This week, we send our solidarity and congratulations to BECTU and their members involved in the long-running campaign at Picturehouse – in particular the two victimised reps at the Brixton Ritzy cinema, who have won their reinstatement
From the BECTU website: BECTU members to be reinstated to the Ritzy in January (5 Dec)
Two BECTU reps unfairly sacked by Picturehouse-owned Ritzy must be returned to their former positions at the Brixton cinema, an employment tribunal hearing has ruled.
A judge ruled that all the individuals involved were capable of working in a professional and mature manner after hearing evidence from the reps about how they will be able to work at the Ritzy again.
The reps who have worked at the Ritzy for a number of years will have to be reinstated in January. They were represented by Thompsons solicitors.
The decision is a significant win for BECTU and follows on from a ruling earlier in the summer which found that the reps had been unfairly dismissed.
At that employment tribunal the judge found that there had been a “lack of neutrality at the investigation and disciplinary stages” and “an assumption of guilt on the part of the claimants.”
Head of BECTU Philippa Childs said: “This is an extremely rare ruling and once again highlights the unreasonable behaviour of Picturehouse towards BECTU’s representatives.
“These individuals have been leading BECTU activists and their reinstatement will bolster the campaign for Picturehouse staff to be paid the Living Wage. BECTU urges Picturehouse to look closely at these two ruling and start to engage with us and the Living Wage campaign and for the union to be fully recognised.”
Victoria Phillips, head of employment rights at Thompsons Solicitors who worked with BECTU on the case, said: “I am absolutely delighted for Marc, Natalie and BECTU. The case illustrates the importance of being a member of a trade union. It’s taken since June 2017 but the courageous members and BECTU have secured a significant victory.”
Picturehouse staff have been campaigning to be paid the official Living Wage in London, fair pay rises for supervisors, managers, chefs, sound technicians and projectionists and company sick pay for all staff and company pay for maternity, paternity and adoption.
For more information about the campaign read here
Read the latest about the Picturehouse dispute on Brixton Ritzy Facebook Page and those of Hackney, Crouch End, Central, Dulwich East and Duke of York Brighton
Donate to the Picturehouse Cinema strike fund: https://www.crowdpac.co.uk/campaigns/250/picturehousestrike
NSSN news
Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month. You can set up a similar standing order to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. Our address is NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE
Date for your diaries: 2019 NSSN Conference Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL – Saturday July 6th
Download the ‘Join the NSSN’ leaflet here
And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]
Follow us on twitter via @NSSN_AntiCuts and Facebook
Union News
RMT
Support RMT Northern and South Western Railway strikes – RMT members on Northern Rail and South Western Railway have been taking strike action over the threat Driver Only Operation. Sign the Parliamentary petition to make it a legal requirement to have a second safety critical person on trains
All RMT Arriva Rail North Conductor, Conductor Instructor and Train Driver members are instructed to not to book on are for any shifts that commence between:-
- 0001 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Saturday 15th December 2018 read more
RMT members on South Western Railway working as Commercial Guards, Guards and Train Drivers are instructed to not to book on for any shifts that commence between:-
- 0001 Hours and 2359 Hours on Saturday 22nd December 2018 read more
National dispute fund (DOO disputes) – If you would like to donate to the RMT National Dispute Fund which makes payments to support their striking members taking part in National DOO disputes then you can donate via PayPal using the donate button below or make a cheque payable to RMT National Dispute Fund and send it to the address below. Alternatively, you can ring their Freephone helpline on 0800 376 3706 who will be happy to process a credit card payment for you, or, if you would like to pay via internet banking, please email [email protected] for further details. Vicky Thompson, Finance Manager RMT, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. Tel: 020-7529-8843 read more
