University staff: second coordinated strike over pay offer 

Reports from universities nationwide:

Pickets were out today on both entrances to Keele University.

One picket complained at the way in which, “Over years Keele has introduced a system where managers are paid more than myself to tell me to do what I was already doing successfully in the first place! And now they want us to except a 1% pay increase.”



A picket who was bravely standing in the middle of the road (!) told us, “We need to plan where we go next with this strike”.

The need for a 24 general strike went down well with all those we spoke to and the majority thought Labour were no different than the Tories or Lib Dems.

Npower’s plan to scrap 550 jobs in Stoke-on-Trent must be fought!

 Npower have now announced what they have had planned for almost twelve months that it’s call centre in Fenton, will close next June as part of a total of 1,400 workers nationally being thrown on the scrap heap.

The plan is to outsource the 550 Stoke-on-Trent jobs to India under the ‘management’ of Tata Consultancy Services. 

Npower offices in Fenton where 550 jobs are in danger

Npower say it is being done, “to improve our customer services and keep our costs down at a time of external pressure on customer’s bills”
Does anyone believe this crap? Npower are so concerned about ‘customer’s bills’ that they are increasing prices by 10.4% in December.
As for keeping “costs down” they should look at what they are paying their chief executive Paul Massara. Despite ‘earning’ £450,000 this year he refused to give up his £150,000 bonus saying to do so would be just a ‘gimmick’. This is some ‘gimmick’ – £150,000 is almost NINE times the average Stoke-on-Trent worker’s annual income! If this was not enough he will also save £22,500 as a result of George Osbourne’s tax break for millionaires.

Fight together against Npower

Npower are trying to turn customers against their workers by saying that sacking 1,400 will reduce bills for customers. But it will be the top employees and shareholders who will pocket any ‘savings’ not hard pressed customers.
One worker who has been at the Fenton site for over ten years told us, “I’m disgusted that Unison seem to be just accepting the redundancy package. They should be fighting to save our jobs and keep the Fenton site open”
Npower have now announced a 60 day ‘consultation’ period. Unison, representing Npower workers at Stoke, should make sure that this ‘consultation’ includes building a campaign to defend all these jobs.
They should link up with other Npower workplaces faced with job losses and closure in Oldbury, West Midlands and elsewhere.

Open the books

In 2012 Npower posted a 25% increase in profits to a bumper £390 million just four months after increasing prices for customers by 9% and followed that with a further 8% increase in profits in the first nine months of this year.
As part of the ‘consultation’ Unison should demand that the books of Npower are opened up to public scrutiny so we can see exactly where these profits are going.

Renationalise Npower and other major energy companies

As one of the top six privately owned energy companies, Npower is in business, like the others, to make maximum profits for it’s top earners and shareholders. This includes sacking workers and increasing bills when it suits them.

But this is not what workers or customers want. A recent Mirror online poll found 94% would like to see energy returned to public ownership.

Energy industry unions should draw the necessary conclusions from Npower’s attempt to sack more workers while still increasing prices for customers as a warning of what the future holds if their plans are not fought and stopped. If Npower get away with it then the other five top companies will do the same to remain ‘competitive’.

Unison and other unions involved should fight this latest round of job cuts and launch a campaign for the immediate renationalisation of the major energy companies to be run in the interest of the majority. Only in this way could jobs be saved and customer prices be kept down now and in the future.

There would be no need to compensate the fat cat owners, although small shareholders would be compensated in cases of proven need.

DOWNLOAD OUR LEAFLET HERE, PRINT SOME OFF AND PASS THEM ON WHEREVER YOU CAN

SUPPORT WORKERS IN STRUGGLE

Over the next week there will be a number of strikes taking place with picket lines locally;

 

• Thursday this week staff at Keele University, Staffs Uni, Stoke-on-Trent College and Newcastle College will be on strike. There will be a picket line on the front and back gate at Keele from 8am onwards. No details yet for Staffs Uni or colleges 

• Friday - Firefighters will strike again at 6.30pm - 11pm at Longton, Hanley, Newcastle and Sandyford (if you go to the picket to offer support I recommend you are there at 6pm sharp
• Monday next week 4 Nov - Firefighters will again be on strike at 6am (but again you would need to be there at 6am)
• Monday also postal workers will also be on strike with picket lines at postal depots in Biddulph, Leek, Cheadle, Uttoxeter, Newcastle, Kidsgrove, Burslem, Stoke, Stone, Stafford and elsewhere. Picket lines will be in place from 6.15am onwards.
• There will also be a picket at Customer Services at 7am and MDec at 5.30pm both near old Sentinel depot on Festival Park.

