The NSSN sends our congratulations and solidarity to workers in three important disputes who last week secured welcome victories as a result of taking action.
After 9 weeks of occupation, shipyard workers in Unite and GMB at Harland & Wolff in Belfast have seen a new owner take over the business. At the same time, construction workers at the wood chip processing plant at Saltend Chemicals Park in Hull walked out for a week against the blacklisting of GMB and Unite shop stewards.
We also salute the win by catering workers, working for Aramark at BEIS who have finally won the London Living Wage after two months of indefinite strike action. The union is still fighting for it to be awarded to their members in ISS at the same government department.
We highlight these successes, as we have others recently, to show that workers can win when they take action. We hope that these give confidence to the many other workers who are in dispute on a national and local basis on a variety of issues.
Unite: Harland & Wolff occupation ends in victory as bid for iconic shipyard is accepted (Oct 1) – Jackie Pollock: “When working people organise, everyone wins.” Landmark win will boost confidence of NI workers. Welcoming this morning’s announcement that the shipyard has been bought with jobs and full terms and conditions secured Unite Regional Secretary Jackie Pollock said that the dramatic turnaround in the iconic shipyard’s fortunes was due solely to the determination of the workforce who refused to accept the loss of their jobs and skills. Today’s news follows a nine-week occupation of the shipyard by workers, supported by their unions. “On July 29th, following a week of speculation and the threat of imminent closure, workers at Harland & Wolff took matters into their own hands and occupied the site. While politicians on all sides threw up their hands, claiming that the shipyard could not be saved and efforts should be focused on securing redundancy payments, the workers stepped up and took control” read more
GMB: Landmark victory for Harland and Wolff workers as yard saved
Construction workers’ walkout in Hull forces employer to back down (2 Oct) – from Mick Whale, chair, Hull Trade Union Council: The unofficial construction workers’ dispute involving the building of a wood chip processing plant at Saltend Chemicals Park, in Hull, has been a struggle to prevent the blacklisting of two senior Unite and GMB union stewards – Paul Tattersfield and Keith Gibson. It was a clear attempt by employer Engie Fabricom to breach the national collective agreement (NAECI – known as the ‘Blue Book’) signed between the trade unions and construction bosses over worker rights and industrial workplace procedures on all steel construction Blue Book sites read more. Read more on Hull and District Trades Council Facebook page
PCS: Caterers at BEIS win London Living Wage in landmark victory (4 Oct) – Contracted out catering staff working for the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have won the London Living Wage in a fantastic result for PCS members. Following 12 weeks of indefinite strike action, the caterers who work for Aramark at BEIS, forced the contractor to pay them £10.55 an hour and won improved holiday and sick absence conditions. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This is a fantastic win, only made possible by the sheer determination of our members at BEIS. Taking on a contractor who had the backing of a government department was incredibly brave and these members have shown that where you stick together, you can win. We never take strike action lightly but this dispute shows that when there is no alternative, sustained strike action can win.” PCS members working on the ISS contract at BEIS are still in discussions to find a resolution to their dispute. We are continuing to call for all contracted-out staff to be brought back in-house across all government departments read more.
PCS BEIS Group President Marion Lloyd said, “What a victory for the workers at Aramark in BEIS, who have finally won the London Living Wage after an indefinite strike of nearly 3 months. I want to pay tribute to my members – a low-paid, diverse group of fighters, as well as the branch officers. Now to secure the living wage for the members in ISS as well.”
