The NSSN pre-TUC Rally on September 13th, called on the TUC Congress to organise a day of demonstrations and protests in every town and city on Saturday October 24th to demand the furlough Job Retention Scheme, scheduled to end a week later, was continued and upgraded – we say ‘work or full pay!’
The Tory Government have now said that it will be replaced by a lesser and more targeted Job Support Scheme. Tory Chancellor Sunak admits that this will mean many workers face losing their jobs. Union activists will have therefore been even more shocked that when he announced the JSS, he was flanked by TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady alongside the head of the CBI bosses’ union.
We have to ensure that a second wave of COVID isn’t accompanied by a re-run of union leaders bending to the ‘national unity’ mood as some did when the pandemic first hit in the spring. Our message is still loud and clear: workers and their families shouldn’t pay the price for coronavirus, whether in terms of our lives or livelihoods. Defend every job and fight any attacks on pay, terms and conditions.
Protests are still being organised by trades councils and union branches around that time. Email us any that you are calling and we’ll publicise.
Stop union victimisation: Reinstate Richie Venton Glasgow USDAW – IKEA workers need YOUR support. This is a campaign page set up by workers furious at the victimisation and sacking of the elected USDAW shop steward and convener in IKEA Glasgow, RICHIE VENTON, and IKEA’s attacks on workers’ rights and conditions, including removal of wages from workers off sick with COVID-19. Richie has been singled out and sacked for standing up for the health, safety and lives of workers he represents, demanding safety measures and full average pay for all workers sick or self-isolating with the killer virus. He is the first trade unionist in Scotland to be sacked by employers in disputes over workers’ safety from the Coronavirus. Since sacking him, IKEA have imposed even worse cutbacks, including on company sick benefit, putting far more workers on just £95 Statutory Sick Pay, which could force some to continue working because of hardship, spreading the virus, endangering lives. This campaign is to reinstate Richie to his job and his elected union position; to win full average wages for all COVID-sick workers, in IKEA and every other workplace; and to stop employers making £billions in profit but endangering workers’ lives by expecting them to survive on £95-a-week Statutory Sick Pay. Sign the Petition – Add your voice and support to the demand that Ikea reinstate Richie Venton and reinstate sick workers’ wages by signing the secure petition read more on Reinstate Richie Venton website
Watch Reel News this video about London IKEA solidarity protest
Support the NHS pay protests
On Saturday September 12th there were demonstrations and rallies in many towns and cities. Workers in the NHS and care sector workers demand an immediate 15% pay rise that starts to close the income gap caused by a decade of pay freezes. Please join the protests that are taking place.
Details of some of these events can be found here in the Nurses and Midwives say NO! to Public Sector pay inequality Facebook group and on the Keep Our NHS Public website. Also visit the website of Health Campaigns Together.
We support the call of many health workers for industrial action ballots, co-ordinated across all the health unions and linking up with all other workers in public services. We are confident that this would be supported by workers in the private sector and all those who benefit from health and social care, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic where so many staff put their lives on the line.
Sign the petition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak – ‘We demand a pay rise for key workers’
The NSSN is continuing to report on how workers are organising during the coronavirus pandemic
The NSSN is opening up our weekly email bulletin, website and social media platforms of Facebook and twitter to provide a public forum for workers during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis. We want to be a place where we can all share queries and experiences that workers are facing in their workplaces. These include reports of action taken by workers to defend themselves from their employers.
You can read about many of these actions in our weekly bulletin and out social media groups, especially our Facebook group: NSSN – defend workers’ rights under Coronavirus.
You can also send the NSSN your reports and queries via our website, twitter – @NSSN_AntiCuts and email – [email protected]
We welcome the information being sent to union members concerning the spread of coronavirus, including the Accord, Advance, AEP, AFA-CWA, ASLEF, BDA, BECTU Sector of Prospect, BFAWU, BOS-TU, College of Podiatry, Community, CSP, EIS, Equity, FBU, FDA, GMB, HCSA, MU, NAHT, NASUWT, National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD), Nautilus International, NEU, NGSU, NUJ, PFA, Prospect, RCM, SoR, TSSA, TUC, UCU, UNISON, Unite, URTU, USDAW, WGGB and the RCN
But it is absolutely vital that unions retain their ability to organise and act independently in defence of their members and workers generally. This includes the right of unions to take industrial action. We are already aware of workers being forced to take unofficial action on health and safety grounds. We also believe that unions should have oversight of any government bans on protests and picketing. This is the same Tory government that tabled more new anti-union laws in December’s Queens Speech last December and cannot be trusted.
We believe that it is essential that workers are protected during this worrying period and are not impacted, whether in terms of their safety as well as their pay and employment rights. The Tory government have announced measures that if implemented would include some workers receive 80% of their wages. However, we believe that no worker should pay the price for any spread of the virus. Any worker who is required not to attend work or is unable to do so because of childcare or transport closures should receive full pay and not be forced to take annual leave. But unions have to remain vigilant that any government payments actually happen and also covers all workers, including those in precarious employment such as zero-hour contracts and in the gig economy.
We have drafted this model motion which we’ve made into a bulletin that can be downloaded and printed off to be distributed. Feel free to use in your union and trades council, in totality or partially to highlight the issues that need to be addressed.
Keep an eye out for other Facebook and social media groups and pages that are being created. The Coronavirus Support Group for Workers has been set up on Facebook and is a useful forum.