Workers on strike are always pleased to get visitors to their picket lines to show support. Tell them you are from the National Shop Stewards Network. I have leaflets for the various disputes you can take along to hand out.

 

Please call/text me on 07845893607 if you want leaflets or if you want any advice or to discuss further about going to the pickets

Lobby the TUC Congress on Sunday September 8^th All out Together in November!

The struggle to defend the NHS from being dismantled and privatised is becoming increasingly important. It's vital therefore that the TUC demonstration outside the Tory Party Conference in Manchester on 29 September is massive.

It has been called to ‘Save our NHS – Defend Jobs & Services. No to Austerity’. For more details, including transport – TUC Unite  Unison  The NSSN will be having a contingent behind our banner: ‘for a 24 hour general strike to stop the Tory cuts!’ March with us!

However, we also believe that co-ordinated industrial action is a key part of the strategy to save the NHS and fight austerity overall and it is urgent. Therefore we will continue to lobby the TUC now and also at TUC conference on Sep 8^th.

Please join us! 

We are pleased to announce this lobby is now supported by five TUC Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC) Regional Representatives, the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom and the TUC National Unemployed Centres Combine.

Lobby TUC Congress on Sunday Sept 8^th – All out Together in November!

NSSN rally at the TUC Congress at Bournemouth on September 8th followed by a lobby of Congress.

Confirmed speakers:  

• Bob Crow, Mark Serwotka, Steve Gillan, Ronnie Draper and Ian Lawrence (RMT, PCS, POA, BFAWU and NAPO general secretaries respectively)
• Alec McFadden (North West representative on TUCJCC for trades councils and also President Merseyside County TUC)
• Teresa MacKay TUCJCC & Ipswich Trades Council
• Linda Taaffe (NSSN).

A rally will take place between 12.30pm-2.30pm Hardy Suite, Hermitage Hotel, Exeter Rd, Bournemouth (opposite Bournemouth International Centre, TUC Congress venue).

NSSN Lobby of TUC Conference Sunday 8 Sept

Urgent message to all NSSN supporters across Staffordshire;

We need to find out as soon as we can how many are likely to be going to the NSSN lobby so that we can pool transport to reduce costs as much as possible

Can you let us know asap if you are definitely going or are thinking of going or would like more info before making up your mind. It would help also if you can let us know if you will not be attending.

Call or text on 07845893607

 

NSSN Bulletin 154 - ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ZERO CONTRACTS

EBulletin 154- Zero tolerance for zero-hour contracts!!

August 7, 2013

 

NSSN e-bulletin 154 – Zero tolerance for zero-hour contracts!! Zero-hour contracts have hit the headlines over the last week, with 24,000 (80%) of JD Wetherspoons staff and 20,000 (90%) of Sports Direct all on such contracts. Even Buckingham Palace and the Coalition Government use them! Zero-hour contracts offer no guarantee of hours or pay, and are regularly used to stop people organising at work. Many workers who do try to organise to improve their conditions have their hours cut as punishment. Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) has been campaigning against zero-hour contracts, with protests outside Sports Direct up and down [...]

NSSN Bulletin 153 "An Anti-Austerity Summer and a Hot Autumn?

http://shopstewards.net/2013/08/ebulletin-153-an-anti-austerity-summer-and-a-hot-autumn/

NSSN Staffordshire calls for blackilisting firm Keir’s council contract to be scrapped

The National Shop Stewards Network Staffordshire welcomes the motion (below) moved by City council leader Mohammed Pervez and seconded by Councillor Crowe at the full city council meeting on 4 July 2013. All attempts to stop the blacklisting and victimisation of workers should be supported.