You can support the workers on social media using the hashtags: #LivingWage #PCSstrike
Please donate to the strike fund and send messages of support to [email protected]
CWU
Support the CWU as their national strike ballot starts in Royal Mail. We support the call of the union for Royal Mail to be re-nationalised read more National Dispute – resources page
Nottingham strike ballot after postman ‘fired for complaining’ (Oct) – Angry postal workers met outside Glaisdale Delivery Office this morning and vowed to fight for justice in response to the “unfair dismissal” of one of their fellow workers. As well as the national ballot taking place, members at this Nottingham unit are also voting on action to win back the job of postman Ian Green, who was sacked from his job here in August after management accused him of being “aggressive” when he made a complaint about working conditions. CWU Midlands sub-divisional representative Steve Blower said that Mr Green, who has served the company for 15 years with no disciplinary record whatsoever, had “basically been sacked for complaining to his line manager – in this instance, about the apparently poor state of the indoor parcel sort area read more
Support the Thomas Cook workers
The NSSN sends our support and solidarity to workers at Thomas Cook and their unions, including TSSA, Unite and BALPA, after the company collapsed. Also, a huge number of ordinary people have been stranded. The company was nationalised by the reforming post-war Labour government in 1948, before Tory Ted Heath privatised it in the early 1970s. It should be brought back into public ownership to protest these workers
Unite: Former Thomas Cook worker’s 200 mile trek for justice to end in Westminster today
BALPA: Thomas Cook staff not getting paid for work done. BALPA Gen Sec. “This is disgraceful”
Government Must Ensure Redundancy Settlements As TSSA Makes Hardship Payments To Thomas Cook Workers
Support these indefinite industrial actions:-
Unite
BROMLEY LIBRARY STRIKERS – FIGHTING ON TO SAVE OUR LIBRARIES
From Unite regional officer Onay Kasab:
The cat was not so much let out of the bag – it was more a case of somersaulting its way out when Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) in Bromley recently announced that at least 30 jobs would disappear in a restructure. Our members in Bromley deserve double praise for predicting what was coming and making sure everybody knows what this appalling company are doing. The fact is that even with current staffing numbers the service is struggling. This proposal means library closures – be under no doubt.
That is why we are now re-doubling our efforts at this crucial stage of the strike. Our magnificent Bromley library members made a huge impression at Labour Party conference. The fringe meeting on “Bandit Capitalism” highlighted GLL as a prime example of privatisers winning contracts and cutting services.
We are going to fight this campaign until we win. We are making a fresh appeal for funds. Here is a link for our crowd funding site which has just been set up. Please forward this to stewards and members and encourage them to donate. This is a vitally important campaign – and we will win a vitally important victory!
Also, cheques can be made payable to Onay Kasab and forwarded to 33 – 37 Moreland St, London, EC1V 8BB and messages of support via [email protected] bank details are: Unity Trust Bank, Bromley LG Bromley Branch, A/C NO. 20272821 Sort 60 83 01
Sign the petition to defend Bromley Library Service Call and support the indefinite strike. Please send messages of support and any financial assistance via Unite regional officer Onay Kasab [email protected]
Pharmacy support workers ‘fury’ at NHS Tayside as industrial action continues – In the long running dispute with NHS Tayside, pharmacy support workers taking part in industrial action have today (5 September) reacted with fury as the process for dealing with the grading appeals has collapsed. Unite members who have been participating in strike action since 19 August 2019 were optimistic that an end was in sight to the dispute following the establishment of a jointly agreed local job evaluation panel consisting of trained evaluators. The appeal process was scheduled to begin on Monday 2 September with the panel’s final decision, after consistency checking, to be delivered on Wednesday 4 September. However, Unite was informed by NHS Tayside yesterday that the ‘consistency checking’ did not go ahead due to a staff side member withdrawing from the process stating that this case was ‘too high profile’ and that they did not have ‘sufficient experience’ read more
Tony Mulhearn
The NSSN would like to send our condolences, best wishes and solidarity to the family of Tony Mulhearn who has just tragically passed away. Tony was one of the heroic Liverpool 47 Labour City Councillors, playing a central role in the battle against Thatcher’s Tory cuts in the 1980s. He was also a trade union militant for decades, in the print industry and later as a member of PCS. He was a long-time supporter of the NSSN
