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News
Rank and file electrician, Bob Crow and Mark Serwotka to speak at NSSN
conference
21 February
Confirmed speakers for NSSN 6th
Annual Conference on June 9th (Friends Meeting House, Euston Rd, London NW1
2BJ, 11.30am-4pm) Bob Crow RMT General Secretary, Mark Serwotka PCS General
Secretary, Rank & File construction electrician...read
more
Unite meat workers take strike action at Vion Foods
20 February
Unite members at the food firm Vion in Cambuslang will walkout on today
in the first in a series of walkouts planned in a dispute over terms and
conditions. The workers voted massively in favour of industrial action
in an official ballot where 92% of members voted for strike action with
94% voting in favour of action short of strike on a 72% turnout...read
more
Sparks defeat Balfours - now for total victory over BESNA
17 February 2012
"Led by the ‘rank and file’ committee, many of whom are blacklisted, finally
after six months of protests, unofficial walkouts and now a threatened strike,
Balfour Beatty - the biggest of the 'Dirty 7' electrical contractors, has
pulled out of the BESNA contract which will cut electricians' and other skilled construction workers’ wages by up to
35%.read
more
Eurostar cleaners take a stand against poverty pay
16 February
"What do
we want-Fair pay! When do we want it?-Now!" and "£8.30 - London Living
Wage!" were the chants of the Initial cleaners taking strike action
today outside St Pancreas station. The cleaners are members of the
European Passenger Services RMT branch...read
more
Birmingham Trades Council
commemorates Battle of Saltley Gate
15 February
Laurence
Humphries, a member of the Shrewsbury Pickets campaign and a the NSSN
steering committee reports from the meeting...read
more
Battle of Saltley Gates
10 February
The battle at Saltley Gates remains one of the most significant
industrial battles in recent history. Bill Mullins a Birmingham
shop steward at the Solihul Rover plant and participant recalls the
events of that tumultuous day...read more
NSSN Bulletin No. 77
Stagecoach South Yorkshire strike day 11: Management getting desperate!
08 February
It
was -15C overnight. Pickets arrive at Rawmarsh (Rotherham) depot at
4-30am. Water has been poured over the footpath where the strikers
assemble making it into a skating ring. How vindictive and dangerous is
that? Just shows how desperate Stagecoach bosses are getting...read
more
Round two of Wincanton tanker drivers dispute
06 February
123 oil tanker drivers, employed by
haulage firm Wincanton on the
ConocoPhillips contract to deliver fuel
to Jet forecourts, began their second
week of strike action on Friday 3rd
February...read
more
Privatisation and cuts are destroying our Fire service: A Coventry FBU rep
speaks out
02 February
The Fire service both
locally and Nationally is in crisis. The government has cut the funding
to some Brigades of up to 25% including the West Mids Fire service which
is one of the worst hit in the country. And trying to find 25% savings
whilst still providing the emergency cover and service that the tax
payer has come to expect is proving to be just about impossible.
Something has to give - and that something unfortunately looks like its
going to be Fire-fighters, fire engines and stations...read
more
Police interfere with sparks protest at Ratcliffe
01 February Around 40 sparks were protesting
outside Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station on Wednesday 1st
February to fight the imposition of the BESNA contract...read
more
Stagecoach drivers escalate pay dispute
31 January
Stagecoach South Yorkshire bus drivers, members of the
union Unite, have stepped up their action in the fight to improve their
wages...read more
Strike by Unite oil tanker drivers to defend jobs hits fuel supply
January 24
123 oil
tanker drivers employed by road haulage firm Wincanton began a week long
strike at 5am Tuesday 24th January. Employed on the ConocoPhillips
contract, they deliver fuel to Jet petrol stations...read
more
Stop the victimisation of NUT rep Pat Markey
January 23
Pat
Markey, Northampton NUT Secretary, and union rep at Duston School, was
today (17 January) found guilty of gross misconduct and summarily
dismissed...read
more
POA challenge anti-trade union laws at European Court of Human Rights
January 23
Press
release from the Prison Officers Association ...read
more
Unilever workers make a stand on pensions
18 January “Unilever is the 18th
richest company in the world. But its us that makes them their money!”
As one private sector pension scheme after another is hacked to pieces,
workers at multinational company Unilever are making a stand to defend
pensions...read
more
NSSN Staffordshire: No retreat on pensions - Fight until we win!
17 January
NSSN Staffordshire met on 16th January to discuss the
pensions struggle and what our next move should be...read
more
Unilever picket lines near you
16 January Unite
members will join picket lines at 12 Unilever sites. Unite have circulated
the time and location of each picket line. The NSSN urges all readers and
supporters to visit picket lines in your area in this crucial dispute...read
more
South Yorkshire bus drivers take eighth day of strike action
16 January Stagecoach bus drivers in
Barnsley and Rotherham, members of the Unite trade union, took their
eighth day of strike action on Monday 16th January in pursuit of their
pay claim for £9 per hour...read
more
NSSN Bulletin No. 73
16 January The NSSN
will now be publishing it's weekly bulletin online. The bulletin can be a
useful tool for activists and supporters of the Network to keep in touch
with events across the country and internationally. Highlights include the
latest developments in the pensions dispute, the Unilever strike and workers
struggles in Nigeria and Kazakhstan...read
more
Preston NSSN supporters discuss next move in the pensions dispute
13 January
Local supporters of the National Shop Stewards Network
met in Preston on Wednesday 11th January to discuss the national pensions
dispute. PCS Group Executive Committee member for DWP, Gavin Hartley,
reported back from the 7th January PCS Left Unity meeting in London...read
more
VIDEO: Sparks protest at Grangemouth refinery
13 January Electricians continue their long running nationwide
campaign against the wage slashing and deskilling Building Engineering
Services National Agreement (BESNA). This time the action moves to
Scotland with sparks protesting at the gates of the INEOS Grangemouth
refinery...read
more
Jobs cull at La Senza
12 January
Administrators KPMG announced they were ‘delighted’ to
have saved 1,000 jobs with La Senza in the UK on Monday. They didn’t
mention the remaining 1,600 workers thrown on the dole with ten minutes’
notice...read more
Lobby of TUC urges further action on pensions
12 January Over 100
union members lobbied the TUC Public Services Liaison Group (PSLG)
today, to call on the union leaders to reject the government's new offer
on public sector pensions and to set a new strike date...read
more
Merseyside union activists pledge to continue pensions battle
12 January Merseyside Shop Stewards
Network held a successful meeting on 11 January, with 18 attending from
unions including PCS, Unison, Unite and ASU/GMB. The meeting reviewed
the pensions dispute, discussed co-ordinated action and a local way
forwards...read
more
Sparks protest make New Years return to Blackfriars
11 January Up to 100 electricians and
their supporters protested outside Blackfriars in London this morning in
their ongoing campaign to defend the JIB agreement and stop the big
construction companies imposing the BESNA terms that will open the door
to pay cuts of up to 35%...read
more
Change of time for lobby
of TUC
10 January
The starting time for the TUC
Public Services Liaison Group on Thursday has been brought forward to
10:00 AM...read
more
PCS Left Unity conference: Organising the fight back against pensions sell
out
09 January
"PCS Left Unity have called this emergency meeting
because this is an emergency." PCS President Janice Godrich welcomed the 600
plus union activists to the open meeting yesterday in Friends Meeting
House...read
more
NSSN Bulletin No. 72
06 January
The NSSN
will now be publishing it's weekly bulletin online. The bulletin can be a
useful tool for activists and supporters of the Network to keep in touch
with events across the country and internationally...read
more
Open meeting for trade union reps organised by PCS Left Unity
23 December
An open meeting for trade union reps has been organised by the Public and Commercial Services Union's Left Unity organisation on Saturday 7th January 2012 at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London, 11am - 4pm.
Speakers include: Mark Serwotka PCS general secretary, John McDonnell MP,
Mark Campbell, UCU,
Kevin Courtney, NUT deputy general secretary, Roger Bannister, Unison NEC (personal capacity)
read more
TUC lobby - No retreat on pensions - name the date for the next strike!
