Solidarity 3/24, 20 February 2003

Sky "we'll leave" threats scupper union vote

Submitted on 26 February, 2003 - 01:02

By a BECTU member

Outrageous management bullying at Rupert Murdoch's Sky television company has culminated in a vote against union recognition at the firm's Livingston call centre.

Last year, more than 50% of the 466 staff in the Livingston sales centre signed a petition supporting union recognition. By the time a ballot was held more than 100 workers had joined the BECTU union. But, after weeks of intimidation from management, only 47 voted in favour of recognising BECTU, and 277 against.

Southampton Unison strike against council redundancies

Submitted on 25 February, 2003 - 01:02

Southampton District Unison branch held a one-day strike on Wednesday 19 February. Additionally, council workers have withdrawn the use of their cars for council business and are refusing to drive hire cars or council cars-visits to clients' and tenants' homes are by taxi or public transport. They are not covering unfilled posts.

Postal workers gear up for London Weighting fight

Submitted on 24 February, 2003 - 16:07

By a north London postal worker

Postal workers in London are gearing up for a fight with Royal Mail over the pitifully low level of their London Weighting allowance.
The campaign was launched formally months ago, when local government workers and teachers took strike action to support their £4k London Weighting claim.

BT engineers reject performance related pay

Submitted on 23 February, 2003 - 23:03

By Maria Exall, CWU executive, personal capacity

Engineers working for BT's Customer Service division have voted 9 to 1 against a contractual, performance related bonus scheme. The consultative ballot had a 72% turnout, and echoed the vote of Communication Workers Union delegates at January's special conference which rejected BT's "Self Motivated Teams" scheme.

no to war! no to saddam!

Submitted on 23 February, 2003 - 13:07

Sign the international appeal!

A powerful international labour-based movement for democracy and international solidarity can defeat both George W Bush’s war for oil and Saddam Hussein’s bloody dictatorship. In the immediate term, we want to consolidate a democratic, secular and internationalist pole in the British anti-war movement.

More about Iraq

Submitted on 23 February, 2003 - 11:01

BOOKS

Edward Ellis recommends some reading on Iraq

Saddam Hussein: an American obsession by Patrick and Andrew Cockburn

If you read just one book, it should be this one. A very readable and thorough account of Iraq under Saddam, and the twists and turns of American/CIA policy towards him and the Iraqi and Kurdish opposition. Best account I've read of the 1991 uprising, and of the failed anti-Saddam coups in the mid 90s. Very well informed: they seem to have personally interviewed everybody involved.

America (Verse)

Submitted on 23 February, 2003 - 09:05

Author:

Claude McKay

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!

Brazil: Where the Workers' Party came from

Submitted on 22 February, 2003 - 17:03

Paul Hampton looks at the history of the Workers' Party and the prospects for the future in the light of Sue Branford and Bernardo Kucinski's new book, Politics Transformed: Lula and the Workers' Party in Brazil

War war

Submitted on 22 February, 2003 - 10:03

Weapons of mass destruction
Tony Ceaucescu?
Burnley council's BNP shame
In the service of the IMF
Blowing in the wind

Democracy and war

Submitted on 22 February, 2003 - 10:03

Not in our name

The anti-war demonstrators on 15 February were marching against Bush's and Blair's war plans, but also against the shutting-down of democracy by deception and manipulation, the transformation of politics into a business transacted between think-tanks, advisers, bureaucrats, spin-doctors and the billionaire media.

Tony Blair has refused a parliamentary vote on the war. Last year one Labour MP, Graham Allen, was driven to talk of hiring a hall in Westminster so that MPs could at least meet unofficially to discuss the war.