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. Feel free to use this affiliation letter
And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]
Follow us on twitter via @NSSN_AntiCuts and Facebook
Union News
RMT
RMT in last ditch talks on Wednesday as strike looms on Caledonian Sleeper (28 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT will take part in last ditch talks with SERCO on Wednesday as members on the Caledonian Sleeper prepare to take strike action and action short of a strike on Sunday against SERCO’s lack of concern for member’s safety and wellbeing and the company’s refusal to negotiate with their union. RMT has made it clear that they have been prepared to negotiate from the outset and have been prepared to engage with ACAS while the company have tried to keep the whole process in-house rather than exploring every option to broker a settlement. The strike action has been sparked after SERCO Caledonian Sleeper continued to provide insufficient berths for rest periods and the company’s inability to address the fatigue experienced by RMT members as a result. RMT says that safety on the railway is paramount and the company are showing a clear lack of regard for the welfare of its staff. There is no question that RMT members are essential for the safe running of the railway and it is vital that staff are able to carry out their duties responsively and quickly. This can only happen when staff are free from the danger of fatigue read more
Outrage as Trump Turnberry ignores union and presses on with savage cuts and job losses (25 Sept) – TRUMP TURNBERRY UNION RMT has condemned the continued all-out assault on jobs and conditions at the US President’s Scottish flagship golf resort as the company ploughs ahead with job cuts. Despite strong representation from RMT and the fact that Trump Turnberry used the government furlough scheme – a scheme designed to prevent redundancies – savage cuts and job losses are being bulldozed through. Cuts involve the axing of up to eighty jobs alongside other savage cuts to sick pay, working hours, pay enhancements, staff benefits and working conditions read more
RMT launches global on-line petition to halt jobs carnage at Trump’s Turnberry resort
RMT steps up campaign for TfL funding (25 Sept) – RMT steps up campaign for TfL funding with petition launch. London Transport Union RMT is stepping up its fight to win full funding for Transport for London with the launch of an online petition. The petition can be found at: https://www.rmtlondoncalling.org.uk/funding-statement read more
RMT responds to MSPs safety concerns on Scotland’s railway caused by staff vacancies and redundancies (25 Sept) – RAIL UNION RMT today welcomed Members of the Scottish Parliament raising much needed awareness of safety concerns on Scotland’s railway following reports that Network Rail in Scotland has over 200 infrastructure vacancies whilst at the same time some of the biggest private rail infrastructure contractors including Babcock Rail, SPL Powerlines, Story Plant and AMCO are ploughing ahead with redundancies, posing safety concerns with Scotland’s rail infrastructure read more
Plaque to remember Asquith Xavier to be unveiled (24 Sept) – A plaque to commemorate the memory of British Rail guard Asquith Xavier who broke the colour bar at Euston station in 1966 will be unveiled in the waiting Room at Platform 1 Chatham Station in Kent today – Thursday 24th September 2020 – at Noon. Asquith Xavier was a Chatham resident and a Guard with British Rail and played a key role in ending the last vestiges of racist colour bars on BR and was part of a wider issue that saw a massive change in the 1968 Race Relations Act read more
Tube outsourcing company profiteering whilst slashing jobs (23 Sept) – Underground outsourcing company doubles its profits while cutting safety-critical cleaners jobs in midst of COVID crisis. TUBE UNION RMT today called on the Mayor of London to take back control of the Underground cleaning and put an end to the outdated dogma of outsourcing, after it emerged that the outsourcing company ABM has doubled its profits in the last financial year while cutting the number of cleaners working to keep Londoners safe on the tube read more
Sign petition: to The Mayor of London and the London Assembly – End the privatisation of cleaning at Transport for London
Please Support RMT Members With No Wages! – RMT London Transport Region Zero Hours & Self-Employed members need our Solidarity Now! Many of our regions self-employed members and those on zero hours have not any had wages for 2 months since March. They have been abandoned by London Underground, TfL, the London Mayor and their agency employers. They MUST NOT be abandoned by us too; their RMT sisters and brothers! The RMT London Transport Regional Council and LU Engineering RMT branch are calling out to all branches, members and friends to dig deep and give meaningful solidarity to our hard pressed members facing poverty and possibly eviction from their homes. To help support by donating to the fund or to ask after support for yourself, please email: [email protected] read more
RAIL UNION RMT has suspended strike action on South Western Railway in good faith to allow further talks to take place read more
Donate to the RMT strike fund on South Western Railway – The NSSN is appealing for financial support and solidarity for the RMT and their members on SWR, who have just voted to renew their mandate to take mote strike action. Send messages of support and requests for speakers for your union branch and/or trades council to RMT NEC member and SWR guard Geoff Kite – [email protected]
To make a donation to the hardship funds set up for RMT members striking against Driver Only Operation:-
National Dispute Fund:
Transfers can be made directly into the account using the details below:
Account name: RMT Head Office National Dispute Fund
Account no: 20113524
Sort Code: 60-83-01
Alternatively, you can send cheques to the Finance Department at Head Office – Unity House 39 Chalton Street London NW11JD
TSSA
Merseyrail Covid redundancies – TSSA union says proposals are “premature” (28 Sept) – Transport union TSSA has today described as “premature” the announcement by Merseyrail of redundancies and is demanding the company pauses until talks between the Metro Mayor and government regarding funding come to an end. Redundancy consultation meetings are due to start this week read more
TSSA calls for Grand Central jobs transfer (24 Sept) – Transport union TSSA has called on rail operator Grand Central to ensure that staff affected by the abandonment of the Blackpool-London services are taken on elsewhere. The union is also calling on the government to absorb the services provided by open access operators into the government-protected rail services. Grand Central is owned by Arriva Group, which also owns several other train companies. They announced on 10 September that planned Blackpool to London services were now “unviable” and put employees at notice of risk of redundancy. Consultation with unions started yesterday (Wednesday) on the termination of the West Coast mainline services from Blackpool to London read more
Unite
BREAKING NEWS!! Unite victory: Major London bus operator rules out remote sign on (29 Sept) – Unite, the union which represents over 20,000 bus drivers in London, has secured a major victory in its campaign against the introduction of highly controversial remote sign-on operating procedures. Bus operator HCT (Hackney Community Transport) has confirmed to Unite that it has withdrawn proposals to introduce remote sign on at its Walthamstow garage in North East London. The decision by HCT to not progress with remote sign on, where a bus driver does not begin work at a depot but meets their bus at an outside location, further isolates bus operator Metroline which is trying to force through the introduction of remote sign on for its routes in North and West London. As a direct result of Metroline’s plans to introduce remote sign on, Unite is currently in the process of balloting its members for industrial action. If members vote for industrial action, there are likely to be strikes on Metroline bus services this autumn, creating severe disruption across London