Further Central Line industrial action called – That we note the resolution from our from Central Line East Branch that to bring the company back into normal industrial relations they are resolved to continue to take strike action. Accordingly, we instruct all Central Line Train Operators and Operator Instructors to take Strike Action by not booking on for shifts between: 20:00 hours on Friday 21st December and 02:00 hours on Saturday 22nd December 2018 and 04:00 hours and 20:00 hours on Saturday 22nd December 2018 read more Central line strike action announced in Paul Bailey unfair sacking dispute
TSSA
End #ScotFail sign the People’s Petition to save ScotRail – Transport Union TSSA are stepping up the campaign for a publicly owned ScotRail this week by launching a People’s ScotRail Petition. The petition will be launched online on Monday following news that fares are set to rise again in the new year by 3.1% despite the worst year of service to Scotland’s rail passengers in ScotRail’s privatised history
Unison
England’s school staff asked to vote on effect of cuts (7 Dec) – UNISON will hold consultative ballot on employment issues arising from central government reductions in school funding. School support staff in England will be asked whether they are prepared to take industrial action over the way central government cuts are affecting their jobs and employment. UNISON will hold an on-line indicative ballot in January, asking school workers across England about the issue. Education is a devolved issue in Cymru/Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland read more
FE members to be consulted over pay offer (6 Dec) – Government refuses to provide additional funding for colleges to make better pay offer. UNISON members working in further education in England are to be consulted over an offer from the employer of 1%, or £250, whichever is the greater. Wages in the sector have fallen by over 25% in the past decade. When negotiations opened in July, the unions asked for 5% or £1,500, whichever was greater…UCU members in colleges have already taken strike action and UNISON will now launch a consultative ballot in January to ask members if they would be prepared to take strike action themselves, or action short of a strike read more
Support the Glasgow Equal Pay strikers – More than 8,000 union members – overwhelmingly low paid women – took strike action this November, with 10,000 marching to a rally outside the city hall on the first day of the strike read more
Strike fund donations to:
UNITY Trust
Sort code 60 83 01 A/c Number 20275789
Drew Rigden Treasurer UNISON Glasgow City Branch
84 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1LQTel: 0141-552-7069
read more from Glasgow City Unison Facebook page
Cornerstone protest – On 5th December there was a protest of Unison Scotland, Glasgow City Unison ,Unison South Lanarkshire and other trade union supporters and Socialist Party Scotland at the Cornerstone Charity headquarters against their de-recognition of Unison. Cornerstone’s leadership team were meeting a external body evaluation panel including the Scottish government, SSSC, the care inspectorate and Strathclyde University. while the protest was going on. During a dispute with Unison members over terms and conditions, in which a majority of Unison members rejected a proposal from management Cornerstone have derecognised Unison and its stewards and have set up a staff association. This is a warning to trade union organisation in the third sector if Cornerstone are successful in derecognising the trade union. Socialist Party Scotland gives full support to Cornertone trade unionists and Unison.
Send solidarity and support to organisers
Ian Fitzpatrick
Deborah Clarke
Support the striking Birmingham homecare workers – Please send messages of support and donations to Unison Birmingham branch, 46 The Priory Queensway Birmingham B4 7LR. Email [email protected] Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/birminghamunison/
Support Camden NSL workers on further 14 days of strike action until December 19th – Camden UNISON members working for private company NSL as traffic wardens are out again after recently taking 5 days of strike action as part of their fight for decent pay. They are asking for £11.15 an hour, an amount that Camden UNISON believes is very reasonable particularly when the top director at NSL gets over £320 an hour. For updates about the dispute and to send messages of support, contact [email protected] read more on Camden Unison website
Unite