20 December Hundreds of rank and file union members protested outside the TUC
last night on the lobby of the TUC's Public Services Liaison Group called by the
National Shop Stewards Network...read
more
Change of time for NSSN lobby of PSLG
19 December
The
starting time of the Public Services Liaison Group meeting today at Congress House has
been put back to 5 PM today. The lobby of the PSLG will now start at 3:30 PM...read
more
NSSN and left union activists calls lobby of TUC Public Services Liaison
Group: Demands further action on pensions
16 December
A recall conference of the Public Sector Liaison
Group (PSLG), the body that brings together TUC affiliated public sector unions,
will be convened on Monday 19th December at 3PM...read
more
Breaking news: PCS Left Unity announce open meeting of trade unionists to
build for further action on pensions
16 December
From Janice Godrich, President of PCS, on behalf of
PCS Left Unity: “PCS Left Unity is organising an open meeting at Friends
Meeting House, Euston Road, London on Saturday 7 January to demand further
action on pensions...read
more
No sell out on pensions - Fight until we win!
16 December
Today the TUC's Public Sector Liaison Group (PSLG) met for the first time since
the magnificent 30 November public sector strike. Disgracefully, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, argued that all of
the trade unions should sign up to the government's latest 'heads of agreement'
on pensions, which would then allow Francis Maude to announce before Christmas
that the dispute has been settled. This was met with outrage by many of the
public sector trade unions present...read
more
Action by construction workers escalates on
the 17th week of action
16 December
At the end of the summer construction bosses embarked on a wave of wage
cuts. If they thought they would get an easy ride then they certainly don't
think so now. As we approach Christmas the fight back by construction
workers continues. The following is a round up of reports from
electricians and construction engineers action across the country...read
more
Cuts target trade unionists: Defend Nancy Taaffe
15 December Below is a model
letter for anti-cuts and trade union activists to send to Chris Robbins,
leader of Labour-led Waltham Forest council. 17 rounds of vicious cuts have
been voted through. The latest round has included trade union activist and
anti-cuts campaigner Nancy Taaffe...read
more
Breaking News: Christmas walkout to defend victimised RMT activist Paul
Kelly
15 December The following announcement has been made by the RMT
to members at Wightlink Ferries...read
more
RMT members at Wightlink vote for strike action to defend Paul Kelly
14 December
The RMT website have announced a positive result at Wightlink
in a ballot over the victimisation of activist Paul Kelly...read
more
Thousands of Revenue & Customs staff stage lunchtime walk-outs against
privatisation
12 December Thousand of workers in HM Revenue and Customs walked out between
12 and 3 today in a dispute over a planned year-long trial using private staff
in two contact centres in Bathgate, in Scotland, and Lillyhall, Cumbria...read
more
Unilever strike: "This is their answer today"
12 December Reports from picket lines at Port Sunlight, Warrington and
Gwent...read
more
Unilever strike: Reports from Salford and Burton
09 December Approximately 40
workers turned out on the picket line at Unilever Trafford Park this
morning. They were supporting the strike against Unilever's plans to force a
move from a Final Salary Pensions Scheme to one based on a Career Average
Salary...read
more
RMT demands answers from News International in phone
hacking scandal
09 December
Transport union RMT today wrote to lawyers for News International demanding
to know which journalists were involved in instructing an undercover
surveillance operation against General Secretary Bob Crow by former
policeman and MI5-trained Derek Webb...read
more
Sparks defy courts for massive day of strike action across the country
07 December What a day! The biggest of the 'Dirty 7' big contractors Balfour
Beatty (BBES) may have outlawed the strike by their electricians but today
December 7th saw protests, stoppages and walkouts all over the country...read
more
NSSN statement on November 30th and further action
06 December
The day before the strike, with pure arrogance and clear hatred of the
working class, Osborne announced the next tranche of attacks on us. On top
of the 300,000 public sector workers who have been sacked over the last
year, a further 400,000 plus are in their sights...read
more
Unilever national strike action: Private sector joins the pensions battle
06 December
Unilever, a massive food, drink and cleaning products
multinational, will see it's first national strike action this week over
pensions. In the aftermath of November 30th and the governments rhetoric of
"gold plaited" public sector pensions versus private sector, the NSSN believes
this will be a significant dispute. The following article is an appeal for
solidarity from a union activist at Unilever. The NSSN urges all its readers and
supports to visit picket lines in solidarity with this important dispute...read
more
N30: Reports from around the country
01
December The picket lines and strike
rallies throughout the UK on 30th November were a magnificent and massive
display of workers' opposition to the government's attacks on pensions...read
more
Clarification:
Balfour Beatty threaten injunction against electricians strike
01 December
Earlier today we reported that Balfour Beatty had received an injunction from
the courts to stop the electricians strike on December 7th...read
more
Breaking News: Balfour Beatty electricians vote for strike action
29 November The NSSN has just received word that
Balfour Beatty M&E workers have voted 81.6% in favour of strike action. The NSSN
congratulates all Unite electricians for this excellent result...read
more
Pictures: NSSN placards for November 30th strike day
29 November The big day is nearly here. In less than 24 hours 3 million
public sector workers will walk out of work. They will be making history as the
largest strike since the 1926 General Strike takes place...read
more
Victory for Unite Honda steward Paddy Brennan
25 November
The NSSN has received the news that Paddy Brennan, Unite convenor
at the Swindon Honda factory, has had his suspension lifted by management...read
more
Sparks pay wage cutting Gratte Brothers a surprise visit
23 November Construction
electricians brought their campaign of defiance to the home of one of the 'Dirty
Seven' contractors in London today. Over 150 sparks marched from their morning
protest at Kings Cross to the headquarters of Grattes Brothers and occupied the
foyer of the office for over an hour...read
more
A
message of solidarity to November 30th strikers from Pakistani workers
23 November On behalf of the Workers Alliance Party
(WAP- Pakistan) we strongly condemn the anti-working class decisions taken by
the Government of UK, in slashing down the salaries, retirement benefits and
social security measures of the working people...read
more
Joint Sites Committee urgent appeal for donations
17 November
Dear Comrades in the trade union movement.
No doubt you are aware of the Rank and File movement by construction workers
mainly led by electricians...read
more
Sparks protest across the country
17 November
A brief round up of protests across the country on the 16
November...read
more
Victimisation of RMT activist Paul Kelly: Urgent solidarity needed
17
November (Statement from Mick Tosh, RMT Portsmouth & Chair of Portsmouth TUC)...read
more
Further Sparks protest at Farringdon: Bosses lock themselves in!
16 November
Over 100 electricians and supporters gathered at
Farringdon station this morning as the struggle to defend the Joint Industry
Board (JIB) Agreement continued....read
more
Victory for RMT cleaners at John Laing!
16
November Yesterday the NSSN website reported on the
disgraceful collusion between
John Laing management and the UK Border Force to break union
organisation at the company...read
more
Sparks picket Chorus Steel plant
15 November Emboldened by last weeks
protest in London, around 200 sparks turned up at Corus Steel (Monday 14
November). Both Corus gates were obstructed and traffic tailed back for a
couple of miles from the entrances...read
more
John Laing/Border Agency attack on RMT members! Come to protest on 16
November
15 November (Taken
from a recent RMT CLEANERS bulletin. Full bulletin can be viewed
here)
In a scene
reminiscent of fascist Europe in the 1930s up to 30 John Laing Workers were
rounded up and detained by the UK Border Agency. These included RMT members and
one of our union Reps on the London Overground cleaning contract...read
more
NSSN condemns police kettling of construction electricians
11 November The National Shop Stewards
Network (NSSN) condemns the actions of the police yesterday (November 9th) in
kettling over 200 construction electricians for well over an hour. Workers,
including many in their 50s and 60s, were left standing within a ring of riot
police with no access to food, drink or toilet facilities...read
more
Justice for Shrewsbury Pickets Campaign: Historic 40 year fight 1972-2012
10 November (From the Justice for Shrewsbury
Campaign) The Construction Industry is notorious as the most dangerous
industry to work in. More workers are killed & injured in Construction than
any other industry...read
more
Sites shut as construction workers march through City of London
09 November
Today's national demonstration of construction workers in London started with a rank and file led protest outside the Pinnacle tower building site on Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street station....
read more
Reject the government's new pension offer - All out together on N30!
03 November 28 days before the pension strike ,its
the government that has blinked first. A day before Unison announces that a
million of its members will be on strike on November 30th after they voted for
strike action, Danny Alexander puts a 'final' offer on the table...read
more
Unison votes Yes to November 30th strike
03 November Unison members have delivered a decisive answer to ConDem attacks
on their pensions with an over whelming vote for strike action on November 30th...read
more
Electricians protest targets Balfour site on Newcastle University
03 November Around 40 turned up to leaflet the Balfour site at Newcastle
University yesterday. The mood of the sparks on the protest was buoyant...read
more
Sparks protest forces Balfour Beatty off Carrington Site
02 November
Continued protest at the Carrington paper-mill site halted traffic at the
site this morning, causing traffic to back up for miles on either side of
the site entrance. Showing that protest works, Balfour Beatty have lost the
contract for the second part of the Carrington job...read
more
London Sparks break media blackout
02
November London electricians took their fight against pay cuts and
deskilling to the Gratts-run site at 110 Cannon Street this Wednesday morning.
