From Unite website:-
Unite in talks on Durham bus pay dispute, as new strike dates announced (11 Jan) – Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, is to hold talks with Arriva Durham County Ltd on Thursday (17 January) in a bid to resolve the long-running pay dispute. But at the same time, the union announced a further ten days of strike action by its 650 bus drivers from 00:01 on 27 January until 23:59 on 5 February. The bus drivers, based at Darlington, Durham, Redcar, Stockton and Whitby, are currently on strike for a week in the pay dispute. The strike ends at 23.59 tomorrow (Saturday 12 January). Unite regional officer Bob Bolam said: “We are due to hold talks with the Arriva management on Thursday (17 January) in a bid to settle this dispute. “We will be entering into these talks in a constructive and positive frame of mind. We won’t be commenting further until those negotiations have concluded…” read more
Tweet support to @UniteNEYH and send donations via Unite – Fry St, Middlesbrough TS1 1HA
Solid strike by Arriva bus drivers
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 – 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL – Saturday July 6th
Download the ‘Join the NSSN’ leaflet here
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Union News
RMT
Support the RMT in Manchester against far-right threats – the NSSN stands in full solidarity with striking Northern Rail RMT members who have been faced with threats from the far-right last. We appeal to our local supporters to visit their picket line in solidarity RMT Northern Rail members standing firm again on 44th day as company snubs all efforts to get talks going
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 had already been instructed to take action as follows, not to book on for on for duty between:
- 00:01 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Saturday 19th January 2019
- 00:01 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Saturday 26th January 2019 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
RMT demonstration in Ramsgate Harbour on Seaborne Freight – 11am Tuesday January 22nd
RMT warns of loss of 1000 cleaning jobs on London Underground and confirms lobby of Parliament (15 Jan) – TUBE UNION RMT today warned of a thousand cleaning job losses on London Underground and announced that it will be lobbying Parliament on the 29th of January in support of decent jobs, on decent pay and conditions provided in house and with the cuts axe lifted from above the heads of the cleaning workforce. In 2017 London Underground again outsourced Tube cleaning; this time on a five year contract to Global Corporation ABM read more
ISS rail contract staff to strike in Edinburgh in on-going fight over sub-standard facilities and workplace conditions (14 Jan) – Rail union RMT has confirmed ISS contract workers based at Edinburgh Waverley will be taking strike action after the company reneged on promises to improve staff accommodation facilities and install air conditioning. RMT has described the working facilities inflicted on this core group of rail support staff as a disgrace to the railway in Scotland and an appalling indictment of the way that private contractors think they can get away with treating their workforce. Members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:
00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Sunday 27th January 2019 read more
As workers protest at DfT Minister refuses to agree to UK jobs or UK National Minimum Wage on Brexit Ferry Contracts (11 Jan) – As workers protest at the Department for Transport today, the Shipping Minister Nusrat Ghani has refused to agree that UK employment legislation such as the national minimum wage or Equality Act which prevents pay discrimination, will apply in relation to the UK government’s Brexit Ferry Contracts, in an astonishing statement to MPs. The Minister also refused to say whether even a single UK seafarer will be employed as a result of the £100m contracts read more
RMT suspends strike action on Bakerloo Line after significant progress in negotiations (10 Jan) – TUBE UNION RMT said today that it is suspending 24 hours of strike action planned to start Sunday evening on the Bakerloo Line after significant progress was made in negotiations. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “I want to pay tribute to RMT members on the Bakerloo Line whose solidarity and determination has enabled our negotiators to make enough progress in talks to allow the suspension of the strike action due to start on Sunday evening. RMT’s executive continues to closely monitor the industrial relations situation across London Underground.” Read more
ASLEF
Strike action at Barking depots – ASLEF members employed by London Underground at Barking District Line depot and Barking Hammersmith & City Line depot have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action after the company’s failure to address the abrogation of agreements. 85% of members voted for action on a turnout of 67%. Action will take place between 0001 and 2359 on Thursday 10th January and then 0001 and 2359 on Wednesday 23rd January read more