Shelter workers secure pay victory and call off strikes (Dec 10) – Members of Unite, employed by housing charity Shelter, are celebrating victory after agreeing a vastly improved pay offer. The decision to accept the new deal means that the scheduled strike due to begin tomorrow (11 December) has been called off. Unite and Shelter’s management held extended negotiations last Friday (7 December) in a last ditch attempt to avert the strike action. As a result of the talks the workers were offered an improved overall offer of four per cent structured as; 2.25 per cent consolidated, plus 1.75 per cent unconsolidated paid at a flat rate, to the value of approximately £500 for each member of staff. Unite’s members today (Monday 10 December) overwhelmingly accepted the offer. The new pay offer was a substantial improvement on the one per cent increase and an additional one per cent one off payment that staff had previously been offered. Since Unite began the industrial action dispute there has been a surge of union membership at Shelter with over 100 new members joining the union read more
Cheshire businesses face Christmas rubbish headache as Veolia workers strike over unpaid shifts (10 Dec) – Members of Unite employed by waste management provider, Veolia UK, in Cheshire, are set to begin a series of strikes beginning on Friday 21 December, in a dispute over unpaid shifts. The workers, who are employed at the company’s Ditton Road Widnes depot, are employed on a contract which requires them to undertake five shifts in seven days. However, the workers are not paid if they work a sixth shift in a seven day period. The result of the industrial action ballot, delivered a turnout of 92 per cent with 78.3 per cent in favour of strike action and action short of strike action. Following the ballot result Unite undertook a last ditch attempt to avert strike action but the talks failed to reach a resolution as Veolia’s management refused to provide a solution to the issue. The first 24 hour strike will be held just before Christmas on Friday 21 December with further strikes also called for Christmas Eve (24 December) and then on Thursday 4 and Sunday 7 of January 2019. A series of overtime bans will be in place either side of strike days read more
Edinburgh Trams strike called off as agreement reached (5 Dec) – Unite today (Wednesday 5 December) has withdrawn planned strike action at Edinburgh Trams following positive negotiations over the last two weeks with the company. Agreement has been reached which overhauls the company’s sickness and capability policies. Strikes scheduled for the Christmas period will now not take place. Unite balloted members on strike action following complaints of a hostile management culture at Edinburgh Trams which it was claimed had resulted in bullying and victimisation of members read more
GMB & Unite
Cammell Laird strike action suspended as workers secure ‘pause’ to job cuts (7 Dec) – Unite members at the Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird have agreed to suspend industrial action after the shipbuilder agreed to a four week pause to plans to make 291 people redundant, it was announced today (Friday 7 December). A taskforce made up of Unite, the GMB, Cammell Laird, its major shareholder Peel, the government, local politicians and Cammell Laird customers will now come together to try and formulate an action plan that brings forward work to save vital jobs and skills at the shipyard read more
Support the fight to save Appledore shipyard: GMB Demands Answers Over Appledore Closure – Why did the Government’s offer to Babcock come in so late – was it just to cover Ministers’ own backs, asks GMB Union? GMB, the shipbuilding union, is demanding answers over the decision to close Appledore shipyard. The union ensured the matter was raised in the House of Commons within hours of the announcement – and has now written to Babcock seeking clarification read more
Unite: Appledore shipyard closure ‘a hammer blow’ for the workers and Devon economy
GMB
Community Picket At John Roan Maze Hill Tuesday December 11th – GMB members have called three days (11,12,13 Dec) of strike action against the threat of job cuts as a consequence of projected budget deficit. It seems that over £998K has been spent on consultants including the UST over the past 2 years! We demand to see the school accounts. We fully support members of the GMB that are fighting for their jobs and our children’s education provision. We ask that everyone respects their picket line, like many NEU members have decided to do. Please join us! Facebook event
GMB to hold further protest outside Kingston Hospital on December 20th – “GMB will not stand by and watch highly paid ISS managers abuse our members and strip them of their basic rights”, says GMB Southern. GMB, the union for ISS NHS staff, have organised another protest following a lively lunchtime protest outside Kingston Hospital on Thursday 29 November. The protest will include Scrooge, to illustrate that GMB members are being paid poverty wages over the Christmas Period. Oliver Twist will also make an appearance as GMB members asked “Please sir can I have some more?” and ISS have responded with retaliation and bullying.