Sparks had vowed to return last week after a site manager boasted he would pay
all constriction workers £1 an hour if it were up to him...read
more
Barnsley UCU to strike against union victimisation
02 November Barnsley College UCU branch begins a
five-day strike on Friday 4th November against the compulsory redundancy threat
to its Assistant Branch Secretary Graham Mustin this Friday...read
more
Site manager admits sparks wage cutting scandal
26 October
A site manager on
the Land Securities owned 110 Cannon Street development has admitted the
wage cutting plans of employers...read
more
Blacklist Support Group AGM
24 October
"One of the worst cases
of organised human rights abuse ever in the UK" So said John McDonnell MP in
2009 following the discovery by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
of the illegal Consulting Association database containing personal sensitive
information about 3200 building workers...read
more
Video: Sparks protest at Blackfriars Balfour Beatty site
20 October
Here is a short video from yesterday's protest by electricians at
Balfour Beatty's Blackfriars site. Courtesy of the Socialist Party...read
more
Sparks protest returns to Blackfriars as Unite declare strike ballot
19 October
This week’s protest at Blackfriars Balfour Beatty site began in full
darkness at 6:30 this morning. Along with the cold weather it was a sign
winter is just around the corner. Despite the chilly weather the struggle
between electricians and big seven electrical contractor’s rages on as hot
as ever...read
more
Unison branch secretary Vik Chechi suspended: Urgent solidarity needed!
18 October
Vik Chechi, the Unison Branch
Secretary of Queen Mary University in east London has this afternoon been
suspended by his employer. We suspect that this is with a clear view to sack him
because management wants to weaken the union and the anti-cuts campaign in the
University which has united staff and students...read
more
Siteworker calls on construction workers not to sign new agreement
17 October Regular readers of the NSSN website will be
aware of the epic struggle being waged by construction workers against the
whole sale destruction of their industries terms and conditions. These
attacks have been presented to construction workers in the latest Building
Engineering Services National Agreement (BESNA). You can read the BESNA in
full
here...read
more
Successful West Mids NSSN conference
17 October More than 30
trade unionists attended the West Midlands conference of the NSSN held in
Birmingham on Saturday...read
more
Lincoln TUC opposes anti-migrant march
11 October Dean Everitt of
Wyberton near Boston, has announced that he will be organising a march against
immigration on Saturday 19th November in Boston, Lincolnshire...read
more
Ratcliffe sparks protest
11 October A protest by around 100 construction
electricians at Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station in Notts on Friday, 7 October,
had a big impact...read
more
60
workers sacked as bosses make a million
11 October Unite members at printers Wyndeham
Impact in Basingstoke protested last Friday outside the closed factory to
continue their fight for their jobs, unpaid wages, holiday pay, sick pay and
against the previous sacking of two printers...read
more
NSSN statement - No secret talks - No retreat on N30 pensions strike
06 October
The front page of the Independent this Thursday October
6th has an article claiming that TUC leader Brendan Barber has been to Tory
Party conference this week for secret talks with ConDem minsters to try to
"avert mass strikes". If this is true, union activists will be
outraged. The NSSN recognises the need for negotiations but these should be out
in the open, involving all those unions preparing to take action on November
30th (N30), which could see up to 3 million public sector workers on strike -
more than on the first day of the 1926 general strike...
read more
Southampton Unite calls all council workers out on strike
05 October
As part of the ongoing dispute with
Southampton City Council over imposed cuts to pay and conditions, the Unite
stewards committee took a decision on Tuesday 27th September to call ALL
members of UNITE out on strike on Thursday 6th October...read
more
The
workers who won’t go away: Electricians block rush hour traffic on Oxford
Street. Protests continue in the North West
05 October
Electricians took the fight to defend their wages and conditions
into the heart of London’s shopping district this morning, with over 300
blocking traffic for half an hour on Oxford Street...read
more
Youth March for a future begins in historic Jarrow: A marcher writes about
the first day
05 October
On
October 1st a recreation of the Jarrow march for jobs set off from the North
West. The march has been organised by
Youth Fight for
Jobs
and aims to highlight the problem of youth unemployment. The
following article is a moving account of the first day of the march from one of
the marchers, Ben Robinson, Chair of Youth Fight for Jobs...read
more
Rank and file meeting in Manchester to escalate electricians action
05
October
Up to 100 construction
electricians from across the north and north-west met in Manchester on 1st
October to organise from below in defence of pay and conditions...read
more
A
weekend of protest in Manchester and Scotland
05 October
35,000 people travelled to
Manchester city centre on Sunday 2nd October to march against the
anti-working class policies of the Conservative party...read
more
Construction electricians invade Kings Cross station
28 September
Hundreds of construction workers held
an impromptu protest and rally on the main concourse at Kings Cross train
station this morning...read
more
NSSN Midlands Conference
28
September
The Conference is open to all trade unionists and anti-cuts
campaigners. The event will include sessions on strengthening unions in
unionised workplaces and building unions in unorganised workplaces, as well
as sessions to discuss building the NSSN across the Midlands...read
more
Lecturers mark black day for pensions
28 September October 3rd, UCU members in pre-1992
universities will be marking the imposition of changes to the USS pension
system by wearing black...read
more
Dancing Dragon joins anti-cuts campaigners in Nuneaton
27 September
A group of campaigners against the
government’s austerity cuts returned to Nuneaton this weekend, promoting the
Jarrow2London2011 march which visits Nuneaton in October, and were joined by
the Choy Lee Fut Lion and Dragon Dance team from Hinckley who entertained
shoppers on the outdoor market. The Lion Dancers and Drummers signed the
petition and posed with RMT shop steward Paul Reilly from Nuneaton Against
the Cuts...read
more
STOP PRESS: Wildcat strikes in Saltend and West Burton
26 September
construction industry
electricians have taken unofficial strike action at Saltend and West Burton
today over threats to cut JIB rates. These workers then took part in a 400
strong protest outside Lindsey Oil Refinery and Conoco Phillips on the
Humber. More reports to follow.
"If they go ahead with these wage cuts, all we'll have is an existence – not
a life!": Two reports from protests in Manchester and North Tyneside
22 September
About 20 electricians
protested from 6.30 a.m. outside the Manchester Town Hall construction site
on Wednesday. The site entrances were all barred and guarded by security so
it was more like a lockdown than a workplace...read
more
Construction workers invade Crossrail site
21
September
“We are
Sparks. We are Sparks. We are, We are, We are Sparks” was the chant heard on the
Crossrail Farringdon building site as hundreds of electricians, (“and a
carpenter!”) staged a mass invasion of the site this morning...read
more
Printers in Basingstoke
defy bullying management
21
September As reported in
last week's Socialist, print workers at Wyndeham Impact in Basingstoke are
now in their twentieth week of industrial action...read
more
Youth Workers'
strike and lobby in Witney, Oxfordshire
21 September
Even in the heart of his supposedly leafy constituency, "Disco Dave" is unable
to escape the outcry caused by his government's policies...read
more
Rank-and-file Trade Unionists Welcome Call for Public Sector-wide Strikes on 30
November
14 September
Rank-and-file trade unionists have welcomed the announcement from the TUC today
that a ‘day of action’ will take place on 30 November, including strike action
across the public sector, to defend pensions, jobs and services...read
more
Electricians Protest
Targets Olympics Site
14 September
Another protest against the attacks on national agreements in the electrical and
mechanical construction sector took place on Wednesday 14 September at the
Olympic site in East London. About 100 workers and their supporters gathered to
protest against the attempts to deskill the industry by eight major construction
companies...read
more
NSSN calls on TUC to open the floodgates of mass action
11 September
The
11th September 2011 was the day the role of the National Shop Stewards Network
(NSSN) in the labour movement gained further recognition. Around 700 trade unionists representing hundreds of thousands of workers from
all over the country came to put pressure on the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to
take action to defend our living standards.
