The Tories have revealed their General Election manifesto and despite Boris Johnson’s populism, it serves the interests of Big Business. This is shown particularly with the planned introduction of even more Tory anti-union laws, on the back of that of Thatcher, Major and Cameron.
They say, “We will require that a minimum service operates during transport strikes. Rail workers deserve a fair deal, but it is not fair to let the trade unions undermine the livelihoods of others.” This is a scabs charter.
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “Banning strikes is the hallmark of the right-wing junta, not a democratically elected British government. RMT would fight any attempt to strip our members of their basic human rights.”
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, said: “The right to strike – to withdraw your labour – is a fundamental human right. We are not slaves. We are not, however, surprised that Boris Johnson and his cronies want to make it even more difficult for hard-working men and women to protect their jobs, pay, terms and conditions. Johnson only acts on behalf of the boss class in Britain.”
TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has branded Conservative plans to ban all-out rail strikes as a “direct attack on workers and the general public” which was bound to fail.
We’ve already seen how the courts have been used to rule out the CWU’s postal strike. The union is appealing this Thursday and the NSSN will be there to support them. We appeal to members of other unions to come along as well. The union movement has to rely on our own strength and if Johnson is elected, there must be mass opposition to any attempt to introduce new anti-union laws. But of course, there is a political choice in this election.
The NSSN is campaigning to get the Tories out in the general election. It was the main theme of both our annual conference in July and TUC Rally in September.
We are an organisation of rank and file trade unionists supported by ten national unions. We’re not affiliated to any political party but Jeremy Corbyn’s pro-worker policies would be a big step forward for workers and their families. These include the repeal of “anti-trade union legislation including the Trade Union Act 2016.” We call for the removal of Tory anti-union laws.
We will be producing material throughout the election campaign to make the case to get rid of the Tories. These NSSN bulletins can be downloaded: ‘Reverse the education cuts’ and ‘All health care is in crisis’
Tell Trump: hands off our NHS! (Hosted by Stop Trump) – demonstrate: assemble 4pm Trafalgar Square, London Tuesday December 3rd
Donald Trump is visiting Britain next week – and now we know that he wants to buy our NHS as a souvenir. Leaked documents confirm that the government is using the NHS as a bargaining chip to secure trade deals with Trump. Protesters will be on the streets to say: Donald Trump, keep your hands off our NHS!
Support the CWU in the Royal Mail dispute. Defend the right to strike – join the CWU lobby of the High Court this Thirsday, November 28th read more on CWU Facebook page
Email messages of support to the CWU via [email protected] and follow the union on their website, Facebook and twitter via @CWUnews using the #WeRiseAgain hashtag
Waltham Forest Trades Union Council PUBLIC MEETING: Support the Royal Mail postal workers
Tuesday 3rd December at 7pm
William Morris Community Centre,
Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow E17 6QQ
Speakers: Vinnie Micallef CWU East London branch secretary
CWU National Dispute – resources page
Join CWU Supporters now – The fight against exploitative employers, dodgy contracts and insecure work requires the support of every single community across the country.
Our recent vote for strike action in Royal Mail Group was secured by connecting with our membership in every corner of the UK – both online and on the ground.