Tony recently completed his memoirs ‘Tony Mulhearn: The Making Of A Liverpool Militant’. A meeting to launch the book had been organised for this coming Sunday at 3.30pm in the Casa Club 29 Hope St, Liverpool L1 9BQ. The family has said that at this stage, the event is going ahead
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
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
Watch NSSN TUC Rally video
Union News
NIPSA
NIPSA to Ballot Members on Pay and Safe Staffing (2 Oct) – Members across Health and Social Care (HSC) will be aware that NIPSA alongside other Health Unions have been engaging with the Department of Health (DOH) and employers on a pay award for 2019/2020. During these discussions, NIPSA pushed for a pay uplift for NI HSC members in line with Scotland. NIPSA’s position remains that pay lies at the centre of the problems facing HSC staff, as they are the lowest paid across the four jurisdictions. This is neither equitable nor sustainable read more
More PCS
Call on foreign secretary to intervene in FCO Interserve dispute (1 Oct) – Following 5 days of solid strike action by members employed by Interserve at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in an ongoing dispute over pay, terms and conditions and union recognition, members will be re-balloted from 4-21 October. Please support our campaign by using our updated e-action to both the permanent secretary Simon McDonald and new foreign secretary Dominic Raab. You can also help by donating to the strike fund and sending messages of support to [email protected] read more
Support the DVSA workers who have been on strike – donate to the strike fund online using account number: 20331490, sort code: 608301, quoting the reference DVSA Strike Fund. Send your solidarity messages to [email protected] read more
Support the cleaners in the fight for a Living Wage in HMRC on Merseyside – PCS members employed by ISS to clean HMRC offices on Merseyside have been on strike read more on Justice for HMRC Cleaners and the PCS website
Support the Stockport UC strikers – these workers took action recently. Donate to the PCS Stockport and Tame Valley Branch Hardship Fund: Sort code 60-83-01, account number 20260684. Send messages of support to [email protected] and all will be forwarded on read more
RMT
Get a RMT anti-fascist ‘No Pasaran’ t-shirt – All sizes . £10 per T-shirt including postage . Bulk orders are fine . Email to [email protected] or text 07932 576 955. Payment by bank transfer or cash
Sign the petition: Real Living Wage for Mitie cleaners – I’m writing to you to ask you to support RMT members fighting poverty pay. Network Rail have contracted out the cleaning of six of their stations to an outsourcing company. Our members who clean stations at Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Leeds and Birmingham New Street work for Network Rail but are employed by Mitie Group, one of the biggest outsourcing firms in Britain. At the moment they are paid the National Minimum Wage and they’re fighting to win at least the Real Living Wage. The treatment of these people is a scandal. Network Rail is a public company that boasts about wanting to be an employer of choice and a place where people are proud to work, yet they set the contract for cleaning these stations at the level of the Minimum Wage. Mitie Group paid their shareholders more than £177 million over the last six years and their CEO Phil Bentley earned £2.2 million last year. Mitie cleaners are struggling to get by on poverty pay. Their campaign in response has been inspirational. They’ve leafletted and protested at Network Rail stations, they’ve won support from MPs in Westminster and MSPs in Scotland and a 38 Degrees petition launched by RMT has won support from more than 80,000 people. We want to keep the pressure on Mitie Group and Network Rail and we need your help. Please circulate the link to the petition among your delegates and on any email lists you have. Let’s push this petition up and help these low paid workers win a real Living Wage. The petition link is here: http://bit.ly/mitiecleaners
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary
RMT launches fresh campaign this week to halt London Overground ticket office closures (7 Oct) – RAIL UNION RMT is launching a new campaign this week to halt London Overground ticket office closures. The campaign will fight London Overground’s plans to cut hours at 45 stations to the bare minimum and close the ticket offices altogether at Brondesbury, White Hart Lane and West Hampstead. Last year, London Overground planned to close 51 ticket offices on the network. However, RMT launched a campaign and thousands of London Overground passengers opposed the closures leading to the Mayor intervening and promising to keep the ticket offices open. RMT will be launching the campaign with a day of action on Fri 11th October with a leafleting and postcard campaign taking place at stations around the Capital. Under the new proposals many stations would only be open 07:30 – 10:00 am, Monday to Friday read more
