike action on Arriva Rail North over attacks on the role of the safety-critical guard and the extension of Driver Only Operation in the name of increased profits from this Saturday goes ahead exactly as planned. RMT announced a fresh wave of action this week after the company refused point blank to engage in serious and meaningful talks. The union has accused company bosses of stringing its negotiators along rather than looking seriously for a settlement when there has been an opportunity to strike an agreement on the guard guarantee that matches the best practice in the industry. The additional phase of action confirmed by the union this week is as follows; All Arriva Rail North Conductor, Conductor Instructor and Train Driver members are instructed to take action as follows: Not to book on for on for duty between:
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 15th September 2018
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 22nd September 2018
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 29th September 2018
It comes in addition to the existing programme of action which goes ahead from tomorrow as planned;
- 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 1st September 2018
- 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 8th September 2018 read more
RMT confirms 72 hours of strike action on South Western Railway goes ahead from Friday as company refuse serious talks (29 Aug) – RAIL UNION RMT has confirmed that the next round of strike action on South Western Railway goes ahead from Friday as the company continue to refuse to engage in a serious talks process that could reach an agreement.
As a result of the company attitude RMT members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:-
- 0001 Hours on Friday 31st August 2018 and 2359 Hours on Saturday 1st September 2018
- 0001 Hours and 2359 Hours on Sunday 2nd September 2018
And:-
- 0001 Hours and 2359 Hours on Saturday 8th September 2018
- 0001 Hours and 2359 Hours on Saturday 15th September 2018 read more RMT demands urgent talks in SWR dispute as rail safety regulator confirms serious breaches by scab Guards during earlier action
National dispute fund (DOO disputes) – If you would like to donate to the RMT National Dispute Fund which makes payments to support their striking members taking part in National DOO disputes then you can donate via PayPal using the donate button below or make a cheque payable to RMT National Dispute Fund and send it to the address below. Alternatively, you can ring their Freephone helpline on 0800 376 3706 who will be happy to process a credit card payment for you, or, if you would like to pay via internet banking, please email [email protected] for further details. Vicky Thompson, Finance Manager RMT, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. Tel: 020-7529-8843
RMT strike action at crucial London Underground Ruislip Depot 100% solid this morning (22 Aug) – RAIL UNION RMT has confirmed that strike action by transplant train maintenance and stores staff at London Underground’s crucial Ruislip Depot is absolutely 100% rock solid this morning. The strike action is over disputes about pay parity and payments associated with train preparation based on the duties staff undertake in their role. The escalation of the action coincides with a major programme of track works over the coming bank holiday weekend including joint Ballast Track Replacement (BTR) works at Wimbledon with Network Rail. BTR forms the bulk of the TransPlant’s workload and has to be supported by a fleet of TransPlant engineering vehicles from Ruislip Depot and the operational staff to accompany it read more
UCU
Strike ballots over pay open in colleges and universities (29 Aug) – UCU members in 147 colleges in England and 147 UK universities are being balloted for strike action in a row over pay. The ballots open on Thursday 30 August and close on Friday 19 October. The dispute in universities has arisen after the universities’ representatives, the Universities and Colleges’ Employers Association (UCEA, made a final offer of 2% at the final pay talks in May. UCU said the offer does nothing to address the falling value of higher education pay, which has declined in real terms by 21% since 2009 read more
NSSN news
NSSN TUC Congress Rally Sunday September 9th in Manchester
In the year of the 150th anniversary of the TUC, the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) will again be organising a rally before the start of TUC Congress.
It will be from 1pm on Sunday September 9th in the Manchester Mechanics Institute/Conference Centre, Princess Street, M1 6DD.
Leaders from fighting unions will be speaking alongside rank & file union reps and activists, including those who have been taking action.
Confirmed speakers so far: RMT General Secretary Mick Cash, BFAWU General Secretary Ronnie Draper, USDAW President Amy Murphy (personal capacity), POA Deputy General Secretary Joe Simpson, PCS President Janice Godrich, Terry Pullinger CWU Deputy General Secretary Postal, Linda Taaffe NSSN National Secretary, Rob Williams NSSN National Chair
The NSSN has a proud record of supporting workers and building solidarity. We also have a history of fighting for the biggest co-ordination of action across the unions to take on Tory austerity and the bosses’ offensive.