“That this Council notes and supports the campaign by Unite the Union to stamp out the deplorable practice of ‘blacklisting’ of individuals because of their affiliation and association to a trade union within the construction industry. Blacklisting is a national scandal and too many construction workers have had their lives ruined just because they had legitimate concerns over health and safety in one of Britain’s most dangerous industries or just because they belonged to a trade union.
The Council expects our joint venture partners or any organisation or contractor working with or on behalf of the council to have a zero tolerance policy towards this practice and if applicable to be co-signatories to the Construction Industry Joint Council Working Rules Agreement which aims to ensure that this practice is not prevalent in the construction industry.
This Council will take every legitimate step necessary to ensure that the City Council never knowingly engages or contracts with a company that operates a blacklist or has been found to operate a blacklist.”

But passing motions alone will not eradicate this practise which has been proved to be rife within the construction industry.
Words are of course important but actions are what matters. Keir is one of 44 blacklisting companies who subscribed to the Consulting Association. This ‘Association’ complied a national list of construction workers who it deemed as ‘undesirable’ for companies to check out who they were hiring. Many construction workers who were on this secret list have never since found work in the industry.
Keir have said that,
“The activities of the now-disbanded consulting association are both historic and regrettable.”
NSSN Staffordshire organiser Andy Bentley, responded to this by saying, “But the activities of the consulting agency and Keir are anything but of ‘historic’ interest for the more than 3,000 construction workers who were proved to be blacklisted. It’s only too current for those who have never worked since and are still being prevented from finding work today.”
“Therefore the Staffordshire area of the National Shop Stewards Network is calling on the city council to act on their motion by cancelling their contract with Keir and instead employing Keir workers directly with the council to safeguard jobs.”

Unite meets roadblock in New Labour – Time to discuss bold step of disaffiliation

The attack on Unite, the biggest trade union in the country, following New Labour’s suspension of the election candidate selection process in Falkirk West, is a decisive moment in the relationship between the unions and the Labour Party.

Unite’s preferred candidate, Karie Murphy, and constituency chairperson Stephen Deans, have been suspended from party positions.
Tom Watson, New Labour‘s general election strategist, has resigned his position following these moves.
New Labour has scrapped the scheme, originally backed by party leader Ed Miliband, which allowed unions to pay the first year of membership subscriptions from their political funds and which Unite used in Falkirk West to sign up over 100 of its members to the party.
Outrageously, Miliband is handing over Labour’s secret report, not shown to Unite, to the police! Unite members will be indignant at these scandalous moves.
They have echoes of Labour alleging ‘corruption’ against the Liverpool city councillors and Militant who fought against cuts in the 1980s. If Unite does not fight now, the union will be seriously damaged.
Any pretence that Ed Miliband was independent of the right has been blown away by this confrontation as he has become a prisoner of the Blairite faithful. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey was prophetic when interviewed in the journal New Statesman on 24 April this year:

Len McCluskey, Shrewsbury 24 press conference, 23.1.13, photo Bob Severn   (Click to enlarge)

“He fears, though, that Miliband could still fall under the sway of those he pejoratively refers to as ‘Blairites’. He singles out the shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander and the shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, for criticism.
.
“Ed Miliband must spend most of his waking hours grappling with what lies before him. If he is brave enough to go for something radical, he’ll be the next prime minister.
“If he gets seduced by the Jim Murphys and the Douglas Alexanders, then the truth is that he’ll be defeated and he’ll be cast into the dustbin of history” [our emphasis].
Murphy has been prominent in this crisis with scathing attacks on Unite and Len. One unnamed Blairite has called Unite an ‘organised conspiracy’! Furthermore, these attacks have been egged on by Cameron, the Tories and the capitalist press.
They are all in favour of a tame, pro-capitalist Labour Party. Unite must come out fighting to rebut this onslaught at every opportunity.

