Strikes and lock-outs

Industrial news in brief

Train drivers for Southern rail will vote on a new pay offer, after they voted by 91% and 95% for strikes and action short of strikes to win a better deal. The strike votes, which saw turnouts of around 85%, followed the rejection of the company's initial pay offer of a 2.65% increase even against the recommendation of officials from the drivers' union ASLEF. Such resounding votes against union recommendations are rare anywhere in the labour movement, and show a clear strength of feeling amongst Southern drivers to win a better deal. Strike plans were suspended, however, after Southern made a...

Network Rail strikes suspended

Rail union RMT has suspended strikes in its campaign for decent pay and job security at Network Rail. Strikes, which involved both RMT and smaller rail union TSSA, were planned for 24-25 May click here for more, but both unions suspended the strikes after Network Rail made a revised pay offer. The new deal, which reduced the length of the agreement from four years to two, offered a 1% increase in the first year, followed by 1.4% in the second, rising to 2.1% if unions agreed to various restructures. However, consultation with Network Rail reps and members in RMT returned overwhelming...

Support Network Rail strikes

Network Rail workers will strike for 24 hours from 5 pm on Monday 25 May, and will impose a 48-hour overtime ban from midnight on Sunday 24 May, in their campaign over pay and for job security. Members of the RMT union and the TSSA union voted for strikes after workers in both unions rejected Network Rail’s latest pay offer: a £500 non-consolidated payment followed by increases pegged to the Retail Price Index until 2017, with a no compulsory redundancies guarantee withdrawn from 31 December 2016. Network Rail claims it cannot afford a larger pay award, despite reporting £1 billion profits in...

Industrial news in brief

UCU members at Lewisham and Southwark college (LeSoCo) have voted by 85% for strikes over job cuts. At a meeting with the chair of the college governors, union reps made it quite clear that we were going to fight to build a college, not a scrapheap composed of redundant education workers and working-class people denied a further education. Already, more than a hundred students have demonstrated to governors their opposition at a meeting at the Camberwell site. This is only the beginning of a range of actions, on all sites, which will now unfold over the coming weeks. By the last week in June...

Strike to save London Met jobs!

Max Watson, London Met Unison branch secretary, spoke to Solidarity The Section 188 redundancy consultation is now over and we are waiting for the results. Management used changes to the law for a shorter, 45 day, consultation, and we got this extended by just a week. It is likely they will make people reapply for their jobs, forcing people to go through the very upsetting process of competing with their colleagues. We’ve fought against job cuts and privatisation, and to defend overseas students before — our members are used to fighting management and are prepared to do so again. We had...

Greek health workers and dockers strike against cuts and privatisation

The trade union Poedhn, representing all workers in Greece’s public sector hospitals, has called a 24-hour strike for Wednesday 20 May, with a demonstration at 12.30 outside the Ministry of Health. The hospital workers are demanding money to fund public and free healthcare, staff recruitment, and payment of accrued overtime for doctors and nurses. The role of Syriza’s trade union fraction in the health sector is of pivotal importance. General meetings were called of all Syriza’s healthcare workers between 11 and 15 May and a decision was taken to build and support the strike. Every Syriza...

Victory for Lewisham Academies fight!

On Monday 1 June, the Academy orders for the three Lewisham Prendergast schools were rescinded. This is a huge, and well deserved victory for the campaign. Over the past few months teachers' and support staff unions, parents and students have campaigned tirelessly to oppose the academisation of the three schools using strikes, demonstrations, meetings and legal challenges. Strikes planned for 3 and 4 June have been withdrawn. Teachers’ union, NUT, made sure it was prepared in advance, and did not allow time between governors' announcements and strike days which could have demobilised members...

German rail strike shows the way

A much needed reminder of the power of organised labour in a rich and advanced economy is currently being demonstrated in Germany. Freight and passenger train drivers for Germany’s Deutsche Bahn recently completed the latest of their strikes over wages and conditions. Their confidence and determination is growing in what is already a 10 month-old dispute. The latest action was the longest strike in the rail operator’s history, lasting for six days and costing German business an estimated £360 million. The wailing of German bosses at that £360 million hit was still echoing around marbled...

Industrial news in brief

On Saturday 9 May, over 400 people marched from South Friern library in Barnet, to East Finchley library, then Finchley Church End before finishing at North Finchley library, to protest over proposed cuts to library services in the borough. The march was joined on the final leg, from Finchley Church End library to North Finchley library by a double decker bus decorated with union banners, and a brass band. Activists in Barnet have now completed 4 days of action, marching through all the libraries in Barnet. The protest comes after Unison members in Barnet council were on strike on 30 April and...

Industrial news in brief

Workers at Barnet council struck on 30 April and 1 May in a dispute over outsourcing up to 80% of jobs. Workers in all areas of the council apart from schools joined the strike, and a 50-strong picket line was held at North London Business Park, where many council offices are housed. On 1 May, strikers joined the central London May Day march after picket lines in the morning. If the council does not move, a second phase of strikes will follow on Thursday 21 May and Friday 22 May, and a third on Monday 1 June and Tuesday 2 June. Libraries are one of the services to be affected by outsourcing...

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