Workers' Liberty

A fortnight after the Grangemouth oil refinery was shut down by strike action, talks continue between refinery owners (INEOS) and UNITE.

The strike by the 1,200 union members was in defence of the refinery’s final salary pension scheme, inherited by INEOS from the refinery’s previous owners (BP).

At the time of going to press, 1,200 members of Amicus/Unite employed at Grangemouth oil refinery are due to begin 48 hours of strike action at 6.00am on Sunday 27 April – the first strike in a British oil refinery since 1935.

Birmingham City Council workers will strike again on 23 and 24 April over the council’s plans to use “single status” negotiations to cut pay and jobs.

[Activists in the Amicus bit of Unite may wish to omit the reference to the TGWU Biennial Delegate Conference]

We note the statement from the General Executive Committee put to the Biennial Delegate Conference of the TGWU section of Unite in July 2007.

The Remploy factories in Aintree and Birkenhead (CCU) are taking strike action on 6th and 7th February.

Following the massive Yes vote in their ballots, RMT and the two smaller unions TSSA and Unite have named strike dates on Metronet.

On 27 June refuse workers in Salford mounted a 24-hour strike action in protest at the council's exploitation of agency staff.

by Dale Street

STRIKERS at the Sunvic Controls factory in Uddingston near Glasgow, which manufactures controls for domestic and commercial central heating systems, returned to work last Monday (4 June) after ten weeks.

The question on Jim Denham’s voting paper, and on mine, in the recent TGWU-Amicus ballot, was “do you approve the Instrument of Amalgamation?”, not “are you, in general, in favour of a merger of TGWU and Amicus?”

To Tony Woodley, Joint General Secretary of TGWU-AMICUS

Dear Bro Woodley,

"Should [Labour] party policy be put into practice by [Labour] government, and if not, why not?", you asked in your article in the Guardian on 5 March.

By Chris Leary

WORKERS at the Burslem sorting office in Staffordshire are in the process of balloting for further strike action against the sacking of a long standing worker after a previous strike.

Shop steward and long-standing union activist Antony Czubkowski has been sacked by energy firm E.ON, in reaction to his complaint about being subjected to a verbal attack by his boss.

Antony has for the last 18 years been a leading Amicus activist, and in July 2006 convened a meeting for the five unions operating in E.ON. The manager, with a long record of anti-union and bullying behaviour, tried to sneak into the back of the meeting — Antony politely asked him to leave.

On the TGWU-Amicus merger, by Tom Rigby
Critical comments, by Martin Thomas

From Amicus:

Hundreds of UK trade unionists are to protest outside the Australian Embassy this week (Thursday 30th November) at anti-worker and anti-trade union labour laws introduced by the Australian government.

Pensions, Pay and Privatisation

Why healthworkers should reject the NHS Pension proposals

With accusations still flying around that it was overly generous pay deals that led to the current financial crisis in the NHS it might seem a little selfish for staff to be worrying about their pensions when the future of the NHS itself now seems to be at stake.

Crucial proposals affecting all NHS workers have once again appeared during the summer holidays, and once again the NHS unions have signed up to give away some of our rights, on proposals that are still only half-written.

Packed meeting in Hackney

The Hackney Empire’s Marie Lloyd room was packed to capacity on Wednesday 18 October with over 100 people turning up to hear John McDonnell make his case to be leader of the Labour party.

For the latest on the crisis in Hackney's NHS and the fight for a well-funded, public health service, click here.

By an Amicus member
The first issue of the Amicus Unity Gazette to appear since its takeover by the supporters of Amicus General Secretary Derek Simpson was published in April.
Amicus Unity Gazette (AUG) is simultaneously the name of the “Broad Left” in Amicus and also its (electronic and hard-copy) publication. At the AGM of the AUG, held in February of this year, Simpson’s supporters narrowly won the contested leading positions in the AUG.

Some 30 Amicus members lobbied the March meeting of the Amicus National Executive Council (NEC) in protest at the sacking of three Amicus employees: Des Heemskerk, Jimmy Warne and Cathie Willis. The three were suspended from their jobs in Amicus in mid-September of last year. All three are leading members of “Amicus Unity Gazette”, the broad left grouping in Amicus.

By a TGWU member

The TGWU Broad Left met on 2 April and discussed the proposed “super-union” amalgamation between the TGWU, AMICUS and the GMB.

By an Amicus member

Some 30 Amicus members lobbied the March meeting of the Amicus National Executive Council (NEC) in protest at the previous week’s sacking of three Amicus employees: Des Heemskerk, Jimmy Warne and Cathie Willis. The three had been suspended from their jobs in Amicus in mid-September of last year.

By an AMICUS member

While the TGWU has started a process of consultation on the creation of a new super union, developments in the other two unions (AMICUS and GMB) could well undermine the project.

By an AMICUS member

A CONSULTATION document has been issued to TGWU branch secretaries on the proposed TGWU/Amicus/GMB merger.

The TGWU has published a consultation document on its plans to merge with Amicus and the GMB, and is asking for responses by 5 May.

Workers for ipsl, a financial services company based in Bootle are threatening strike action.

by stan crooke

The approach of the AWL, and its predecessors, to union mergers has not always been one of support.

The proposed creation of a giant new union, made up of the TGWU, Amicus and (probably) the GMB has caused excitement and misgivings within the trade union movement. Solidarity has been debating the pros and cons of the merger which may take place as early as next year.