Violence on tube escalates as District Line staff prepare to take industrial action over safety at work from tomorrow (26 Sept) – TUBE UNION RMT has confirmed that members will be taking industrial action from tomorrow after the situation over violent assaults on workers and a culture of violence in the workplace deteriorated with the most recent serious incidents being the shocking attack on LU staff at West Ham last week and the fatal stabbing of a member of the public in broad daylight at Hillingdon. New figures from the British Transport Police released this week show that sexual assaults have risen by more than 40% over the past four years and are the latest shocking statistic confirming the explosion in violent crime across London Underground read more
RMT industrial action on Cross Country Trains goes ahead (25 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT today confirmed that further industrial action on Cross Country Trains goes ahead from tomorrow in a long-running dispute concerning breaches to the collective bargaining agreements and the imposition of changes to company-wide agreements without the involvement of this union. In light of the continuing failure of the company to move forwards, RMT has decided to call further industrial action short of a strike and has instructed members:-
- Not to Work any Rest Days or Non-Contractual Overtime from 23.59 Hours on Thursday 26th September 2019 until 23.59 Hours on Tuesday 1st October 2019.
- Not to Work any Rest Days or Non-Contractual Overtime from 23.59 Hours on Thursday 17th October 2019 until 23.59 Hours on Tuesday 22nd October 2019 read more
More Unite
Lincolnshire health visitors’ dispute escalates over council’s ‘divide and rule’ jobs move (7 Oct) – More than 70 Lincolnshire health visitors are being balloted for strike action as the long running pay dispute escalates with county council bosses trying to ‘divide and rule’ over future job roles. Unite today (Monday 7 October) that the new ballot would not only involve the health visitors who have been denied legitimate pay rises by the council since October 2017, but health visitors on the lower grade 9 and higher grade 10. The ballot opens on Friday 11 October and closes on Friday 25 October read more
Wrightbus workers’ rally gives rapturous applause to union demand for Jeff Wright to hand over land (Oct 4) – Future of Ballymena economy hangs in the balance – every hour and day matters in fight to save jobs and skills. Unite Regional Secretary, Jackie Pollock, expressed his pride in the workforce who participated in the largest trade union mobilisation in the history of Ballymena. “The huge turnout at today’s march and rally for jobs and skills in Ballymena demonstrates the strength and determination of the Wrightbus workers who want one thing – to get back to work. Today saw the biggest trade union mobilisation in the history of this town…” read more
Unite’s response over Crossrail Bond Street health fears (4 Oct) – Unite, the UK’s construction union, is calling on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to undertake a full inquiry into serious health concerns at Crossrail’s Bond Street station. The workforce on the multi-million pound section of the Crossrail project has been on stand down following reports that four workers operating on the project had passed away in their sleep. Unite is further demanding that the joint venture behind the project ends its union busting habits and fully engages with the union when allaying health concerns on the project. Unite has been raising concerns about air quality levels at Bond Street for months. Through its campaigning it has ensured that an improved air quality monitoring system was put in place. Unite has warned that assurances from the contractors Costain/Skanska that there is no problem with air quality is premature, while a Unite safety rep was present at yesterday’s (3 October) air quality tests, independent testing at the project will not take place until next Tuesday (8 October) read more
HS2 headquarters in Birmingham to be targeted in latest Unite anti-union busting demo (4 Oct) – Unite, the UK’s construction union, will make the headquarters of the multi-billion pound HS2 development the focus of its latest demonstration against union busting on the project. The demonstration will take place on Monday 7 October and follows the large protest and demonstration which took place at the Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV) at Euston station today (Friday 4 October).