Now we need your help to take our message to the public. By joining CWU Supporters you will be contacted with campaign materials and resources that will help us win this battle – and the others we are fighting
Be one of the first to join us by signing up below. Once you have joined us, don’t forget to hit share so that you can alert your social media networks to our new network – click here to join
Support the UCU HE strike
BREAKING NEWS!! UCU statement on latest pay talks (27 Nov)
More universities to be balloted for strikes (26 Nov) – Even more universities could face disruption in the new year if disputes over pensions and over pay and conditions are not resolved. UCU members at 13 universities are going to be asked to back strike action in ballots that open on Wednesday 4 December and close on Tuesday 28 January. UCU members at 60 universities* walked out yesterday in the first of eight days of strikes that finish on Wednesday 4 December read more
Solid support for strikes sends clear message to universities, says UCU (25 Nov) – UCU said that strong shows of support for strikes at 60 UK universities* sent a clear message that staff would not settle for pay cuts, increased pension costs or deteriorating conditions. The union said it welcomed a call from shadow education secretary Angela Rayner for universities to put students first and bring a reasonable offer back to the negotiating table. UCU has warned that if universities fail to make improved offers then further waves of strike action could follow in the new year, with even more staff taking part. UCU is currently consulting with branches at other universities about being balloted again to join further action and revealed today that 3,500 people have joined the union in the three weeks since it announced this round of eight strike days read more
London March and Rally: Planet + Pay + Pensions
Fight for a future! Solidarity with School Student Climate Strike and the CWU
Demonstrate 29 November
Assemble Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY
Assemble 11am — Depart 12 noon
March to Parliament for a rally at Westminster Central Hall Facebook event
To find out about UCU strike events in your area, go to UCU website and follow @ucu on Twitter as well as the hashtags #UCUStrikesBack #UCUstrike
Follow Strathclyde University students who have gone into occupation to support striking staff – Strathclyde Students in Solidarity @strath_occupied
Unison
Victory for the Bradford Health Strikers as Trust backs down from its privatisation planes – UNISON Facilities members in Bradford who took 3 weeks strike action in the summer against plane to move them into a private ‘Wholly Owned Subsidiary’ are celebrating after the Trust climbed down and said it would not be creating the new company. They were left in no doubt that had they decided to go ahead they would have been faced with more strike action over the winter months by a workers who were determined to fight for the status as NHS employees. The news has been met with messages of solidarity and congratulations from NHS workers nationwide as well as other Trade Unionists and the general public of Bradford who supported the strikers during their struggle. The strike proved beyond all doubt the NHS workers are prepared to fight for their jobs , terms and conditions and that striking gets results! The announcement come during the general election campaign in which the choices are clear. A vote for the Tory and Brexit party privateers or the Labour Party which is committed to ending the privatisation of NHS jobs and services. NHS staff such as us in Mid Yorkshire and Bradford who have won the battle to remain in the NHS are looking to Labour to end the threat of privatisation and bring all outsourced staff back into the NHS.
Adrian O’Malley
UNISON
Health Service Groups Executive
Yorkshire & Humberside
(Personal Capacity)
Health workers in Bradford win privatisation battle. Wholly owned subsidiary plans dropped
Support these indefinite industrial actions:-
Unite
Bromley library workers renew strike mandate as dispute enters sixth month – Bromley library workers, who are in the sixth month of strike action against their controversial employer social enterprise leisure services’ giant Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), have unanimously renewed their strike mandate. The 50 library staff, who started their strike on 6 June, have now voted by 100 per cent to continue the strike action from Monday 25 November. Talks are due tomorrow (Wednesday 13 November) between Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union which represents the library staff, and GLL bosses in a bid to resolve one of the longest employment disputes of modern times. The strike is over staffing and other issues specifically relating to GLL’s stewardship of Bromley’s 14 libraries. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “Our members, who have shown great courage and resolution over many months, have once again sent a very clear message to GLL by voting 100 per cent to support the campaign to defend jobs and the library service. We will meet with GLL management tomorrow (Wednesday) in what will be the most important negotiations so far. We will be entering these talks in the spirit of open and constructive negotiation. This is now one of the longest running industrial disputes of recent times and tomorrow presents a real opportunity to work towards an agreement. We will play our part and invite GLL to do the same. Our members have renewed their mandate for strike action from 25 November which will mean a continuous, indefinite strike into the new year – we wish to avoid this by reaching a fair settlement this week for our members and the Bromley public who are such avid users of the library service.” Read more