Transformation of Labour

But this is not just an organisational attack on the trade unions and the left that remain in New Labour.
As the Socialist Party has consistently explained, this is part of the political transformation of Labour from a party based on workers, that had socialist aspirations, albeit with a pro-capitalist leadership, into a pro-big business party with similarities to the Democrats in the US.
Even from the first attacks on our predecessor, Militant, we predicted there would be attacks on the left and left unions.
With reference to the process against the Militant Editorial Board, which led to five expulsions, we wrote:
“The purge will not stop at Militant. It will grow to other left groups within the party” (Militant 628, 26 November 1982, quoted in ‘Rise of Militant’).
Unite is now considered part of the ‘left’ within New Labour and has been compared to Militant by the press! To this end, the Blairites have decided the union must be humiliated. They want to rid the party of union influence and expel unions whose predecessors helped to form the Labour Representation Committee in 1900!
New Labour has consistently refused to listen to the unions on policy. There have been no real commitments on scrapping anti-trade union laws.
Cuts and privatisations are carried out by Labour councils and councillors who oppose them are suspended or expelled.
Now, Miliband and Ed Balls have affirmed their commitment to the Tories’ spending plans. In other words, cuts planned by the Tories will be implemented by a New Labour government, if the party wins the next election.
This will mean confrontation with the working class and the unions. The idea of a general strike against austerity cannot be postponed in the hope of ‘better times’ under Miliband. If not fought for and called now, the demand will still be urgent under New Labour.

Unite members in action: Strike at ‘One Housing’, June 2013, Woodgreen site, London   (Click to enlarge)

Unite’s strategy

The political strategy of Unite, to recruit its members to Labour in order to get more working-class election candidates selected, has come across another roadblock.
The Socialist Party has explained on many occasions that the Labour Party is unreformable. New Labour has closed all the democratic avenues for real change that once existed.
But given Unite’s agreed strategy, we said the only chance it had of being successful would be for Unite to go in with its full programme against all cuts, the scrapping of the anti-trade union laws, and nationalisation, win over the ranks of Labour and get rid of the Blairites.
Even then, we said it would be unlikely to succeed given the obstacles in Unite’s path.
But the union’s strategy was first challenged when a handful of Labour councillors who voted against cuts, some of them Unite members, were suspended or expelled from Labour groups and the party.
The two brave Southampton councillors who opposed austerity have drawn the correct conclusions and become part of TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition).
Warrington councillor Kevin Bennett has recently had his suspension from the Labour group extended for a further six months.

Unite members and others supporting Kevin Bennett outside his Labour group appeal hearing on 1st July 2013   (Click to enlarge)

Now the focus has switched onto the parliamentary selection stage. New Labour does not want representatives who would fight for the working class.
Unite now has three possible ways forward. The first would be to capitulate to New Labour. This would be disastrous, not just for its political strategy but for its industrial one too. There would be growing anger and indignation in the rank and file, and doubts would be raised over the union’s commitment to fight for its policy. This would cause serious problems for Len and the left leadership of the union and jeopardise their position.
The second would be to continue with the current strategy. This would mean the likelihood of further collisions with the Labour bureaucracy, in which Len has already admitted he ‘can place no trust’. This would not prevent Unite having to make a decision later on the continued scandal of providing funds to New Labour, to the tune of £9 million since Miliband was elected Labour leader in 2010, with the support of the unions! Immediately, Unite would also face the decision of supporting anti-cuts councillors.
The third path is to take the bold step of the union disaffiliating from New Labour. The Socialist Party believes this is the correct road to take. The working class has waited too long for its own party since New Labour accepted the free market and dropped its famous Clause 4, Part IV, which envisaged nationalisation and socialism.

What Unite should do:

Unite members, in their branches, stewards committees and constitutional committees of the union, should pass resolutions defending the union against these attacks and calling for a full, democratic discussion of the alternative. In particular, they should call on the leadership to implement the following plan of action:

• An emergency executive council should be called to discuss the crisis.
• The EC should pass a resolution for a recall rules conference which would have the end of removing the references to Labour Party affiliation from the rulebook, thereby facilitating disaffiliation. This conference should also discuss political representation for the working class.
• Should this be carried, Unite should call meetings and conferences of trade unionists, from affiliated and non-affiliated unions, including those linked to TUSC, with the aim of forming a new workers’ party which would have the programme of fighting the cuts, scrapping the anti-trade union laws and opposing privatisation of public services. Such a party would truly reflect the needs of the working class and fight in workplaces, communities and in elections for socialist ideas.