Workforce balloting on strike action to save historic Lancashire Rolls-Royce factory (29 Sept) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have begun to ballot for industrial action as part of a campaign to save the historic Rolls-Royce plant at Barnoldswick in Lancashire. The iconic site, which is the cradle of the jet engine, has been owned by Rolls Royce since 1943. In August, Rolls-Royce announced that it was off-shoring the production of its Trent Engines blades, which are made at the plant, to Singapore, with the loss of 350 jobs. Ballot papers began to be sent out today Tuesday 29 September and the ballot will close on Friday 16 October. Should the workforce vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could begin in early November read more Sign this petition to Rolls Royce and the UK Government: Save Our Site – Battle for Barnoldswick (Rolls Royce)
Uber court decision ‘a sad day for the travelling public in London’, says Unite (28 Sept) – The news that Uber has won its appeal against Transport for London’s (TfL) decision not to renew its licence is ‘a sad day for the travelling public in London’, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Monday 28 September). Unite, which represents nearly a 1,000 taxi cab drivers in the capital, was commenting on the ruling by Westminster magistrates court that Uber was now ‘fit and proper’ to hold an operator’s licence. Uber operates in more than 60 countries across the globe. Chair of the Unite London taxi section Jim Kelly said: “This is a sad day for the travelling public in London and another blow to the taxi drivers in the capital. “It is our view that Uber has a ruthless business model that undermines safety and long-established regulations and now they have got the green light to continue operating in London which is very disappointing read more
Ford Closure a “dark day” for workforce and Wales (25 Sept) – Friday 25 September will mark the final day of engine production at Ford Bridgend and the closure of what has been a historic and iconic manufacturing site for Wales. Today will signal the end of their employment with Ford for the vast majority of the 1700 workers employed on the site read more
Heathrow urged to halt brutal plans to fire and rehire thousands in light of new jobs scheme (25 Sept) – Following the chancellor’s announcement yesterday (Thursday 24 September) of the creation of the Job Support Scheme, Unite, the UK’s leading aviation union, is calling on Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) to halt its ‘brutal’ plans to fire and re-hire thousands of workers. Earlier this month HAL issued a section 188 notice beginning a process which could result in over 4,000 workers directly employed by the airport being fired and then rehired on vastly inferior contracts. The workers, including security officers, engineers and firefighters, face losing over £8,000 per annum and up to 24 per cent of their incomes. Many workers fear that they will be forced to sell their homes and cars or move to cheaper areas read more
Stop the BA Betrayal! – This groundswell has been mobilised by reps and the campaign #BAbetrayal – a ‘crisis leverage campaign, which is part of Unite’s Leverage strategy. ‘Crisis leverage’ applies many of the same principles and takes a similarly robust, muscular approach but in a much more streamlined, nimble way. In a crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic, with a company behaving like British Airways, we have to move fast and to scale. Find out more and support the #BAbetrayal campaign by Joining the #BAbetrayal Facebook campaign and follow the @BAbetrayal campaign on Twitter. Sign the petition today
Sign this petition: Extend furlough scheme for the UK Aviation sector to help stop redundancies
Sign this petition: Reinstatement of Blue Handling employees laid off due to COVID-19 and placed on Furlough
Bernard Matthews breaks pledge and leaves essential workers stranded (24 Sept) – Hundreds of workers employed by Bernard Matthews, earning just the minimum wage, are up in arms over the company’s decision to more than double the price of its employee bus service and scrap a key route, leaving its workers in the lurch. Due to poor transport networks, Bernard Matthews provided subsidised bus services which are crucial for workers travelling to and from its sites in Great Witchingham in Norfolk and Holton in Suffolk read more
Confidence in RSPCA chief executive draining away as redundancy process ‘descends into chaos’ (23 Sept) – The redundancy process at the RSPCA has descended into such ‘chaos and confusion’ that chief executive Chris Sherwood needs to reflect on the lack of staff confidence in him, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Wednesday 23 September). Nearly 300 workers at the 196-year-old Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals face the sack ‘in the most challenging labour market conditions for a generation’, despite the charity having £60 million in reserves to tide it over the funding gap caused by Covid-19. Four animal centres are also earmarked to close read more
Sign this petition: Please sign and share: Extend the bereaved family payment to UK bus workers now
MTVHA – Stop the Sackings! Sign petition: To: Geeta Nanda, Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association – Please cease all compulsory redundancies during the recruitment freeze caused by Coronavirus restrictions which would make it impossible for anyone to find alternative employment read more from Unite Housing Workers branch
PCS
BREAKING NEWS!! PCS welcomes return of DWP digital and technology services back in-house (29 Sept) – PCS has welcomed the announcement that DWP Benefits and Pensions Digital Technology Services will return in-house next summer effectively bringing hundreds of jobs back into the public domain. In the 1990s the work done by PCS members in the civil service working for the Information Technology Services Agency (ITSA), part of the then DHSS, was privatised. PCS opposed the privatisation and has run a long campaign for this work to come back into the DWP read more
BREAKING NEWS!! PCS condemns V&A redundancy announcement (29 Sept) – PCS has rejected and condemned the Victoria and Albert Museum’s proposal to cut more than 100 retail and visitor experience jobs – around 10% of its overall workforce. As the Guardian reports staff were briefed earlier today about a process to reduce costs by £10 million annually, with job losses in other departments set to follow. We believe that is has been through the extraordinary efforts of front-of-house workers, some of whom worked throughout the lockdown, that the V&A has been able to reopen its doors to the public. They have been in direct contact with thousands of people a day making sure that the museum can fulfil its mission in the midst of a pandemic. They deserve our thanks and gratitude, not redundancies. We believe it is a disgrace that the V&A has chosen not to use the government Job Support Scheme (JSS) read more
Outsourcing of asylum interview process – deeply concerning and wrong, says PCS (28 Sept) – PCS has condemned plans to bring in a private contractor to run interviews of asylum seekers. Members in the Home Office raised the alarm after they became aware of the pilot scheme, which could see vulnerable people fleeing persecution have their applications dealt with by private contractors like Serco read more
