The silence from some the trade union leaders over further action against the
Government’s plan to make public sector workers work longer, pay more and get
less has been deafening! Support for N30 was phenomenal with all those
participating in the magnificent marches and rallies all over the country were
as one in looking to that day as just the beginning of the campaign – not the
end! April 1st is the Government’s implementation date, which coming
increasingly closer. But yesterday we have seen a light at the end of the
tunnel as the PCS and NUT National Executive Committees have agreed to launch a
consultative survey to build for on-going pensions action. This will open on
24 February for national strike on Wednesday 28 March! They do not see this
as winding down the campaign but giving it a new momentum where they will
re-group ‘a coalition of the willing’ to counter those right wing unions
who have decided to withdraw from the battle. Pressure must be increased the
other unions so that our General Secretaries hear the message loud and clear
– we need more action not less so let’s begin to build for 28 March!
With the FBU Executive Council recommendation that there is a rapid move to
prepare a strike ballot over fire service pensions & Unite balloting NHS
members on the offer, everything moves forward again.
http://www.fbu.org.uk/?p=5218
http://tinyurl.com/6utsxa5
As part of the campaign against pension cuts, Unions will be appealing against
the High Court on Feb 20th over moving from RPI to CPI (word play for working
longer and paying more!). This is affecting both public and private sector
workers such as BA, RSA and the Pensions Trust. Unite is calling for a large
protest in the morning.
Save the NHS! Under the Health and Social Care Bill self-governing Foundation
Trusts will be allowed to raise 49% of funds through non-NHS work so fee-paying
private patients will get priority over NHS patients. There will be increased
competition between hospitals for resources leading to more cuts and closures.
A leaked NHS report showed that private companies will direct the commissioning
of patient services when 80% of the health budget is transferred to GP
consortia!
Support the actions on Wednesday 7 March, but we would take this a step further
& demand that the TUC call a massive Saturday demo as a part of a determined
united campaign to save and rebuild our NHS, calling on trade unions to strike
against this Bill. The alternative will be to see its implementation after
Easter! Also sign ‘Drop the Health Bill’ - e-petition.
epetitions.direct.gov.uk
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NSSN 6th Annual National Conference: Saturday 9th June, London
NEWS: BOB CROW, RMT leader to speak! http://tinyurl.com/7y2vsx7
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DISPUTES & UPDATES…………………………………………………
Stagecoach South Yorkshire – Strike Day 11 – management getting desperate,
is doing everything to try to break this strike. Since November, they have
bussed in management and scabs. http://www.shopstewards.net/news.245.htm
Sparks and the law – As they are dragging it out in the local law court,
wasting £1000’s rank and file members and UNITE will taking part in a
national day of action next Wednesday 15th Feb. (And for all those who didn’t
get to put on their glad rags the night before, the ECA Awards dinner is also
on the 15th) http://jibelectrician.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/241483325933453/ Full details in ‘Diary’
RMT gets £500 Olympics payment for more workers & has secured a pay rise to
£8 for Eurostar cleaners. http://tinyurl.com/7kmlpdx 25,000 London bus workers
who are members of Unite are also being balloted over the £500 Olympic award.
Oil tanker drivers, employed by haulage firm Wincanton on the ConocoPhillips
contract to deliver fuel to Jet forecourts, began their second week of strike
action http://www.shopstewards.net/news.244.htm
Unilever management are now in talks with conciliation service ACAS, the
national officers of the joint trade unions - Unite, Usdaw and GMB - statement:
"We welcome the fact that Unilever has at last recognised its responsibility to
talk to us about a possible resolution to the dispute. However, it is very
early days and the dispute will continue until proposals have been put forward
that are acceptable to our members."
Following today's (9 February) announcement from Bombardier that its Derby
plant is secure for the next three years, Unite has called on the government to
learn lessons from its mistakes and ensure there is not a repeat of the
Thameslink fiasco. UNITE: "The Department for Transport must now construct the
bidding process for new train contracts so that UK based manufacturers can
compete on a level playing field.”