Details of the next protest are as follows:
Thursday 20 December, 12:30 PM, Kingston Hospital, Galsworthy Rd, Kingston upon Thames KT2 7QB
GMB stage protest outside bio mass plant ‘betrayal’ of North Tees workforce (Dec 6) – GMB members are furious after company attempt to bring in overseas labour and undercut local workers. GMB, the energy union, staged a protest on December 7th outside a bio mass plant in anger at the ‘betrayal’ of the local workforces read more
CWU
Bristol Royal Mail delivery strike vote (Dec 7) – Workers at Bristol’s South East Delivery Office (SEDO) could strike in the run-up to Christmas to win justice for one of their fellow workers. In a ballot result announced this afternoon, 86% voted for the action, which was sparked by the disciplinary action taken against postman Barry Baker. Explaining the issue, Bristol CWU Branch secretary Rob Wotherspoon said: “The management sacked Barry without notice back in October after wrongly accusing him of “a breach of business standards” – but they have never explained what this specific standard is or where is was agreed. Then he was accused by them of having “acted inappropriately” during a meeting where he was not allowed union representation – another allegation which he and the CWU totally refute.” The sacking provoked an immediate angry response from Barry’s delivery colleagues, who held a spontaneous gate meeting at the unit and called for an industrial action ballot, a request that was approved by the branch and the CWU industrial executive. Management agreed last week to re-instate Barry – but they insisted on imposing a disciplinary penalty short of dismissal and to transfer him to another office in a different part of the city. “While we’re pleased to win his re-instatement, the workforce here rejects the idea that Barry should be forced out of the office,” said Rob. This brilliant ballot result shows the fantastic solidarity there is in this unit and the strong feeling that people all want to see Barry back at work here at SEDO where he belongs. There’s still the chance for RM to avert strike action – but they need to overturn this ridiculous decision.” Read more
93% vote for postal strike on 91% turnout – Isle of Man (Dec 4) – Furious Isle of Man Postal workers will walk out for two days next week in protest against an “outrageous attack on their job security, pensions, terms and conditions,” the CWU announced today. On an enormous 91 per cent turnout, the company’s CWU membership voted by an even more enormous 93 per cent for the action, in a reflection of the anger felt at management’s plans to slash pensions benefits, impose a below-inflation pay settlement and introduce a two-tier employment model read more
PCS
PCS balloting members working for BEIS contractors Aramark and Engie for strike action (10 Dec) – PCS is balloting members who work for contractors Aramark and Engie, who supply support services, including catering and security, to the BEIS Department. The companies are refusing to pay the London Living Wage, claiming that they need the agreement of BEIS to do so. The workers are also demanding occupational sick and holiday pay that is on a par with in-house BEIS employees. The union has always strongly argued that the scandal of low pay and poor conditions is caused by outsourcing and we have been campaigning for some time to bring these services back in-house. PCS members cannot support themselves on their current wages and will no longer tolerate inferior terms and conditions compared with in-house BEIS staff. We are therefore left with no choice but to proceed to ballot members for strike action, with the aim of achieving the London Living Wage of £10.55, along with terms and conditions that match in-house BEIS staff, and ultimately to end outsourcing. The ballot closes next Monday read more
PCS Historic Royal Palaces members vote for action to defend pensions (7 Dec) – PCS members working for Historic Royal Palaces have voted overwhelmingly to take action to defend their pensions against massive proposed cuts. Our members were balloted from 30 November to 7 December on the question are you prepared to take part in strike action? 91.4% of members voted yes on a 72% turnout. HRP, the independent charity that manages six of the UK’s unoccupied royal palaces, is planning to close its defined benefits pension scheme to future accruals and move the 120 staff who are members of the scheme into a defined contribution scheme. This will result in our members receiving, in some cases massively less pension than they had been promised. Our members had also overwhelmingly rejected the changes put forward by HRP to the defined benefits pension scheme in two previous consultative ballots. They want to reach an agreement over their pension provisions through negotiations, but their anger and resolve to fight the closure and take further action is strong. PCS will now consider the next steps in the campaign read more
FBU