TSSA
Industrial Action Ballot Threatened at “Outrageous” Greater Anglia (10 Jan) – TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has threatened industrial action over what he described as “outrageous behaviour” by Greater Anglia at plans to cull management grade staff. The union has discovered that Greater Anglia is intending to dispense with some managers without giving any explanation to members about what Cortes described as “potentially unlawful actions”. This comes at a time when the train operator – jointly owned by Abellio, part of Dutch State Railways – has made more than a billion pounds in profit from its UK operations read more
Unison
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
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/
More Unite
Birmingham city council accused of using Tory anti-union laws to defend ‘secret payments’ (15 Jan) – Britain and Ireland’s largest union, Unite accused Labour-led Birmingham city council of using Tory anti-trade union laws to attack its own workforce in a shameful defence of ‘secret payments’ today (Tuesday 15 January). It follows a decision by the authority’s cabinet today to seek an injunction to try and halt ongoing industrial action short of a strike involving around 300 Unite members working for the council’s refuse service. Unite warned that its members would escalate their industrial action to full strike action unless the council reversed its decision. The refuse workers are involved in a blacklisting dispute over payments made to refuse workers who did not support 2017’s long running bin dispute read more
Unite vows to fight job losses at Ford Bridgend (11 Jan) – Unite vowed today (Friday 11 January) to fight any compulsory redundancies, following briefings that 1,000 job losses were on the cards over the next two years at Ford’s Bridgend engine plant in South Wales. Shop stewards from Ford factories have been given a briefing on the proposals. The plans are for a total of 1,150 job losses in the UK, with almost 1,000 at Bridgend and the rest at Ford’s transport operations, which would affect lorry drivers across the UK read more
Unite vows to safeguard jobs as Jaguar Land Rover announces global job losses (10 Jan) – UK car workers’ livelihoods are being caught in the crosshairs of the government’s botched handling of Brexit, economic uncertainty and ministers’ demonisation of diesel, Unite said today (Thursday 10 January) as Jaguar Land Rover announced global job cuts amounting to several thousand. Responding to today’s announcement Unite, the country’s largest manufacturing union, said it would be scrutinising the business case for the global job losses and pressing the car maker to safeguard its members’ job read more
Unpaid JW Morris electricians receive wages following Unite demonstration (10 Jan) – A group of 20 electricians who faced severe financial hardship after their pay was withheld have received their wages following the intervention of Unite, the UK’s construction union, and a Unite organised demonstration at their site. The electricians were engaged by sub-contractor JW Morris on a site run by contractor Acom in Hoxton, East London, on behalf of the client, IG1 Global Real Estate Development. When the workers returned from their Christmas break this week they discovered that JW Morris had been removed from the site and their wages had not been paid. The workers were owed in excess of £25,000 (on average over £1,000 per worker) for the work they undertook prior to Christmas. Following contact from affected Unite members the union immediately organised a demonstration outside the site at 08:00 this morning (10 January) read more
PCS & United Voices of the World
Joint Jan 22 MoJ & BEIS outsourced workers strike – On 22nd January 2019 receptionists, security guards and cleaners at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), represented by United Voices of the World (UVW), and support staff at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), represented by Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, will walk out together on strike demanding the London Living Wage of £10.55 per hour, plus parity of sick pay and annual leave allowance with civil servants. Workers at the MoJ will also strike for a second day on 23rd January 2019. This will be the first co-ordinated strike between a TUC and a non-TUC union and the first coordinated strike between outsourced workers in government departments Facebook event
Please donate to the PCS and UVW strike funds
USDAW
Please sign Usdaw’s Time for Better Pay petition on the government’s petition website. This is part of the Usdaw’s campaign to force the issues of low pay and job security onto the agenda of parliament and our employers – https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/234531
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
UCU
