National Shop Stewards Network

468: Support the CWU & the posties as union re-ballots in Royal Mail

January 21, 2020 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends solidarity to the CWU as they move to re-ballot members in Royal Mail. As readers of this bulletin will know, the union overwhelmingly smashed the undemocratic voting thresholds in the Tory anti-union laws in their national strike ballot last October – a 97% vote for action in on a 76% turnout. Scandalously however, one unelected High Court judge dismissed the ballot and the action, planned for during the general election and the busiest time of the year for the company. Now after attempts by the union to resolve the dispute, they feel no option but to again […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, hovis, John McDonnell MP, Miners, napo, NASUWT, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, pcs, Royal Mail, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Yorkshire
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NSSN 467: New year opens with workers’ victories

January 14, 2020 in Bulletins

The NSSN is delighted to report that just two weeks into 2020, there have been significant victories in a number of disputes. We look forward to many more during the rest of the year. Please give support and solidarity to all the other workers and their unions taking action, the details of which you can find every week in this bulletin. This week, we headline with three – by Unite in Hackney, United Voices of the World in Greenwich and GMB in Sandwell. Unite: Hackney school bus staff dispute ends with pay and agency worker win (8 Jan) – A […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, France, general strike, GMB, Hackney, Miners, napo, NASUWT, NEU, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, RCN, rmt, SEND, TUC, tupe, United Voices of the World, Yorkshire
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NSSN 466: Donate to the RMT strike fund on SWR

January 7, 2020 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends our New Year greetings to all our supporters and affiliates and commit ourselves to continue to support workers taking action and unions under attack. We are therefore proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the RMT, who along with the other rail and transport unions are being targeted by the Tories with even more anti-union legislation – effectively a ‘scab’s charter’. On December 19th, we stood with the RMT on Parliament Square in a rally against the laws proposed in that day’s Queens Speech. RMT general secretary Mick Cash warned Boris Johnson that this protest was the […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, GMB, housing, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, napo, NASUWT, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Scotland, Strike, SWR, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 465: Fight the new Tory anti-union laws!

December 17, 2019 in Bulletins

The General Election has seen Boris Johnson win a majority. But the NSSN calls on the whole trade union movement to prepare for the fight ahead against his Tory government. Despite his populism, this is no worker-friendly government. As usual, the Tories will continue to serve the interests of big business. Even during the election, we saw Johnson stand with the Establishment High Court judge who ruled out the CWU’s Royal Mail national strike ballot despite a massive 97% yes vote on a 76% turnout. Now, Johnson has announced plans to introduce yet more anti-union laws, specifically targeting rail […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, anti-union laws, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, cleaners, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, nssn, Pay, pensions, poa, rmt, Strike, terms and conditions, Tories, Tory, TUC, tupe, Unison, Yorkshire
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464: Tories out! Support Corbyn’s pro-worker programme!

December 10, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN have been campaigning to get the Tories out in the general election. It was the main theme of both our annual conference in July and TUC Rally in September. Even during the election, we’ve seen the CWU’s Royal Mail national strike ballot ruled out in the courts despite a massive 97% yes vote on a 76% turnout. Now, Boris Johnson has announced plans to introduce yet more anti-union laws, specifically targeting rail unions. We are an organisation of rank and file trade unionists supported by ten national unions. We’re not affiliated to any political party but Jeremy […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, Boris Johnson, bullying, cleaners, condems, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, napo, NASUWT, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pensions, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Tayside, terms and conditions, Tories, UCU, Yorkshire
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NSSN 463: RMT strikes to Keep The Guard On The Train

December 3, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s NSSN bulletin with two strikes by RMT members to maintain the safety critical role of the guard – On West Midlands Trains and South Western Railway. The RMT has fought this attack over the last few years on a whole number of train companies. The NSSN gives the union and its members our full support. It won’t be lost on RMT members that the Tories have announced their plan to introduce new anti-union legislation, specifically for the rail industry, if elected. At the same time, Jeremy Corbyn has promised to repeal Tory anti-union laws, including […]

Tags: General Election, rmt, South Western Railway, Trump, West Midlands Trains
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NSSN 462: Stop Boris Johnson’s new Tory anti-union laws!

