Solidarity 046, 19 February 2004

John Perry, TGWU Regional Industrial Organiser, told Solidarity that talks have resulted in payments being offered which could bridge the gap over pay. The union is still demanding that there are no job losses, that no agency workers will be used, and that no action will be taken against the 25 workers who have faced disciplinary interviews. Unions representing the Hackney refuse workers may be close to reaching an agreement in their dispute with the council. The dispute began on 22 December last year, when Hackney Council imposed new contracts which saw 58 refuse loaders lose up to £3,000 and...

On Monday 16 February the BNP started their campaign for the local government elections with demonstrations outside the Commission for Racial Equality and the journalists' union NUJ. Around 50 Nazis demonstrated at lunchtime outside the NUJ HQ on Gray's Inn Road, London. An NUJ press statement commented: "The reason the BNP has given for the demo is to protest the poor media coverage of the death of a white youth in Oldham, allegedly at the hands of Asian youth. The real reason is to use the opportunity to pose as the defenders of white people from supposed Asian and Black thugs. "If they...

Victimised firefighter Steve Godward, who was sacked from his job in the West Midlands Fire Service during the 30k pay dispute, has won his final appeal (made to John Prescott) against the sacking. Steve said in a statement: "They singled me out because I was a successful and active union official. These were trumped up charges from the start and I am glad my name has been cleared at last. "It was such a relief to my family who have been through hell for the past year. The fire authority victimisation of our family continued when they ejected my three-year-old son out of his workplace nursery...

By Gerry Bates Civil service workers staged their biggest strike for a decade on 16 and 17 February, stopping work in the Department of Work and Pensions and the Driving Standards Agency to demand better pay. Despite the loss of momentum because the PCS union's DWP Group Executive Committee postponed the action from its initial date of 29-30 January and thus broke the link with other sections such as the Department of Constitutional Affairs, the strike was extremely strong. The union has now called a work to rule in the DWP, and is holding a meeting of branch delegates in Leeds on 6 March to...

By a BECTU member Hundreds of BBC staff protested in defence of the Corporation's independence on Thursday 5 February. The demonstrations, called by unions BECTU, NUJ and Amicus, were held outside BBC buildings across the country. The unions should be trying to build on the anger at the Hutton report to mobilise BBC staff on other issues - like pay, conditions and the planned privatisation of BBC Technology. But there is little sign that this is happening. The 5 February protests had tacit support from management, who are quite happy to have the unions standing up for the BBC against the...

Students: back the lecturers' pay fight! The successful vote by the lecturers' union AUT for strike action provides a massive opportunity in the fight against top-up fees. Joint student/lecturer action of this sort is even more unprecedented than co-ordinated action between different trade unions. As well as providing a perfect opportunity to mobilise students in the run up to the Higher Education Bill's third reading at the end of March, it is the perfect rebuttal to Government attempts to play students and staff off against each other. The battle over the Bill has seen Education Minister...

New protests to demand freedom for the five refuseniks recently sentenced to a second year in jail in Israel, and Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, have been called for Monday 23 February 2004 and thereafter every other Monday - 8 March, 22 March, 5 April, 19 April, etc. 5.30pm to 7pm, Kensington High Street/Kensington Court, London. Near the Israeli Embassy. Nearest Tube: High Street Kensington. Details: 020 7207 3997

By Pablo Velasco Bolivian general strike Muchtar Pakpahan to stand in Indonesian elections Good news from Greece Bolivian general strike Bolivia is on the verge of a third uprising in the space of a year - with trade unions calling for an indefinite general strike this month. The uprising in October 2003 led by trade unions, peasant associations and neighbourhood organisations forced President Sanchez de Lozada to resign. The key organisations were the trade union federation COB, the rural workers' union CSTUB and the neighbourhood organisations in La Paz's satellite-city of El Alto. Vice...

Old Servant * Old Leader * New Leader * New Morality? * Old Morality * The people getting hitched… meet a hitch * Getting closer * Getting too close Old Servant London Labour Party members will be pleased to have received a letter inviting them to reserve a ticket for Alastair Campbell's one-man show. And they will have been shivering with excitement to know that by booking in advance they could win a chance to meet Ali C after the show. Old Leader Poor old Iain Duncan Smith didn't do so well with his one-man show when it opened in Liverpool last month. Just 67 people turned up to hear the...