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By Steve Kelly (LCB Unite)
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Wednesday, 21 September 2011 |
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In a magnificent show of rank and file initiative, construction workers
took security by surprise and invaded the Farringdon station crossrail
site. Another fantastic morning of protests and civil disobedience were
held in Manchester, as well as in Newcastle where tunnel was temporarily
closed by protestors
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By Unison Socialist Appeal supporters
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Monday, 19 September 2011 |
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Dave Prentis’ speech at the TUC is significant for a number of reasons.
Primarily it reflects the fact that the UNISON leadership, who have
endeavoured to keep their powder dry for a very very long time, are
coming under enormous pressure from below and from the rest of the Trade
Union movement. It also reflects the scale of the attacks on the public
sector and in particular the attacks on pensions.
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By Unite Construction Rank and File
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Friday, 16 September 2011 |
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They have thrown down the gauntlet and Grangemouth shoved it
back down their throat!
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By Site Worker
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Thursday, 15 September 2011 |
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At the TUC Ed Milliband made a speech condemning strikes whilst Paul Kenny of the GMB called for "Civil Disobedience."
This week Civil Disobedience took centre stage. Co-ordinated
unofficial industrial action kicked off at major construction projects
across the country.
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By Socialist Appeal
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Wednesday, 14 September 2011 |
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Speaking at TUC conference in London today, UNISON General Secretary,
Dave Prentis, said that the union will send notice to 9,000 employers
that it will ballot its 1.1 million members for industrial action over
pensions.
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By Socialist Appeal
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Wednesday, 31 August 2011 |
 Around 200 construction workers assembled today to protest outside the entrance to the Westfield site at Stratford in east London. This was part of an ongoing campaign by rank and file trade unionists against plans by 8 major construction firms to break with national aggreements and impose an effective 35% pay cut.
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By Siteworker
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Monday, 29 August 2011 |
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200 electricians protested outside Balfour Beatty's Blacklfriars
Station construction project last Wednesday in the first unofficial action of
the electricians pay dispute.
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By Unison Socialist Appeal Supporters
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Wednesday, 24 August 2011 |
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While last year’s cuts had a dramatic and serious impact on local
authority services and jobs, this year’s cuts will have a more profound
effect. Services that were cut to the bone last time around face even
more cuts, some may even disappear. Already Connexions and the Youth
Service have been devastated. Inthis article we look at how activists should work inside the local government unions.
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By GMB Socialist Appeal Supporters
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Tuesday, 16 August 2011 |
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While the press is full of talk about contagion from Europe and on the
back of a huge economic crisis, it might seem a bad time to be looking
at a pay rise in a company which makes steel components for the building
industry. But despite the carnage in the public sector, under the
surface the cyclical nature of the capitalist economy means that
economic activity is still going on, even though the market is very
competitive as the employers slug it out to get a slice of the pie.
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By Steve Kelly (Meeting Chair)
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Monday, 15 August 2011 |
 Electricians and pipefitters sent out a clear message to
JIB/hvca employers and Unite the union that they will not accept the
de-skilling of their trade or pay cuts to their national agreements. Nearly 500 attended a Saturday
lunchtime meeting at Conway Hall organised by unite rank and file activists
from London and the south coast. The hall was packed with standing room only –
this was the biggest such meeting since the days of the Jubillee Line struggle.
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By GMB Socialist Appeal Supporters
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Sunday, 24 July 2011 |
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While the press is full
of talk about contagion from Europe and on the back of a huge economic crisis,
it might seem a bad time to be looking at a pay rise in a company which makes
steel components for the building industry. But despite the carnage in the
public sector, under the surface the cyclical nature of the capitalist economy
means that economic activity is still going on, even though the market is very
competitive as the employers slug it out to get a slice of the pie
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By Blacklist Support Group
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Monday, 04 July 2011 |
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Blacklisted building workers have won a major breakthrough in Europe following a groundbreaking meeting. On Thurs 30th June 2011 a delegation of blacklisted trade unionists and safety representatives from the Blacklist Support Group held private talks in Brussels with László Andor, European Union Commissioner with responsibility for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion to discuss potential EU wide legislation to outlaw blacklisting.
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By Steve Kelly, Unite London
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Monday, 27 June 2011 |
The Executive Council of UNITE has issued a policy statement called
“Cuts are not the answer.” The statement says the Executive “unanimously
confirms its opposition to all Government spending cuts. We commit
ourselves to fight this ideological driven assault on our much valued
public services and welfare state.”
It goes on, “This assault on our class is designed to shift the blame
for the economic crisis to the public sector and make working people pay
for a crisis not of our making.”
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By UNISON Socialist Appeal Supporters
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Friday, 10 June 2011 |
 This year’s UNISON Local Government Conference and the National Delegate
Conference that starts directly afterwards is without a doubt the most
important conference that the union has held in the years since its
formation. The scale and scope of government cuts has placed UNISON
members in the firing line and local government workers in particular.
The national leadership have come under growing criticism of late as a
result of their reluctance to add their weight to coordinated planned
strike action to defend public sector pensions on the 30th June.
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Milions of workers came out on strike in defence of their pensions. This was the biggest such action for decades. The fight goes on!
