Hundreds of union reps and members attended the 2019 National Shop Stewards Network last Saturday in London to discuss defending jobs, fighting for a pay rise and stopping the cuts.
Throughout the day, in the main sessions and workshops, the increasing number of strikes and disputes were reported, in many cases by strikers themselves. Many talked about how we must fight for a General Election to kick out the Tories, whoever wins the leadership contest.
Conference reserved a special welcome for Lyn Marie O’Hara, one of Glasgow Unison’s historic and victorious equal pay strikers.
She spoke alongside Mick Cash RMT General Secretary, Dave Ward CWU General Secretary, Sharon Graham Unite Executive Officer, Ronnie Draper BFAWU General Secretary and Amy Murphy USDAW President.
This is a video of the speech by NSSN national chair Rob Williams
Another big issue of the day was how the union movement must relate to the call for a Climate Change general strike on September 20th.
All these will be major themes at our NSSN Rally at TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday September 8th. It will be from 1pm in the Holiday Inn Kings Rd, BN1 2JF. All welcome.
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
PCS
Outsourced workers set for indefinite strike action over pay and conditions (5 July) – PCS members who work for outsourcing contractors ISS and Aramark at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) are set to take indefinite strike action when they walk out on Monday, 15 July. The workers, who work on the cleaning and catering contracts for ISS and Aramark respectively, have vowed not to return to work until BEIS and the contractors improve pay and terms and conditions. They are taking this historic step to demand the London Living Wage – independently calculated by the Living Wage Foundation at £10.55 an hour, working conditions equivalent to civil servants, and ultimately an end to BEIS’ policy of outsourcing. The workers are striking to end the scourge of poverty pay and second-class working conditions. This latest escalation comes after members have held strikes over the past 6 months, and the local PCS branch in BEIS setting up foodbanks in the department following the failure of ISS to pay their staff properly. In recent meetings with the local PCS branch, the permanent secretary of BEIS Alex Chisholm reconfirmed, following confirmation as far back as in 2017, that the London Living Wage is affordable. The continued refusal to pay it is keeping its workers in poverty. PCS is calling for BEIS and the two contractors to make an offer now that will end this dispute and ensure dignity and justice at work for members who work in the department responsible for workers’ rights. You can support the workers on social media using the hashtags: #LivingWage #PCSstrike read more
Strikers still resolute on FCO picket line (9 July) – Today marks the first day of the fourth period of strike action for facilities management workers employed by Interserve at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). As on previous strike days, 100% of the members, who make up the majority of the facilities management (FM) staff in London, supported the strike and were present on picket lines. Members are angry that although Interserve took up the invitation from PCS to enter into talks with ACAS on 4 July, they have failed to make any proposal to settle the dispute. Some progress has been made, but members still want a buy-out of the contractual change to their pay dates which meant they had to wait six weeks for a month’s payment. They also want trade union recognition to ensure that future issues can be negotiated by their union reps, and not forced upon them by the employer read more
For both BEIS and FCO strikes: please donate to the strike fund and send messages of support to [email protected]
Union News
More PCS
PCS pressure forces Securitas to improve offer at National Gallery (5 July) – Private firm Securitas had previously given staff just three days to decide whether to leave or accept major changes to their terms and conditions. Gallery assistants at the National Gallery employed by private firm, Securitas, received voluntary exit offers on 19 June and were given until 21 June to decide whether to leave their employment or to continue under proposed changes that could have drastically changed their working conditions. One of the changes Securitas wanted to introduce was a mobility clause that meant gallery staff could be forced to work at other sites across London. Thanks to a combination of negotiations, members’ engagement and press and political pressure, private security firm Securitas since made an offer which the branch recommended to members. Members voted by a huge margin to accept the offer at a meeting on 1 July read more