PCS responds to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Job Support Scheme announcement (24 Sept) – The scheme will see the government top up wages of employees who are working fewer than normal hours due to lower demand within the economy due to the coronavirus. The chancellor’s plan to protect jobs will apply to staff who can work at least a third of their usual hours. Employers will pay staff for the hours they do work while the government and the employer will each cover one third of the lost pay for the hours’ workers don’t work. The grant for the hours that cannot be worked by employees will be capped at £697.92 per month. Other elements to scheme will see businesses able to apply for ‘bounce back’ loans and a 15% emergency VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality industries which will now be extended from January next year until March 31. But controversially Mr Sunak said he was not going to support jobs that were not “viable” and refused to extend the furlough scheme which has kept people employed despite not being able to attend work read more
How to respond to public sector pensions consultation (24 Sept) – As the 11 October deadline approaches to respond to the government’s public consultation on changes to public sector pension schemes we are encouraging PCS members and branches to submit their comments. The consultation is in advance of new legislation to amend the rules of pension schemes in the public services and published the consultation document public service pension schemes: changes to the transitional arrangements to the 2015 schemes read more
Support the indefinite Tate strike – The campaign’s website, tateunited.com, contains lots of information about the strike, how you can help and get involved, and photos and social media links read more Messages of support for our strikers can be sent to [email protected]. Contribute to our strike fund. Show your support on social media using the hashtag #SaveTateJobs. To find out about protests and picket lines, follow @tate_united on Twitter read more
Keep supporting ISS HMRC strikers – PCS members who clean HMRC’s Merseyside offices for multinational company ISS returned to work following a solidly supported four weeks of strike action through August. The strike is part of the members’ long-running fight for the living wage, improved working conditions and job security. Because of the demand for full occupational sick pay from day one, it is also directly linked to PCS’s Dying for Sick Pay campaign, which aims to secure occupational sick pay for all workers across the government estate…The members are meeting this week to discuss their next steps. Under the Tories’ 2016 Trade Union Act, a further postal ballot is required before they can take any more strike action, and members will need to discuss where the campaign goes next. In the meantime, you can continue to support the campaign by signing the e-action to Jim Harra on the TUC’s Megaphone site and donating to the strike fund: account name: PCS Liverpool/Bootle Campaign Account, sort code: 60-83-01, account number: 20415772
PCS to launch ballot as Southbank Centre confirms cuts to redundancy pay for hundreds of staff read more
Calling all petitioners – The PCS petition calling for fair pay for UK government workers has now reached the 50,000 signatories mark. With 50,000 more signatures to go to guarantee a full debate on the issue in Parliament we are asking members who have already signed the petition to ask their friends and colleagues to also sign it read more
Please sign this PCS petition to Save Ealing Tax Office – we ask that you sign this eaction to the Chancellor calling on him to intervene urgently, to halt the office closures and redundancies, and consult fully with the union and work to retain the experience and vital knowledge contained within Ealing Tax Office. Support our call to SAVE JOBS, SAVE SERVICES and STOP THE CLOSURES
Support Interserve strikers – Interserve workers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, were on strike for the whole of February. You can support the workers in the following ways:
- Sign and publicise the E-action
- Donate to the PCS fighting fund
- Send messages of support to [email protected]
- Visit the picket line at Whitehall/King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH. Read more
GMB
NHS and care visa extension vital to avoid catastrophic winter crisis (29 Sept) – GMB, the union for health and social care staff, have called on the UK Government to extend working visa’s for our key workers due to expire in the coming months, to help fight the second wave of the deadly Covid19 virus. GMB union is calling for the UK Government to extend working visas for NHS staff and care workers to avoid a ‘catastrophic winter crisis’ read more
Yodel faces strike action after ‘kick in the teeth’ pay deal rejected (25 Sept) – Yodel faces industrial action after GMB members overwhelmingly turned down their ‘kick in the teeth’ pay offer. The deal, worth just 1.6% this year and 1.5% from July 2021, has been rejected by 84% of GMB’s more than 1,000 members – who are dissatisfied all their hard work throughout the Covid crisis has not been rewarded. The ‘miserly’ offer comes despite the logistics titan seeing ‘Christmas volumes every day’ due to the ongoing covid-19 crisis. GMB calls on Yodel to come back to the negotiating table, rather than risk strike action during the peak season read more
Cabinet Minister pledges to look into private prison covid sick pay (23 Sept) – A Cabinet Minister has agreed to look into the private prison staff scandal which could see jail workers on covid-related absence forced to survive on just £95 a week. Contractors such as G4S, responsible for running private prisons including Rye Hill and Altcourse, insist any time off for coronavirus comes out of their company sick pay allowance read more
GMB announce further 10 days of action at Brighton & Hove City Council Housing Repairs department – “We’ll stay away until we all have sick pay”, say defiant GMB members. GMB have issued BHCC chief executive Geoff Raw with further strike dates in the ongoing dispute to secure sick pay for all operatives and GMB members within the Housing Repairs team. The walkout will be commencing on Mon 28th September and is the second of such actions taken by the team. It will see Council plumbers, electricians, carpenters and painter/decorators along with various other trades lawfully refusing to work over a 10 day period and until they secure sick pay parity for all colleagues less fortunate then themselves from the city’s Green Party-led council. The announcement comes at the end of an initial 5 days of action by GMB members whilst awaiting Council Officers’ response to the latest union proposal to resolve the issue read more
Strikes To Start As Burton’s “Takes The Biscuit Again” Over “Derisory” Workers’ Pay Offer – Production of some of Britain’s favourite biscuits will be halted over the next month as workers at Burton’s Biscuits Co in Edinburgh launch strike action over a “derisory” pay offer. GMB members at the Sighthill manufacturing plant, voted by an overwhelming majority of 91 per cent for industrial action after management refused to increase a 1.6 per cent offer for the next year. An indefinite work to rule and overtime ban will start on Tuesday 8 September from 14.00 hours before a series of twenty-four hour strikes throughout September. Action will take place on the following dates:-
- 06.00 hours on Wednesday 9 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 10 September.
- 06.00 hours on Wednesday 16 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 17 September.