Here is a link for our crowd funding site which has 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]
Support the Tayside Pharmacy workers – Well back to work tomorrow for all the pharmacy support workers across NHS Tayside for their 2nd week following industrial action, back to undertake our new band 3 role for band 2 wages. The anger and frustration is growing, “a fair days pay for a fair days work”. Potentially just over 5 weeks away from further action, the post is a band 3 so let’s implement the evaluation of this and settle any back payments for all pharmacy support workers across Tayside and stop punishing post holders. Read more on Support Tayside Pharmacy Workers Facebook page
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
Date for your diary: 2020 NSSN Conference Saturday July 4th 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL
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
PCS
Support the December 5th Ealing Tax Office strike – PCS members working for HMRC in International House in Ealing will walk out of work on Thursday 5th December at 12 midday on official strike action Facebook event
HMRC cleaners to take six further days of strike action for the living wage – PCS members employed by ISS to clean HMRC offices on Merseyside are due to take six further days of strike action on 25-27 November and 2-4 December. The cleaners are fighting for a £10 per hour living wage, improved terms and conditions, and job security guarantees. The union recently won settlements over pay and conditions for contractors employed by ISS and another contractor, Aramark, in the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Workers there had been on indefinite strike since July, in the longest action of its kind by outsourced workers. HMRC and ISS are currently refusing to engage with the union over the pay and conditions of the cleaners. However, the BEIS settlement demonstrates that this is nothing more than a lack of will by both parties, and PCS is determined to force them to do the right thing by their workers read more
DVSA talks break down at ACAS – Talks between PCS and DVSA have broken down at ACAS, after a month of negotiation to attempt to settle a long and bitter dispute. The dispute over travel time, imposed new slots which lengthens the working day, and proper workforce planning, resulted in four weeks strike action during August and September. 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 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
RMT and SWR agree to ACAS talks in guards’ safety dispute tomorrow (Nov 26)
RMT accuses SWR of deceit over agreements on guard guarantee – Rail union RMT has accused South Western Railway of deceit over agreements that were proposed and then withdrawn by the company over guaranteeing a guard on the train. The union is set to take 27 days of strike action in December over the fact that management reneged on agreements that had been made in principle and in good faith. The company are now trying to deny these agreements were ever made in a blatant display of contempt for previous negotiations and the workers involved. As a result of SWR’s failure to move forwards on an agreement RMT members will take action as follows: We instruct our Guard, Commercial Guards and Driver members to take the following strike action:-
- Not to book on for duty from 00:01 on Monday 2nd December 2019 until 23:59 on Wednesday 11th December
- Not to book on for duty from 00:01 on Friday 13th December until 23:59 on Tuesday 24th December 2019
- Not to book on duty from 00:01 on Friday 27th December 2019 until 23:59 on the 1st January 2020 read more
RMT members vote overwhelmingly to press ahead with seeking a negotiated settlement to guards’ safety dispute on Northern Rail (26 Nov) – RMT members on Northern Rail have voted by nearly 95% in a referendum ballot to press ahead with negotiations with the company aimed at reaching a long-term settlement to the guards’ safety dispute that secures cast-iron guarantees on the safest method of operation, assuring passenger safety and accessibility read more
RMT remains solid and determined this morning on second day of West Midlands Trains action in fight for guards and safety (23 Nov) – Rail union RMT said that strike action on West Midlands Trains remains solid and determined this morning on the second day of the latest union fight to put the role of the guard and the safety of the travelling public before the profits of the private train operator read more