They heard trade union leaders Bob Crow, Mark Serwotka and other militant union
leaders make fighting speeches. Following a marvellous demonstration to the
TUC headquarters, the TUC deputy general secretary, Frances O'Grady, accepted the
NSSN's letter and petition urging this week's Congress to organise coordinated
action, and saluted the role played by the shop stewards present...read
more
Moves
being made towards public sector strike in November
8 September
Unison has called an emergency Local Government Service Group
Executive a week Friday. The expectation is that a motion will be put
to the meeting requesting an industrial action ballot which could mean
them striking with the other unions in the week beginning November 7th
to defend public sector pensions...read
more
Banbury
Strike
7 August
Youth workers action take strike action again this Friday. All youth
centres on David Cameron’s constituency are due to close,. So our
members thought that while on strike they should march and lobby
Cameron’s constituency office...read
more
Electricians Protests Spread
6 August
For the third week
running a London construction site was besieged by hundreds of
electricians protesting at the 'Big 8' construction companies' plans
to withdraw from the national JIB agreement next March, which will
force many of these workers' wages down by 35%...read
more
Strike Together in November!
6 September
The Trade Union Congress is OUR organisation. Its 6 million workers keep the
wheels of life turning. Potentially a powerful organised force, it could defeat
the ConDems and challenge their right to rule in the interests of their greedy
big business friends...read
more
Siteworker North West Update
5 September
If we don’t fight, we will lose ten times more than we might possibly
do by going on strike. We have to fight—we have no choice. WE CONDEMN THE eight
companies which walked away from the JIB agreement, but we condemn the
others still sitting round the table while sticking the boot in...read
more
31st August - further day of
protest by construction workers
31st August
As part of their ongoing campaign against the
'Big 8' construction employers' attempts to impose a 35% cut in wages, hundreds
of electricians and other construction workers protested this morning outside
the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford in East London...read
more
POA
statement: The reality of prison life after the riots
25 August
Glyn Travis and Joe Simpson, assistant
secretaries of the Prison Officers Association (POA) set out some of the key
issues faced by staff working in prisons following the recent riots...read
more
Hundreds of electricians picket Balfour Beatty site at Blackfriars station
24 August Hundreds of electricians protested outside the Balfour Beatty site at
Blackfriars train station today...read
more
Electricians’ unofficial action kicks off Wednesday morning
23 August The first shots in the electricians pay dispute will be fired in anger
tomorrow morning (Wednesday 24th August) with action taking place in London,
Manchester and Liverpool against the threat of a 35% pay cut. The centre of
the unofficial action is the Balfour Beatty
Engineering Services project at
Blackfriars Station...read
more
Wave
of wildcat action to hit construction industry
19 August [From Site
Worker, a magazine for rank and file activists in the construction
industry] The UK construction industry seems set for an autumn of
strikes. 500 rank & file construction workers from around the country voted
unanimously to organise a series of unofficial wildcat strikes in opposition to
the 35% pay cut proposed by the construction employers...read
more
Unite
youth workers take strike action in Cameron's constituency: Messages
of solidarity needed
19 August The following message is an appeal for solidarity from Unite CYWU
(Community & Youth Workers Union) section in Oxfordshire...read
more
Connexions strike in Bristol: Report from the
picket lines
19 August
Staff from Connexions in Bristol took strike action last
Thursday, joined by colleagues from across the former Avon area...read
more
Show your support for Remploy worker fighting
redundancy: Sign the petition against the Sayce report
19 August
Dear all, would you
please sign the following online petition to save Remploy from the
greedy hands of the those who have written the Sayce Report (named
after the chief executive of the charity RADAR)
published on the 9th of June 2011...read
more
Stop the closure of Caradog House Jobcentre
19 August With rising
unemployment and numbers of people claiming benefit it would be a
massive mistake to close jobcentres. Caradog House Jobcentre is one of
22 offices currently in a consultation period about closure...read
more
Massive vote in favour to continue action
against cuts
12
August At a packed meeting of
over 600 union members, Southampton council workers voted by 4 to 1 to
continue their industrial action against pay cuts and imposed new
contracts...read
more
NSSN statement on riots
9 August Back in September 2009
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber predicted that the government’s
cuts would lead to riots. His prediction has been borne out as riots
have broken out across London and other cities...read
more
Remploy
Workers Protest - Appeal for
support UPDATED
8 August
A group of Remploy workers are coming down to London this week from
North Staffordshire to protest against RADAR Chief Executive Liz
Sayce's calling for the closure of Remploy factories. They would
appreciate your support...read
more
RMT
exposes another massive flaw in Thameslink contract
4 August
Rail union RMT today repeated the
call for the Government to halt the Thameslink fleet contract award
after it revealed that preferred bidder Siemens don't have a tried, tested
and compliant set of bogies (the framework carrying the wheels) in
production...read
more
Union
activists call on leaders to organise pension strikes
3 August
In September, over a thousand trade union shop stewards will be
lobbying the TUC conference in London as the battle grows against the
ConDem Coalition's cuts...read
more
UNITE saves jobs at Tenant
Services Authority
2
August
TSA Unite members (who
belong to the Unite Housing Workers’Branch) have successfully
overturned management proposals for a mass extension of trial periods
which could have placed members at risk of compulsory redundancy...read
more
Unite against all cuts - No to racism and
division
31 July
Waltham Forest, a
north east London borough, saw a victory for working class unity
against division on Saturday 30 July. Waltham Forest Anti-Cuts Union (WFACU)
and other local groups were out in force in Walthamstow town square in
a show of strength and unity against cuts but also against attempts to
divide our movement...read
more
HONDA - Reinstate Paddy Brennan!
UPDATED
28 July
The National Shop Stewards Network has just received word that Paddy
Brennan, UNITE Convenor at the Swindon Honda plant has been suspended from
work...read
more
Thousands rally to save Bombardier jobs
26 July
On Saturday 23 July, up to ten thousand people marched through the streets
of Derby against the massacre of jobs at Bombardier. This was an important
step in the campaign to save Bombardier jobs, with members of the workforce,
their families and community members, alongside trade unionists from across
the country joining the march...read
more
RMT backs NSSN lobby of TUC
22 July
The RMT Railworkers union is supporting
the National Shop Stewards Network march and lobby of the TUC on
September 11.
In
a demonstration of this support, RMT general secretary Bob Crow
will be one of the speakers at the NSSN rally, taking place at Euston
friends Meeting House before the September 11 march...read
more
London meeting prepares for TUC lobby
22 July
An excellent meeting on Monday 18 July, hosted by the National Shop
Stewards Network in London, brought together a platform of leading
trade unionists in the capital from the CWU, FBU, RMT, PCS and NUT to discuss how we build for joint action in the
Autumn...read
more
Shop stewards call for Bombardier
nationalisation
21 July
The people of Derby and
beyond will be demonstrating, quite literally, their feelings about the
devastation being wreaked at Bombardier and cuts in general, when they form
thousands on Saturday marching through the city. Dave Gorton, Midlands
coordinator of the National Shop Stewards Network, said today...read
more
21 July
A major strike is raging in the Mangistau oblast in the west of
Kazakhstan, where at its height; up to 16,000 workers in the oil
industry have been on strike. This strike started at the end of May
and has now been ongoing for over two months. These are workers for
the national oil company, KazMunaiGas...read
more
PCS backs NSSN lobby of TUC
20 July
At its National Executive Committee
meeting last week, the civil service union PCS agreed to fully support
the National Shop Stewards Network march and lobby of the TUC on
September 11.
PCS will be moving a resolution at
this year's TUC conference calling for co-ordinated industrial action
to defend public sector pensions...read
more
No to the jobs massacre in Derby
20 July
The jobs massacre at
Bombardier will devastate Derby and Britain’s manufacturing capacity
if it is allowed to go ahead. The Derby Evening Telegraph reported
“that Bombardier's Derby factory could be the epicentre of an economic
earthquake that could level many other firms...read
more
Defend Elaine McDonald & Disability
Rights
18
July
The
Supreme Court has ruled in support of Kensington and Chelsea council’s
withdrawal of overnight care to Elaine McDonald to save money. This
will mean she will have no choice but to wear pads, although this is
undignified and against her express wishes...read
more
UNISON
members demand: 'Prentis, name the date for strike action over
pensions!'