WHEN: Monday 7 October 08:00-09:30
WHERE: Two Snow Hill, Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham B4 6GA
The demonstration on Monday is the latest in an escalating series of actions that Unite is organising to end union busting at HS2. Further demonstrations and protests will be occurring over the coming days and weeks read more
Greenwich council housing repair workers vote for strike action over new pay structure (2 Oct) – About 120 housing repair workers at Greenwich council have overwhelmingly voted to strike as they are disgusted over the way they are being treated, Unite said today (Wednesday 2 October). Unite said its members had voted by 95 per cent for strike action over a plan to introduce a new pay structure which will cut pay by 20 per cent. The dates for strike action by the carpenters, electricians and plumbers, based at the Birchmere depot, Eastern Way, London SE28 8BF, will be announced soon. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “It is apparent that the Royal Borough of Greenwich council is currently beleaguered by a very poor employment relations’ culture. This is now coming home to roost after our members voted overwhelmingly to strike – they are disgusted by the way they have been treated by this local authority. They are faced with proposals to introduce a new pay structure which will cut pay by 20 per cent…” read more
Derbyshire flooring workers to strike for 20 days over pay, as employment relations plummet at Ripley firm, says Unite (2 Oct) – More than 70 production workers at Forbo Flooring UK Ltd in Ripley, Derbyshire will be staging ten 48 hour strikes in a dispute over a ‘paltry’ pay offer, Unite said today (Wednesday 2 October). The strikes were announced on the eve of two European directors of the multinational company flying in for a crunch meeting tomorrow (Thursday 3 October) at the High Holborn Road site over a culture of staff being undervalued and disrespected. The first 48 hour strike – the first in recent times – will start on 15 October and be followed by 48 hour strikes on 22 and 29 October. There will be 48 hour strikes starting on 5, 12, 19 and 26 November. In December, the 48 hour strikes will commence on 3, 10 and 17 December. All the strikes will start at 00.01. This will be accompanied by a continuous overtime ban commencing on 00.01 on 15 October read more
Bradford’s library and museum workers to strike for 14 days over ‘swingeing cuts’ (1 Oct) – Library and museum staff in Bradford will strike for 14 days this autumn over swingeing cuts to the city’s 14 libraries and museums, which could see funding axed by 65 per cent. Unite which represents about 50 library and museum staff, announced the strike dates today (Tuesday 1 October). The first two day strike will be on 21 and 22 October and then there will be a three day strike on 5, 6 and 7 November. This will be followed by a four day stoppage between 18 and 21 November inclusively and a five day strike on 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 December. All the strikes will start at 00.01. This follows Unite members voting by 77 per cent for strike action and 94 per cent for industrial action short of a strike in defence of the library and museum service read more
New Hackney strike over shift payments will affect bussing disabled children to school, says Unite (26 Sept) – A 48-hour strike by drivers and passenger escorts on school buses for disabled children in Hackney will be staged next month due to ‘continued council intransigence’ in a 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 strike for 48 hours on Wednesday 9 October starting at 00.01. 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. The new strike follows six 24 hour strikes over the summer. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “Our members will again be taking strike action because of the council’s continued intransigence to take the issue of payments for split shifts seriously over the last year. The bosses’ proposals do nothing to improve the pay of our members who provide this vital service…” read more
Unison
Outsourced North West workers win statutory recognition (4 Oct) – Social care staff saw the union de-recognised after PossAbilities won the contract earlier this year. UNISON members working for PossAbilities in Stockport have achieved a victory this week as the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) declared the union recognised for collective bargaining purposes. PossAbilities is a social enterprise that delivers support to vulnerable adults across a number of local authorities. Staff working on the Stockport Council-commissioned learning disabilities contract will now be able to collectively negotiate their own pay and terms and conditions with their employer through their union, UNISON read more
More GMB
Asda bosses give ‘find a job’ leaflets to staff who won’t sign new contract (2 Oct) – Many loyal Asda workers are going to be sacked in the run up to Christmas, says GMB Union. Asda bosses are dishing out a leaflet on how to find a job just weeks before they sack staff who won’t sign a ‘merciless’ new contract. The handout, described as ‘heartless’, comes as thousands of Asda workers are set to protest at more than 75 stores across the UK this week read more
