Against victimisation

Defending victimised workers and trade unionists

Tube strikes

Aslef, the train drivers’ union, has called 24-hour strikes by half the drivers on the Jubilee line on 4 and 24 December. The dispute, which involves all the drivers at the North Greenwich depot, concerns a “rogue manager”. Contrary to local agreements, drivers were harassed after taking sick leave and were refused payment for special leave, he added. Drivers on two other lines are also being balloted for strike action in two separate disputes. Aslef expects a result within the next two weeks. Staff at the Acton Town depot on the District line are voting over working conditions at Earl's Court...

Hands off Unison! Hands off John Gray!

A Unison Branch Officer in Tower Hamlets, John Gray, is being disciplined for challenging a management decision to stop a day’s pay to a Unison steward. Defend the right of union reps to represent their members! More details from: 020 8983 0637.

Charlie McDonald

On 6 October, victimised east London civil servant Charlie McDonald heard that management had dropped the main charge against him. Consequently his union, the PCS, has now suspended strike action in support of Charlie, pending further negotiations on two other minor charges. Charlie’s PCS Stratford Social Security office had voted in favour of an all-out strike to support him. The union had forced management to climb down — a victory for a strong, united union campaign.

Charlie McDonald

PCS members at Stratford Social Security office, in east London, are currently balloting for indefinite strike action. Their dispute is over the victimisation of branch secretary, Charlie McDonald, who works at Stratford office. He faces trumped up charges of serious misconduct, is accused of assaulting a manager on a picket line and being abusive to staff who crossed picket lines.

Strike against “pack of lies”

Workers at Stratford Social Security office, in east London, are to be balloted for indefinite strike action by their union PCS The ballot starts on Wednesday 22 September and the result will be known on by Friday 8 October. The dispute is over the victimisation of PCS’s East London branch secretary, Charlie McDonald, who works at the office. He faces trumped up charges of serious misconduct, accused of assaulting a manger on a picket line and being abusive to staff who crossed picket lines. The background to this victimisation is an ongoing and increasingly bitter dispute in the Department...

The toff and the stable lad

Former stable lad Damien Connor has been convicted of assaulting the trainer who had sacked him, Marcus Tregoning. Connor, a TGWU member, believes that he was sacked for trying to represent the interests of fellow stable lads. Connor was given a conditional discharge and no order for compensation was made. The magistrate Howard Rudebeck said: "There are mitigating circumstances in that there was provocation." Solidarity spoke to TGWU activist Maggie Bremner about the case Damien is a TGWU member. The main racing union is a business union, the Stable Lads' Association, which only has about 150...

Support grows for civil service unionist

By a civil servant Charlie MacDonald, an activist in the civil service union PCS, has received a "disciplinary minute", a formal disciplinary charge letter, setting out three charges of serious misconduct relating to the pay dispute in the Department of Works and Pensions. The oral hearing is likely to be some time in September. This is the second major DWP dispute that has resulted in charges against a leading London and Socialist Caucus activist. The screens dispute saw Chris Ford charged. Although Charlie has not been suspended, it seems likely that ultimately management would like to be...

Defend civil service union rep!

By a civil servant An important battle to defend trade union rights and stop the victimisation of a trade union rep is shaping up in the Department of Work and Pensions. Charlie MacDonald is a trade union rep in the Stratford social security office in London. In the recent past complaints have been made against him, complaints which relate to incidents that occurred at the beginning of the year during a strike in the DWP. Why have these complaints only just been made? The union, the PCS, feels that they can only be the basis of a concerted attempt by management to get rid of Charlie. The...

PCS walkouts

By a civil servant Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) working in the Social Security offices and Jobcentres in east London walked out at the beginning of May over the suspension of a supervisor. This action was part of a series of walkouts in offices around the UK in Glasgow, Lancaster, Morecambe, Sheffield, Manchester, central London, Leicester. The offices affected in east London were at Hackney, Stratford, City, Poplar and Hoxton, and the jobcentres in East Ham, Stratford and Poplar. The walkouts have arisen from an increasingly bitter pay dispute. Staff members...

London underground

Chris Barrett Derailment Pay action Chris Barrett Last year tube driver Chris Barrett hit the headlines when he was sacked from London Underground after they filmed him visiting a squash court while he was off work with an ankle injury. His doctor backed him up, saying the exercise for appropriate treatment for his recovery. London Underground went ahead and dismissed him. The background to the sacking is the employer's policy of tailing and videoing one in three workers on long-term sick leave! Chris was vilified in the press. His personnel records were leaked to the press. Ken Livingstone...

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