NSSN
Bulletin No. 96
22 June The strikes and
action taking place this week highlights the fact that
workers in the private sector are beginning to move. In
recent times the focus has been the public sector with
cuts in jobs and services in local government, the civil
service, and, of course, pensions. The cynical ministers
of this government continually held up the scarecrow of
private sector workers seemingly swallowing austerity
without a fuss. They tried to ram home their mantra that
there is no alternative. Now that scarecrow is turning
out to be a straw man. Private sector workers are
agitating.
Last week saw the oil
refinery workers at Coryton Essex up in arms in protest
at the prospect of 850 out on the stones before too
long. Within a few days of the announcement thousands
put their signatures on petitions requesting government
subsidy. Those appeals fell on deaf ears.
The £50 million that
would be needed to keep the refinery open was refused.
Yet £100 billion in aid for the banks was granted.
Workers are now trying to get other refineries involved
in mass strike action.
Today thousands of
London bus drivers are flexing their industrial muscle
with a demand for a parity bonus with other transport
workers during the Olympics. This marks a definite
quickening. For too long the multiplicity of privatised
bus companies have managed to keep the workforce divided
on low pay. Bus companies have resorted to the courts to
stop the action going ahead in three companies. The rest
are solid. Massive picket lines reported this morning.
NSSN supporters will be out in both disputes urging that
the only way to make this government listen is through
massive united action.
Surely it is now time
for a national strike of both public and private sector
workers, as was agreed at NSSN conference. We have had
public sector action on pensions. We have had one TUC
demo with another scheduled for October 20th. Time to
step up the pressure! For a 24 hour general strike
against austerity! Get ready to come to Brighton TUC
conference in September to press home this demand.
Linda Taaffe (22.6.2012)
NSSN UPDATES
We are encouraging
branches, unions, trades councils and all rank and file
groups to support the NSSN call for a 24 public and
private sector strike. We will be lobbying the TUC in
Sep over this, more details to follow. A short video
from
NSSN conference
includes discussion on strategy as well as reports from
disputes, please share.
RMT Conference
Fringe Meeting:
Monday 25 June Lunchtime, Torquay Riviera Centre.
Unite Conference
Fringe Meeting:
Tuesday 26 June, Lunchtime, UMI Hotel, Brighton with
Sparks rep & Kingsley Abrahams suspended councilor.
Welsh Shop
Stewards’ Network Conference:
Sat 30th June 10am-3pm Temple of Peace, King Edward VII
Avenue, Cardiff Speakers include Katrine Williams (Chair
PCS Wales), Les Woodward (Remploy National convener),
Owen Herbert RMT Council of Executives, Cerith Griffiths
Wales FBU Chair, John Hancock POA NEC.
North-West NSSN meeting:
‘How can we stop victimisation on sites?’ Speakers
include Steve Acheson. Chair Andy Ford. Tuesday 17th
July, Warrington Railway Club, WA1 1XR. 7.30pm.
[email protected]
...GENERAL UPDATES...
BMA STRIKE
– First action in 40 years with a
large turnout and massive YES vote to action against
cuts. It was clearly a strike over the NHS reforms as
much as the pension cuts.
Coryton Oil Refinary - protests
against the closure have been called at Vopak oil
terminal in Purfleet, Essex, Lindsey oil refinery, North
Lincolnshire and Grangemouth oil refinery in Falkirk.
All the protests will
start at 1:00 PM on Monday!
As part of helping
this fight the NSSN jointly hosted a
solidarity meeting
alongside Coryton workers.
500 Food processing workers struck
in Leicester - With a
strong, enthusiastic picket line made up of hundreds of
workers. The fightback against the 193 job-slashing
Chicken King is now in full force!
Over
100 NUT delegates gathered in
Liverpool on June 16 for the founding
Conference of the ‘Local
Associations Network’. The Conference was
called in response to the failure of the NUT Executive
majority to call further national action on pensions
since November. The Conference voted to build for the
biggest possible majority and turnout in that ballot,
which opens on June 25. The prospect of united action
with the other main teaching union, the NASUWT, will
help encourage support.
PCS –
HMRC staff will
strike on Monday
over cuts that undermine tax avoidance clampdown.
As crocodile tears pour out over a few of
the rich avoiding tax, the government is cutting jobs
and services in the HMRC where taxes are collected! Big
Business owes £123billion, more than the so called
deficit!
Sheffield GMB Dump it
members will begin an indefinite strike
on Sat 23rd June. Messages of support &
finance contact:
[email protected]
FBU Essex calls strike
dates over cuts and changes in Terms & Conditions: June
28th, July 7th & 19th,
Aug 18th & October 18th.