STOP THE CUTS – PROTEST!

PCS North Staffordshire

HMRC, DWP, MOJ

27 June 2013

Albion Square 12:30pm

 

On 26 June after 3 years of cuts, the Government will announce as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review more job cuts, increased workloads and privatisations.

 

They are even talking about privatising courts and closing museums. Plans are being made to water down the civil service job security agreement, which has prevented thousands of compulsory redundancies over the last decade.

 

Our terms and conditions, including holidays and sick pay, are already under threat and our annual pay increases have been capped at 1% until 2016, meaning pay will fall further behind the cost of living.

 

On 27 June PCS members will join a series of lunchtime protests around the country. Join our protest.

Say NO to the failed Government Policies of Austerity and demand fairness.

 

“Britain Needs a Pay Rise”

 

*Join the protest at your office or the protest rally in Hanley*

Supporters are welcome – Bring your trade union banners!

NSSN Bulletin 146: Let's Beat the Blacklist & Build a Fighting Trade Union Movement

Checkout the latest NSSN bulletin here

NSSN Bulletin 146: Let's Beat the Blacklist & Build a Fighting Trade Union Movement

• NSSN 7th annual conference - Saturday 29 June

So far from Staffordshire trade union reps and activists from Unite Local 6110, Unite Community, Unison Health, NUT, CWU, PCS will be going to the NSSN conference.

Transport leaves Stoke Railway Station at 7am

But it's not too late for you to book a place. If you are interested in going or just want more info please call/text Andy on 07845893607

More detail about the conference below:

11am-5pm, Saturday June 29th, Camden Centre, Judd Street, London, WC1H 9JE

Speakers include Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary and Steve Gillan, POA general secretary

The NSSN was initiated by the RMT transport union in 2006. Seven national unions – RMT, PCS, CWU, NUM, POA, NUJ, and BFAWU – are either affiliated to the NSSN or officially support it as well as countless union branches, shop stewards committees and trades councils.

We support workers in struggle as well as those facing victimisation for the crime of defending their members from the employer’s attacks.

The conference will include main sessions on resisting the cuts but also workshops on defending the NHS, organising in the workplace, housing, organising the unorganised, fighting blacklisting etc. It’s open to everyone in the unions and all those fighting these brutal cuts.

Contact info@shopstewards.net
Send your fee of £6 per person, payable to: ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ to PO BOX 54498, London, E10 9DE
Facebook event here http://www.facebook.com/events/127178207444661/
Download the colour leaflet here
Download a black and white version here

Carling brewery worker's massive vote for strike action at Burton-on-Trent

Brewery workers in Burton-on-Trent have voted 97% in favour of strike action against a vicious assault on pay and conditions from their employers Molson Coors.

As Molson Coors CEO of Europe counts his £360,137 a year, brewery workers face £8,000-£9,000 a year pay cuts, cuts in working conditions and a threat to sack everybody if they don't agree to the proposals by 14 June.

Some workers face losing their homes as a result of this savage attack and have no choice but to fight against this ultimatum. But as Unite branch secretary Phil Salt says, "We are a well-organised site with over 90% membership. We believe that if we allow this to happen, employers will believe they can do anything, anywhere.”

The outcome of this struggle will be watched by workers and employers in the food, drink and tobacco industry across the Midlands and nationally. It's in the interests of all these workers that Burton brewery workers win this battle to defend pay and conditions. To do that they will need maximum support.

Trade union members should raise it in their branches and discuss what practical and financial support they can give.

