Unite

The Unite union’s defeat by Ineos at the Grangemouth oil refinery and petrochemicals plant in Scotland merits serious analysis and discussion by socialist organisations. We need to understand what happened and draw appropriate lessons in order to minimise the risk of such defeats in future. Much of the left press has been desperate to spin a narrative of a militant workforce champing at the bit to take radical action, but being held back (and, ultimately, stitched up and sold out) by a capitulatory bureaucracy. Workers Power told us: “The workers and their shop stewards, who bravely campaigned...

It wasn’t just the Ineos workforce in Grangemouth or Unite the Union which suffered a major defeat last month. It was all of us in the trade union movement. Ineos workers will see their basic pay frozen until the end of 2016. There will be no bonus payments until then either. The shift allowance is being cut from £10,000 to £7,500. Overtime rates and holiday entitlements are being cut, and staffing levels are likely to be cut as well. Contractual redundancy pay is being replaced by the statutory minimum, and the final salary pension scheme is being replaced by a defined contributions one...

It’s been a busy week for media hacks who hate trade unionists. And what better opportunity for hacks to vent their spleen than the fallout from the Ineos dispute in Grangemouth? The Sunday Times (27 October) led the way with lengthy articles about the contents of e-mails sent or received by former Unite Ineos convenor Stevie Deans. A dossier of these e-mails had been “passed to police last week”. But subsequent press coverage suggested that the e-mails had also been passed on to half of Fleet Street. And the source of the “dossier” was Ineos itself — hardly a disinterested party in the matter...

24 December is the end of the consultation period for local Labour Parties and trade unions on the proposals about Labour’s trade union link being prepared by Ray Collins. Much will depend on the stance of Unite, the biggest union affiliated to the Labour Party. Although Unite is considered a left-wing union, and although its United Left group, which commands a majority on the union executive, has voted for uncompromising defence of existing union representation in the Labour Party, the union’s position is ambiguous. We understand that the union’s National Political Committee has passed a...

The recent debacle surrounding the dispute at the Ineos petrochemicals plant at Grangemouth in Scotland could represent a significant defeat for the trade union movement. It certainly is a debilitating setback and an embarrassing climbdown. It raises some very worrying questions for socialists. Shortly after launching an aggressive “leverage” campaign against Ineos, with 100% support from the stewards and just weeks after a massive vote of over 90% in favour of strike action against the employer, the workforce and their union, Unite, accepted a humiliating package of cuts and attacks on the...

Over the coming days we will be publishing responses to the Grangemouth defeat as part of a discussion on what socialists can learn from it. For some background, see here . The enormity of the defeat suffered by Unite at Ineos in Grangemouth is virtually impossible to exaggerate. For the workforce the new terms and conditions mean a major cut in their terms and conditions of employment. Jobs will be axed (for sub-contractors as well as for Ineos staff). And Ineos workers have been left defenceless against further attacks in the future. Ineos has got its way on everything. Basic pay will be...

A workplace bulletin for Lewisham Hospital workers, by Lewisham Hospital workers. Click here to download the PDF.

On the morning of 23 October, Ineos bosses at the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland announced that the petrochemical plant within the complex is to close, threatening over 1,000 jobs. The workers' existing dispute, over the victimisation of shop steward Stevie Deans and attacks on terms and conditions, must now escalate to consider sit-down strikes (occupations) and the demand for public ownership. So far, the SNP government has ruled out nationalisation, saying it wants to find a new buyer for the plant. Even if a new buyer could be found, it is likely that it would insist that Ineos'...

Teachers struck on 17 October in a well-supported action On Wednesday 16 October, the Royal Mail workers’ ballot for strikes over pay and conditions, in the context of postal service privatisation, will be returned. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) strongly expects that it will return a yes vote; any strike would be the first national postal workers’ strike since 2009. The CWU are expected to begin with an all-out national strike, followed by rolling action in the run up to Christmas. On Saturday 19 October, firefighters in England and Wales were due to strike again, following a strike on...

Unite members at the Ineos oil refinery and petrochemical plant in Grangemouth will be staging a 48-hour strike on 20-21 October in defence of site convenor Stevie Deans. A work-to-rule and a ban on overtime have already been underway since the beginning of October, following an 81% vote for strike action and a 91% vote for action short of strike action in a ballot with an 86% turnout. The strike action is the latest stage in the workforce’s defence of Stevie, who has faced a sustained campaign of harassment by senior Ineos management since the summer of this year. Stevie, who is also chair of...