Join the PCS rally against outsourcing 17 July (4 July) – Ahead of a rally in London highlighting the damage caused by privatisation we look at how outsourcing is bad for workers, impacts on public services and presents poor value for money for taxpayers. PCS has always been vigorously opposed to the privatisation and outsourcing of our members’ jobs. The government recently had to admit the damage caused by outsourcing when HM Prison Birmingham was permanently returned to the public sector, and it was announced that probation services in England and Wales would be renationalised after a disastrous part-privatisation programme. PCS HMPPS branch has demanded a moratorium on all further prison and justice privatisation until a full, independent inquiry has been conducted into the cost, viability and morality of such practices…The joint rally with the Trade Union Coordinating Group runs from 6-8pm on 17 July in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, 1 Parliament Street read more
Vote for change in fresh PCS DVSA ballot for strike action (4 July) – PCS members working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are being balloted for industrial action, including striking, in a long-running dispute over changes to their terms and conditions. The ballot, which runs until noon on 19 July, centres on DVSA management’s refusal to consult meaningfully having imposed working practices, and restructures that are impacting detrimentally to members’ terms and conditions and their jobs read more
ISS cleaners vote for strike action (3 July) – PCS members give a 100% endorsement for strike action on a 76% turnout and will go on a two-day strike from July 15 to 16. HMRC cleaners in Bootle and Liverpool have voted for strike action over pay and conditions. Cleaners employed by private company ISS on the HMRC contract in Bootle and Liverpool unanimously voted to strike with over three quarters of them casting their ballot. Members working at four sites are involved: Imperial Court (Liverpool), Litherland House (Bootle), Regian House (Liverpool) and the Triad (Bootle) read more
RMT
Great Western Railway cleaners’ strike “rock solid” (10 July) – RAIL UNION RMT said today that ISS cleaners working on the Hitachi/GWR contract are rock solid in their support for 48 hours of strike action that started yesterday evening in a fight to halt shift changes that would wreck staff’s work/life balance. General Secretary Mick Cash said; “Our members are rock solid in support for the strike action at the North Pole Depot in West London and are sending out the clearest signal that they will not be kicked from pillar to post in the name of profit read more
RMT members have been instructed not to book on for any turns commencing between 19:59 Hours on Tuesday 9th July 2019 and 19:59 hours on Thursday 11th July 2019
RMT MEMBERS working as Senior Conductors on East Midlands Trains will be taking strike action at the end of July and the beginning of August (5 July) – The dispute is over EMT’s management’s failure to bring a meaningful resolution to our members’ concerns over Pay Discrimination and Contract issues. RMT believes the only way to get management to seriously address these concerns is to take industrial action. Therefore all RMT EMT Senior Conductors are instructed to take strike action as outlined below:
Members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 20th July 2019
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 27th July 2019
- 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 3rd August 2019 read more
FBU
Firefighters in Scotland force new pay offer (4 July) – Firefighters in Scotland have forced their employer back to the drawing board, after raising serious concerns about their latest pay, terms and conditions offer. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will now consider improving its offer, after facing serious criticism from members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). An overwhelming turnout of FBU members at a series of “staff engagement meetings” saw concerns raised about the expansion of firefighters’ roles, the reduction or loss of additional payments currently available, and the pay increase on offer. It followed recommendations from the FBU’s executive council and from the Scottish regional committee of the union to reject the offer read more
Unite
Newham council faces five days of strikes over treatment of housing repair workers (10 July) – About 50 housing repair workers at Newham council are to strike for five days disgusted over the way they are being treated, Unite said today (Wednesday 10 July). Unite said its members had voted unanimously for strike action over a myriad of issues, including a plan to introduce a new pay structure which would have cut pay by 20 per cent, pay deductions without speaking to the individuals concerned and a failure to tackle a bullying culture. The carpenters, electricians and plumbers, based at the Bridge Road depot, Abbey Road, Stratford, London E15 3LX, will hold 24 hour stoppages on 2, 5, 23 and 27 August, as well as on 11 September. All the strikes will start at 00:01. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “It is starkly apparent that Newham council is beleaguered by a very poor employment relations’ culture…” read more