Matalan workers strike as ‘pointless’ talks break down (30 Sept) – Matalan faces more industrial action after talks with GMB Union and Acas broke down. Around 500 workers at the Matalan’s Knowsley warehouse will walk out today read more
Wilko strike dates revealed (26 Sept) – GMB the union for Wilko workers, has revealed the dates almost 2,000 staff will walk out over forced weekend working. Around 1,800 GMB members at two Wilko distribution centres – in Magor, Wales and Worksop, Nottinghamshire – will strike as follows:
From 06:00 on Friday 11th October 2019 until 05.59 on Saturday 12th October 2019
From 06:00 on Monday 14th October 2019 until 05:59 on Tuesday 15th October 2019
The industrial action is expected to cripple Wilko deliveries to stores across the UK read more
Support the Hull Crown Paints strike See more on Facebook Crown Paints dispute – union senior steward speaks out
NEU
Sixth form industrial ballot results: strike on October 17th – The strike ballot for sixth form colleges closed on 16 September and five out of six members voted to take action – 84 per cent of members voted Yes to action and Yes to saving the sixth form sector. Overall, there was a 43 per cent turnout and there will be strike action in the 25 colleges that reached the 50 per cent turnout threshold. Thanks very much to all our members and reps as we fight hard as a union for your pay, conditions and employment. This dispute will help shape the future of the sector – hopefully for the good by securing the funding needed to sustain fair pay, conditions and employment including by reversing job losses, class size increases and cuts to teaching time and curriculum provision.
There will be a central London rally on the first strike day on 17 October to mark the beginning of a series of strike days extending into November, with members receiving strike pay for all days of action. If necessary, further days of strike action will take place in the weeks of the 5th and 20th of November. Look out for more details and, whether your college is taking action or not, discuss with your colleagues how you can help support the campaign.
Join us in the afternoon for a march and rally in London to hear a range of speakers. Assembly is at the Emmanuel Centre London at 1pm , and then a march to the Department for Education (DfE) to present an IOU at 3pm for outstanding pay rewards not covered by Boris’ empty promises read more
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
UCU
Petition in support of striking staff at Nottingham College tops 1,200 signatures (24 Sept) – A petition calling for fair contracts at Nottingham College has reached over 1,200 signatures, as UCU members are due to walk out again tomorrow in their seventh day of strike action as part of a dispute over the imposition of new contracts. The petition was started by a recent student of the college, and praises Nottingham College staff for creating ‘one of the most supportive learning environments in Nottinghamshire’. However, it says staff have been “forced to either accept a new unfair contract or face losing their jobs”, and outlines how the new contracts would lead to pay cuts and increasing workloads. It goes on to say the ‘conditions the staff will be forced to accept will prevent them from giving their students the support they need’, meaning they ‘are not in the interests of either party’. It calls for Nottingham College management to negotiate better contracts which give the staff the respect they deserve. Staff, who have been on strike this week, will be on picket lines again tomorrow (Wednesday) from 8.30am at all the main college entrances including on Maid Marian Way, on Pelham Avenue at the Clarendon Campus and the outside Adams Building in the Lace Market. UCU members are in the midst of a mammoth 15 days of strike action at the college which will continue into October, with a four-day walkout planned for next week and a full week of action starting on Monday 7 October. The full remaining strike dates are:
Monday 30 September, Tuesday 1, Thursday 3, and Friday 4 October, Monday 7, Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October read more
Support sacked Sandwell College lecturer Dave Muritu read more
EIS
ULA statutory ballot: EIS-ULA Executive recommends that you Vote YES in this statutory ballot for industrial action – Since 2009, the value of members’ pay has fallen by over 20%! The Employers’ pay offer for 2019/20, a headline uplift of only 1.8%, compounds that real terms drop in the value of your pay. The reality is that Universities are choosing to invest in other areas – such as buildings – rather than in their staff. After nearly a decade of sub-inflationary pay settlements, the only avenue left open to us to secure a significant improvement in lecturers’ and academic related staff pay is through industrial action read more
FBU