There is a union letter here and please share the Facebook event
West Midlands transport to NSSN TUC Rally – book your seat by phoning 07554911751
9am Fairfax Street Coventry outside swimming baths
9.30am Priory Queensway Birmingham City Centre outside McLaren building
Return – leave Manchester 5pm
£5 unwaged/£10 waged (can be flexible if needed)
The NSSN thanks the CWU for including in this month’s ‘Frontline’ magazine for its union reps a report of last month’s NSSN Conference, which was addressed by CWU Deputy General Secretary Postal Terry Pullinger
We have also produced a leaflet for our supporters in Unite after the union agreed to affiliate to the NSSN
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
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]
Follow us on twitter via @NSSN_AntiCuts and Facebook
Union News
Unite
HCA Pay Strike: Improved Options Approved! – Unite members at the HCA (Homes England and the Regulator of Social Housing) today voted overwhelmingly to endorse a revised set of options on pay following industrial action in July, and a sustained campaign over the last few months. The favoured options take a tiered approach and would significantly improve the amount awarded to those earning under £35k, channelling the greatest uplift towards the lowest paid staff. An overwhelming majority of 97% of members endorsed the new approach on a very credible turnout of 78%. The campaign also won a framework of protections for a new pay review to recast the Agency’s pay policy. The agreed protections will ensure that jobs will be independently evaluated by an expert scheme, no cuts will be made to staff salaries, and there is a time-limit for uplifting staff paid less than the agreed rate for the job. One of the Unite representatives at the Agency, Suzanne Muna said: “The action we have taken and the involvement of our members at all stages has created a sustained pressure on our employer to favour the lowest paid staff, which they have now done…” read more
Support the Sunderland strike at Liebherr cranes for better pay – Future strikes dates are: 28/30 August and 3/4, 6/7, 10/11, 13/14 September. Send messages of support to Unite Regional Officer Mark Sanderson [email protected] and donations c/o Unite the union, John Dobson Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8TW read more
Workers at TGI Fridays start bank holiday walk out (23 Aug) – Workers at TGI Fridays restaurants in Milton Keynes, Covent Garden and Stratford City will mark the start of their three day bank holiday strike with protests tomorrow (24 August) and Saturday (25 August), in a walkout over tip and minimum wage abuses…This is the fifth strike by members of Unite, Britain’s biggest union, working at Covent Garden and Milton Keynes, who staged a series of walkouts over consecutive Fridays from 18 May 2018. Workers from Stratford City are joining the action for the first time. Chanting ‘We believe that we can win’ and ‘What do we want? Fair pay’, the Unite members are more determined than ever to stand up to the company and its exploitative practices read more watch video of Stratford City strike with solidarity speeches by Suzanne Muna Unite EC and Rob Williams NSSN chair
Sign this petition: Stop the Cuts to London’s Buses – London’s bus services are being cut because the government has withdrawn £750m from TFL’s operating budget. The buses are losing passengers because of the amount of traffic in London. We say control the amount of Uber cars and delivery vans and let the buses run to win back passengers. We also want Central Government to give back the operating budget as we are now the only capital city in Western Europe without a Government funded public transportation system
PCS
BREAKING NEWS!! PCS members say resounding no to MoJ MEP plans (30 Aug) – PCS is calling on the Ministry of Justice to reopen pay negotiations following a huge vote by members against plans to cut terms and conditions across the department, extend the working week and make bank holidays and Saturdays part of regular hours read news
Still time to vote no in the PCS MoJ MEP ballot (27 Aug) – There’s still time to vote in the PCS ballot for Ministry of Justice members on plans to rip up members’ terms and conditions – but hurry it closes at 2pm on Thursday (30). If you’re a PCS member you have the chance to vote no in our ballot and oppose changes that could seriously affect you. The MoJ wants you to sign up to its modernising employment proposition (MEP), which asks you to agree to have your hours increased to a 38-hour working week with your overtime cut and sick pay reduced. Your working day could finish much later – 8pm is a possibility – and you could regularly be asked to work Saturdays and bank holidays but for no extra money read more
PCS efforts sink MOD security privatisation (30 Aug) – Plans to privatise the vital Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) have been indefinitely suspended following a PCS campaign. After two-and-a-half years of exploring whether this vital public security function, which provides unarmed guarding services at more than 100 sites across the MOD estate in England, Scotland and Wales, should be sold off to the private sector, it has finally been decided that there would be absolutely no justification or logic to do so based on either cost or risk. This is the exact message that PCS representatives have delivered from the outset read more