RMT ballots Greater
Anglia over Olympic
payments & also First Great
Western. RMT Service control staff have also just voted
for strike action in a dispute over jobs & conditions.
Rank & File call
for support
protest
and leafleting
of Fawley Oil Refinery, Hampshire, gate No.2, at 6.00am
Weds 27th June.
Over threat of NAECI being attacked. & Tues 26TH June,
6:30AM, Peacehaven Water Treatment Plant Farrington
Industrial Estate, Hoyle Road, BN10 8LW. For the last 8
months, Field System Designs have been consistently
flouting the JIB rules. Not only have they had more than
90% agency/self employed labour on site. They have been
subbing out ALL of the containment installation to a non
JIB company, Strut Direct from Wallsall.
ASLEF LUU on
Piccadilly line will strike on Thursday 28th
June over abuse of disciplinary process of a driver.
Gloustershire protests
STOP NHS sell off!
Congratulations to all campaigners involved in this year
long campaign preventing the transfer of over 3,000 NHS
staff.
PCS: Maude
and his mates..!
RMT expose “lethal
cocktail” of
McNulty rail reforms
. Unite Housing workers say ‘Pay
up!
PCS supports
carers' week
which starts today and runs until 24 June.
IndustriALL Global
Union represents 50
million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy
and manufacturing sectors a founded on June 19th
this year.
...VICTIMISATION...
Earlier this week there was a call for managers who
blacklisted and ruined the lives of workers to face
custodial sentences, from Francie Graham and Stuart
Merchant at the Scottish Affairs Select Committee
investigation into blacklisting in employment. A Report
published in 2011 by the Justice Select Committee
chaired by Alan Beith called for custodial sentences for
those guilty of the most serious breaches of misuse of
personal sensitive information
Watch the evidence!
SHREWSBURY PICKETS
petition - Justice for
Shrewsbury Pickets 40 years on: "The trial of the
Shrewbury pickets is the only case I know of where the
government has ordered a prosecution in defiance of the
advice of senior police & prosecution authorities”. Sign
& distribute!
....INTERNATIONAL…
4000 Namibian
miners whose pensions have been stolen from them by big
business and the state, are now organising in support of
the Spanish miners. They are joining the support
group that UK miners/ex-miners have set up for
Spanish miners
whose pits are threatened with closure due to a
withdrawal of government subsidy (arising out of
euro-austerity policies). Spanish Miners solidarity
committee set up by a group of ex miners & women against
pit closures can be contacted at:
[email protected] or
07768 300 148.
RMT supports
Dutch dockworkers
as they take pensions rip-off protest to AEGON-sponsored
Eastbourne tennis tournament.
Argentina
deploys military police in
fuel strike.
Huge protests in South Korea as taxi drivers take
first ever
strike over oil price
rises.
.............DIARY………………
23 June
Reclaiming our NHS,
Friends meeting house.
Cleaners demand the
London Living Wage at John Lewis Oxford St, 3pm
25 June
NSSN fringe meeting,
lunchtime. RMT conference. Torquay Riviera Centre.
26 June
Stop the squeeze on
local government workers, rally from 11AM.
UNITE Manchester
Community Members launch meeting.
Friends Meeting House,
Mount Street, Central Manchester 7pm. Email:
[email protected]
NSSN Unite Conference
Fringe Meeting. Lunchtime, UMI Hotel, Brighton.
30 June
Welsh Shop Stewards’
Network Conference: 10am-3pm, Cardiff
As the NHS turns 64 years old...Join the protests to
tell Virgin to keep out! Central London: Virgin Media
Store Oxford St KONP. 2pm onwards.
07 July
World Pride. RMT
activists meeting at HQ to go towards 12 noon Baker St.
International
Brigade
memorial Jubilee
gardens London SE1 12.30 music etc.
13-15 July
Tolpuddle Martyrs
Festival
14 July
Durham Miners Gala
Protest against the
coalition - A future for our children! Fair Pensions for
all! Defend public services! Called by NUT & NASUWT.
Assemble 11.30am from Devonshire Green, Devonshire
Street, Sheffield
17 July
North West NSSN
meeting: ‘How can we stop victimisation on sites?’
Speakers Steve Acheson. Warrington Railway Club, WA1
1XR. 7.30pm.
23 July
Austerity Games
from Youth Fight for Jobs!
11 August
National Rank & File
JIB electricians and construction trades meeting,
2pm-5pm, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London
31 August
National Hazards
conference, Keele University
[email protected]
02 September
Longest
strike in British history!
09 September
Possible NSSN lobby of
TUC conference in Brighton for 24 public & private
sector strike (TBC)
07 October
Protest at
Tory party Conference.
20 October
TUC Mass demonstration