Unite secures ‘major victory’ for construction workers at St Fergus Gas plant (9 July) – Unite the union has today (9 July) confirmed it has secured a ‘major victory’ for construction workers at the Shell owned St Fergus Gas plant. Following constructive meetings involving Unite and Wood Group representatives a proposal was put the workforce which has now ended the dispute while also allaying the union’s concerns over health and safety. Unite had threatened to hold an industrial action ballot in response to the Wood Group withdrawing a long standing payment for ‘Permit Holder’ workers who receive a daily payment to carry out safety duties at the site near Peterhead. The planned cancellation of the ‘Permit Holder’ payment could have led to wages being cut by up to £103 per week for some workers, in addition to every worker potentially being forced to carry a permit whether they wished to or not. The new proposal will ensure that this situation will not arise read more
Drax power station workers to hold six 48 hour strikes after rejecting pay offer – Workers at the Drax power station in Yorkshire will strike for 48 hours on Sunday 14 July in a long-running dispute over pay, Unite said today (Friday 28 July). Unite’s nearly 400 members at the Selby site will also hold a further five 48 hour stoppages into December, after rejecting a two-year pay deal by a majority of 73 per cent. The 48 hour strikes will take place on 14 July, 11 August, 8 September, 6 October, 3 November and 1 December. All the strikes will start at 08.00. The workers at the power station, which produces an estimated seven per cent of Britain’s electricity needs, rejected a 2.8 per cent pay deal for each of the years starting January 2018 and January 2019 that was offered by Drax Power Ltd read more
Derby plant overtime ban in ‘working up to an extra four weeks a year’ row – Workers at Derby’s Reckitt Benckiser plant will start a continuous overtime ban and work to rule from Thursday 11 July in the dispute about workers being asked to work for up to an extra four weeks a year. Unite announced today (Friday 28 June) that its 160 members will start the overtime ban and work to rule at Sinfin Lane from 18.00 on 11 July, after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action. The crux of the dispute is that ‘heavy handed’ managers at the firm, which produces such iconic brands as Dettol and Mr Sheen, want to make the employees work either an extra 107 hours or 157 hours a year, depending on their contract. The workers voted by 74 per cent for strike action and by 83 per cent for industrial action short of a strike. Unite said that the industrial action short of a strike, including the overtime ban and work to rule, was ‘a shot across the bows’ and that future strike action was on the cards, unless the firm came to the negotiating table with sensible proposals read more
Lincolnshire health visitors to strike for six days over ‘no pay rises’ and erosion of professional standards – Health visitors employed by Lincolnshire county council will strike initially for six days over not getting paid the rate for the job and the erosion of their professional responsibilities which could adversely impact vulnerable families. Unite said today (Friday 28 June) that the 58 health visitors voted by an 84 per cent majority to strike. A 48 hour stoppage will start on 15 July, with 24 hour strikes on 19 and 22 July. This will be followed by a 48 hour strike on 25 July. All the strikes will start at 00:01. It is believed to be the first time that the county’s health visitors will have taken strike action in defence of their pay and professional standards. The strike comes as controversy continues to swirl over the £292,000 pay off to the council chief executive Keith Ireland for less than six months’ work. Unite calculates that its Lincolnshire health visitor members have lost more than £2,000 a year since they were transferred from the NHS to the county council in October 2017 read more
Call for a public boycott of London leisure centres as Bromley library workers dispute escalates – Unite has called for a London-wide boycott by the public of leisure centres run by social enterprise leisure services’ giant Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). Unite said the boycott call of GLL’s money-spinning leisure centres across the capital would support the 50 Bromley library staff who have been on strike since 6 June over pay and other issues specifically relating to GLL’s stewardship of Bromley’s 14 libraries read more. Demonstration 10 am – Charlton Lido, Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Road, SE18 4LX. Please send messages of support and any financial assistance via Unite regional officer Onay Kasab [email protected]
Hackney council blamed for new wave of strikes which will affect bussing disabled children to school – Hackney council is being blamed for six days of planned strikes by drivers and passenger escorts on school buses for disabled children in a new dispute over payments for working split shifts. Unite said its 38 members, who drive and assist the children to and from school on a daily basis, will stage six 24 hour strikes on 18, 20, 25 and 27 June as well as 4 and 9 July, all starting at 00.01. The staff voted unanimously for the new strike days. The dispute centres on a £50 a week claim for compensation for the split shifts, backdated to July last year when the issue was first raised. Unite said this claim is based on the next grade in the Green Book national agreement which the union believes is the correct one for this group of workers. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “This new dispute is a result of council bosses adamantly refusing to negotiate for nearly a year…” read more