11 July
Many members of Britain’s biggest public sector union Unison were
disappointed that they could not take action with fellow trade
unionists on 30 June against the attacks on public sector pensions...read
more
TUC – Call 24-hour public sector strike to stop pensions
robbery
8 July
We believe that 30th June was the opening salvo. To win we need to
turn this three-quarters of a million into 4-5 million in the next
round of industrial action in the autumn, involving all public sector
unions, and thereby scuppering the machinations of the government to
drive a wedge into the trade union movement between the NUT, UCU, ATL
and PCS and the other three big unions Unison, Unite and GMB...read
more
Unions
announce demonstration in Derby over Bombardier job cuts
6 July
Unions representing the Bombardier workforce in Derby confirmed today
that they will be mobilising a mass demonstration on Saturday 23rd
July in the city in protest at plans to axe over 1400 jobs as a result
of the Governments’ refusal to award the company the Thameslink
carriage contract...read
more
NSSN
Staffordshire report of 30th June & follow-up meeting
6 July
NSSN
Staffordshire activists visited UCU picket lines at Stoke-on-Trent
College and Newcastle College as well as PCS pickets at Hanley Job
Centre, the Tax Office in Hanley and the largest picket of the day at
the DWP across the road in Albion Square...read
more
Successful NSSN meeting in Coventry
5 July
Following on from the inspiring national conference of the NSSN, supporters
of the NSSN in Coventry called a meeting titled ‘What next after 30th
June?’ on the evening of the strikes that saw huge support across the city
for those taking action to defend pensions...read
more
Remploy workers protest against threatened redundancy
4 July
Remploy workers will be protesting against the
proposed closure of all Remploy factories as recommended by The Sayce Report...read
more
Fawley refinery construction engineers summarily sacked
4 July
Protesting outside Gate 1 at the massive Exxon refinery at Fawley, Southampton,
twenty locked out fabrication workers began their fight after being sacked
without their redundancy rights last Thursday...read
more
June
30: Local reports from around the country
3 July
Rally and march in Powys; Two strike
meetings for the price of one in Surrey!;
London: '80-90% of schools closed or partially closed across London - look
around and feel your strength!'...read
more
June
30: A shot across the bough of the ConDem government
1 July
Yesterday was an
amazing day for the fight-back against pension cuts and beyond! A demonstration
of what can be achieved when the unions move into action! ...read
more
LSBU
lecturers take strike action to defend pay and conditions
June 29
Lecturers from the UCU are taking strike
action today at London Southbank University (LSBU). Rob Williams NSSN Chair
spoke to the pickets...read
more
NSSN
to lobby TUC Congress: 11 September
June 28
The National Shop Stewards Network will be
organising a lobby of the 'mini' TUC Congress on 11th of September to press the
demand for general strike action in the public sector in the autumn...read
more
London Trade Unions battle ConDem cuts: Public Meeting
June 28
Monday 18th July 6pm
Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, W1T 6AQ. Some of the strongest
and most militant unions in London invite you to come along to discuss what we
can do now to help get all our unions up for concerted action to stop ALL
cuts...read
more
Petroplus is trying to silence the trade union movement in Belgium: Solidarity
needed
June 28
On Monday, June 20, BRC sacked three members of the ABVV, two of
which were protected employees, because they had participated in trade union
activities during the night of June 13...read
more
'Pay more, work longer,
get less' remains government position says PCS.
27 June
Speaking after today's meeting with ministers over the
government's plans to cut public sector pensions, PCS general secretary Mark
Serwotka said:
"It was disappointing that the meeting
proved to be no different to any of the others - it was a farce. Again the
government has shown no interest in actually negotiating on any of the key
principles at the heart of this dispute"...read
more
Urgent solidarity needed: Police attack protestors in Northern Italy, Fiom calls
8 hour strike in protest
27 June
At 5am this
morning, 2,000 police stormed the protests camps in Val di Suza, northern Italy,
to try to start work on the High Velocity Train line (TAV). The construction of
the TAV has faced fierce opposition from local residents and trade unions for a
number of years...read
more
A
letter of thanks to the NSSN from Youth Fight for Jobs
27 June
Youth Fight for Jobs
would like to thank the NSSN for supporting and publicising our campaign. This
year marks the 75th anniversary of the Jarrow march. In 1936 200
unemployed men marched from Jarrow in the North-East to
London. They were demanding jobs
and that the government do something to alleviate the miserable living
conditions they faced...read
more
June
30th strike rallies and demonstrations across the country
June 24
Over 750,000 workers will be out on strike on June 30th. If you are not on
strike yourself on the NSSN would urge you to take a group from your workplace
to visit the picket lines and show your support. You can also attend the lunch
time marches and rallies that will be taking place up and down the country. Some
marches and rallies on the day...read
more
Lincoln Trades Council Rallies Local Movement to Support June 30th
June 24
Brothers and sisters, We are
now one week away from the biggest day of industrial action that the Con-Dem
coalition has faced since its coming to power. 750,000 teachers, lecturers
and civil servants will stop work in a co-ordinated day of action. The
primary unifying issue is the massive attack on public-sector pensions. Pay
more, get less, work 'til we drop? No thanks!...read more
RMT takes protest over McNulty rail carve up right to
his doorstep at major rail industry conference
June 24
Rail union
RMT has called a demonstration outside Liverpool’s
BT Conference Centre at 08.30 AM on Tuesday 28th June 2011 when Sir Roy
McNulty - the architect of the Governments Rail Review
carve-up - will
be addressing a major railway industry conference...read
more
Breaking News: Arwyn Thomas re-instated by London Underground
23 June
The NSSN has been informed by reps
in the RMT that a deal has been reached between the union and London Underground
management that will allow Arwyn to resume his employment...read
more
Employment Tribunal finds Arwyn Thomas was unfairly dismissed
23 June
Arwyn Thomas’s Employment Tribunal yesterday
found that the London Underground driver was unfairly dismissed and that "no
reasonable employer would have dismissed him in these circumstances."...read
more
Unions take campaign on to the streets over plans to export 180 North East rail
call centre jobs
23 June
RAIL UNIONS RMT and TSSA will be holding a
joint campaigning event this Friday - 24th June - in Newcastle over plans to axe
and export 180 customer call centre jobs by East Coast railways...read
more
North
Staffs NSSN and PCS Build Support for Strike Action on 30th June
22 June
Trade union reps and members
from the PCS, NUT, CWU Postal, CWU Telecoms, Unison, GMB and Unite met last
night in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent to plan building support for workers taking
strike action on 30 June...read
more
Statement Agreed at
NSSN Conference 2011
This NSSN Conference
applauds the NSSN intervention on the TUC March 26th
demonstration. The NSSN produced 40,000 flyers, 1,500 placards and
held an alternative stage – all calling for a public private sector
general strike to stop ALL cuts and defend pensions....read
more
Defend the UCU in Wales - Stop victimisation at Coleg Morgannwg
16 June
Management at Coleg Morgannwg have initiated disciplinary action
against Guy Stoate, President of UCU Wales and NEC member. It has
taken them two months to decide to act over a trivial incident on the
picket line during the 24th March strike...read
more
15 June
Tamil Solidarity would like to thank the National Shop Stewards
Network for providing us with a table at its national conference last
Saturday (11 June)...read
more
14 June
As seven
workers from Honda Swindon were leaving the National Shop Stewards
Network (NSSN) conference on Saturday 11 June, one car worker
remarked: "I wish we could have brought a coachload!"...read
more
14 June
Apostolis
Kasimeris, one of the leaders of the OASA bus workers’ union in
Athens, gave this speech to the National Shop Stewards Network
Conference in London...read
more
Appeal from UNITE @ Fujitsu - Defend
Alan Jenney
13 June
UNITE members at Fujitsu are asking for your support. Like many
companies, Fujitsu is impacted by the government cuts and recession.
But instead of working with staff to deal with the problems that this
creates, the company is trying to force through various detrimental
changes without proper consultation...read
more
13 June
A packed hall at the South Camden Community School saw around 350 stewards
and workplace reps from unions and workplaces across Britain gather for the
fifth annual conference of the National Shop Stewards Network...read
more
Save Remploy factories
8 June
Liz Sayce of RADAR is launching her report on Employment Support for
Disabled People on 9 June. The report will call for the closure of the
remaining Remploy factories, thus condemning these last couple of
thousand disabled workers to a life of misery and failure by the
state...read
more
NSSN
Conference this weekend!