- 06.00 hours on Wednesday 23 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 24 September read more
Unison
Stakes too high and pressures too great to delay NHS pay rise (29 Sept) – Staff need decisive government action now. Responding to the NHS Confederation report NHS Reset: A New Direction For Health And Care issued today (Tuesday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “This report highlights the immense pressures the NHS is under. But it stops short of calling for an early and significant pay rise for all NHS staff. This would quite simply make the world of difference…” read more
University staff speak out about COVID-19 fears (24 Sept) – More than 4,000 UNISON members completed the annual higher education survey, which exposed concerns about pay, working hours and the threat from COVID-19. A UNISON survey published this week shows how university staff including cleaners, security guards and administrative workers are feeling increasingly anxious about work, now that universities have reopened read more
Boost wages and scrap tuition fees to turbo-charge nurse recruitment. Ministers must act to fill 40,000 nursing vacancies (24 Sept) – Responding to NHS workforce statistics released today (Thursday) showing a 14,199 increase in nurse numbers and a 23% increase in nursing student acceptances read more
SOAS members secure victory against compulsory redundancies (22 Sept) – Planned strike action saw management agree to return to talks and offer workers redeployment deal. UNISON members working at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) are celebrating this week after victory in their fight to halt compulsory redundancies. The redundancies at the school, which is part of the University of London, were set to happen at the end of this month as part of a restructure. In response to planned strike action for today and tomorrow, following online branch meetings (pictured), SOAS management has agreed to return to the negotiating table read more
Wigan and Leigh rehab workers begin ten-day strike in long-running pay dispute as their union is finally recognised by We Are With You – Workers in the Wigan-Council commissioned drug and alcohol rehabilitation service will begin a further ten days of strike action on Monday (21 September) in a dispute over pay. The workers are employed by the London-based charity We Are With You. Between them, the support workers stand to lose £230,000 in wages over the duration of We Are With You’s contract with Wigan Council. Thirty UNISON members voted 100% in favour of strike action over We Are With You’s failure to ensure that staff transferred from the NHS receive the full NHS rates of pay. From Monday, they will begin ten days of strike action and hope to make their presence known whilst respecting the Government’s coronavirus restrictions. The rehab workers will hold socially distanced picket lines in Wigan and Leigh and will hold a virtual rally featuring speakers including Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan and Shadow Foreign Secretary. UNISON members have taken sixteen days of strike action previously over the unresolved issue. The support workers postponed all strike action during the initial lockdown period but have become frustrated by their employer’s failure to settle the dispute. Meanwhile, the drug and alcohol support workers have finally won their battle and forced their employer We Are With You to recognise UNISON as their trade union. The rehab workers began their campaign to be represented collectively through UNISON in 2019 but their employer refused to negotiate with the union. But earlier this week, the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) declared UNISON to be the recognised union for We Are With You workers in Wigan and Leigh. The CAC did not uphold any of We Are With You management’s objections and were satisfied that over 50% of workers were members of UNISON. This decision means that We Are With You will be forced to negotiate with the support workers collectively through their union UNISON from now on read more
The Wigan Branch and North West Region are asking for donations from branches to the hardship fund. Please donate via bank transfer to:
Unity Bank Sort Code: 60 83 01 Account Number: 20244354
Or send a cheque payable to ‘UNISON Wigan Metropolitan Branch hardship fund’ to:
UNISON Branch Office, Wigan Life Centre, The Wiend, Wigan WN1 1NH
Support the Tower Hamlets Unison workers – Read more here and on Tower Hamlets UNISON Facebook page and follow @UNISON_TwrHmlts on twitter
CWU
Shameless Technology plumbs the depths again with new offshoring outrage (Sept 25) – Fresh from Monday’s eleventh hour scuppering an innovative CWU ‘job swap’ proposal that had the potential to prevent wholesale compulsory redundancies in BT Technology (see story here), the division’s management yesterday (Thursday) created new shockwaves by announcing yet more job losses stemming directly from plans export a different work stream work to India read more
Fightback over ‘needless’ CR threat in BT Group Functions underway amid growing staff fury (Sept 25) – Members targeted for compulsory redundancy in BT Group Functions have poignantly told of their shock, horror and deep sense of hurt at the way they are being treated by the company as the union steps up its efforts to persuade management to reconsider its needlessly brutal approach to a tiny staff surplus. Amid general disbelief that a division that employs well over 11,000 has moved straight to a compulsory redundancy (CR) process to achieve just 24 job losses, the CWU has been forcefully reminding the company at every opportunity of its legal obligations to ‘avoid, reduce and mitigate ’ compulsory redundancies wherever possible – but so far those appeals are falling on deaf years read more
Royal Mail strike vote at Peterborough – union calls for ‘common sense’ from management (24 Sept) – Branch and divisional officials are urging Royal Mail management to “think again and avoid a dispute,” after postal workers in Peterborough voted by 87.8 per cent for strike action to win the reinstatement of a sacked colleague. The postman, who has worked several years for the business with no previous disciplinary record, was fired in July – action which, the union argues, both “breached” and “unreasonably applied” the company’s conduct agreement read more
Count Me In campaign National Day of Action announced for October 1 (Sept 24) – BT has been served notice that the anger of its workforce will be on full public view next week as the union steps up its Count Me In campaign of resistance against multiple attacks on employees in different lines of business. Exactly a week today, on Thursday October 1, the CWU will be holding its first Count Me In National Day of Action – signalling a significant ramping up of the union’s fightback against a belligerent new management approach that is sweeping across the whole of BT Group but manifesting itself in different ways read more
Pressing forward on Capita TVL pay negotiations (Sept 23) – “Some progress but not enough” is how CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey summarises the situation in talks between the union and service provider Capita TVL read more
Dark day for industrial relations in BT as talks to avert wholesale compulsory redundancies in Technology collapse (Sept 23) – Last ditch efforts by the CWU to avert a full scale industrial relations crisis in BT Technology have hit the buffers – with management now apparently intent on pressing ahead with multiple compulsory redundancies imminently read more
FBU
Firefighters stay on Covid alert after eight in 10 fire services pulled into first wave response (28 Sept) – Fire and rescue services are preparing for a second wave of coronavirus as daily UK cases surge to record highs. An agreement allowing firefighters to assist the NHS and social care sector has been extended by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and fire service national employers read more
BFAWU
Justice for Greencore Northampton Workers
Sign petition – To: Guy Dullage, Chief People Officer, Greencore
Greencore: Guarantee full pay for your self-isolating workers!
