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Tuesday, 20 May 2003 |
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A process of radicalisation is taking place among the British engineering
workers (or metal workers). This is reflected in the main union of the sector,
Amicus. The old rightwing lost the position of General Secretary recently. Now
the left of the union is preparing to take a majority on the union's national
executive committee. |
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Thursday, 01 May 2003 |
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Almost a year after firefighters tabled their claim for a pay rise to
£30,000 a year, new strikes are being prepared because of the intransigence of
the employers and a Labour government hellbent on attacking public services. |
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Wednesday, 22 January 2003 |
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Two Motherwell (Scotland) train drivers refused to move a freight train
carrying ammunition believed to be destined for British forces being deployed in
the Gulf. This militant and courageous stand was reminiscent of the actions
against General Pinochet back in the 1970s and the Jolly George incident in
1920. Railway managers cancelled the Ministry of Defence (MoD) service after the
crewmen, described as "conscientious objectors" by a supporter, said
they opposed Tony Blair's threat to attack Iraq. |
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Tuesday, 10 December 2002 |
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Report on last Saturday's (December 7, 2002) TUC demonstration in London in
support of the firefighters, where 20,000 trade unionists turned up. ACAS
negotiations are not going to give firefighters what they want. These are mere
delaying tactics. The FBU must step up the struggle. |
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Monday, 09 December 2002 |
Issue No 3 of the Socialist Appeal ‘Firefighters’ Bulletin’ was produced
for the demonstration on Saturday, December 7, with the following articles:
Firefighters must win! The firefighters cannot be left to fight alone,
the whole trade union movement must be rallied behind them, to provide money and
support.
"After New Labour" At the Manchester conference of the Left of the Labour Party, Andy
Gilchrist, leader of the FBU, recognised that the fight to replace the
Blairite clique who had hi-jacked the party must start now.
Open letter to the firefighters A
letter to the firefighters from Steve
Brown (Pegswood Labour Party, and secretary Wansbeck and Castle Morpeth
TUC) giving full support to their struggle and inviting them to
take their struggle into the Labour Party.
Fire stations for sale? A comment on a proposal that appeared in the
Financial Times to sell off the fire stations and convert them into luxury
flats. |
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Tuesday, 26 November 2002 |
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In a matter of days the entire political landscape of Britain has been
transformed by the magnificent struggle of the firefighters. The entire
labour movement must now rally to the side of the firefighters. Go to
the picket lines! Move resolutions and take up collections! The fight
must be taken into the Labour Party as well. The Labour leaders want a
fight with the unions. The unions must give them a fight inside the
Party too. |
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Friday, 22 November 2002 |
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As the Fire Brigades Union in Britain goes out on strike for the second
time, we are publishing the second Firefighters' Bulletin
distributed by the Socialist Appeal throughout the fire stations up and
down the
country. The struggle of the firefighters in Britain is becoming a
major
industrial battle with the Labour government commited to smash the
union. We
support the struggle of the firefighters for fair pay. |
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Thursday, 31 October 2002 |
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Industrial militancy in Britain is on the increase. It reflects a general
mood in the workplace that enough is enough. The Blair government is not only
confronting the first national firefighters' strike in 25 years, but is facing
action on a number of other fronts. This has raised the spectre of another
Winter of Discontent similar to the one faced by the Callaghan government in
1978/79. |
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Thursday, 31 October 2002 |
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At the beginning of this month, as the first wave of strikes loomed the Blair
government was preparing to square up to the firefighters. "Picket lines
might be crossed… no options are being ruled out" Blair triumphantly
proclaimed. This was a blatant threat of attack. Such actions would have put the
government on a collision course with the unions. It shows how removed from
reality Blair is in arrogantly attempting to trample over the concerns of
working people. However they are in for a rude awakening. |
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Thursday, 31 October 2002 |
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Interview with Mick Shaw member of the FBU EC for the London Region: "We
have now reached the stage where the government and the employers are hiding
behind this so-called 'independent inquiry', and are refusing to engage in
negotiations. Our members see no alternative but to take industrial action in
order to persuade the employers to return to negotiations." |
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Monday, 16 September 2002 |
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The planned national industrial action by the firefighters is the first for
25 years. It coincides with an increasing radicalisation in the union movement,
which is a culmination of years of bitterness and resentment built up by the
attacks on the wages and conditions of workers in general, and in the public
sector in particular. The FBU is playing a leading role in the struggle for
better wages in the public sector. |
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Monday, 16 September 2002 |
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Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, was one of several left union leaders to be newly elected to
the TUC General Council. Socialist Appeal spoke to him at the recent TUC
Conference. |
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