Tyne and Wear firefighters left shocked at the lack of scrutiny on proposed cuts to the service (5 Dec) – Today, firefighters in Tyne and Wear, learned that the documentation that was given to the fire authority for scrutiny prior to agreeing it for public consultation, contained major mistakes read more
NEU, NAHT and ASCL
Teaching unions start indicative ballot on pay and funding: ‘Hands up because enough is enough!’ – Following the Government’s failure to address the school and college funding crisis in the recent Budget, the National Education Union (NEU), along with NAHT and ASCL, are taking the unprecedented step of simultaneously consulting with their respective members on what steps to take next read more
EIS
Vote YES in FELA statutory pay ballot – Voting YES for industrial action is the only avenue left for us to pursue an acceptable cost of living pay rise. Not voting or voting “no” would mean we would have to accept the Employer’s offer which will further erode the real terms value of our pay. Members should begin to receive their ballot papers on Wednesday, 28th November read more Sign this petition to support fair pay for college lecturers
UCU
UCU responds to colleges’ ‘insulting’ 1% pay offer (6 Dec) – UCU has described a pay offer of just 1% from college representatives the Association of Colleges (AoC) as a ‘wholly inadequate response’ to the pay crisis in further education which has left teaching staff being paid £7,000 a year less than school teachers. The union warned that the AoC risked becoming an irrelevant voice in the further education sector. Capital City College Group (CCCG) has agreed a 5% pay deal for over 1,700 staff and less than half of colleges followed the AoC’s previous pay recommendation. Last year the AoC said it regretted only making a 1% offer and has conceded that staff need a rise. The union said warm words were not a substitute for fair pay and warned the 1% offer sent a worrying signal to staff that they were not valued and that their employers were not prepared to fight their corner. UCU members at six colleges walked out for two days last week in the first wave of strikes over pay. Ballots are now open at another 26 colleges and will close on Wednesday 19 December. Unison has announced it will be launching a ballot of its members in English further education colleges in January read more
UCU Wales Pay & Workload Dispute strikes which began on December 4th – messages of solidarity would be welcome and please support local college pickets on the 13th and 14th of December. Supporters could also donate to the UCU Wales Hardship Fund to help some of our lowest paid members to take strike action; details below:
UCU Wales Hardship Fund
Unity Bank, sort code: 608301, account number: 20085704.
Cheques made payable to UCU Wales Hardship Fund and send to UCU Wales FE Treasurer: David Morgan, 12 Buccaneer way, Newport NP10 8ER.
Mandate (Ireland)
Mandate Trade Union members to strike in Joseph Murphy’s building materials supplier in Mayo (4 Dec) – Almost 20 members of Mandate Trade Union have issued notice of a full-day stoppage on Thursday, December 6 on longstanding wholesaler Joseph Murphy Ltd, Ballina, Co. Mayo. Mandate lodged a claim for a pay increase on behalf of members along with a bid to protect the terms of an employee VHI Scheme, but the company has not ceded to the claim. The members in the store took a 10% pay cut during the financial crisis to ensure the company’s survival, which was clawed back in recent years by the Union, but now the workers believe their loyalty and hard work deserves a sufficient reward read more
Update from Mandate on Tesco Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon strikes (4 Dec) – Mandate members employed in Sligo and Carrick on Shannon have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. Here Mandate Assistant General Secretary has a message for all Tesco members read more
IWW
No Union Busting, No Poverty Pay! Solidarity with the UberEats 5! (8 Dec) – On Monday 03/12/2018, five UberEats drivers at the Hanworth McDonalds in London received calls from UberEats telling them their agreements had been cancelled. The reason for this appears to be an incident the previous week when drivers in the area refused to work in response to the pay boost being dropped from 1.6x to 1.1x (The pay boost is the multiplier which is added to the low base pay rate per delivery they receive and is what drivers rely on to make the work pay) This amounts to a reduction of about 60%. Local McDonalds managers complained to UberEats and this resulted in the terminations. A spokesperson for the London IWW – the union organising workers in the area – states: This makes a mockery of UberEats’ claim that drivers are independent contractors free to choose their own working time. When the drivers come together to take a stand against poverty pay, Uber treats them the same way that greedy bosses have always treated their workers- by attacking their organising efforts and firing them read more
IWGB