Campaign created by
BFAWU Greencore Northampton Branch
Read the report published by Doctors in Unite: https://doctorsinunite.com/2020/09/02/the-role-of-airborne-spread-in-factory-outbreaks-of-covid-19/
NEU
EPI report on Early Years and Covid (25 Sept) – This report by the EPI is further evidence of the deep financial and structural impact the Coronavirus continues to have on the Early Years sector as a whole read more
School Attendance Figures (22 Sept) – Government must do better on testing and convince parents that schools are Covid-secure to improve attendance read more
NASUWT
Testing failures threatening school safety (23 Sept) – Over two thirds of teachers in Northern Ireland are concerned about access to Coronavirus tests, should they or pupils need one, a survey by the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, has found. More than six in ten (62%) of the teachers surveyed said that pupils in their school have displayed symptoms consistent with Covid-19 since the full reopening of schools this term. 67% said they were concerned about access to tests with respondents reporting delays in the system and incidents of colleagues and pupils having to travel long distances to access a test read more
EIS
Teachers’ Continuing COVID Concerns made Clear at EIS Council Meeting (28 Sept) – The first meeting of the EIS national Council for this school year was dominated by continuing concerns over COVID-19 and the need to keep teachers and pupils safe from the risk of infection. The meeting, held virtually to comply with physical distancing guidelines, heard concerns from teachers and lecturers the length and breadth of Scotland over the current risks to their health and the need for much better measures to protect staff and students read more
UCU
“Move universities online now” – UCU’s demand to PM (28 Sept) – UCU has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson* to urge him to make online learning universities’ default position, protect students’ education and stop any further damage to community health. The union accuses universities of hiding behind government guidance and calls for the prime minister to adopt a clear policy that the majority of teaching should be online. UCU also calls for students to be allowed to return home if they wish without fear of financial penalty for leaving student accommodation read more
Manchester Metropolitan University staff say concerns over safety were not listened to (27 Sept) – Staff at Manchester Metropolitan University say they feel nothing but sympathy for the 1,700 students under lockdown in halls of residence. In a statement, the local UCU branch said it raised concerns that a return to campus would result in the chaos now unfolding in the university’s halls of residence and that the union’s warnings over health and safety were not listened to read more
UCU response to rules banning Scottish students from socialising (24 Sept) – Commenting on the updated rules for students in Scotland, UCU’s Scotland official Mary Senior said: ‘It is astounding that the Scottish government and principals are blaming students for Covid-19 outbreaks on university campuses. This is an incredibly contagious virus and students were encouraged to return to campuses. UCU has argued that the default position for universities should be remote and online working, in line with other workplaces…” read more
UCU response to potential Christmas lockdown for students away from home (24 Sept) – Union says minister’s threat of Christmas lockdown is not the solution and the plans are based on a flawed vision of university life read more
NUJ
NUJ demands justice for murdered journalist (28 Sept) – The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK and Ireland has accused the British and Irish government of turning a blind eye to the failure of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to secure a conviction for the murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan. In a joint statement marking the 19th anniversary of the murder of the Sunday World journalist, Michelle Stanistreet NUJ general secretary and Séamus Dooley assistant general secretary called on the British prime minister Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Michéal Martin to support the union’s demand for an independent, international investigation into the killing read more
Equity
Equity’s General Secretary-Elect reacts to Chancellor’s statement (24 Sept) – Reacting to the Chancellor’s statement today, Equity’s General Secretary-Elect Paul Fleming said “Today’s announcement is as underwhelming as it is terrifying. Only 40% of our members have received any money to date from the SEISS – and how can 20% of profit be anywhere near enough for people to survive on? Its extension is meaningless to so many Equity members. Even the most pragmatic and decent steps, like extending the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor from Universal Credit, have been overlooked…” read more
Panto Parade to highlight continued need for Covid-19 support on 30 September 9.45am – Pantomime dames, creative workers and people excluded from government support during the pandemic are joining together to march, socially distanced, through London on 30 September. The Panto Parade, which aims to highlight the lack of panto this year and the wider damage the theatre and live events industry are suffering, will start at Cambridge Circus at 9.45am and end in Parliament Square ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions. People excluded from government support during the pandemic will march from the Southbank to Parliament Square at the same time. MPs will be invited to come and meet these people, who are self-organising into groups of up to five, to find out how the pandemic has affected them and what further support is needed. The parade has been organised by Bectu, Equity, ExcludedUK, and #WeMakeEvents and ties into a wider day of action being co-ordinated by the organisations read more
Prospect
BT seek to tear up redundancy agreement (28 Sept) – BT proposes to halve the two-year cap on redundancy payments. The recognised unions in BT are united in opposition to the changes and are calling on members to tell BT what they think read more
BT unions say ‘Enough is Enough’ (25 Sept) – The recognised trade unions in BT – Prospect and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) – have this afternoon issued a joint statement on redundancies and threatened changes to redundancy pay, among other issues read more
USDAW
Reinstate Richie Venton Glasgow USDAW – Sign the Petition – Add your voice and support to the demand that Ikea reinstate Richie Venton and reinstate sick workers’ wages by signing the secure petition read more on Reinstate Richie Venton website
Government objects to a new law to protect shop workers from assault – Usdaw urges them to listen to staff and retailers (25 Sept) – Retail trade union Usdaw is deeply disappointed by today’s Government objection to a Bill to protect shop workers from violent attacks, which is also supported by retail employers and their representative bodies read more
New law to protect Scottish shopworkers from violence and abuse progresses – Usdaw welcomes the support of MSPs (24 Sept) – Retail trade union Usdaw welcomes today’s Scottish Parliament stage one unanimous vote for a new law to protect shop workers from abuse, allowing the Bill to go to detailed scrutiny in committee. The Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Bill is promoted by Daniel Johnson MSP read more
Mandate (Ireland)
Debenhams workers occupy Waterford store (28 Sept) – MANDATE SAYS GOVERNMENT REFUSAL TO LEGISLATE HAS LED TO OCCUPATIONS. Mandate Trade Union says the government’s refusal to legislate to protect workers’ agreed redundancy packages has created huge frustration with Debenhams workers and led to several workers occupying the Debenhams store in Waterford. Mandate National Coordinator Jonathan Hogan said the liquidator, KPMG, escalated the dispute last week by sending in individuals to pass official picket lines to pack stock in preparation for removal and this antagonised the workers who have been on strike for 172 days read more
Support striking Debenhams Workers: Email messages of support to the strikers via [email protected] and Mandate through [email protected]. Also, follow Stand with Debenhams Workers Facebook page
Estee Lauder workers strike for second day today (25 Sept) – union refers dispute to labour court. 40 Estee Lauder workers in Dublin Airport are on strike for a second time today (Friday, 25th September) as they seek to prevent compulsory redundancies and stop the company rehiring workers on inferior terms and conditions of employment read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU welcomes payment for construction workers isolating due to Covid-19 (25 Sept) – SIPTU representatives have welcomed confirmation by the trustees of the Construction Workers Pension Scheme (CWPS) that workers isolating due to Covid-19 will have access to the scheme if a doctor confirms their isolation and the period involved read more
UVW
BREAKING NEWS!! “Now is not the time to cut cleaning staff, now is the time for £12 per hour” declare care workers as they ballot for strike action (29 Sept) – Care workers, cleaners and maintenance workers at Service to the Aged (SAGE), a North London based care home specialising in adult social care for London’s Jewish community, notified management late last night of their intention to begin balloting for strike action in a week’s time. The move follows the refusal by Sage board trustee and co-chair – Adrian Jacobs and Stephen Goldman – to recognise the workers union of choice, UVW; their recent decision to reduce cleaning provision at the nursing home, and a deafening silence on receipt of the workers’ demands. The ballot will open next week read more
Other news
On Monday 5 October, Nottingham City Council plans to pass an emergency budget containing hundreds of cuts to jobs and services. Hundreds of jobs are also set to go via voluntary redundancy – UNISON and UNITE have called on all those elected councillors who say that they oppose Tory austerity, to oppose this budget. The cuts in this budget can be stopped by use of council reserves and using its powers to borrow. This would enable a big campaign to be built that mobilises local people and council staff to defend our services that have already been cut to the bone. SPEAKERS FROM UNISON, UNITE AND NOTTS TRADES COUNCIL. WE SAY – NO CUTS – NO JOB LOSSES! NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL – STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK – DON’T PUNISH THE WORKFORCE AND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. BRING YOUR BANNERS! THE PROTEST IS LEGALLY ALLOWED UNDER CURRENT GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE. THE PROTEST WILL BE SOCIALLY DISTANCED AND STEWARDED TO ENSURE WE CAN PROTEST AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE DURING THE C19 PANDEMIC. PLEASE WEAR A FACEMASK. HAND SANITISER WILL BE AVAILABLE
Hull Unity Shop (initiated by Hull & District Trades Union Council) – The trade unions have set up the Unity Shop to provide food and other necessities for those families who are struggling, both in and out of work read more
Join the Black Lives Matter protests against the shootings in the USA – The NSSN sends our deepest sympathy to the family of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25th and now those of Jacob Blake who was shot on August 23rd. We also send our solidarity to those who have protested in the USA and around the world. NSSN supporters have been at many of the protests that have taken place all around the country. We think trade unions are vital to build workers’ unity at this time. There are other protests being organised. To find out about others, follow #MarchforFloyd #KneelforFloyd #GeorgeFloyd #JacobBlake and #BlackLivesMatter on social media
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Builders Crack: The Movie
In the current situation, this long lost film from the 1990s about rank and file union organising in the construction industry is intended to lift the spirits, but also to spark a debate in our movement. Hope the youngsters in this film put a smile on your face.