• Click here for more information about the dispute

• Messages of support may be sent to Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org or via #burtonbrewery on Twitter.
• A fighting fund has been established. Cheques should be made payable to 'Unite' with 'Burton Brewery' written on the back and sent to Unite the Union, Finance Department, Transport House, 9-17 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 8HX

Show your support for PCS Strike next Wednesday 5 June on picket lines and at the Rally in Hanley

 

Show your support at picket lines:

 

from 7am at Benefits Centre and HMRC (Tax Office) in Albion Square Hanley

 

from 8am at following Job Centres

Huntbach St, Hanley

 Paradise St, Newcastle

The Avenue,Kidsgrove

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t miss NSSN 7th annual conference1

 

Video of NSSN lobby of TUC:

http://shopstewards.net/2013/04/video-nssn-lobby-of-the-tuc/

Don’t miss

NSSN 7th annual conference

11am-5pm, Saturday June 29th, Camden Centre, Judd Street,

London, WC1H 9JE

Speakers include:

• Mark Serwotka – PCS general secretary
• Billy Hayes – CWU general secretary
• Steve Gillan – POA general secretary

The NSSN was initiated by the RMT transport union in 2006. Seven national unions – RMT, PCS, CWU, NUM, POA, NUJ, and BFAWU – are either affiliated to the NSSN or officially support it as well as countless union branches, shop stewards committees and trades councils.

We support workers in struggle as well as those facing victimisation for the crime of defending their members from the employer’s attacks.

The conference will include main sessions on resisting the cuts but also workshops on defending the NHS, organising in the workplace, housing, organising the unorganised, fighting blacklisting etc. It’s open to everyone in the unions and all those fighting these brutal cuts.

Contact info@shopstewards.net

Send your fee of £6 per person, payable to: ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ to PO BOX 54498, London, E10 9DE

Facebook event here http://www.facebook.com/events/127178207444661/
Download the colour leaflet here
Download a black and white version here

For info about transport from North Staffs please call or text Andy Bentley on 07845893607 or email andybentley3@hotmail.co.uk

The National Shop Stewards Network is supported by:

Support Carling workers at Burton-on-Trent

Our strike ballot has now started as members at Burton Brewery face what can only be described as a vicious assault.

Molson Coors are proposing :

• Pay for 184 of our 284 Technicians cut by £9000 per year, with the remaining 100 becoming "A" grade Technicians on the same salary

• Pay for FLT cut by £8000 per year

• Site agreement book to be destroyed and re-written by the employer

• Abolition of site agreement that protects pay for two years when shift changes result in loss of pay

• 49.5% of our 455 members facing an extreme pay cut

• Forced introduction of extreme shift working that would leave members on call or working at least 95% of the time

• Threat to sack us all if we don't agree to the proposals by June 14th

This attack has cast a shadow across the town, as other workers and employers watch carefully how this will end. The branch believes that employers through out the Midlands andthe FDT sector nationally will also be monitoring this dispute closely.

We are a well organised site with over 90% membership. We believe that if we allow this to happen, employers will believe they can do anything, anywhere.

Our fight is every workers fight. If successful, this proposal will depress the local economy. We are told we are paid "upper tier" pay rates. Bring those rates down, and the averages come down for everybody else. Most employers now use local "market rates", and if this attack succeeds, local rates will be coming down for everybody else - in our minds there is no doubt about that.

Our members face losing their homes. That's how extreme these proposals are.

A ballot for strike action is underway, and we expect a resounding YES vote. The ballot closes on May 28th.

Messages of support may be sent to: Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org or via #burtonbrewery on Twitter.

A fighting fund has been established. Cheques should be made payable to 'Unite' with 'Burton Brewery' written on the back and sent to Unite the Union, Finance Department, Transport House,9-17 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 8HX

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like any further information regarding the

dispute.

In solidarity,

Phil Salt

Branch Secretary

64 year old Unite member and leading blacklist campaigner George Tapp is in Manchester Royal Infirmary hospital today with 2 broken legs and a fractured knee cap after a car drove through a crowd of protesters at full speed outside Manchester City FC last night (Wed 15th May)

George was at the Blacklist Support Group AGM and alongside Steve Acheson negotiated a blacklist ban at Salford Council last month.

2 other blacklisted workers protesting against proven blacklisting firm Bam were also hit by the deliberate hit and run but only suffered minor injuries.

Everyone at the Blacklist Support Group wishes George a speedy recovery

Please send messages wishing George a speedy recovery, text via 07949 335 390.

Blacklist Support Group

video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRB9DjmhBHg

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/