Industrial news roundup

Submitted by Anon on 26 October, 2007 - 8:51

Industrial News Roundup: RMT, NUJ, Unision, Immigration Controls

Second trade union conference

Campaigners are urging trade unionists to sponsor and attend the second “Trade union and Community Conference Against Immigration Controls” which will be held in London on Saturday 29 March 2008.

In March 2007 No One is Illegal organised a similar conference in Liverpool. This was attended by over 100 trades unionists. The Finsbury Park Branch of the RMT has called for a second conference to take place in London which will be a “trade union and community conference”, to ensure that migrant and refugee communities have a central role. For more information or statement e-mail davidlandau9@aol.com

New No One Is Illegal pamphlet

Following its pamphlet Workers’ Control Not Immigration Controls, on immigration controls and the class struggle, No One is Illegal has published a new pamphlet on Campaigning Against Deportation or Removal.

Sponsored by a wide range of union branches and trades councils from across the country, this is 23 pages of practical and political advice for running anti-deportation campaigns, from how to decide whether to organise a campaign, to learning to become a political speaker, to winning trade union and school student support. It also includes contact details for all the main migrants’ rights campaigns and a number of other useful bodies.

For copies of the pamphlet, or if your organisation would like to sponsor it, email No One is Illegal at info@noii.org.uk — or see www.noii.org.uk

BBC strike plans

Unions representing workers at the BBC have agreed a basis for negotiations with management over massive proposed cuts and job losses (up to 3,000 job losses have been threatened). Those unions, including the NUJ, and BECTU, have said they will ballot for industrial action if the talks do not produce results.

The BBC plans compulsory redundancy, but was going to start the cuts process by trawling the organisation for voluntary redundancies. All this was going to go ahead without negotiating with the unions.

The BBC has now said it will go ahead with a two-week voluntary redundancy trawl in News and BBC Vision but will talk to the union before any redundancies are agreed.

The talks appear to only delay a process with the BBC management are fixed on. Strike action may be inevitable.

On 5 November National Union of Journalists has organised a series of events around the country, all under the title “Stand up for Journalism”. The protest is against cuts in media and the “deskilling” of journalism. Events include both ITV and BBC days of action and a march and rally at the Society of Editors conference in Manchester, as well as activities organised by many local newspaper chapels.

Bakerloo strike

Bakerloo line detrainment staff are to strike again on Friday 26 October — postponed from 22 October following an administrative cock-up by RMT.

Once again, these workers deserve full support and solidarity for their efforts to defeat management’s plan to impose lone working. As they have shown such resolve in continuing the dispute, drivers should give some serious thought to rejoining the action. After all, lone working is a potential threat to all grades.

Unison local government ballot

The strike ballot of 850,000 Unison local government workers finishes on 26 October, with the union leaders calling (though not so as you could tell) for a ‘yes’ vote to authorise action over the pay freeze. The government’s highest offer so far, 2.48%, is well below the 4% inflation rate – but if the workers were to take strike action on 14 and 15 November as proposed, they could hope to undermine seriously Brown’s plans to hold wage increases at 2% for the next four years.

The previous local government strike, over pensions, was not capitalised upon with further action – and again the union leaders’ tactics are awry. We are yet to see any co-ordination with other unions affected by the pay freeze, while the leadership’s refusal to extend the vote, despite the fact that the postal strike has delayed the distribution of ballot papers, will surely harm turnout and thus weaken the mandate for action.

Vote yes to strike against Brown’s pay cut! Fight for unity with other public sector workers!

Fremantle demo 10 November

Strike action by Fremantle Trust staff who work in care homes in Barnet, North London will continue with a one-day action on 10 November.

The dispute started in April when the bosses announced that there would be a new regime of longer hours, slashed annual leave and sick pay, along with pay cuts of up to 30%. This despite the fact that Fremantle staff were already paid a pittance and on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Fremantle campaign has already seen four days of strike action, the sacking of Unison steward Andrew Rogers (and a fight to reinstate him) and an attempt to censor the LabourStart solidarity website through libel threats.

Fremantle workers, some of whom spoke in a session at the recent Feminist Fightback conference, are holding a demonstration at noon on Saturday 10 November, in Watling Park, Burnt Oak, London. See barnetunison.blogspot.com for latest details as they are finalised..

• Support Fremantle workers — email the bosses! Fremantle Chief Executive Carole Sawyer at carole.sawyers@fremantletrust.org; Catalyst Chief Executive Rod Cahill at rod.cahill@chg.org.uk

• Messages of support can be sent to maggi.myland@barnetunison.org.uk

• Sign the online petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Fremantle/

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