Support the Swindon Honda workers – watch video of the March 30th demonstration against the planned closure of the plant
Support the Bridgend Fordworkers – Sign the petition: Nationalise Ford Bridgend if the company closes the plant – an appeal to Mark Drakeford
Bring British Steel into public ownership to avoid an industrial catastrophe, demands Unite – The government must bring British Steel into public ownership to avoid an economic and industrial catastrophe the UK and Ireland’s largest union, Unite said today (Wednesday 22 May) after it emerged the steelmaker is going into official receivership read more
Keep supporting Unite members on at Colloids Limited on Merseyside who are on indefinite strike to defend their union rep – The action comes after the dismissal of Unite union representative George Gore who was unfairly dismissed on Friday 8 February for an alleged breach of health and safety. For more information and to send messages of support and donations, please contact Patrick Coyne on 07568 106 243 and/or Unite communications officer Karen Viquerat on 0151 559 2004 or 07768 931 316. Unite press office is on 020 3371 2065. Email: [email protected] read more
Workers at Luton Airport step up action with 49 day strike – Security guards employed by London Luton Airport will take strike action through most of June and July in a dispute over ‘heavy-handed’ changes to working time. The workers will begin their fourth period of strike action today (Wednesday 5 June) from 04:30 through to Tuesday 23 July at 20:59. Unite is meeting the airport with Acas next Wednesday (12 June) to try to resolve the dispute. London Luton Airport is imposing a new shift pattern affecting around 120 security guards which means the workforce will have to work an extra 15 days a year. Workers say the new shift pattern is taking a heavy toll on their well-being read more
Unison
HE members to vote on industrial action over pay. Ballot will start in autumn following rejection of employers’ final pay offer (8 July) – UNISON members working in higher education are to be asked to vote for strike action over pay in a national ballot starting in September. The move comes after they rejected the employers’ final pay offer in a consultative ballot. For most staff, this would see a pay increase of just 1.8%, well below inflation. Two thirds of members who voted on the offer rejected it read more
Bradford hospital staff strike to stay in the NHS. Picket lines mark the start of seven days of action against plans to transfer members to a wholly owned subsidiary private company (8 July) – Facilities and estates staff across the Bradford teaching hospitals NHS trust were out on the picket lines from 6am this morning, demanding to stay in the NHS at the start of a week-long strike. The Yorkshire trust is the latest to try and transfer key support work – and the staff who carry it out – to a wholly owned private company it has set up. Some 300 UNISON members, including porters, cleaners and security staff are taking action over this ‘back-door privatisation’ read more
Support the pay strike at Birmingham University – next strikes on Graduation Days June 16 & 17 read more
USDAW
Hundreds of Karro Foods workers walk out on strike over pay rise row (9 July) – Employees at Karro Foods, in Malton have taken part in a two-day protest outside the North Yorkshire firm. Hull workers have joined hundreds of colleagues in a strike over pay at a leading Yorkshire food business. Hull Live has been told staff at the factory asked for a pay rise equivalent of around 50p per hour and when this was rejected, went on strike. Karro Foods is a leading producer of bacon, gammon, sausages and cooked meats, and employs around 3,000 people across the country read more from Hull Live
CWU
Closure at last on BTPS indexation saga (July 10) – BT has failed in its attempt to change the indexation arrangements for Section C of the BT Pension Scheme (BTPS) from RPI to the typically lower CPI measure of inflation. The company’s long-running, and fiercely contested, court battle to force the change – which would have resulted in lower future pension increases for around 80,000 Section C members – finally hit the buffers on Monday when it was denied permission to escalate the case to the Supreme Court. BT had previously lost at the High Court, and then again at the Court of Appeal late last year, but the latest ruling brings the company’s efforts to reduce its pension liabilities by about £2bn to the end of the road. With its efforts to challenge the twice legally upheld existing interpretation of the scheme’s rules in the highest court of the land now blocked, BT’s epic legal battle has finally concluded – meaning that Section C pensions in payment will continue to be annually uprated by RPI. “The CWU wholeheartedly welcomes the end of this misguided, unnecessary and expensive case designed to cut members’ future benefits,” stresses CWU assistant secretary Nigel Cotgrove read more
NIPSA
