Solidarity 228, 15 December 2011

East London teachers' fight against union busting continues

Teachers at Langdon School in Newham, East London are involved in a bitter industrial dispute over management bullying and the sacking of 6 members of the senior management team. Around 70 teachers are on strike 3 days a week until the end of term. The local authority has responded to this strike by giving temporary contracts to around 40 scab teachers. In order to get round the law on agencies supplying strike breakers, the hired supplies have been given local authority contracts. Teachers on the picket lines report that this aggressive strike-breaking operation has caused some embarassment...

Sparks defy bosses and anti-union laws

Electricians working for Balfour Beatty Engineering Services struck on Wednesday 7 December, the date on which new contracts which could mean a 35% pay cut for many workers were introduced by seven of the construction industry’s biggest contractors. Thousands of workers across the UK took action, shutting down or disrupting work on BBES sites across the country. The strike was reported 100% solid on flagship sites like the Blackfriars station redevelopment in London. The strike was all the more significant because the workers’ union, Unite, had postponed the official action following a legal...

Ireland's Austerity Budget - Labour TD expelled over rebellion

The Fine Gael-Labour Irish coalition government this week passed its first austerity budget, aimed at making workers pay the cost of the deepening crisis of capitalism. In the fifth such budget since 2009, Fine Gael Finance Minister Michael Noonan is picking up from where the previous Fianna Fail government left off. While corporation and income tax were frozen, a regressive flat-rate household charge of €100 has been introduced and VAT was raised from 21% to 23%. Cuts were made to Child Benefit for third and subsequent children, fuel payments, and the allowance for young adults with...

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