November 27, 2019 in Bulletins

The Tories have revealed their General Election manifesto and despite Boris Johnson’s populism, it serves the interests of Big Business. This is shown particularly with the planned introduction of even more Tory anti-union laws, on the back of that of Thatcher, Major and Cameron. They say, “We will require that a minimum service operates during transport strikes. Rail workers deserve a fair deal, but it is not fair to let the trade unions undermine the livelihoods of others.” This is a scabs charter. Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “Banning strikes is the hallmark of the right-wing junta, not a […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell MP, labour, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, Tories, Trump, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 461: Support the 8-day UCU HE pay and pension strike

November 21, 2019 in Bulletins

In this week’s NSSN bulletin, we headline with the 8-day strike by members of the UCU union in higher education. The NSSN gives our full support and solidarity. We remember the incredible 14-day action taken by over 40,000 academic staff at 64 universities to defend their pension from attack by the employers. UCU members are striking again UCU: UCU announces eight days of strikes starting this month at 60 universities – Sixty UK universities will be hit with eight days of strike action from Monday 25 November to Wednesday 4 December, UCU announced today (November 5). Last week UCU members […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, General Election, HE, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell MP, Miners, napo, nhs, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, uss, Yorkshire
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NSSN 460: Solidarity with the CWU – defend the right to strike!

November 13, 2019 in Bulletins

This week’s NSSN bulletin comes out just after the High Court judgement that has ruled against the CWU and its members in Royal Mail. The NSSN gives our total support and solidarity to the CWU and the postal workers. The NSSN national chair Rob Williams said: “This is an absolute disgrace! The CWU smashed the undemocratic voting thresholds in the Tory anti-union laws – 97% yes vote on a 76% turnout. Yet an establishment judge declares it void, so that an official strike couldn’t take place in the run-up to Christmas, the busiest time of the year for Royal Mail […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, Bromley, bullying, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, labour, lobby, McDonald's, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Strike, Tayside, terms and conditions, Tories, TUC, UCU, Unison, Unite
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459: Tories out – support Corbyn’s pro-worker programme!

November 5, 2019 in Bulletins

Finally, the general election has been called – for December 12th. As our supporters know, we have been campaigning for the TUC and the unions to mobilise for this – in order to get rid of the Tories. It was the main theme of both our annual conference in July and TUC Rally in September. As with the one two years ago, there is a clear choice in this election. The NSSN is an organisation of rank and file trade unionists. We aren’t affiliated to any political party but Jeremy Corbyn’s pro-workers policies that include the following would be […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell MP, lobby, McDonald's, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, Tories, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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458: BFAWU Nov12 McStrikes & UVW ‘autumn of discontent’

October 29, 2019 in Bulletins

This week’s NSSN bulletin headlines with two co-ordinated strikes by low-paid workers. This Thursday October 28th, hundreds of outsourced mainly migrant workers in the United Voices of the World union (UVW), will strike together over five different employers – Royal Parks, University of Greenwich, St Mary’s Hospital, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and 200 Gray’s Inn Road, the headquarters of ITV and Channel 4. This is part of a series of strikes in these locations. The UVW also have ongoing industrial action ballots at two others: the. UVW is also balloting members at St. George’s University and University of East […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, housing, John McDonnell MP, McDonald's, Miners, NASUWT, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Outsourcing, Pay, pcs, pensions, rmt, Strike, terms and conditions, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, United Voices of the World, UVW, Yorkshire
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NSSN 457: PCS wins again in BEIS!

October 22, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends congratulations to PCS and its outsourced members in BEIS who have won another victory. Weeks ago, it was workers in Aramark and now those working for ISS have won. We echo PCS’s call for all outsourced workers to be brought back in-house. PCS: ISS staff win London Living Wage at BEIS after months of indefinite strike action (21 Oct) – ISS staff working at BEIS have won “gold standard” terms and conditions, including the London Living Wage after 3 months of indefinite strike action. PCS members employed by outsourcing contractor ISS at BEIS have won the […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BEIS, blacklist, Bromley, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, housing, ISS, libraries, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nssn, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Yorkshire
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NSSN 456: Support the postal workers after massive strike vote!

October 15, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends our full support and solidarity to the CWU after the national strike ballot resulted in a resounding 97% YES vote for action in Royal Mail on a 76% turnout. They showed that the undemocratic voting thresholds in the Tory anti-union laws can be smashed, given a fighting and campaigning lead. We call on the whole labour and trade union movement to back the postal workers and their union in what could be a brutal battle. Even during the ballot, workers have been forced to take action to defend reps and members from bullying local management. Contact your […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, ASDA, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, bullying, CWU, Fast Food Rights, GMB, NEU, nssn, NUJ, Parcelforce, pcs, Prospect, Royal Mail, Strike, Unison, Unite, USDAW, Yorkshire
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NSSN 455: Victories at Harland & Wolff, Hull and BEIS