NIPSA Announces a Full Day Strike on 26 July ballot over Northern Ireland Civil Service (NCIS) pay – NIPSA’s Civil Service Executive Committee considered the ballot earlier today and are now calling on all members to support the industrial action with a full day strike on Friday 26 July 2019. NIPSA will also be giving notice that Action Short of Strike Action will commence on Monday 29 July 2019. Details of the Action Short of Strike Action will follow. Further information regarding 26 July will be issued over the coming days. The Civil Service Executive Committee have made it clear that the 26 July will be the first of a series of various initiatives which will include further strike day(s) and other actions. The Executive Committee want to also reassure members that there is a detailed plan which will involve rolling action, potential selective action, half and one day strikes and action short of strike action. In order to consider further the detail of the next part of the campaign to defend pay, terms and conditions the Civil Service Executive Committee have agreed to meet again on Friday 2 August 2019 to detail and finalise the next steps. The Civil Service Executive Committee is resolute that members have given a strong mandate to ensure that they are no longer trampled on read more
NEU
Teachers at Ilford County High School announce three days of strike action over ‘intolerable workloads’ – Teachers and support staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) will be striking tomorrow (Wednesday, July 3) after 91per cent voted in favour of action. Staff will also strike next Tuesday (July 9) and Wednesday (July 10). The union said the school in Fremantle Road, Barkingside, has been refusing to replace teachers and support staff when posts become vacant, and this has led to larger classes and intolerable workloads. Glenn Kelly, NEU regional officer, said: “Ilford County High School already has the lowest spending on teachers per pupil than any other Redbridge secondary school – the last straw for our members has been new proposals to effectively cut the pay of some staff and denying others the right to pay rises they would normally be entitled to. ‘The union members are rightly saying enough is enough.’” Read more in Ilford Recorder
Support strikes at Peacehaven Community School in east Sussex against academisation – Send messages of support to: Phil Clarke 07709696561 [email protected] and Jack Tyler 01444 894500 [email protected] Hands Off Peacehaven Community School Facebook group
NASUWT
Teachers at Chesterfield school to strike (8 July) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Hasland Hall Community School in Chesterfield will be taking the first of two planned days of strike action on Tuesday (9 July). This action is as a result of the failure of the Employer to respond to the deep concerns of teachers about adverse management practices at the school which are negatively impacting on their wellbeing and working conditions read more
GMB
GMB strike action ballot for Mitie staff at St George’s Hospital starts tomorrow (8 July) – “There is no redundancy situation in that the employers need for staff has diminished or ceased as exact opposite is the case and staff are working flat out”, says GMB Southern. The GMB ballot for official strike action for members employed by outsourced contractor Mitie at St George’s Hospital in Tooting over bogus redundancies among cleaners and catering staff will commence tomorrow (9th July). The ballot for the 300 plus members will run until 19th July. GMB members are gearing up to take strike action after members revealed Mitie’s plans to half the number of cleaners working in operating theatres at St George’s Hospital to two per area as part of a restructure that will see 40 cleaning and hostess jobs go and workers’ hours slashed across the hospital site read more
TSSA
TSSA Warns Of Strike Action At ScotRail After Breakdown In Relations (10 July) – TSSA has written to ScotRail warning of a “near complete breakdown of industrial relations” as the union prepared to ballot members for strike action. Members in the Driver Team Managers (DTM) grade will receive ballot papers this week. TSSA also expects to ballot members across almost every other grade where the union is recognised in the very near future. The dispute arose after ScotRail made changes to DTM contracts, forcing them to cover shifts for train drivers, without negotiating with the TSSA which has sole recognition for them read more
UCU
Protests ahead of governors’ meeting in jobs row at University of Portsmouth (8 July) – Staff and students will be protesting at the University of Portsmouth from 12pm on Wednesday over plans to cut jobs in the faculty of science. Protestors will be lobbying members of the board of governors as they arrive for their meeting at 2pm at the St Andrew’s Court building. UCU said it wanted the board of governors to use its influence to halt the planned science department job cuts. There are 123 academic posts at risk in the faculty of science and the union fears up to 50 jobs could go. Last month the union declared an official trade dispute with the university over the plans to cut jobs. UCU said it wanted the university to rule out compulsory job cuts and implement a voluntary redundancy scheme read more