8 June
The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) conference will meet on Saturday 11
June in Camden, London, to help take forward the battle against all cuts and
attacks on workers' pay, pensions and conditions being made by the government,
councils and big businesses...read
more
Teachers in Coventry step up action
over Academies
8 June
Concern over the speed that some of Coventry's schools are taking to
become Academies, was further highlighted today as Woodlands School
was given the go ahead to become an Academy...read
more
Greek Trade Union Leader to speak at NSSN
Conference
3 June
The National Shop
Stewards Network (NSSN) has announced that Apostolis
Kasimeris
a member of the Executive Committee of the Union of
Public Transport Workers in Attica (Athens and Pireaus region) will
speak at their 5th annual conference...read
more
No to cuts, closures and privatisation in Royal
Mail
2 June
Postal workers in
London have voted by four to one (79%) in favour of strike action
against plans to shut three mail centres and one delivery office:
Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms, Rathbone Place and Twelve Trees...read
more
Save London’s Ambulance Service!
1 June
London Ambulance
Service recently announced 890 job cuts over five years. This is
staggering, especially when considering the yea-on-year increase in
emergency calls to the service, an increase we can expect to continue
with an ageing population and deteriorating social conditions...read
more
31 May
RMT is currently
taking the British government to the European Court of Human Rights for
outlawing the right to take sympathetic (or solidarity) action -
banned as 'secondary action' by Thatcher’s government in 1985 in
breach of international law, write RMT president Alex Gordon...read
more
Saltend dispute update
30 May
The heroic struggle by engineering
construction workers locked out from work on the bio-ethanol plant at
BP Saltend near Hull has ended after nearly 3 months. The fight by 400 workers to win back
their jobs, after their contractor Redhalls was thrown off the job by
Vivergo the BP owned client...read
more
26 May
The mood to fight the cuts,
which brought over half a million onto the streets on 26 March,
has been boiling up. Thousands of trade unionists have voted to
support strike action against the cuts. Most recently the
Communication Workers Union (CWU) conference has voted
unanimously to work with other trade unions and campaigning
organisations to stop the cuts...read
more
Southampton city council workers strike
24 May
"No ifs, no buts, you can stick your Tory cuts", "Cut my pay, no
way" were the angry chants of Southampton refuse workers out on
strike against savage cuts to pay...read
more
New report 'shatters the governments case' for
pension cuts
23 May
A House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report "The impact
of the 2007-2008 changes to public service pensions" confirms what
unions have been saying - that there is no need for public sector
workers to be paying in more for their pensions...read
more
Unions join forces to build two million-strong
alliance against coalition savagery
20 May
Two million workers in the UK joining together can fend off savage
attacks on working people and their families. That will be the
message from Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, the
country's biggest union when he addresses the conference of the
PCS...read
more
RMT name strike dates in victimisation dispute
4 May
RMT today
announced strike dates after members voted by almost two to one for strike
action in a ballot of all train operator and instructor operator members in
the on-going disputes over the victimisation of union activists including
two driver members...read
more
BP/Saltend: Solidarity action builds for
locked-out workers
3 May
The 400
Redhall construction workers, locked-out for 2 months by BP/Vivergo
from the bio-ethanol plant at Saltend, Hull, received two big boosts
to their campaign for reinstatement last week...read
more
Workers Memorial Day 2011
28 April
Remember the dead,
fight for the living - this is our slogan
every April 28th. A construction worker was killed at DP
World London Gateway site in Thurrock last Saturday...read
more
NUT votes for strike action over
pensions
23 April
NUT
conference voted almost unanimously (with only two abstentions!) to
start a strike ballot against the ConDems’ attacks on their pensions.
The strike day is likely to be on June 30th – already
pencilled in by other public sector unions like UCU, PCS and ATL...read
more
Saltend
Update - The
Struggle Continues
20 April
At a mass meeting of
the locked-out workers today, Vivergo's offer of cash was rejected and
it was agreed to re-start the protest in the morning. If the deal had
been agreed, it would have entailed the two unions GMB and UNITE
signing a COT3 collective bargaining agreement preventing any worker
taking further action either legally at a tribunal...read
more
NSSN at the Trade Union conferences
19 April
This years Trade Union conferences
will be buzzing following the TUC demonstration of over half a million
people on the 26 March. There will be vital discussions taking place
about how the mass opposition to cuts can be galvanised and
generalised strike action can be organised to defeat this rotten
government...read
more
Enthusiastic support
for call centres strike
18 April:
Hundreds of call centre
workers supported the strike by PCS (civil service union) in the
Department of Work and Pensions today over inhuman working conditions
and a bad service to benefit claimants...read more
Wales SSN sets up an anti-cuts committee
17
April:
A Wales Shop Stewards
Network (WSSN) conference of trade unionists and campaigners fighting
the cuts has agreed to set up a Wales anti-cuts committee. This event
was particularly important as the Wales TUC is not holding a
conference this year...read
more
Locked-out
construction workers take the fight to BP
15 April:
Locked-out BP Saltend workers took their fight straight to the
company's fat cats at BP's AGM in London Docklands' Excell
Centre yesterday. Shareholders big and small had to face workers
from...read
more
PCS members in Jobcentreplus to strike
13
April:
PCS entered into
negotiations in good faith but management have shown little willingness to
resolve the dispute. So PCS has called for a day's strike action in all the
37 Jobcentreplus call centres on Monday 18th April...read
more
The NUJ conference taking place in
Southport has voted for the TUC to be called on to organise a 24-hour
general strike against the government's cuts onslaught...read
more
Olympics
site picketed: End the Blacklist!
On the morning of 7 April, the Olympics site
was picketed by workers from across the trade union movement in support of
victimised RMT member Frank Morris. Frank was sacked from his job by the company
Daltech after blowing the whistle on the use of an illegal blacklist to disbar
trade unionists from getting work on the site. This is the second time in a
month that the Olympics site has been picketed and traffic onto the site was
backed up from 7:00am...read
more
An
open letter to the TUC
The TUC demonstration on Saturday March 26th was a massive success. We
congratulate the General Council in implementing conference policy so
successfully - "Congress resolves that all TUC affiliates will urgently work
together to build a broad solidarity alliance of unions and communities
under threat and organise a national demonstration, lobby of Parliament and
national days of protest against the government...read
more
Ford workers call for strike against
attacks on their pensions
Strike action is looming in
Ford as the patience of both workers and pensioners runs out. The car giant
is intent on pushing ahead with changing the way in which pensions are
increased in retirement to take account of inflation (index-linking) so that
they will be based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than the present
Retail Price Index (RPI)...read
more
POA fights privatisation
POA members at
Birmingham, Winson Green prison held a protest meeting on Friday in
response to the viscous privatisation plan for their prison, spelled out
yesterday in parliament. Up to a hundred
workers temporarily walked out of the prison after the meeting, to stand on
the front steps as local branch secretary Brian Clarke addressed the media
and held a short protest rally...read
more
Don't privatise Prisons - Support the POA!
The Con-Dems have sold
Birmingham prison to private security firm G4S. This is the first
existing public sector prison to be contracted out. The POA prison
officers’ union opposes privatisation and has warned that it will
challenge the move. According to the BBC justice minister Ken Clarke
told MPs the “military are involved” in contingency plans should
prison officers stage a strike...read
more
After the TUC march - where now for the battle against the cuts?
Last October on the day
before Osborne announced the ConDems' cuts package, Brendan Barber was asked
by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight why British workers didn't fight like their
counterparts in France? Paxman pointed to the TUC rally that day of
3,000 while French workers were on strike. Saturday's massive demo should
finally dispel this myth...read
more
Visteon pensions protest hits parliament
Up to 200 Visteon
pensioners demonstrated outside Parliament today as Ford executives met MPs.
It was apt that the meeting took place almost two years to the day since
Visteon UK went into administration - resulting in 600 workers being
immediately sacked as Belfast, Basildon and Enfield plants closed. It was
only because of a heroic campaign of occupations and pickets that a decent
redundancy was won. This battle set the example for the pension campaign...read
more
PCS wins ballot in Jobcentreplus contact centres
70% of PCS members voted yes to support strike action to improve
working conditions in Jobcentreplus contact centres across the UK.