- 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 30th November
- 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 7th December
- 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 14th December
- 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 21st December
- 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 28th December read more
The NSSN understands that some Aslef members again did nor cross RMT picket lines. We salute this solidarity action
RMT suspends Victoria Line drivers’ strike action (22 Nov) – TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that strike action planned for the Victoria Line on the 27th and 28th November has been suspended to allow for the issues at the heart of the dispute to be addressed in detail in further talks with London Underground read more
RMT to strike on Eurostar over London living wage – RAIL UNION RMT has called strike action on Eurostar in its fight for Rail Gourmet caterers to be paid the London Living Wage as the company marks its 25th anniversary. Rail Gourmet (Eurostar contract) workers are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between 00:01 hours on Thursday 28th November 2019 and 23:59 hours on Friday 29th November 2019. Rail Gourmet workers are the last group of workers on Eurostar to be paid below the London Living Wage. The company wants to withhold the uplift in wages and leave these workers on poverty pay until January 2021. Meanwhile Eurostar and catering contractor Rail Gourmet bosses are paid big salaries and both companies make good profits read more
More Unite
BREAKING NEWS!! Public opinion is key to resolving Bradford’s libraries and museums’ dispute as more strikes announced for next week (27 Nov) – The strength of public opinion is the key that could unlock the long-running Bradford libraries and museums’ dispute, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Wednesday 27 November), as more strikes were announced for next week. More than 70 Unite members will stage all-out strikes at the city’s 14 library and museums on Tuesday (3 December) and Friday (6 December), as well as targeted action on Monday (2 December), Wednesday (4 December) and Thursday (5 December). Unite members at the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council have already taken nine days of strike action in defence of the service which faces swingeing cuts read more
Unite will fight compulsory redundancies at Cummins ‘every step of way’ after firm announces global job cuts (25 Nov) – Unite warned engine and generator manufacturer Cummins today (Monday 25 November), that it will fight any compulsory redundancies in the UK after the firm announced 2,000 jobs cuts to its European and US operations. The announcement comes after Cummins, which has sites across England and Scotland, said in October that it is planning to close its Scottish manufacturing site in Cumbernauld, a move that will result in 130 jobs read more
DHL urged to accept Dartford based drivers’ ‘reasonable’ demands to avoid Christmas chaos for Sainsbury’s shoppers in London and South East (25 Nov) – Unite is urging logistics firm DHL to accept ‘reasonable’ improvements to pay and redundancy packages for HGV drivers, who deliver to Sainsbury’s stores across parts of London and the South East, in order to avoid Christmas strikes. DHL drivers at Sainsbury’s Dartford regional distribution centre voted overwhelmingly for strike action, after negotiations over pay and ending a two-tier system for redundancy packages broke down. Unite members overwhelmingly (97.4 per cent) voted in favour of strike action that is scheduled to take place on a number of dates over a three month period beginning with a 24 hour strike on 6 December. The drivers are asking for a 3.5 per cent pay rise and for their redundancy packages to be put on a par with Sainsbury’s drivers at other locations who carry out the exact same role read more
‘Devastating critique’ by Unite of RSPCA bosses over pay dispute and bullying culture (25 Nov) – A devastating critique of the managerial style at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has been published by Unite. In an open letter to the RSPCA’s chief executive Chris Sherwood, Unite said that recent talks over pay and new contracts were ‘deliberately restrictive, disingenuous and designed to fail’. Hundreds of workers are currently voting in a consultative ballot designed to test the temperature on whether to proceed to a full-scale industrial action ballot. The ballot closes on Thursday 5 December read more
Westex Carpets staff to strike over ‘insulting’ pay freeze – Staff at West Yorkshire carpet manufacturer Westex Carpets will go on strike tomorrow (Wednesday 20 November) in a dispute over pay, Unite has said. Unite members will begin continuous strike action at two Westex Carpet sites in Cleckheaton and Dewsbury tomorrow after the company tabled a pay offer of 2.2 per cent, which was subsequently rejected by the membership. Westex Carpets responded by taking the offer off the table and implementing a pay freeze until at least April 2020. The company cited financial difficulties for the pay freeze, despite making pre-tax profits of £5.44m during 2018/19 and £5.164m in 2018/17. The membership believes that Westex Carpets’ profits will continue at the current level and voted in favour of strike action that will last until the dispute is settled read more
Month long Lincolnshire health visitors’ strike starts today over council’s ‘divide and rule’ jobs move – Lincolnshire health visitors started their month-long strike today (18 November) as cracks appeared in the county council’s hardline ‘divide and rule’ policy over future job roles. Unite confirmed today that the health visitors started their strike at 00:01 today ending at 23:59 on Friday 13 December over plans that could see some of them lose an estimated £150,000 over the duration of their careers. Unite is due to meet the county council, under the auspices of the conciliation service Acas, tomorrow, (Tuesday 19 November). The latest strike follows the first bout of strike action – 32 days since July with the loss of around 450 shifts over health visitors having lost more than £2,000 a year since they were transferred from the NHS – and centres on the council’s current insistence on different contracts for grade 9 and grade 10 health visitors read more
Council bosses accused of ‘dragging feet’ over talks, as new strikes loom at Bradford’s libraries and museums – Bradford council bosses are being ‘obdurate and foot dragging’ in talks to resolve the dispute over swingeing cuts to the city’s 14 libraries and museums, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Thursday 14 November). Unite threw down the gauntlet as more than 70 of its library and museums’ members were gearing up for four more days of targeted strike action, starting on Monday (18 November), over the cuts. Staff have already taken five days of strike action this autumn. The industrial action comes as the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council launched a consultation, which closes on Friday 20 December, on the future of the library service – Unite is urging the public to make its views known if they want to safeguard the service for future generations read more. Please send messages of support and donations FAO Mark Martin to Winwaed House, 64-66 Crossgates Road, Leeds, LS15 7NN, cheques payable to Unite the Union
McGill bus workers vote for industrial action – Unite the union members in McGill Bus Services have today (12 November) voted for industrial action over a pay dispute affecting the company’s ex-Arriva staff. Around 50 Unite members, which includes drivers, shunters and labourers, voted by 85 per cent for strike action, and action short of a strike. The action is scheduled to begin on 26 November. The depots affected by three days of 24 hour industrial action and a continuous overtime ban are Inchinnan and Johnstone. The other dates of action are 2 and 9 December read more
‘Bad faith’ by Hackney council bosses prompts strike action in dispute over bussing disabled children to school – The reignited dispute involving drivers and passenger escorts on school buses for disabled children in Hackney will mean five days of strike action later this month, after council bosses reneged on a previously agreed settlement. Unite said that Hackney’s council’s U-turn on the agreement for its 38 members has now prompted strike action from 00:01 on Monday 25 November, ending at 23:59 on Friday 29 November. Unite today (Thursday 7 November) called on Hackney councillors to intervene ‘to bang heads together’ in the authority’s management team. The workers originally called off their strike in the long-running dispute over payments for working split shifts on 9 October, but the council is now insisting that the staff use contractual leave days for the training days agreed as part of the settlement. Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “Hackney council bosses have not just negotiated in bad faith – they have attempted to cheat low paid workers out of a negotiated agreement. The behaviour is so appalling that councillors now need to urgently intervene and bang heads together in the management team, if further strike action is to be avoided…” read more. Picket lines will be from 7am to 10 am at 8 Rigg Approach, E10 7QH
More Unison
Carmarthenshire County Council ballot for strike action and action short of strike action results announced – Our branch had every confidence in our members that they would vote to take industrial action due to the strength of the feeling of being undervalued by Plaid led Carmarthenshire County Council for the hard and dangerous work that they do in keeping the public safe on the highways and byways of Carmarthenshire. Our members have sent a clear message to the council of what they thought about the council’s ‘final offer’ and that the council should stop providing this statutory service on the cheap and pay significantly more in retainer payments to employees carrying out winter gritting. Representatives of all the unions Unison, GMB and Unite will be meeting shortly to plan out the action we will be taking to encourage the employer to significantly increase its’ final offer’.
Unison ballot – Turnout 84.2%
Number voting yes to strike action and action short of strike action 100%
Mark Evans, Branch Secretary Carmarthenshire County Unison
Compass workers back on strike as poll shows the public oppose NHS outsourcing (25 Nov) – Around 300 staff employed by private contractor Compass within NHS trusts in St Helens and Blackpool are beginning their fifth round of strike action today. After the current two day strike, the hospital workers will have taken 14 days of action over the company’s failure to match health service pay rates and working conditions. The latest strike comes as a recent UNISON/ComRes poll has revealed that just one in three people believe transferring NHS staff over to work for private companies is acceptable. The survey of more than 2,000 also reveals that half of those polled fear the efficiency of the NHS could be undermined as a direct result of non-medical health employees – including cleaners, porters and catering workers – being outsourced read more
GMB
Winter travel chaos looms after gritters vote to strike (25 Nov) – More than 75% of GMB members working in Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) highways department have voted in favour of industrial action and action short of strike read more
Lewisham Hospital workers continue fight after ISS Living Wage announcement – “GMB is clear that the exploitation of hospital workers will only cease when NHS workers are transferred back in house on full NHS pay terms and conditions”, says GMB Southern. After intense pressure from GMB Union members, Greenwich and Lewisham NHS and new provider ISS have announced that the London Living Wage, now standing at £10.75 per hour, will be implemented in Lewisham Hospital with some conditions. The London Living Wage will not be granted until the workers complete 3 months training. This means workers will not receive the pay until May 2020 at the earliest. GMB will be holding a march and rally on Wednesday 27 November to call for the immediate introduction of the London Living Wage for workers, and for the outsourced services provided by ISS be brought back in house to the NHS. The march will start at Lewisham Hospital and end with a rally outside Lewisham Shopping Centre. Details of the march and rally are as follows:
Wednesday 27 November, 2:00 PM from Lewisham Hospital, Lewisham High St. London SE13 6LH to Lewisham Shopping Centre Molesworth St. London SE13 7HB read more
As part of their ongoing campaign to bring decent quality work to Amazon employees, through union organisation, the GMB are organising campaign activities in six regions at either Fulfilment centres, Flex sites, targeting HGV drivers, and Amazon HQ on Black Friday 29th November and Cyber Monday 2nd December. This is a healthy mix, and will assist in getting outreach to various workers in the various different Amazon operations. Events being held on ‘Black Friday 29th November are as follows:
NW&I Region will be targeting Amazon Fulfilment centres at Bolton, Manchester, and Warrington
W&SW Region will be targeting Amazon Fulfilment centre at Bristol Avonmouth and the Prime site at Newport,
Yorkshire Region will be targeting the Amazon Flex depot in Sheffield,
Midlands & East Coast will be targeting Amazon Fulfilment centre at Coalville,
Birmingham Region will be targeting and organising an event at the Amazon Fulfilment centre at Rugely,
Midlands & East Coast Region will be targeting Amazon Fulfilment Centre at Peterborough,
London, Birmingham and National will be targeting the Amazon London HQ at Shoreditch, with plenty of Robots in attendance.
London event lobby and Demo, arrange to meet 11am, 1 Principle Place, Worship Street, London, EC2A 2FA (Shoreditch/City of London) Farrigdon and Barbican stations are around five minutes’ walk. GMB are asking people to meet up nearby at around 1045hrs prompt
Support the ASDA workers and reinstate Michael Hunnum – 12,000 workers are facing being sacked before Christmas by scrooge bosses ASDA, who are now owned by US superstore giant Walmart. This threat is hanging over them unless they agree to the new ‘Contract 6’ which will see them lose all their paid breaks and forced to work bank holidays. The same employer is sacking North East GMB member Michael Hunnam. Michael’s fight is part of the same struggle to resist the offensive of the ASDA bosses. Michael’s supporters believe that his determined opposition to Contract 6 is what has put him in the ASDA firing line. Support the ASDA workers and reinstate Michael!
NUJ
Newsquest Glasgow ballot for industrial action (22 Nov) – Journalists at Newsquest’s Glasgow-based titles will be balloted on industrial action. On Thursday 21 November the NUJ informed the employer of the ballot, which will begin on 27 November and closes on 9 December. The ballot will cover editorial staff on The Herald, The Herald on Sunday, the Evening Times, The National and the Sunday National. The move comes in response to the company’s announcement on proposed redundancies, stating that it will be forced to make compulsory dismissals if it cannot achieve its proposed cuts of around £500,000 by other means read more
NIPSA
One Hour Strike at 3 pm on Thursday 28 November – It has been almost 3 weeks since the Department of Finance published the 2019-20 Pay Remit for public sector workers, but negotiations on pay for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) members have not yet started. While we expect negotiations to begin later this month, members feel justifiably angry that they will be facing yet another Christmas without a pay increase. When negotiations do commence, NIPSA will be making a strong case for an above inflation pay increase and will be making clear that our members will no longer tolerate either pay cuts that have continued for a decade or further attacks on their terms and conditions. NIPSA members have also expressed anger at the staging of the NICS Awards 2019 which is an event held to acknowledge and reward the excellent service provided by civil servants. It does, however, add insult to injury that awards for, inter alia, customer service, innovation, policy and operation delivery, which is the work civil servants do well each and every day, will be acknowledged by certificates and awards for the few rather than a fair and decent pay increase for all. The event will occur the day after pay day which will serve as a further reminder, if one were needed, of how little the NICS actually rewards its staff. For that reason, and to keep the pressure on, the Civil Service Executive Committee has decided to call a one-hour strike, at 3 pm on Thursday 28 November which is the day the awards ceremony will take place in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings. We will also be holding a protest at the event that evening and we are asking those members who can, to attend at 6 pm at the security entrance to Parliament Buildings. The protest is not targeted at those individuals who will be receiving the awards but at the concept of the awards ceremony itself read more
RCN
Members working in Health and Social Care [HSC] services in Northern Ireland will take industrial action from 3 December – Following the news that members of the RCN in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action, including strike action, over the nurse staffing and pay crisis, RCN Council met on 12 November 2019 to approve dates on which to take this action. Some 96% of those members who returned their ballot papers voted to take industrial action and 92% voted to take strike action. The first day of industrial action will be Tuesday 3 December 2019. Industrial action, short of strike action, will include declining to do any task that is not patient-specific read more
NEU
Please give support to these strikes:-
St Catherine’s Catholic School / Bexleyheath – Tuesday 26 November to Wednesday 27 November. Email support to [email protected]
More UCU
Support the strikes at Coventry University in appraisal row – Coventry University will be hit with strike action on Thursday (21 November) unless it urgently addresses staff concerns about its controversial appraisal process, UCU confirmed today. UCU members will be on picket lines outside the university’s main entrances on Gosford Street from 8am on Thursday, before heading to a rally outside the Graham Sutherland Building at 10am with speakers including UCU general secretary Jo Grady. Thursday’s walkout is the first of five strike days, with staff also due to take action on Tuesday 26 and Friday 29 November, followed by a two-day strike on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 December. Send solidarity messages to Coventry University UCU branch secretary – Sharon McGuire, [email protected] read more
FBU
Surrey firefighters to ballot on Christmas industrial action (26 Nov) – Firefighters in Surrey are today (Tuesday 26 November) balloting on industrial action to commence on 24 December, after exhausting all other avenues to prevent dangerous cuts to their fire and rescue service. The cuts, which include removing seven fire engines at night-time and cutting 70 firefighter posts, were approved by Surrey County Council at a cabinet meeting on 24 September. 68% of respondents to the official consultation opposed cuts to fire cover, with just 18% approving. Over 13,000 people signed a petition calling on the council to scrap cuts, but the council ultimately voted them through
Number of fire fatalities on the rise in Surrey (22 Nov)
UVW
Hospital cleaners, caterers and porters declare indefinite strike action in what will be the longest strike in the NHS’ history (Nov 22) – Members of the trade union United Voices of the World (UVW) will begin indefinite strike action in January 2020 at St. Mary’s Hospital, West London. The strike will see up to 200 cleaners, caterers and porters outsourced by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to French multinational Sodexo walk off the job in a demand to become NHS employees. The strike will be the longest in the NHS’ History and is endorsed by the London Regional Council of the British Medical Association. The workers have already taken 6 days of strike action with 9 more days planned for the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th of November and the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th of December. The announcement of an indefinite strike commencing in January 2020 is the latest turn in an ongoing dispute between cleaners, caterers and porters and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. So far the strike has seen hundreds of workers and supporters picket and peacefully occupy St Mary’s hospital, Charing Cross and Western Eye hospital, all of which are a part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Picket lines are from 8am – 5pm read more
Other news
‘Solidarity’ – A film about the secretive methods used against UK activists and trade unionists will be shown at the conference. You can also see it around the country:-