Ruskin College under fire for trade union victimisation (5 July) – Ruskin College in Oxford has been accused of trade union victimisation following a string of disciplinary and redundancy threats directed at UCU members. Three union reps are facing disciplinary investigations. One of them, Lee Humber, suspended for “spurious reasons” just days after the local branch passed a motion of no confidence in the principal read more
Support sacked Sandwell College lecturer Dave Muritu read more
Equity
Protest against Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit on Wednesday July 17 (hosted by Equity North & East London General Branch) – 9am Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, Holborn, London WC2A 2LL. Equity Protest against unfairness of Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit for Members. Following our ARC motion that was unanimously passed in May, we are holding with full agreement by Equity Guild House a gathering outside the High Court to protest against the impact of Minimum Income Floor on our members, prior to the start of 2 day case involving Equity Member Charmaine Parkin read more on Facebook event
Other news
HAZARDS 2019
30th National Hazards Conference, 26 – 28 July 2019,
University of Keele, Stoke-on-Trent.
Cleaning up toxic work!
Hazards Conference is the UK’s biggest and best educational and organising event for trade union safety reps and activists. It consists of a mixture of plenary sessions, meetings and a comprehensive workshop programme. Delegates have the opportunity to exchange experience and information with, and learn from, safety reps and activists from other unions, sectors and jobs across the UK.
Read report fo last year’s Hazards 2018 Conference http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/blog/hazards-conference-2018-report
Sponsorship form : http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/sponsorappealhazards2019.pdf
Hazards 2019 booking form http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Hazards-2019-booking-form.pdf
Thank you all
Janet Hazards 2019 Organiser
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)
Affiliate to the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPs) and to send representatives from your trade union branch/organisation to our Trade Union Conference on Saturday November 16th at University of Greenwich, Stephen Lawrence Building, Old Naval College, 30 Park Row, London, SE10 9LS.
The purpose of the conference is to increase awareness of the impact of political policing on the trade unions and movements for social change since 1968. The conference will be jointly led by COPS, Police Spies Out of Lives (PSOOL) and the Blacklist Support Group (BSG).
COPS is the umbrella organisation campaigning on behalf of many of those spied upon by UK political police. PSOOL is the campaign and support group for women affected by abusive relationships with undercover police officers. BSG is a justice campaign and support network for anyone caught up in UK construction industry blacklisting scandal. We know that over one thousand organisations were infiltrated by undercover police and tens of thousands of citizens have files held on them by Special Branch.
Due to ongoing delays and police obfuscation, the Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing (UCPI) is not due to report until at least 2023. This conference will be an opportunity to consolidate knowledge and understanding about these police units and the lessons learned for political and trade union activism today as well as building support for the campaign opposing political policing and those still fighting for justice. We want the conference to lead to greater involvement by trade unions in applying pressure to make the public inquiry as open and democratic as possible.
Another key aim in hosting this conference is to explore the different and interlocking ways in which political policing and surveillance has adversely and disproportionately impacted on trade unions, women, and working class and diverse communities. For example several of the officers who deceived women into relationships and spied on anti-racist organisations are known to have infiltrated trade unions and their intelligence reports were passed onto the companies involved in blacklisting.
The UCPI will begin hearing evidence in June 2020 so our conference in November 2019 will offer an excellent opportunity for trade unionists to review its progress and become involved with campaigning on this issue. This date also allows opportunities to highlight the anniversary of the apology received by the first seven women from the Metropolitan Police and the conference will be timed to link to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25th November).
By sharing and documenting these lived experiences and building on the recommendations from the ‘People’s Inquiry’ (July 2018 – see attached), the conference will increase understanding of institutional sexism and racism in the police and call for action to support those still fighting for justice.
By bringing together trade unionists, activists and campaigners the conference will strengthen our campaign to ensure the UCPI is not a cover up but aims to expose the truth of undercover political policing and strengthen our struggle for justice and the protection of human rights.