This was in the face of wide-scale intimidation from management
trying to frighten members to vote no. ..read
more
Protest continues at Saltend - Hundreds attend
mass picket
At 6:00am on Monday 28th March, 800
construction workers and other trade unionists assembled outside the gates
of the Saltend construction site. Many of those in attendance were still
recovering from the journey down to London and back on Saturday to protest
against the governments vicious cuts agenda. But another early morning was
needed as 400 construction workers have now been locked out of the site by
the contractor Redhalls for nearly a fortnight...read
more
The TUC-organised demonstration
against cuts on the 26th March looks set to be the biggest display of
anger and and opposition to the cuts since this shambles of a
coalition government came to power last year. National Shop Stewards
Network supporters up and down the country were involved in the
campaign to get the TUC to call the demonstration and have been
helping to build for the big day, which is now finally here...read
more
London Fire Service: AssetCo
meeting to discuss crisis
The crisis
engulfing AssetCo - the company which owns London's fire engines and
provides strikebreaking fire crews - worsened today after its shares were
suspended following a bitter internal rift over a proposed recovery
strategy. Chief executive and largest shareholder John Shannon was said to
be fighting it out with other senior figures after he refused to approve a
funding package which would see £16million raised through a discounted share
sale...read
more
Saltend - The
Background to the Lock-out
A couple of weeks ago
Redhalls (the company thrown off the site by Vivergo allegedly on 11th
March) had attempted to issue redundancies that would have breached the
NAECI agreement. Approximately two weeks ago Redhall's had attempted to
issue redundancies on the basis of first in last out that Redhall
construction workers themselves had insisted upon, however...read
more
The lecturers' union, UCU, will be
carrying out rolling strike action from 17 March culminating in a national
day of action on 24 March. This week includes budget day and leads well into
the TUC demonstration on 26 March. The government and university managements
are attempting to impose thousands of job cuts...read
more
End
the Lock-out now! Solidarity needed to defend the Blue Book agreement
In
talks with the trade union officials,
Redhalls made an offer of a financial pay-off which was put to a mass
meeting on Monday 21st March. Four hundred locked-out Redhalls workers
unanimously rejected this pay-off of up to £3,000 each. It was not seen as
satisfactory in compensating for loss of earnings and severence. Crucially,
it does not ensure any TUPE rights or future employment on this contract...read
more
A tribute to Jayaben Desai and her role in the
Grunwick strike of 1976-78
Jayaben
Desai, one of the leading participants in the Grunwick strike of 1976-1978
died at the end of 2010. Brent Trades Union Council, itself heavily involved
in supporting the strikers, is holding an event to commemorate her role on
Sunday 17th April...read
more
GMB
warns BP, Du Pont and British Sugar of Lyndsey Mk II dispute at Hull
construction site as 430 workers are locked out
GMB
wants BP,Du Point and British Sugar to intervene to allay increasing fears
that the £200m engineering construction project to build a bio fuel ethanol
plant for them at the Saltend Site in
Hull will be the scene of another Lindsey
type dispute with the project manager Jacobs replacing the UK based labour
force building the site with exploited overseas labour. In 2009 Lindsey Oil
Refinery was involved in a dispute over the exclusion of UK workers from the
site to be replaced with lower paid overseas workers...read
more
No
cuts to Ford pensions!
About 100 Ford pensioners
protested outside Ford's UK & European HQ in Brentwood in Essex today to
lobby Ford management. They were meeting the plant convenors and senior
staff reps along with national union officers about basing future rises in
Ford pensions on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Price
Index (RPI) to come into line with the ConDem pension changes...read
more
400 construction
workers fight lock-out at BP Saltend,
Hull
400 engineering construction workers have
been locked out from work since 14 March at BP Saltend near Hull. Arriving
for work on Monday, they were told by managers that their company Redhalls
had had their contract terminated by Vivergo who run the new bio-ethanol
plant. Two weeks ago, these same workers took
unofficial strike action and blockaded the BP site gates to win a victory
forcing Redhalls to abide by the national industry agreement over redundancy
procedures...read
more
No to GSK Compulsory Redundancies
The
GlaxoSmithKline Ware manufacturing site staff number has been more than
halved since 2007 from 1,900 to around 900 employees, with these losses up
to now mostly being met by voluntary redundancy.
During the course of 2010, GSK has introduced lean manufacturing systems
that have further reduced production-staffing levels and was widely seen
that it would lead to another round of redundancies...read
more
Don’t be fooled
by Hutton – Fight to defend
your pension!
Lord Hutton’s interview on Radio 4 this morning contained a series of
distortions designed to confuse and divide opposition – we must not be
fooled.
First, he claims that ‘there is no alternative’, that we’re all living
longer and so we have to work longer to pay for it. Don’t be fooled. The
financial statistics don’t back up their claims. As the NUT has stated...read
more
Solidarity Appeal from the front line in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin, USA is
currently the front line in a battle between a barmy state governor
representing the bosses and a proud trade union movement representing the
working class. It is a battle that is being keenly watched by working class
people across the globe, but also by representatives of the employer
elsewhere. Pay, terms, conditions and, fundamentally, the right to
collective bargaining and collective action to defend and improve these, are
in the line of fire...read
more
Wales Shop Stewards Network Conference
A good
number of trade unionists and community activists from Wales went to NSSN
Anti-Cuts Conference in London on 22nd
January. Well over 500 shop stewards/workplace reps, community campaigners
and students attended the conference and we took the decision to launch the
NSSN Anti-cuts campaign...read
more
RMT secures
major court victory on right to strike paving the way for millions to take
action over cuts to jobs and services
Transport union RMT this morning secured a
major victory in the Court of Appeal over UK strike laws that will pave the
way for millions to take action over cuts to jobs and services in the months
ahead. RMT had appealed an injunction granted in the High Court in January
preventing a 48 hour strike on Docklands Light Railway...read
more
Victory at BP Saltend plant for 'illegal' strike
A one day strike took place
on Wednesday 2nd March at BP Hull where a multi million pound project to
build a Bio-fuels plant is being constructed. After lengthy discussions with
the Redhalls management, shop stewards from the GMB and UNITE trade unions
hit a brick wall over the way that Redhalls (the main construction
contractor) wanted to carry out redundancies...read
more
Stop Blacklisting on the Olympics - Re-instate Frank Morris
A lively and sizeable protest of trade
unionists brought movement of vehicles onto the Olympic site to a halt this
morning (Tuesday 1st March) in protest at the sacking of RMT member Frank
Morris for boldly exposisng the use of an illegal blacklist. Frank was
dismisses by the company Daletech after he raised concerns about the
dismissal of a co-worker...read
more
"No ifs, no buts - don't vote for Tory cuts!"
A little bit of Wisconsin
came to Brixton last night as over 100 protestors invaded Lambeth Council's
budget meeting after a lobby of about 300 local people. The visitor gallery
was full and looked down on a meeting not of the Labour-majority councillors
debating where to let the axe fall but anti-cuts campaigners holding an
impromptu meeting on how to defeat the cuts...read
more
NSSN Bulletin No. 32
As more and more councils
set cuts budgets, the anger and frustration of workers and the local
community is also rising. Good to hear Surrey County Councils decision to
axe mobile library service is now on hold after campaigning. Whilst
occupations in Lambeth and Leeds last night both expressed the lack of faith
workers and community have in local councillors to fight for them...read
more
FBU London
Region Hardship Fund Fundraiser
On top of strike action during the London
dispute, London members have been subjected to vindictive 20%, 40% and 60%
deductions for working to their contract. The brigade has over the past 3
month deducted half a million pounds of London Fire-fighters money. This was
particularly hard over the Christmas period. Fire-fighters have been making
up the shortfall as much as possible. This event will help raise much needed
funds...read
more
PCS vows to fight back against victimisation of trade unionists
One speaker summed it up perfectly when he
declared "We are seeing a return to the Victorian, tyrannical employer", as
bosses crack down on union activists and reps in preparation for the biggest
attacks on jobs and conditions since the 1920s...read
more
TATA Steelworks contract cleaners strike
Around 70 contract cleaners,
working for OCS at the TATA Steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales are
taking part in 2 days of strike action in a dispute over pay. Alec Thraves,
spoke to Tony Eley, Community Branch Secretary on a determined picket line
at the Margam site...read
more
BA
Dispute: Support the right to strike
Trade
Unionists across the country will be shocked that, yet again, bosses at BA
have forced UNITE Cabin Crew to re-ballot through a combination of
intimidation and a ‘legal blitz’.
Rob Williams, National Shop
Stewards Network vice-chair and convenor of its anti-cuts committee said...read
more
Reply to SWP website “Statement on the crisis in NSSN”
At the NSSN anti-cuts
conference on 22nd January 2011 nearly 600 people - mostly
workers with elected positions in trade union branches, trades councils,
workplaces and anti-cuts alliances – came together and agreed to launch a
national anti-cuts campaign...read
more
Trade Unionists condemn Bosses' Organisation's proposals to attack workers
rights
Trade
Unionists reacted angrily yesterday to proposals from the Institute of
Directors to further attack and undermine trade union rights and the ability
of working people to fight back against the barrage of attacks coming from
the employer and the government...read
more
TUCG Health and Safety Week of Action:
Stand up for safe
workplaces!