Sign the petition: to Robert Jenrick MP, Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary – Grenfell Never Again: Keep our buildings safe
Surrey firefighters launch trade dispute amid cuts – Surrey Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have launched a trade dispute with their fire and rescue service, calling for management to end unsafe practices in their fire and rescue service. Concerned firefighters and residents will protest outside Surrey County Hall at 13:00 on Tuesday 24th September read more
More TSSA
TSSA Statement On WASPI Women (3 Oct) – TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has urged ‘WASPI’ Women who today lost their High Court battle against the Government on changes made to their state pensions to “fight on”. Cortes said: “Whatever the High Court may say the Government is responsible for an historic injustice to millions of women born in the 1950s. “My message to them is simple – fight on. Do not give up – your struggle is a just one. You have the backing of our union and the entire Labour Movement…” read more
Prospect
Prospect members in Highways England balloted on industrial action (7 Oct) – Prospect union is balloting its members in Highways England on industrial action after the organisation imposed a 1% pay award on its staff. Highways England will be one of the key agencies on the frontline of delivering Brexit, especially if we leave without a deal. The ballot closes on 7 November read more
MOLA archaeologists vote for industrial action over pay (4 Oct) – Prospect members at Museum of London Archaeology have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action over pay and the failure of management to implement a pay structure read more
IWGB
Bafta award-winning games studio to face legal action and campaign over victimisation of trade union activist (3 Oct) – The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is to take legal action and launch a campaign against BAFTA award-winning mobile games and design studio Ustwo over the victimisation of a leading trade union activist. The management of Ustwo, the studio behind the multi-award winning Monument Valley video games, informed Austin Kelmore, the branch chair and founding member of the Game Workers Unite (GWU) UK branch of the IWGB, in late September that he would be put on gardening leave and then dismissed. This happened a few weeks after he was questioned by a senior manager regarding his trade union activity and just after he invited a group of Ustwo employees to a meeting to discuss rights at work read more
Royal Mail gig economy subsidiary eCourier to face strike on 10 & 11 October (26 Sept) – Couriers employed by Royal Mail’s same day delivery subsidiary eCourier and organised by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action (over 90% yes vote), after the company refused to grant them basic employment rights and a living wage. The couriers plan to strike on 10 and 11 October, impacting the deliveries to eCourier clients such as NHS London hospitals, private healthcare provider HCA and corporate clients Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and British American Tobacco read more
Other news
‘Calling Trade Unionists: join the Rebellion’ hosted by Extinction Rebellion – 12.30pm Saturday October 12th in Trafalgar Square. London
Undercover Policing and the Trade Unions conference: Saturday 16th November 2019 – jointly organized by the Blacklist Support Group
A major trade union conference ‘Undercover Policing and the Trade Unions: The Political and The Personal’ is taking place at the University of Greenwich on Saturday 16th November 2019. The event is jointly organised by the Blacklist Support Group and our sister campaigns Police Spies Out of Lives and the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS). The conference is officially supported by UNITE the Union.
Amongst other issues, the conference will cover undercover police infiltration of trade unions, police collusion in blacklisting, the human rights violations against female activists by the British state and ongoing corporate surveillance of union activists. The speakers will include spied on activists, blacklisted union members, lawyers, politicians, investigative journalists and artists. See the attached documents for more information.
Attendance is free but registration is essential. Please raise the issue at your union committee and encourage people to apply for a space online via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/undercover-policing-and-trade-unions-the-political-and-the-personal-tickets-64167284074
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.
Return Address: Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS), c/o 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX
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
Saudi Arabia: A year without justice for Jamal Khashoggi read more on NUJ website
Diary
2019
November
16 Undercover Policing and the Trade Unions conference: Saturday 16th November 2019 Eventbrite
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