If you have a current affiliation to COPs (within the last year) there is no need to re-affiliate and you can register to send representatives to the conference using the form overleaf (number 1). If you need to update your affiliation to COPs please complete form number 2.
Once we have received your application (form overleaf) to attend the conference we will send out a final agenda with a list of speakers etc.
Yours in comradeship,
Lois Austin (on behalf of COPs).
Return Address: Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS), c/o 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX
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
Japan: support Ready Mixed Concrete workers solidarity appeal
Nigeria: ABBEY TROTSKY TO RE-APPEAR IN COURT ON JULY 11
Call for Solidarity
Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye (Abbey Trostky) will again appear at the Magistrate Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday 11 July 2019 to answer to four-count charges of conspiracy to commit breach of public peace, unlawful assembly, assault and malicious damage. If convicted on all four counts, Abbey could face a jail term of up to 13 years.
Recall that Comrade Abbey Trotsky was arraigned on 7 June 2019 following over three weeks of repeated harassment by the police and secret service. Between 19 December 2018 and 9 June 2019, Comrade Abbey Trotsky was arrested 5 times by the police and secret service. Then between 28 May and 7 June, he was forced to report weekly at the office of the AIG Zone 11 in Osogbo, the capital of a neighbouring state. The background to this string of persecution is Abbey Trotky’s intervention in a strike of contract/casual workers of Sumal Food Limited (http://sumalfoods.com) on 2nd and 3rd October 2018.
Comrade Abbey Trotsky is the acting national chairperson of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) and the coordinator of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR) in Oyo State.
Sumal, through the police, is claiming that Comrade Abbey Trotsky invaded the company’s premises and incited workers with a view to cause economic sabotage for the company and the state. On the contrary, it was workers of the company in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, that approached Comrade Abbey Trotsky, being well known for his defence of workers’ interests, to lead them in their struggle, after the officially recognized union – National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUBFTE) – denied them this, claiming that casual workers are not their members. In fact, it was the management of Sumal, along with Oyo State government officials, that invited Comrade Trotsky to a negotiation meeting, after the workers collectively recognised him as their representative.
These negotiations actually led to a limited victory for workers including an over 30% rise in pay, a 30-minute break for workers who used to work for 12 hour without a break, access to the factory’s clinic for any sick or injured worker and provision for protective kits for factory workers. This minimal victory has spread the struggle to other factories in Ibadan. The rotten role of the compromised union officials (of NUBFTE) in the persecution of Comrade Abbey Trotsky explains in practical terms what Leon Trotsky said about how the major problem of the working class is its leadership.
Given the large financial backbone of Sumal, which rakes in billions of Naira monthly, and its connections to political power, we know we are against a formidable representative of the capitalist class. But we know that with the support of the working people and activists, we can defeat them and lay the basis for a victory for the workers against terrible working conditions and the rebuilding of their union.
This is why we are calling for more solidarity support. We intend to organise a protest at the court premises on Thursday July 11. We call for your support. If possible protests can be held at Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions on July 11 to show solidarity. Comrades with union or elected public positions can also help raise these issues in the unions or through the positions they hold. You can also send protests to:
(1) Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 11 AIG Leye Oyebade: +234 802 343 1079; +234 803 301 4905. Send text messages if no reply on phone/Whatsapp!
(2) Frank MBA (Police PPRO, Force Headquarters): +234 8038375844
(3) (3) DSP Ajisebutu Adekunle (Police PRO, Oyo State Command): +234 8036536581. E-mail: [email protected]
(4) Shina Olukolu, Oyo State Commissioner of Police: +234 8038467592
(5) Lateef Oyelekan President of NUBFTE +2348033297595
(6) Sumal Foods Limited: [email protected]
*Copies of messages please to DSM [email protected]
Thanks
Comradely
Pelad
For DSM (CWI in Nigeria)
Diary
2019
July
6 NSSN Conference Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Facebook event
13 Durham Miners Gala https://www.durhamminers.org/gala
19-21 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival https://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/festival
September
8 NSSN TUC Rally Brighton
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