The Government is
trying to downplay health and safety practices as ‘jokes’ or ‘red-tape’ in
order to push through a programme of de-regulation and job cuts to the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which will put workers lives and dignity
at risk. The TUCG is organising a week of action to stand up for safe
workplaces and to defend the HSE from savage budget cuts...read
more
Medirest Workers in Amersham and Wycombe take further action
For the third time in the past couple of
months Medirest/Compass workers in Amersham and Wycombe Hospitals will be
taking action to demand sick pay and other terms and conditions already
given to their colleagues working in the NHS...read
more
Anti-Cuts Conference Success
I want to
thank everyone who attended and helped organise yesterday's excellent NSSN
Anti-Cuts Conference in Camden. Well over 500 shop stewards/workplace reps,
community campaigners and students debated whether the NSSN should launch an
anti-cuts campaign...read
more
Dundee workers challenge IDS: “Debate the Welfare Cuts!”
Dundee Unemployed Support Centre Organiser
Harvey Duke came to London today to ask Work and Pensions Secretary Ian
Duncan Smith to make his mind up to debate the welfare cuts in public...read
more
The Royal Wedding? No, a Royal strike!
Clitheroe Royal Grammar
School (Lancashire) is totally closed by a solid strike of NUT and NAS/UWT
in protest at the head’s plans for an academy. This is probably the first
ever strike against Gove’s new ‘expressway’ academies...read
more
Students – Come to NSSN Conference!
The student Day-X demo
in London on 9 December marked a watershed. The atmosphere electric; young
people high with excitement. Rough and ready placards pulled no punches; the
chants exhilarating. I saw a group of school kids joining the demo chanting
playfully “Revolution”. While students dared to hope their efforts would
bring victory, most knew the vote would go against them...read
more
North West SSN lobbies Manchester City Council
Shop Stewards Network
supporters working and living in Manchester lobbied outside the Manchester
city council meeting on Wednesday 8th December, with a great
response from council workers and passers-by...read
more
Young demonstrators battle police as Commons pass fee increases
Thousands of university, college and
school students marched through London on Thursday 9 December as the
university fee increases were voted through the House of Commons.
Delegations from many universities joined art students and sixth formers
from every corner of London in a vibrant and passionate day of action...read
more
Steve Acheson Court Hearing
We got 6 or 7 people over to
the Runcorn County Court to support Steve, much to the amazement of court
officials. It is a strange court, as only Steve was allowed in to a room
where a judge sat in chambers, the rest of us had to wait in a room outside...read
more
Students end Cambridge occupation with protest outside
governing body meeting
The Cambridge occupation of Old Schools
ended today with a protest by the occupiers and their supporters outside the
Pitt Building on Mill Lane, where the governing body of the university met
to decide their
stance on tuition fees...read
more
2000 march through Norwich against cuts
Police estimate
that there were 2000 on the Norfolk Coalition Against the Cuts march in
Norwich today. Trades union branches mobilised some of their members. Many
workers are getting involved in activity for the first time. There were a
lot of students and school students...read
more
Thousands of students confront police kettle in Whitehall
Several thousand school and college
students who responded to the call for a walk-out on Wednesday 24 November
marched from Trafalgar Square and hoped to protest against the proposed
increase in university fees outside Parliament...read
more
GMB members employed by Rhondda Cynon Taff
council in South Wales have been threatened with a lock out by the council
if they refuse to accept new lower terms and conditions of employment. GMB
officers were summoned to a meeting and told by Tony Wilkins HR director
that the council has issued a section 188 notice for all 10,000 staff
employed by the council giving notice of their dismissal and an offer of
re-engagement on lower terms and conditions of employment...read
more
It has become apparent that a rumour is
being circulated that as Steve won one of his Tribunal cases he must be
quids in, counting his compensation. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Despite winning, Steve has not had a penny...read
more
The Fire Brigades Union and its member's
in London are overwhelmed by the many letters of support and solidarity
received from trade unions affiliated to the NSSN and SERTUC, especially
PCS, RMT, NUT, CWU and SERTUC, whilst the strike planned for the 5th and 6th
November 2010 has been suspended, this in no way infers that the dispute has
concluded...read
more
It was great to see the joint UCU & NUS
demonstration against sky-high fees and HE cuts, with 50,000 mainly students
but also education workers marching through London. A little of what happens
when a union leadership take a national lead...read
more
Programmes and services across the BBC
were affected on Friday 5 November by the strike against changes to the
pension scheme. In the last few days some members of BECTU have been joining
the NUJ because BECTU have accepted the pension attacks...read
more
National Shop Stewards Network Bulletin No. 23
The huge cheers as
cuts were announced in parliament, spoke volumes of the real interests and
concerns of this ConDem government. With half a Million public sector jobs
to be slashed, now a total of £18 million from Welfare, and more taken from
benefits than will be collected in the bankers levy, this is not us all in
it together...read
more
Resolution for Action to Fight the Cuts
The resolution below was
adopted unanimously by the Anti-Cuts demonstration in London on 23 October.
We urge all trade unionists to take this resolution to their branches and
get it passed as far and wide as possible...read
more
When it became clear that
the TUC Congress had pulled back from organising a demo in response to the
ConDem Comprehensive Spending Review, the NSSN, along with RMT, FBU, PCS and
NUT London representatives decided to go ahead and call a demo. The RMT
Regional Committee was first to agree a date. Later UCU and CWU joined in,
and right at the last minute, but nonetheless very welcome, Unite...read
more
After a very successful TUC
lobby and the first national demo against cuts in Manchester just a few
weeks ago, the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) steering committee has
taken a unanimous decision to follow up with a national conference to stop
cuts to jobs and services...read
more
Shock at the announcement of the
closure of the Newport Passport Office has turned to anger. 300 workers
providing a vital service will lose their jobs in an area of already high
unemployment. Wales will lose its only Passport Office...read
more
In a show of great determination
and strength, 700 trade unionists and community activists demonstrated
outside the Trades Union Congress venue in Manchester on Sunday 12
September, as the TUC delegates were gathering for their annual congress...read
more
The
evening that the TUC Conference moved a motion to fight to get the
Government to outlaw blacklisting, the Manchester Campaign Against the
Blacklist hosted a TUC fringe meeting and Film Premier that attracted close
to 100 people at the Central Methodist Hall...read
more
The Trades Union Congress
(TUC), meeting this year in Manchester, needs to hear clearly from ordinary
trade unionists and activists that the time has come to get off its knees
and organise a fightback against the government's programme of cuts...read
more
Report of Meeting on Working-class Political Representation
Thirty-two trades unionists
attended this successful and somewhat experimental meeting. Attendees came
from Bristol, Plymouth, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, including a
strong delegation from Yeovil Trades Council...read
more
The
NSSN and the Right to Work
Last Saturday 27th February
the NSSN National Steering Committee held one of its regular meetings. A
whole range of important items were on the agenda, one of which was a
discussion on the relationship between the NSSN and The Right To Work. It
had become apparent that there has been some confusion about the
establishment of another organisation with the same aims and attempting to
get support from the very same union branches...read
more
THE NATIONAL Shop Stewards
Network (NSSN) steering committee held its latest meeting on 9 May. Amongst
issues discussed were the sacking by his employer of Rob Williams, NSSN
vice-chairperson, the struggle at Visteon and the No2EU European election
campaign...read
more
The strike by more than 1,000 workers at the Lindsey oil
refinery (LOR) in north Lincolnshire started on January 28 and ran for over
a week. It was supported by solidarity walk-outs across 22 other "Blue Book"
sites, workplaces covered by the National Agreement for the Engineering and
Construction Industry (NAECI) agreement across England, Scotland and Wales.
It hit the headlines, making national and indeed international news....read
more
In response to the crisis in
Britain's car industry, where thousands of job losses have been announced
and thousands of other workers have been temporarily laid off for weeks at a
time, the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) hosted a very encouraging
meeting in Birmingham on 14 February...read
more
Conference Report
On Saturday 28 June 2008, around 300
stewards/workplace reps, and observers gathered in London for the Second
Conference of the NSSN...read
more
Support Public Sector Action
On Thursday
April 24 teachers, civil servants, college lecturers, Birmingham council
workers, shelter housing workers and others will be on strike in the biggest
united action by public sector workers for decades. Workers have had enough
and are standing up against government attacks on their already low pay...read
more
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