Private companies to profit from public debt - collecting the money owed to
government will mean more private companies profiting from public debt, PCS
warns. Take it this is not big corporate tax dodgers eh?
http://tinyurl.com/86zjn7r
RMT & Railways: A NEW REPORT commissioned by rail union RMT reveals that two
decades of private profiteering, alongside years of underinvestment in
infra-structure while fares have gone through the roof, and UK’s railways at
the bottom of the league compared to other parts of Europe.
http://tinyurl.com/7ctrdum
Bromley Council has announced that they intend moving away from the National
Agreement for Local Authority workers.
Bin Collectors across Stoke-on-Trent are planning to vote on strike action to
defend their pay. The council wants to tear up their contracts and force
workers to 'drop pay bands' which means they will lose up £90 a week!
Birmingham 40 years ago - 30,000 engineers walked out in solidarity with
striking miners over pay cuts. Bill Mullins, NSSN officer, then rep, was part
of this action report will be added to our website.
http://www.saltleygate.co.uk/
VICTIMISATION……………………………………………..
Len Hockey - Good News! Health bosses back off from attack on Unison rep joint
Unison branch secretary at Whipps Cross hospital in London, received a letter
from his employer Initial stating that there is no case to answer. As soon as
the threat to Len was raised, with a unanimous show of hands an emergency
meeting of Unison members agreed to prepare for strike action and to demand the
London region of Unison do everything in their power to defend Len. Emails of
protest flooded in to the employer from all over the country, and to Unison to
demand they defend Len.
Overwhelming votes for action on Heathrow Express over sacking of driver and
victimisation of RMT activist. Nearly 80% have voted to strike in a ballot of
drivers over the sacking of driver member Zahid Majid and over 80% for strike
action in a ballot of all Heathrow Express staff over the continued
victimisation of RMT rep Liaqat Ali.
http://www.rmt.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=155156
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INTERNATIONAL…………………………………………………
GREECE
Greek workers have just begun another 48-hour general strike after 24 hours
earlier this week. http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/5571
IRELAND
Sat Feb 11 March with the Vita Cortex Workers 2:00pm until 4:00pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/160905400689547/
Campaign against household charges is growing http://nohouseholdtax.org/
BRAZIL
Police took strike action over pay last week & then occupied a key government
building. Over 300 have been surrounded by the army in a stand off.
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DIARY See http://tinyurl.com/79wpk2d for other dates & details
And please send us dates of budget meeting protests that are currently
happening.
Sat 11th Feb
Scottish Rank & File meeting Glasgow @ STUC Woodlands Rd 10am -1pm
Mon 13 February
NSSN Staffordshire "Solidarity with workers in struggle!" 7.30 pm
With workers from Unilever, Remploy, PCS & NUT –
Sacred Hearts Social Centre corner of Downey St & Regent Rd, Hanley ST1 3BY.
Tue 14 February
London Keep Our NHS Public meeting, Camden Town Hall, WC1 7:00pm
Save the DVLA Protest Trafalgar Street Office Brighton 12:30pm
Wed 15th Feb
Sparks National Day of Action
6am - Connoco Phillips in Immingham, Sellafield, Ratcliffe, Grangemouth
5.30pm - protest @ employers' awards - Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London
Southampton Unite & Unison lobby of the Council 1.00 - 2.00 p.m
Thurs 16 Feb
No Cuts! Barking against the Cuts Broadway Theatre 7:30pm
SAT 18th Feb
Health and Safety at Work with London Hazards Centre 13:00 - 17:00 Contact:
info@lawas.org.uk or a text: 07412 396713. (Spanish with English translation)
Mon 20th Feb
Unisons will be appealing against the High Court ruling over pensions moving
from RPI to CPI. 8.30am – 10am Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, WC1
Tue 22 February
Kirklees Save Our Services are organising a lobby of Kirklees Council 4pm
Sat 25 Feb
Protest against Tory Local Government Conference, Leeds
Wed 7 March
Save our NHS National rally and lobby of Parliament. London
http://tinyurl.com/7l6rqrq
Wed 28th March
Proposed STRIKE day of action over pension cuts – NUT & PCS
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Please donate or affiliate to support the NSSN.
Email: info@shopstewards.net
Phone: 07952 283 558
Post: PO Box 54498, London E10 9D
Web: www.shopstewards.net
Twitter: NSSN_AntiCuts
Main FB group http://tinyurl.com/4yckq5j
FB NSSN ‘Stop the cuts’ http://tinyurl.com/7esg2gp
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