trade unions
5 January 2021 · · Britain, Covid-19, Education, trade unions · 3 comments
Education workers teach Tories and Starmer the bleeding obvious
Last week the National Education Union (NEU) represented about 450 000 teaching assistants, learning mentors, premises staff, office workers and teachers in schools and colleges in England a…
16 December 2020 · Britain, Education, Scotland, trade unions · 1 comment
Safety fears over Covid in schools
Safety fears over Covid in schools: Scottish teachers vote for industrial action as Labour London Councils call for early school closures Scottish teachers in three areas have voted overwhel…
28 November 2020 · · Scotland, Women, trade unions
Bringing more women to socialism
“Imaginings of a feminist, anti-capitalist future can only happen when women are incorporated into the movement in good faith and not as tokens.” I first drafted the article republished belo…
12 October 2020 · · Britain, Scotland, trade unions
Rail workers strike against Serco
The RMT railworkers and transport union declared its second 48 hour strike against the Serco Caledonian Sleeper rail company over safety conditions on the train service. The next strike star…
6 October 2020 · Britain, Scotland, Uncategorized, trade unions
Trade unionists rally for Richie Venton and extend action
Trade unionists across Britain and Ireland are rallying to support Richie Venton following his sacking at IKEA Glasgow. Mike Picken reports from Glasgow. A veteran trade union and socialist …
17 September 2020 · Britain, Scotland, trade unions
Step up fight for Richie Venton’s reinstatement
Trade union activists are stepping up the battle for reinstatement of leading worker representative Richie Venton from IKEA. Mike Picken reports from Glasgow. Richie is a well known longstan…
3 September 2020 · Scotland, Uncategorized, trade unions
<strong>Resist Attacks on Scottish IKEA Workers</strong>
IKEA in Scotland have launched a savage attack on their workers’ rights and conditions in recent days. This has included sacking union representative, Richie Venton. Richie is a well known t…
16 July 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party, trade unions · 2 comments
Tower Hamlets strike reveals Labour fault lines
Sometimes an individual rises to the top of a large organisation because they are the only person so equally disdained by all the personal cliques and ideological factions that they emerge a…
27 November 2019 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
The significance of the current UCU Strikes
Lecturers in around half of Britain’s universities started eight days of strike action on Monday 24 November. UCU (University and Colleges Union) members are taking action in fifty-six insti…
14 November 2019 · · Labour Party, Racism, trade unions
Union leaders shouldn’t make excuses for racism
The Brexit referendum result showed that there is large scale racism in British society writes Andy Stowe . It affects both the Labour Party and the unions. There’s the infamous “controls on…
5 October 2018 · · trade unions
Solidarity with #FFS410
Protestors in Wrexham Yesterday there were protests across Britain in solidarity with #FFS410 (Fast Food shutdown, 4 th October) , writes Susan Moore. The workers at the centre of the action…
2 June 2018 · · trade unions
Report from UCU Congress 2018
In her address to the 2018 UCU congress, Sally Hunt returned time and time again to the fact that this has been a turn around year for the union. She emphasised the fantastic national strike…
12 March 2018 · · LGBTIQ, Reviews, trade unions
Championing inclusion
Champions of Equality: Trade Unions and LGBT rights in Britain by Peter Purton, Lawrence and Wishart, 2017. Reviewed by Terry Conway. Peter Purton’s book is a real service to labour movement…
8 March 2018 · Britain, Labour Party, Women, trade unions
A red thread of militancy for March 8
Sylvia Pankhurst and the East End branch of the Women's Social and Political Union were kicked out of that organisation for supporting political causes other than women's suffrage and becaus…
21 February 2018 · · Education, students, trade unions
Solidarity with the UCU Strike!
Starting Thursday February 22, members of the University College Union (UCU) at 61 universities will be taking strike action against proposed changes to their pension scheme, writes Nathan R…
9 January 2018 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
RMT strikes for jobs and a safe railway
Frank Morris writes about the current strikes on the rail and the consequences of 25 years of privatised railways. The disastrous consequences of the railway privatisation 25 years ago are t…
24 September 2017 · Britain, Labour Party, Tories, trade unions
Manchester – protest at the Tory conference
When the Tories gather for their conference in Manchester on Sunday 1 October, they will be greeted in the city by a demonstration marching behind the banner of “No More Austerity - Scrap Th…
12 September 2017 · · NHS, trade unions
Bart’s strike – a small strike with big implications
The strike by ancillary hospital workers at Bart’s Health Trust which started in July has been a hard struggle against their employer SERCO, writes Susan Pashkoff, Chair of East London Unite…
6 September 2017 · trade unions · 1 comment
The Birmingham Bin Strike
In Birmingham, rubbish lies uncollected in streets and in homes at the end of the summer, creating a health risk, attracting rats and creating a fire hazard, reports James Wright . Long queu…
3 September 2017 · trade unions
McDonald’s – strike moves protests inside fast food giant
Everyone has witnessed demonstrations involving young people targeting the fast food chain McDonald’s; blocking doors and/or breaking glass windows. The company, one of the most recognized a…
26 July 2017 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
Manchester housing workers strike to defend conditions
Around 170 Unite housing maintenance workers at Mears, and joint venture company Manchester Working Limited (operated by Mears), are currently on strike in Manchester reports Ali Treacher . …
6 July 2017 · Britain, Housing, Labour Party, trade unions · 1 comment
Step up the noise!
My ears are ringing says Terry Conway In four days I was on two protests when noise has been a central element of the action. Defend the Ritzy workers I spent time last Friday evening as par…
22 May 2017 · Education, Scotland, trade unions
Scottish College Lecturers Celebrate Strike Victory
Hundreds of Scottish college lecturers braved torrential rain to rally in Glasgow on Saturday 20 th May in celebration of their strike victory, reports Donald Milligan. Workers, students and…
3 April 2017 · trade unions
Fighting the gig economy
Deliveroo riders in Brighton stepped up their campaign for decent working conditions after taking strike action earlier in the year. They held a mass bike ride around the city, blocking traf…
28 March 2017 · Labour Party, trade unions · 1 comment
Vote McCluskey in the Unite election
As the ballot papers go out for the Unite General Secretary election, the need to re-elect Len McCluskey, in what is one of the most critical trade union elections in Britain in many years, …