Happy New Year & the fight goes on!
Hope you have had a decent break and we look forward to working with you all to defeat these ongoing attacks. This weeks sneaky VAT rises which will cost an average family another £7.50 per week, coupled with the fare rises will further impoverish thousands upon thousands of us. Overall they expect to take another £13billion from us through this, yet still nothing from Vodaphone and others who owe us billions!
Before we get too angry, though its hard not to, the last year has, in many ways for ourselves, and more widely within the anti cuts movement, been positive. Wider and deeper networks & alliances within the formal trade union movement and many more outside of it, have began to push the lid of silence against cuts wide open - We will not accept these cuts!
As part of the developing conversations and strategy to defeat these cuts we have a conference on SATURDAY 22nd January, London 12-4pm. This will be a key space to come together report on your campaigns and achievements but most importantly draw together a battle plan with the industrial back up of the most militant trade unionists in the country. There will be differing strands of opinions on how we go forward, who we work with, when we take particular action and references to past campaigns successful and less so. These will be important for all of us to discuss and engage in, to be clear on why we are doing something in a particular way and the potential consequences of taking different routes. We welcome union members, reps, anti cuts campaigns, student activists and reps and the wider community. Get in touch for more details of delegates and visitors passes £5 each.info@shopstewardsnet.com or phone 020 8522 1156.
Late last year we could have seen a joint TUC march with students, had the TUC honored its commitment to a youth march for jobs before the New Year. Sadly they didn't and students with some workers, were more isolated and attacked than they should have been. Finally, the TUC in conjunction with PCS & UCU has now arranged a march & rally at Platt Fields Park, just outside of Manchester at 1pm SAT 29th January in Manchester. Please do your best to attend, bring banners and encourage others to attend.http://www.facebook.com/event.
UPDATES:
Over the last month there have been Strike action by transport unions RMT & TSSA, but also ASLEF who took strike action over pay on boxing day.
Scottish Unison has voted for a public sector one day public sector strike and there is possible strike by Herald group of newspapers in Glasgow this Thursday & Friday over sackings and redundancies.
UNISON Birmingham Branch Connections half day strike Thurs 6th. Support Protests and Industrial Action Day
12.30pm at South West Connexions Centre, & Broad Street Connexions Centrehttp://www.facebook.com/l/
UNITE Heinz workers also struck over over pay and conditions.
UNITE BASSA are now balloting for action for pay and against ongoing sackings and suspensions at BA.
http://www.facebook.com/l/
UNISON KIRKLEES council workers have voted for 5 days of Industrial action over massive cuts and redundancies faced by workers and the wider community.
Sadly Grunwick strike leader Jayaben Desai died recently, an inspirational woman who took part in the strike for union recognition in 1976. The leadership of the TUC, APEX and many others should be ashamed of their role in this dispute. Had they fully supported them, the dispute and many others could have been won. Gone but never forgotten.
http://www.facebook.com/l/
TUC national demonstration against cuts MARCH 26th. We hope mobilise all members and more widely for this demonstration. days before more jobs and services are lost. And yes we would have all liked this be earlier...but we will all still build for it now.
http://www.facebook.com/event.
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WEB - http://www.facebook.com/l/
Email: info@shopstewards.net
Phone: 020 8522 1156