Watch – Share – Discuss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VZ-QMA1FMg
Blacklist Support Group
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
Defend Tony Smith Unison Hull – Trade Unionists will be outraged at the dismissal of Tony Smith by an FCC disciplinary hearing. His appeal hearing was heard on September 15th. Tony a UNISON activist has been sacked for gross misconduct but in reality he has been victimised for Trade Union activities. All of Tony’s fellow drivers at the FCC waste disposal plant at Wilmington agreed that Tony made a correct Health and safety call but this was ignored in a blatant stitch up by management. Tony led the successful strike two years ago which won sick pay rights for 2,500 FCC workers up and down the country. Hull Trades Council will be protesting outside the site and we will be trying to organise more extensive action to coincide with Tony’s appeal. Please send messages of support to Tony Smith C/O Hull City UNISON, Town Hall Chambers 39, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AG or email via [email protected]
From Mike Whale Chair Hull Trades Council
Reinstate Richie Venton Glasgow USDAW – IKEA workers need YOUR support. This is a campaign page set up by workers furious at the victimisation and sacking of the elected USDAW shop steward and convener in IKEA Glasgow, RICHIE VENTON, and IKEA’s attacks on workers’ rights and conditions, including removal of wages from workers off sick with COVID-19. Richie has been singled out and sacked for standing up for the health, safety and lives of workers he represents, demanding safety measures and full average pay for all workers sick or self-isolating with the killer virus. He is the first trade unionist in Scotland to be sacked by employers in disputes over workers’ safety from the Coronavirus. Since sacking him, IKEA have imposed even worse cutbacks, including on company sick benefit, putting far more workers on just £95 Statutory Sick Pay, which could force some to continue working because of hardship, spreading the virus, endangering lives. This campaign is to reinstate Richie to his job and his elected union position; to win full average wages for all COVID-sick workers, in IKEA and every other workplace; and to stop employers making £billions in profit but endangering workers’ lives by expecting them to survive on £95-a-week Statutory Sick Pay. Sign the Petition – Add your voice and support to the demand that Ikea reinstate Richie Venton and reinstate sick workers’ wages by signing the secure petition read more on Reinstate Richie Venton website
From Glasgow Live: IKEA Glasgow workers threaten to strike over cuts to sick pay (28 Aug)
Manchester bus workers to hold consultative ballot on industrial action, as rep suspended for carrying out trade union duties Colin Hayden – About 500 Manchester bus drivers will hold a consultative ballot on whether they want to take industrial action after a senior Unite rep at bus company Go North West Limited was suspended for carrying out legitimate trade union activities. Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest trade union, said that the ballot follows the suspension of the rep, who is also a Unite branch chair, as the union highlighted plans to reduce the wages of 500 Manchester bus drivers by an estimated £2,000-a-year. The company has attempted to railroad changes to the terms and conditions of the bus drivers – while 80 per cent of the drivers, including all of the Unite reps except for the senior rep, were furloughed – via the offer of a one-off payment of £5,000. Unite, however, says that within three years its members would be worse off, if the plan were allowed to go-ahead…Unite said that the working practices at the Queens Road depot which the company wants to buy-out have since been replaced by additional cleaning and cash collection duties which mean the bus drivers are working just as hard. The consultative ballot will be held by the end of August. Whether Unite proceeds to a full-scale industrial action ballot, including the option for strike action, depends on the outcome of the consultative vote read more
Unite launches campaign to stop Go Ahead Group using COVID 19 as cover to slash pay and conditions (9 Sept) – Unite, Britain’s biggest union, has launched an international campaign to stop the owners of the Manchester bus company Go North West from using Covid 19 as cover for making savage cuts to bus drivers’ pay and conditions, while victimising and gagging a Unite union representative. Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey has written to Go Ahead Group’s CEO David Brown to warn him that Unite will be using all available resources to provide “immediate assistance to our members”. “In addition to industrial action this will mean exposing your company’s behaviour to all of your stakeholders, partners and associates. This will include mobilising all of our allies and contacting our significant political network in the Nordic countries, Germany and Australasia” read more
PCS: Trade unionists asked to send solidarity to PCS rep dismissed after blowing the whistle (25 July) – Trade unionists are being urged to send solidarity messages to a PCS rep dismissed after whistleblowing at the Department of Work and Pensions. Enrico La Rocca, who had worked for the DWP for more than 27 years, lost his job in May after highlighting serious concerns with management over a number of years. His complaints resulted in questions being asked about the department’s handling of Carer’s Allowance overpayments by the National Audit Office (NAO) and raised by in a Work and Pensions Select Committee report read more from Union News
RMT: SUSPENSION OF RMT REPRESENTATIVES, FRATTON – SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY – Following my previous Circular (IR/171/20) dated 14th May 2020, as you are aware, two of our representatives, Mark Gamble and Brian Perren, were suspended from duty using unscrupulous charges. South Western Railway’s actions throughout this dispute have been appalling. The company have clearly targeted our members as they are hardworking and effective representatives. The callous action of South Western Railway has been abhorrent from the very start of this dispute. Our members recently had their disciplinary hearings and after successful representation Brother Brian Perren has been reinstated to his substantive role. However, Mark has been left in limbo by the company and still faces these ridiculous charges. This means that the ballot that was due to close today (4th June) has been cancelled. As one of our members has been reinstated, this changes the basis of the original ballot. Unfortunately, because of the anti-trade union laws we would not have been able to use any mandate we received from this ballot. Therefore, we have to run a fresh ballot and this will be to continue to defend our suspended Brother Mark Gamble. The National Executive Committee has considered this matter and has congratulated our members and all those who assisted Brian in proving his innocence and ensuring he is reinstated to his substantive role. The NEC has also instructed me to run a fresh ballot in defence of our Brother Mark Gamble who still remains suspended. It is incredibly disappointing that the company has failed to see sense and instead have chosen to drag on an unnecessary dispute. It is disgraceful that Mark remains suspended and we have no choice but to stand shoulder to shoulder and defy SWR’s callous and distasteful decision. I have written to the company today to advise them of this union’s position and they have been left in no doubt that we will not allow them to pursue outrageous charges against our from democratically elected representatives (from RMT general secretary Mick Cash)
Clara Paillard PCS victory – We are delighted to announce that the threat of dismissal has been lifted and Clara, PCS president in the Culture sector, is ‘back at work’ (although from home during the current pandemic).
