WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY

Latest on the sparks long running battle to stop pay cuts of 30%!

The court case between Unite and Balfour Beatty will continue into next Monday and possibly Tuesday as well.

Unite and the rank and file electricians committee have agreed the following protests for a day of action next Wednesday February 15th to which they've agreed to put coaches on for

6am - Connoco Phillips in Immingham, Sellafield, Ratcliffe, Grangemouth

London

5.30pm - protest outside BESNA / ECIA employers' awards dinner - Grosvenor House, Park Lane, 86-90 Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN (nearest tube Marble Arch)

Please publicise widely - on union websites, email groups, twitter etc

Stoke-on-Trent city Council NO TO WAGE CUTS!

DEFEND BIN COLLECTOR'S PAY!

Bin Collectors across Stoke-on-Trent are incensed at the Labour run city council's plans to slash their wages. No wonder they are planning to vote on strike action to defend their pay and already diminishing living standards.

The council want to tear up their contracts and force workers to 'drop pay bands' which means they will lose up £90 a week! Why should hard working waste collectors who are out in all weathers be forced to take a pay cut?

If the Labour run council get away with this savage attack on their pay which other council workers will be next?

Unelected Chief executive John van de Laarschot said in the Sentinel (Thurs Feb 9^th ). “We need to have a really strong debate about what makes sense”. But what exactly is sensible about cutting workers wages by up £90 a week? What is 'sensible' about driving down the living standards of Bin Collectors? How will they or their families benefit? How will anyone in Stoke-on-Trent benefit?

The council say these wage cuts would save £395,000. But it would mean £395,000 less being spent by waste collectors families having a knock-on affect on small shops and businesses locally.

John van de Laarschot was paid £198,000 in 2010/11 in salary, benefits and allowances. He also plans to set on an assistant chief executive on £132,000.

This makes a grand total of £330,000 council tax payers are handing over to these two 'employees' whose main role is spearheading savage cuts, closures or privatisation of council services along with the cutting of jobs and driving down pay and conditions of their workers.

It would be more 'sensible' to get rid of these 2 unelected parasites and save £330,000!

The Con Dem government is hell bent on making ordinary working class people pay with lost jobs and savage cuts to services for a crisis we haven't created. It was top bankers, big business companies and governments who have created the mess we are in. They should pay for it!

No doubt councillors will be 'comforted' by the fact that there is no council elections in Stoke-on-Trent this year or for another two years. They feel they can carry on cutting without facing the wrath of local people. They are wrong!

• No councillors were elected to carry out cuts!

• If they won't vote against cuts they should resign and support anti-cuts candidates who will!

UNILEVER WORKERS CONTINUE FIGHT AGAINST ATTACKS ON THEIR PENSIONS!

Before Christmas, when Unilever workers were deciding on strike action, some Unilever bosses were gloating that workers at their Burton-on-Trent factory would not go on strike. Even the Unite union steward agreed. But they certainly got that wrong!

That steward has been replaced by one who is prepared to fight to defend pensions, they took strike action on 9^th December with all the other Unilever factories and they were out again yesterday.

And when I visited their picket line at 6am they were looking well organised for workers who 'wouldn't strike'. Even in the darkness and a long way off I could see a long line of Unite flags and placards decorating the factory entrance. There were table and chairs, two patio heaters 'on the go' to stave off the cold, a gazebo in case of rain and a roadside cafe providing coffee, tea and food.

I passed on a message of support from National Shop Stewards Network Staffordshire to pickets which was well received. All workers I spoke to were angry about how they were being treated by a global firm who made £5.2 billion pre tax profits in 2011. Some workers have done 20, 30 and more years service for Unilever and now they want to cut their pensions.

The picket line received fantastic support from passing motorists who hooted their horns in support of their action. Burton-on-Trent teacher and Socialist Party member, Chris Parton handed over £40 he had collected from other teachers at his school to pickets for their strike fund. A complete stranger also stopped to hand over a cheque.

Unilever bosses, like CEO Paul Polman who has awarded himself £1 million in company shares, have badly misjudged the willingness and ability of Unilever workers to struggle. None of those on the picket line want to be on strike but they are determined to fight to defend their pensions.

National Shop Stewards Network Staffordshire

*** Change of date for our next meeting changed from 6th February to 13th February

The date has been changed after consultation with NSSN activists locally suggested that more will be able to make the 13th. Apologies to anyone who can't make this new date. So next meeting will be;

Public Meeting

"SOLIDARITY FOR WORKERS IN STRUGGLE!"

Monday 13th February - 7.30pm
Sacred Hearts Social Centre

corner of Downey St & Regent Rd, Hanley ST1 3BY

Speakers invited from;

• Unilever - striking against attacks on their private sector pensions

• Remploy - fighting to save their jobs

• PCS & NUT - 2 of the unions leading the fight to defend public sector pensions

ALL WELCOME

No retreat on pensions - Fight until we win!

NSSN Staffordshire met on 16^th January to discuss the pensions struggle and what our next move should be. Activists present from Unite Health, FBU, Unison and Unite Construction all agreed that the Unison leadership should reject the Con-Dems 'Heads of Agreement' deal. This so called deal would in reality be handing over Unison member's 'heads on a plate' and offers nothing significant.

The important lead given by the national PCS Left Unity conference of 7^th January was also welcomed and like recent NSSN Merseyside and NSSN Preston meetings the motion passed at that conference was fully endorsed.

The general mood of our meeting was; that N30 was a marvellous demonstration of the potential of the organised working class but this action must be built on. It's regretable that Unison's leadership seem hell bent on trying to snatch a defeat out of the jaws of what could be a significant victory against the attacks on pensions. But there is still time to force their leadership to rethink their position and rejoin the more than one million trade unionists in those unions that have already rejected the government's 'offer' to continue paying more and working longer for less pension.

NSSN Staffordshire activists will be putting a motion to the local Unison Health branch to call for a Special Conference of Unison members.

It was also agreed to invite Left organisations in the trade union movement, relevant union bodies and groups of workers in dispute to discuss co-ordination of and solidarity for industrial action to a further meeting on Monday 6^thFebruary.

An NSSN Staffordshire NUT activist visited the Unilever picket line at Burton-on-Trent the last time they were on strike and we will be giving support again when they strike on Wednesday 25^th January.

Proposal unanimously agreed by National Shop Stewards Network Staffordshire

That we adopt the principles of the statement agreed at the 7th January (PCS) Left Unity open organising conference, with the exception of the third and final bullet-point which relates to the national situation [the establishment of a temporary co-ordinating committee between left organisations in the unions], and resolve as following:

“This meeting agrees to contact Left organisations in the trade union movement, relevant union bodies and groups of workers in dispute, with a view to re-convening a further meeting to discuss co-ordination of and solidarity for industrial action, in early February.”