October 7, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends our congratulations and solidarity to workers in three important disputes who last week secured welcome victories as a result of taking action. After 9 weeks of occupation, shipyard workers in Unite and GMB at Harland & Wolff in Belfast have seen a new owner take over the business. At the same time, construction workers at the wood chip processing plant at Saltend Chemicals Park in Hull walked out for a week against the blacklisting of GMB and Unite shop stewards. We also salute the win by catering workers, working for Aramark at BEIS who have finally won […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BALPA, BEIS, blacklist, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, Harland and Wolff, housing, Hull, John McDonnell MP, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, poa, rmt, Royal Mail, Saltend, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, Thomas Cook, Tony Mulhearn, TSSA, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unite, Yorkshire
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454: Demonstrate against Tories in Manchester

September 24, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN is supporting the demonstration this Sunday in Manchester against the Tories at their conference. The ruling of the Supreme Court against Boris Johnson’s suspension of Parliament shows how weak and divided the Establishment is. The labour and trade union movement should step up the fight for a general election. The TUC should now name the date for a mass demonstration to demand an election to get all the Tories out. For a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government on a pro-worker, anti-austerity manifesto. Sunday September 29 End Austerity Now! Protest the Tory Party Conference 12pm Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, Boris Johnson, bullying, cleaners, condems, Conference, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, GMB, housing, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, prorogation, rmt, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, Tories, Tory Party, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 453: Support the September 20th Climate Strikes

September 17, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN is supporting this Friday’s Earth Strike against climate change. We are calling on unions to support action that many school and college students will be taking around the country (protest details here). We echo the call by education unions that students should not be disciplined for protesting. Last week’s TUC Congress voted to support the call, made initially by UCU for trade unionists to take part in 30 minute protests on the day. We made this issue a major part of our rally at the TUC Congress on September 8th, alongside fighting for a general election and supporting […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, bullying, cleaners, Climate change, CWU, Earth Strike, Fast Food Rights, fbu, GMB, housing, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Yorkshire
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452: NSSN TUC Rally says: “general election to get Tories out!”

September 12, 2019 in Bulletins

For the 10th successive year, hundreds of TUC Congress delegates, union members and anti-cuts campaigners along with climate change activists attended the National Shop Stewards Network rally in Brighton before the start of TUC Congress. The main issue was the need for a general election to replace Boris Johnson’s Tory government with one led by Jeremy Corbyn and the policies for workers’ rights that he outlined in his speech at the TUC. The main speakers were Dave Ward CWU General Secretary, Howard Beckett Unite Assistant General Secretary, Amy Murphy USDAW President, Ronnie Draper BFAWU General Secretary, Mick Cash RMT […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, bob crow, bullying, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, labour, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pensions, poa, rmt, Scotland, Strike, TUC, tupe, Unite, Yorkshire
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451: NSSN TUC Rally Sunday Sept 8th – fight for general election

September 3, 2019 in Bulletins

From Rob Williams NSSN Chair:- “TUC Congress really is taking place at a critical time. The day after it starts, Boris Johnson’s intended suspension of Parliament begins. This undemocratic manoeuvre is clearly to limit time to debate an alternative to a no-deal Brexit. The labour and trade union movement must put its stamp on these crucial events, otherwise we risk whole sections of workers being won over to this Tory false prophet. For the 10th year, the National Shop Stewards Network is holding a rally at TUC Congress. We will be calling on the TUC and the unions to […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, blacklist, Boris Johnson, Brexit, bullying, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, GMB, housing, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell MP, labour, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, rmt, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, Tories, TUC, tupe, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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450: CWU Royal Mail strike ballot & Unison Bradford NHS victory

August 28, 2019 in Bulletins

This week’s NSSN bulletin starts with the news that the CWU, one of our oldest affiliated unions, has launched a national strike ballot in Royal Mail. The NSSN will give them our full support and solidarity. The CWU General Secretary Dave Ward will be speaking at the NSSN TUC Rally in Brighton on Sunday September 8th. This is from Gary Clark, secretary of CWU Scotland No.2 branch who was at the union’s national reps meeting last week:- “Over the last 2 days, the CWU have held briefings around the national situation. These where held firstly with the Parcelforce reps […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BEIS, blacklist, Bradford, Bromley, CWU, general strike, GMB, Harland and Wolff, John McDonnell MP, libraries, lobby, Miners, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NSSN TUC, Pay, pcs, poa, Royal Mail, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, Unison, Yorkshire
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NSSN 449: Support indefinite Bradford NHS strike

August 20, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s NSSN bulletin with the Unison strike by NHS workers in Bradford. As one of our Yorkshire NSSN supporters says:- “The escalation of the strike at Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust to all-out strike action from August 26th marks a significant intensification by Unison union members in estates and facilities at the trust. They are fighting to defeat the proposed transfer of their jobs out of the NHS and into a ‘wholly owned subsidiary’ – a private company owned by the trust. The NSSN continues to fully support their action after 3 weeks of strikes which has […]