Academics, students and politicians to boycott University of London (10 Dec) – Over one hundred academics, politicians and others are backing a boycott of University of London, including the iconic Senate House building, over the institution’s continued use of outsourced workers to provide essential services. The supporters of the boycott, which include shadow chancellor John McDonnell MP, the National Union of Students and several high-profile professors, are demanding that the university end outsourcing and directly employ the outsourced workers that provide cleaning, catering, security and other services. A full list of current signatories to the boycott will be found on the page www.boycottsenatehouse.com and https://iwgb.org.uk/boycottsenatehouse from Monday 10 December read more
United Voices of the World
MoJ campaign: Security guards & receptionists vote 100% to strike with their fellow cleaners! – UVW’s strike ballot results for the security guards and receptionists at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are in! There was a 100% turnout with a 100% YES vote to go on strike. This is a historic result. The cleaners at the MoJ, also represented by UVW, already have a live ballot with a 100% YES vote. They took 3 days of strike action in August, and will now be able to walk out again as a united outsourced workforce, including the security guards and receptionists read more
Other news
Protest: General election Now! Tories Out! Tuesday 11th December 6pm Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7GA, Next to St Thomas’ Hospital Facebook event
Leeds TUC protest: ‘No to May’s Deal – General Election Now. Tuesday 11th December, 5pm Dortmund Square, Leeds Facebook event
Solidarity with the #Stansted15: protest at the Home Office – 5.30pm tonight Tuesday 11th December outside Home Office, 2 Marsham St, Westminster, London SW1P 4DF. Last year 15 people peacefully stopped a secretive deportation flight from leaving. Today they were found guilty of a terror-related charge. Join us tomorrow outside the Home Office to protest their convictions and demand an end to brutal deportation flights, inhumane indefinite detention, and the hostile environment – wear pink in solidarity with the #Stansted15. Facebook event
Send letters of protest to:
Judith Reed – Deputy chief crown prosecutor for the east of England
The Crown Prosecution Service
102 Petty France,
London, SW1H 9EA
Or email her here: – with FAO Judith Reed
Judith Reed gave a statement to the press yesterday: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/stansted-15-deportation-stop-london-airport-guilty-verdict-terror-a8675966.html
From one of the campaigners: “She said that what we did was ‘dangerous’ and put people at risk, even of death. This is absolute rubbish. The whole question of danger was never mentioned until some 4 months after the action. This case is a political fit up. The Home Office is guilty of what we are convicted with – they put people in danger through their brutal, secret and unlawful charter flights practice.”
Save our services in Surrey #austeritykills: march against the cuts and rally for public safety – Saturday 15th December, Assemble 11am outside Woking borough council offices. Marching to town square
Join Save Our Services in Surrey Email: [email protected] Web: www.sosis.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.Facebook.Com/sosinsurrey/ Twitter: @sos_surrey
Blacklisting & Victimisation
Blacklist Support Group financial appeal: the Blacklist support group is desperately short of funds, to continue the incredible work we need more finance, would you please consider making a donation, raise it at your branches and trade councils. Please make cheques payable to Joint sites committee and send to 70 Darnay Rise Chelmsford Essex CM1 4XA. Please forward onto your contacts many thanks Steve Kelly (JSC Treasurer)
Court gives green light for pickets to challenge CCRC (Dec 3) – On Friday 9th November 2018 the Shrewsbury pickets won an important victory in their long struggle to overturn their convictions. In the Administrative Court in Birmingham, Mr Justice Jay gave permission for the pickets’ application for judicial review to proceed to a full hearing read more on Shrewsbury 24 Campaign website
Blacklisted t-shirts available at: https://shop.hopenothate.org.uk/component/hikashop/product/78-blacklisted-t-shirt
Book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
International
France’s president backs down in face of mass demonstrations read more France yellow vest protests: Macron promises wage rise read more on BBC website
Portugal: Dock workers struggle to end precarious conditions read more
Diary
2019
July
6 NSSN Conference Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
CONTACT US
PHONE 07952 283 558
EMAIL mailto:[email protected]
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts
FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP or STOP The CUTS Likes page
ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE
