Solidarity 185, 18 November 2010

SNP's 'Social Contract' means cuts

At the time of going to press (17 November) the SNP is announcing the Holyrood government’s budget for the financial year 2011-2012. Huge cuts are expected. The Con-Dem government has cut the grant for Scottish government for 2011-2012 by £1.2 billions (out of a total budget of £30 billions). But over the next four years the Holyrood budget for health, education and council funding will be cut by 7%. Its “capital grant” (for infrastructure projects) will be cut by 38%. Cuts in welfare benefits will add to the damage inflicted on the Scottish economy by the cuts in the Westminster grant...

North West Labour conference: "the most political in years"!

North West Labour Party conference was attended by 360 delegates and 700 over the weekend of 5-7 November. Organisers claimed it’s the best attended in years and that 5,000 new members had joined since May — 500 of those Labour students. A lot of MPs spoke and the message from all was: fight the cuts; link up with trade unions and community groups; be proud of our record in government, but we made mistakes. They also stressed that the Tories attacks were ideological and that they represented the interests of the rich. They definitely think that this can be a one-term Tory government. There was...

Warwickshire council unions step up fight against job losses

Warwickshire County Council has become the latest public sector employer in the West Midlands to announce devastating cuts, with the GMB union revealing that nearly 2000 jobs will be axed as part of a proposed 26% spending cut. This represents the loss of over 12% of the council's total staff, excluding teachers and firefighters. Inevitably, these cuts will hit some of the poorest and most vulnerable people hardest. They will see a 20% job-loss in adult social care, meaning that, for example, adults with learning disabilities could go without vital support. An entire youth service will be lost...

Teachers starting the fight on pensions

At a meeting on 11 November the National Executive of the largest teachers’ union, the NUT, instructed its General Secretary to draw up a timetable of campaigning and action on pensions. Such a campaign will take place before the Hutton Commission on public sector pensions produces its final report in Spring 2011. This timetable will include a ballot for strike action to take place in the spring term (ie between January and April). The motion passed at the meeting called for other activity such as meetings, rallies and demonstrations, and the production and distribution of campaigning...

Firefighters: rallying and fighting cuts

Two and a half thousand firefighters lobbied parliament on Wednesday 17 November, to kick off a national campaign against cuts in the fire and rescue service. The lobby heard speeches from Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary as well as MPs John McDonnell, Katy Clark and John Cryer, Frances O’Grady from the TUC and Mark Serwotka from PCS. Matt Wrack said that previous generations had fought for public services and that workers “should not accept the race to the bottom”. “Public sector workers should campaign together and strike together”, he said. The government claimed it would protect frontline...

Scummy Standard

The Evening Standard (which, since it became a free-sheet, is read daily by countless London commuters) has been on a crusade recently to consistently outdo itself by publishing ever more vitriolic condemnation of any group of workers who have the temerity to object to cuts. The tube workers and London firefighters have been a particular focus for their ire, and on November 9 Simon Jenkins took the opportunity of the recent BBC journalists’ strike to write a particularly vile piece denouncing all three groups of workers in one big go. His article went beyond (or perhaps below) “normal”...

BBC strike off for more talks

The 48-hour strike called by the NUJ for 15-16 November was called off in order for further talks to take place with management about the pensions dispute. A solid strike on 5-6 November with lively pickets at several BBC offices around the country persuaded management to talk to the union again. There are reports of BECTU members joining the NUJ so that they can take part in the dispute; BECTU and other unions represented at the BBC had accepted the pensions deal, which will lead to most BBC staff losing thousands of pounds.

RMT elections: canvassing for votes, arguing for socialism

AWL members have been taking our politics to the gatelines, ticket offices, drivers’ cabins, platforms and engineering depots of the London Underground combine as we mobilise to canvas for our comrade Janine Booth in her attempt to win a seat on the RMT Council of Executives. AWLers in London have taken responsibility for stretches of lines or groups of stations, as well as participating in canvassing days where we’ve met centrally and divided up sections of the tube map between us. It’s not difficult to get into conversations with workers at stations; many have seen our industrial bulletin...

Tube jobs fight: fight against victimisations!

The tube workers’ dispute over staffing levels continues, with a further 24-hour strike planned over Sunday 28 and Monday 29 November. London Underground managers have gone on the offensive against the union with a series of victimisations against prominent reps. Eamonn Lynch, Arwyn Thomas and Peter Hartshorn have all been disciplined on trumped-up charges (Eamonn has been dismissed). RMT members in their areas have voted to ballot for strike action. RMT London Transport’s London Calling newsletter reports on the status of the staffing levels dispute: “RMT has been taking part in talks with...

Cleaners' struggle goes on

Unison bureaucrats and London Citizens are celebrating a victory for cleaners and academic staff at the University of East London (UEL) who have won their campaign for the London Living Wage (LLW). However, the victory is not as glorious as it seems. Sub-contractors will have to pay the LLW when their contracts with the university are renewed, which in some cases will not be for another five years. This is the second LLW deal that Unison has secured in recent weeks. UCL cleaners won a similar deal at the end of September. On this occasion the union-bashing Evening Standard claimed that their...

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