1600 jobs at risk in Ministry of Justice (24 Aug) – At least 1,600 jobs are under threat in the Ministry of Justice as much of the work currently done by court and tribunal staff is transferred from courts to new super hub courts and tribunal service centres. The first service centres (CTSC) are due to open in Stoke and Birmingham in January and are expected to employ more than 300 people each, in roles ranging from processing cases, and issuing court orders and hearing notices, to answering telephone and web enquiries. Initially the centres will cover civil service money claims, divorce, social security and child support and probate services. The department says it intends to create more service centres in the future as part of a £1 billion reform programme to digitise the justice system. Ahead of the move the MoJ, through its “modernising employment proposition” (MEP) wants to make staff contracts more flexible by increasing the working week to 38 hours and extend 8pm, while staff could regularly be asked to work Saturdays and bank holidays for no extra money. We are balloting members on MEP until 2pm on Thursday (30) and urging them to vote no to oppose the proposed deal read more
Unison
Bolton hospital workers’ pay ballot opens (29) – Voting papers dispatched today in vote over action on pay parity. Some 650 UNISON cleaners, catering staff, porters and security officers at the Royal Bolton Hospital will be receiving ballot papers over the next few days, as they vote on whether to take strike action over pay. The union started sending out ballot papers today after local health bosses decided not to pay the wage increase agreed nationally for NHS workers, which would be worth nearly £2,000 this year for most staff. The workers being balloted are employed by Integrated Facilities Management Bolton Ltd (iFM) – a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Bolton NHS foundation trust. They work at the Royal Bolton Hospital read more
UNISON Glasgow City Branch notify of a strike ballot in Cordia and Education! – UNISON Glasgow City Branch is balloting its members for strike action after its members have lost all confidence in Glasgow Council to settle equal pay claims across the City. After months of talks UNISON members are clear that the Council has failed to meet all its commitments to settle their claims. UNISON members feel they have been betrayed by the council negotiators who now want to stop all talks with their unions and instead work out a deal behind closed doors. The Council negotiators, at a meeting with the representatives of all the claimants, have said they wish to cancel all further talks and instead would produce their own offer later in the year, effectively ending all joint negotiations on the settling of these claims for equal pay. UNISON members are clear that they will not accept being presented with an offer at the 11th hour and the pressure this would bring on them as low paid, undervalued workers. This is not what the Council Leader promised in January, not what the Council politicians decided, and breaks the commitments given in June after the union ran a consultative strike ballot. UNISON members want negotiated settlements and want their employer to engage in meaningful discussion Unison Glasgow City Branch Facebook page
Support the striking Birmingham home care workers – Please send messages of support and donations to Unison Birmingham branch, 46 The Priory Queensway Birmingham B4 7LR. Email [email protected] Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/birminghamunison/
East Dunbartonshire Unison, Unite and GMB
Unison today (Wed 29th August) served notice on East Dunbartonshire Council and EDLC Trust of all out strike action on Wed 12th September. Unite and GMB have also served notice on East Dunbartonshire Council East Dunbartonshire Unison Facebook page
FBU
West Midlands firefighters say no to the EDL (29 Aug) – Firefighters from the West Midlands will join anti-racist demonstrators on 1 September to oppose a planned rally of the English Defence League (EDL). The Rally Against Hate, organised by the Worcester Trades Union Council, has been called in opposition to a ‘national event’ that the fascist EDL want to hold in Worcester following a rally they held in the city earlier this year read more
Support FBU Merseyside’s campaign to stop the proposed downgrading of Liverpool City Centre fire station – follow @fbumerseyside on twitter Merseyside fire authority forced to postpone night closures
ASLEF
Train company wants slaves for its galleys (29 Aug) – Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has slammed a privatised train company for asking for unpaid volunteers to provide the services for passengers which it is unwilling to provide itself read more
NEU
NEU will support staff affected by the closure of St Christopher’s School, Canterbury, Kent (23 Aug) – The National Education Union (NEU) is sad that St Christopher’s School, an independent school in Canterbury, Kent, is closing and that the teachers and teaching assistants are being made redundant read more
BFAWU
“McStrike” Union to Ballot JD Wetherspoon Workers on Industrial Action (30 Aug) – The BFAWU to ballot Wetherspoons workers at two pubs in Brighton. The BFAWU union today notified JD Wetherspoon that it is to ballot its members at two of its pubs in Brighton. BFAWU Members at “The Bright Helm”, and “The Post & Telegraph” will be balloted in a secret postal ballot. The Bakers’ Union members will be balloted on their willingness to strike for £10 an hour and union recognition read more. Keep sending solidarity to the McStrikers in the BFAWU, post cheques to BFAWU, Stanborough House, Great North Road, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL8 7TA and donate to the strike fund. Also help the fund by buying a #McStrike t-shirt. More info on the Fast Food Rights/Hungry for Justice website
GMB
GMB Protest As Arco Launch De-Recognition Bid (Aug 24) – GMB will demonstrate outside the company’s office in Preston on Wednesday 29 August 2018 between 12noon and 2pm, urging management to come to the table on this issue. GMB has slammed the use of ‘bully boy tactics’ as Arco launch a bid to de-recognise the union read more
TSSA
