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Staff at the British
Library (BL) have voted to accept a 3 year pay offer that is significantly
below the cost of living. The trade unions (PCS & Prospect) finally
received an offer from BL management after a delay of 9 months, due entirely to
management's decision to postpone all pay talks until the outcome of
the government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
The Grangemouth strikers are now back at work. They know
they may have to walk out again if management stick with their plan to trash
the company pension scheme. What’s their problem? Ineos is 75% owned by Jim Ratcliffe. Listed as the 25th richest person in the
land, his fortune is reckoned at £2,300 million. The ‘Sunday
Times’ thinks he was worth £3,300 million in 2007. He’s dropped a billion, poor
old soul. That must explain why he wants to nick the workers’ pension pot.
On Thursday April 24th teachers, lecturers and
public sector workers staged a one-day strike. Teachers were out on official strike
for the first time for 21 years. They were joined by Further Education (FE)
lecturers organised in UCU and public sector workers from the PCS union who are
faced with a government imposed 2% pay rise limit. At last workers in the
public sector were taking organised, coordinated and united strike action
against pay offers that represent a cut in their standard of living.
Workers’ Memorial Day is held on
28 April every year. All over the world workers and their representatives
conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to
mark the day.
Every year more people are
killed at work than in wars. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic
‘accidents’. They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that
important a priority. Workers’ Memorial Day commemorates those workers.
Working in the private sector means rubbish pay
and rubbish conditions, such as no pension, no sick pay, long hours and
no lasting terms or contracts. It all looks great from the
outside, efficient, spick ’n' span, clean as a whistle. Scratch the surface however, and
you will see a workplace run on the cheap, with lots of paper work and a poor standard of care. Poor staffing
leads to long hours, fatigue and poor performance, and the need to
comply with managers' demands, or risk being identified as a
troublemaker are ever present.
A red and white Unite
flag hung out of a window of the union office. More
banners and placards were held by the pickets, their bright
orange overalls clashing with yellow fluorescent vests as they gathered for their
rally.
“Ineos has hit out at our members, that’s the truth, but
we’ll sit down with them at
any time. We will also, continue safety work and fuel would
go to those who
need it in all life critical situations. We will win!”
Mark Lyon (Unite Convenor)
Yesterday we reported on the strike rally in London, where teachers went on strike against Gordon Brown's pay freeze. It was the first time the teachers had gone on strike for a generation. They were
joined by members of the public sector union PCS and the lecturers union UCU. The following article contains reports on local action around the country.
Rain, drizzle, hail… nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of
the estimated ten thousand who marched through the centre of London in support
of the industrial action being taken by the teachers’ union the NUT today. This
is the first national strike by teachers for over a generation. They were
joined by members of the public sector union PCS and the lecturers union UCU
who are also taking 24 hour strike
action in what is intended as a unified show of force.
The news headlines in Scotland today were dominated by the
strike of 1,200 workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery in the west of
Scotland. This is one of only nine refineries in Britain. The plant
processes 210,000 barrels of oil a day. Announcement of the strike has
triggered panic buying of petrol. Management have to start closing the plant
down nearly a week before the walk-out is due.
The NUJ's annual conference meets at a crucial time for the union.
After 7 years of membership growth a wave of redundancies has hit the
union hard - both numerically and financially. The conference will set the scene for the biggest fight the union
faces over the coming 18 months - the future of public service
broadcasting. The BBC has seen thousands of jobs cut, whilst ITV have
axed local and regional services. More cuts are planned. And the
regulator and government are allowing them to happen.
Teachers in the NUT have voted three to one in favour of a
one day strike on 24th April. This is an overwhelming vote to reject
the degrading pay offer of New Labour,
and reflects the deeper disgust of teachers at the education policies of the
government.
Activists from Peterborough Trade Union Council (PTUC), representing
Unite, GMB, PCS, UNISON, CWU and Peterborough Pensioners' Association,
recently picketed a meeting called by Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
The pickets carried placards bearing the PTUC logo and slogans such as
"Health Not Profit" and "Keep the NHS Public". Also present was the
UNISON Health Branch banner that shows the slogan, "The Right to Life
is Higher Than the Rights of Private Property".