Strike ballot at 143 universities (11 Jan) – Around 70,000 UCU members in 143 UK universities are being balloted for strike action in a row over pay and conditions. The ballot opens on Tuesday 15 January and closes on Friday 22 February. The dispute rests on universities’ failure to improve on the 2% pay offer made at pay talks last May. UCU said that offer from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) did nothing to address the falling value of higher education pay, which has declined in real terms by 21% since 2009 read more
EIS
EIS Critical of Colleges Scotland’s Refusal to Negotiate Ahead of Strike Action (14 Jan) – The General Secretary of the EIS has written to Colleges Scotland to question its refusal to meet with EIS-FELA (Further Education Lecturers’ Association) negotiators ahead of this week’s planned strike on Wednesday. EIS-FELA has been seeking a negotiating meeting with Colleges Scotland for some time, in the hope of reaching a negotiated agreement on pay for college lecturers. However, Colleges Scotland has refused to meet with EIS-FELA negotiators until after the first strike day – and has now also cancelled this scheduled meeting, pushing negotiations even further into the month read more
INMO (Ireland)
Nurses and midwives first strike on January 30th – Ireland’s nurses and midwives will go on strike for 24 hours on January 30th, it was announced. The union is legally required to give one week’s notice, but has given three to allow for safety planning. Should the dispute go unresolved, there will be further 24-hour strikes on 5th and 7th of February, and then the 12th, 13th and 14th. The strike will see INMO members withdraw their labour for 24 hours, providing only lifesaving care and emergency response teams. The dispute centres on safe staffing in the public health service. The HSE has not been able to recruit and retain enough nurses and midwives on current wages. The number of staff nurses fell by 1,754 (6%) between 2008 and 2018, despite an ageing, growing population making the health service busier. This would be only the second national strike in the INMO’s hundred-year history read more
BECTU
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
NUJ
NUJ reacts to Gannett takeover bid (14 Jan) – Gannett has today confirmed it has received a proposal from MNG Enterprises Inc. to acquire Gannett for $12 per share in cash. The current share price for Gannett is $9.75. Gannett has said their board of directors will now review the proposal. Gannett owns Newsquest, the second largest regional and local newspaper company in the UK. In reaction to the proposal, the union expressed grave concern about the bid and the potential detrimental impact on quality, sustainable journalism in the UK read more
IWGB
Nearly 1000 Minicab drivers protest with vehicles outside TfL against “tax on the poor” (14 Jan) – Almost 1000 minicab drivers converged outside Transport for London’s (TfL) headquarters on Blackfriars Road in protest to the announcement last month of regressive congestion charges for minicabs to be introduced in April. The protest, called by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain’s (IWGB) United Private Hire Drivers branch (UPHD) went on today from 10:00 – 12:30, with hundreds of stationary minicabs blocking large part of the Cut, Union Street and Blackfriars Road. Protesters assembled outside TFL’s Palestra House office and marched up to Blackfriars Bridge. The drivers vow to repeat the protest every Monday read more
Other news
Solidarity with the People of Turkey (SPOT) 2019 annual conference ‘Turkey: Fighting for democracy under authoritarian rule’ – Saturday, 9 February 2019 from 11:00-17:00 at National Education Union, Mabledon Place, Hamilton House, WC1H 9BD London Facebook event
Poetry on the Picket Line – Saturday, 26 January 2019 from 19:30-23:30 at The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, EC1R3 London – We’ve been gigging on picket lines and we’re indoors to launch our new anthology. Poetry from Janine Booth, Matt Abbott, Nadia Drews, The Repeat Beat Poet, Chip Grim, Lilly Driscoll, Tim Wells, Tim Kiely, Mark Coverdale and David Turner. The book will be available on the night for £5. T-shirts a tenner. All proceeds to strike funds. No door pressure but we’ll be passing the hat. You’ve guessed it: for strike funds Facebook event
Blacklisting & Victimisation
Blacklist Support Group financial appeal: the Blacklist support group is desperately short of funds, to continue the incredible work we need more finance, would you please consider making a donation, raise it at your branches and trade councils. Please make cheques payable to Joint sites committee and send to 70 Darnay Rise Chelmsford Essex CM1 4XA. Please forward onto your contacts many thanks Steve Kelly (JSC Treasurer)
Blacklisted t-shirts available at: https://shop.hopenothate.org.uk/component/hikashop/product/78-blacklisted-t-shirt
Book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
International
NUJ sends message of solidarity to Dutch photographers taking action read more
NUJ condemns sentencing of Turkish journalist Pelin Ünker 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
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