25 October Document Film Festival, CCA Glasgow
30 October Phoenix Cinema, Leicester
4 November Art House Crouch End, London
7 November Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle
8 November The Maltings, Berwick Upon Tweed
16 November Undercover Policing and Trade Unions (Conference), Greenwich University.
22,23,28,30 November International Documentary Festival Amsterdam
11 December Curzon, Oxford
More dates to be announced.
Contact [email protected] to book a screening.
Follow the Blacklist Support Group here
Blacklisting & Victimisation
Blacklisting public inquiry in the Labour Manifesto
Page 48 of the Labour Manifesto:
“We will establish public inquiries into historical injustices including blacklisting and Orgreave, and ensure the second phase of the Grenfell Inquiry has the confidence of all those affected, especially the bereaved families and survivors. We will also consider a public inquiry in the case of Zane Gbangbola.
We will require judicial warrants for undercover operations and retain the Mitting Inquiry into undercover policing.
We will release all papers on the Shrewsbury 24 trials and 37 Cammell Laird shipyard workers and introduce a Public Accountability Bill”.
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
Freedom for Chilean soldier David Veloso
On October 18, the Chilean people began a generalized social uprising, triggered by a rise in passenger transportation in Santiago de Chile and violent repression of secondary students demonstrating against the increase by massively evading payment. This was the drop that filled the patience of the Chilean people, after thirty years of abuse and neoliberal capitalism administered by the civil governments that succeeded the Pinochet military civic dictatorship. On October 19, President Sebastián Piñera, imposed the state of emergency in the city of Santiago, placed an army general in charge of the city, and curfew was imposed. Piñera took to the streets the Armed Forces that joined the police in the repression of social protest for the first time since the end of the dictatorship. The measure was quickly also applied in most regions of the country.
Despite this, the demonstrations were growing in number and massiveness, and people bravely challenged the curfew and repression. Just one week after the popular protest broke out, there was the most massive demonstration in the history of Chile. On October 25, two million protested only in Santiago, to which we must add other regions of the country, with four requirements: remove the Armed Forces from the street, Piñera’s resignation, withdraw from Congress the discussion of all those laws «against the people», and to convene a Constituent Assembly to achieve a new Constitution that replaces that of 1980 implemented under dictatorship and still in force.
On October 28, Sebastián Piñera was forced to lift the state of emergency and curfew, which had not allowed him to end the popular protest, despite the serious violations of Human Rights, the dead, missing and injured people. On the contrary, the state of emergency and the curfew revealed the inability of the government.
It was in that context that the soldier David Veloso Codocedo (21), refused to embark from Antofagasta to Santiago to participate in the repression and threw his weapon to the ground. The military prosecutor Cristián Ramírez, ordered the arrest of the young man who can be sentenced even to 10 years in military prison under military law, since then the young man is imprisoned.
Given this we have formed a committee against repression and consider David Veloso as a conscientious objector soldier. We request your support for the campaign demanding his freedom by sending letters to President Sebastián Piñera, demanding the immediate freedom of this brave young man.
You can write to President Piñera through the website – http://escribenos.presidencia.cl/Formulario?seleccion=Presidente
Email a copy to Committee against repression in Chile [email protected]
Santiago, Chile, November 2, 2019
Chile: Millions take to the streets in general strike
South African Airways workers win wage increase after strike action
Philippines: Anti-union repression against teacher union read more
Diary
2019
Dec 3 Tell Trump: hands off our NHS! (Hosted by Stop Trump) – demonstrate: assemble 4pm Trafalgar Square, London
2020
July 4 2020 NSSN Conference 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL
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