Reinstate Percy Yunganina UVW union – Percy is a cleaner at King’s college with 5 years on the job, and a UVW executive committee member, who’s just been sacked after a disciplinary hearing he refused to attend due to observing the government’s social distancing guidelines but which King’s College proceeded with anyway in his absence without even letting him know or inviting him to attend via phone. The hearing would have had 8 people cramped together in a small room in complete disregard of the government’s instructions about social distancing. Percy has explained the reaons for not attending and asked for the decision to be overturned and the hearing to be reconvened via phone or in person after Lockdown. However, King’s have scandalously refused this request and have insisted on upholding his dismissal which now leaves Percy out of work and out of pocket in the middle of a pandemic! He will formally appeal but it could take months to hear and deliver an outcome. We will also take King’s to tribunal but that could take over a year. This is utterly shameless conduct by King’s HR team, led by Nigel Smith, the Head of People Services. They need to be held to account. Everyone deserves the right to a fair hearing and should not have that right denied them for respecting the government’s public health guidelines about social distancing. Please repost this and write to Nigel Smith at the following address telling him to reinstate Percy – [email protected]
Sign the petition: Reinstate Ezra Christian RMT – We, the undersigned, are appalled at the treatment and summary dismissal of our Bakerloo Line colleague Ezra Christian. Ezra has been treated very harshly and does not deserve to be sacked. We call on London Underground to do the right thing in this case and Reinstate Ezra back into London Underground Employment immediately
Reinstate Clive Walder Unite: the campaign continues – Unfortunately, we have to inform you that the appeal by Unite against Clive’s dismissal by National Express in Birmingham was unsuccessful. In the hearing on 5 March, the company downgraded his offence from gross misconduct to misconduct and altered the penalty from summary dismissal to dismissal with four weeks’ notice. We believe dismissal is totally disproportionate and Clive should be reinstated. Clive and his union Unite the union will shortly decide the next steps in his campaign against his sacking. Clive would like to thank all those who have expressed solidarity with him, including supporters of the National Shop Stewards Network who took part in the protest leafleting of his workplace before the appeal hearing. It was successful enough for National Express to report it to the Unite full time official. Please continue to send protest emails to [email protected]. The NSSN has produced a flyer which can be downloaded and printed off to give to National Express employees and customers in support of Clive. We are appealing to our supporters to take photos of any solidarity protests and post on social media
Support Danyal Aziz Unite – Daniel was a Unite rep at London City Airport, who was recently sacked. Labour MP Sam Tarry has tabled a Parliamentary Early Day Motion in support of Danyal. Email your local MP to get them to sign the EDM
Defend Paul Williams PCS – Stop the victimisation of senior PCS rep Paul Williams – Paul Williams has a long and proud history of defending his colleagues at the Department for Transport, and predecessor departments, for nearly 40 years but as a result of his union activities is facing compulsory redundancy even though there are vacancies at his grade read more
Sign the petition: Reinstate UNISON rep Peter Moorhead and stop victimising trade unionists at Alternative Futures Group (AFG)
Support the ASDA workers and reinstate Michael Hunnum – 12,000 workers faced being sacked before Christmas by scrooge bosses ASDA, who are now owned by US superstore giant Walmart. This threat hanging over them was 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!
Defend Moe Unite – support Moe Muhsin Manir, a hardworking Unite rep on London buses, working for Abellio. We are delighted to report that Moe is back at work. We will keep everyone up to date on any developments. Moe would like to thank everyone who sent support and solidarity.
Guardian: Ricky Tomlinson’s criminal convictions to be re-examined
Appeal court to look again at case of Royle Family actor after claims he may have been unjustly jailed
The criminal convictions of actor Ricky Tomlinson, who starred in the TV comedy the Royle Family, are to be re-examined by appeal court judges after an official body suggested he may have been unjustly jailed. Tomlinson and other trade unionists have been campaigning for years to clear their names after they were jailed during a strike in the 1970s. On Tuesday, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the public body that scrutinises alleged miscarriages of justice, announced it had asked the court of appeal to review the cases of Tomlinson and others. Tomlinson, 80, said it was “good news” and an opportunity to prove that he and 23 other men were prosecuted in what amounted to a politically motivated attack on the trade union movement by the government, police and managers read more in Guardian
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
International
Support the Ukrainian miners’ strike (from Mike Whale Hull & District Trades Council)
We salute the magnificent struggle of the Ukrainian metal ore miners for improved wages, terms and conditions and Health and safety. The strike, which has taken the form of an underground occupation of the mines, has been continuous from the 3rd September. While the mine owners are multi-billionaires many of the mineworkers earn less than $180 a month. 1,000 miners have died in Ukrainian mines over the last 25 years. The mine managers working at the behest of the mine owners continually take short cuts when it comes to health and safety. The intimidation from the mine owning oligarchs, includes physical threats to the families of the strike leaders
We support the aims of the strike. For an immediate and substantial wage rise for all mine workers. The dismissal of the mine managers who cut corners in health and safety. Properly trained and qualified workers to carry out appropriate jobs. The lowering of the pension age to reflect the dangers to life and health involved in mining. Strictly enforced health and safety regulations to protect mine workers
Letters of protest can be sent to local Ukrainian embassies via the emails below:
Diary
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