DB Cargo pay dispute – members to be balloted (24 Aug) – Your staff reps walked out of the pay meeting today and declared a dispute situation following the derisory pay offer Senior Management made for TS grade staff and Ground staff. Since the last pay meeting where Management offered just a 1.5% increase to basic salaries only, so not applicable to any allowances etc, and were not even prepared to back-date to your anniversary date of 1st April, they failed yet again today to make any significant improvement. We told DB Cargo at the last meeting what our members aspirations were and that we would certainly not settle for any less than what other grade groups had secured. Today they have offered another derisory, insulting pay offer of just 1.8%, to be applied from 1st July 2018 – 1st April 2019, so not even a 12-month deal (this equates to about 1.5% is it was over the 12 months), again this is NOT applicable to any allowances. This is an absolute disgrace read more
BECTU
Read the latest about the Picturehouse dispute on Brixton Ritzy Facebook Page and those of Hackney, Crouch End, Central, Dulwich East and Duke of York Brighton
Donate to the Picturehouse Cinema strike fund: https://www.crowdpac.co.uk/campaigns/250/picturehousestrike
NUJ
FT chief executive’s offer to return £510,000 pay increase fails to meet staff demands (15 Aug) – An offer by John Ridding, Financial Times chief executive, to return part of his 2017 pay remuneration, following criticism from staff, does not go far enough to addresses their concerns, the NUJ’s chapel agreed read more
Mandate (Ireland)
Mandate call on Lloyds Pharmacy to “stop spinning” to the media and resolve dispute before strikes escalate (24 Aug) – Mandate Trade Union has called on Lloyds Pharmacy to respect their workers’ right to trade union representation before management do even more damage to the business. Responding to a press release issued by the company today, Mandate Trade Union wishes to correct the record read more
United Voices of the World
UVW & PCS BEIS branch living wage demo at MoJ and BEIS – Wednesday 5th September 12.45pm Hannibal House, SE1 6TE London
The campaign for a proper Living Wage (currently £10.20 per hour) for outsourced staff across Government departments has spread from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), where cleaners in UVW Union took 3 days of strike action at the beginning of the month, to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), where PCS BEIS branch are now making the same claim on behalf of their support and outsourced members.
On 5th September UVW and PCS Union members at MoJ and BEIS HQ are coming together for a joint rally and call out to their respective Secretary of State’s to intervene and pay up! Time is up on poverty pay and second class contracts for outsourced workers.
We will meet outside the MoJ HQ at 12:45 and march to the BEIS on Victoria Street for 13:00. Joining us on the rally from Labour’s front bench team will be Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell, and Shadow BEIS Minister Rebecca Long-Bailey, who are lending their support for our joint campaign.
BEIS PCS Union members are then launching a petition calling on their Secretary of State to pay up and be true to his word that everyone should be able to “earn a living to support them and their family”, including his own staff.
Meanwhile, since the MoJ cleaners strike, the MoJ security staff have now joined UVW en masse and are expected to walk out together with the cleaners in the next round of upcoming strikes.
Come, be noisy, be heard! Read more
Please make a donation to their strike fund if you can https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/current-campaigns/
Other news
New book – ‘Workers Control & Workers Management’
Sisters and Brothers who attended the NSSN Conference, will remember Ted Mooney’s brief speech about the reasons for the Book he has written. Ted is a retired AEU Engineering Shop Steward. He was to the fore in the struggle for the occupation of the English Electric/GEEC factories on Merseyside. This fight and the general arguments about Workers Control and Management are explained in his Book. The 60 copies were sold out at the Conference and it has sold so well that a reprint is now available at £5 each.
Also bulk orders can be supplied to TU and other Organisations from this National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) by emailing [email protected]
Blacklisting & Victimisation
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)
Blacklisted t-shirts available at: https://shop.hopenothate.org.uk/component/hikashop/product/78-blacklisted-t-shirt
Book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
International
Statement from Solidarity with the People of Turkey: Saturday Mothers subject to police violence on 700th week of vigil for disappeared loved ones
On the 700th week of one of the longest running peaceful protests in Turkey, the Saturday mothers and their supporters congregated in Galatasaray Square at midday. Across Europe solidarity vigils were held to support the demands of the Saturday mothers and raise awareness of this ongoing fight for those responsible to be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings and disappearances in state custody read more read more
Croatia: Solidarity with workers fighting privatisation – Shipyard workers in the Croatian port cities of Pula and Rijeka started their strike action on 22 August. These militant workers are demanding the immediate payment of wage arrears. But they don’t stop there. After years of frustration and distrust, they have demanded that the management steps down read more
China: Release Shen Mengyu and arrested Jasic Technology workers! – Police repression against workers at Shenzhen factory who are campaigning to set up a democratic trade union read more and watch video
Diary
2018
September
2 Annual Burston Strike School Commemoration 9am-6pm Church Green, Norfolk, Burston, near Diss, Norfolk details
9 NSSN TUC Rally in Manchester from 1pm Facebook event
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