Tags: BEIS, Bradford, Bromley, Harland and Wolff, library, nhs, nssn, TUC
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448: Come to 2019 NSSN TUC Rally Brighton Sun Sept 8

August 12, 2019 in Bulletins

Boris out! Fight together for a General Election to get all the Tories out Support the strikes Why unions should support the September 20th climate strike This year’s TUC Congress in Brighton takes place in the aftermath of the Tory leadership contest. It’s already clear that Boris Johnson will act in the interests of big business not workers and their families. We need to mobilise for a general election that can oust this weak and divided government. Workers are showing on a daily basis in the increasing number of disputes that they are prepared to fight, particularly if a lead […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BALPA, BEIS, BFAWU, Bradford, Bromley, bullying, cleaners, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, GMB, Harland and Wolff, housing, John McDonnell MP, library, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, pensions, Peterloo, poa, Rally, rmt, Scotland, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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447: Support Harland & Wolff occupation – renationalise!

July 30, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s bulletin by giving our full solidarity and support to the workers in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, in Unite and the GMB, who have gone into occupation to fight to secure their future. We support their call to re-nationalise the shipyard to save jobs. 10 years ago, Belfast Visteon workers occupied their plant when the company went into administration. They fought for their jobs alongside their brothers and sisters in Enfield and Basildon but won enhanced redundancy when facing mere statutory terms. In 1971, workers in Upper Clydeside Shipbuilders in Glasgow undertook a working […]

Tags: #SaveOurShipyard, 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BALPA, Belfast, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, general strike, GMB, Harland and Wolff, John McDonnell MP, Miners, NEU, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 446: Support NIPSA civil servants’ July 26 pay strike

July 16, 2019 in Bulletins

This week, the NSSN headline our bulletin with the impending civil service strike by the biggest union in Northern Ireland NIPSA (Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance). You can follow news about the action on the union’s website This statement is from Carmel Gates – NIPSA Deputy General Secretary:- “Up to 20,000 civil servants across Northern Ireland are set to strike on Friday 26th July. NIPSA achieved a magnificent 68.5% YES vote in favour of strike action which was particularly significant because we were forced to ballot within a 3 week window before the summer leave season. The strike has been […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, civil service, cleaners, general strike, housing, Ireland, Miners, NEU, NIPSA, Northern Ireland, nssn, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, USDAW, Yorkshire
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NSSN 445: NSSN Conference shows the mood for struggle

July 10, 2019 in Bulletins

Hundreds of union reps and members attended the 2019 National Shop Stewards Network last Saturday in London to discuss defending jobs, fighting for a pay rise and stopping the cuts. Throughout the day, in the main sessions and workshops, the increasing number of strikes and disputes were reported, in many cases by strikers themselves. Many talked about how we must fight for a General Election to kick out the Tories, whoever wins the leadership contest. Conference reserved a special welcome for Lyn Marie O’Hara, one of Glasgow Unison’s historic and victorious equal pay strikers. She spoke alongside Mick Cash RMT […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BEIS, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, Conference, FCO, housing, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, Nigeria, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, Unison, Unite, USDAW, Yorkshire
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NSSN 444: Come to NSSN Conference this Saturday July 6th

July 3, 2019 in Bulletins

‘May’s gone – now get rid of ALL the Tories!’ ‘Support the Strikes!’ Come to 2019 NSSN Conference in London on Saturday July 6th 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL – confirmed speakers: Mick Cash RMT General Secretary, Dave Ward CWU General Secretary, Sharon Graham Unite Executive Officer, Ronnie Draper BFAWU General Secretary and Amy Murphy USDAW President, Lyn Marie O’Hara Glasgow Unison Equal Pay striker and Paddy Brennan Honda Unite Convenor This year’s National Shop Stewards Network Conference takes place as the Tory crisis reaches a new stage with the resignation of Theresa May. But […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, blacklist, bob crow, Bridgend, cleaners, climate, Conference, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, Ford, general strike, housing, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, poa, rmt, Scotland, terms and conditions, Unite, Wales
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NSSN 443: Support the strikes – come to NSSN Conference July 6th

June 27, 2019 in Bulletins

This year’s NSSN Conference takes place at a time of rising workers’ struggle. A whole number of industrial disputes have been breaking out. Increasingly, many of these are resulting in victories. NSSN supporters have been getting down to the picket lines to give solidarity as well as calling for support and financial assistance in union branches and trades councils. You can keep in touch with many of these disputes in our weekly bulletins. But you can also find out in person by attending our annual conference in London on July 6th, when reps and workers from some of these […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, Bridgend, cleaners, Conference, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, Ford, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, One Housing Group, Pay, poa, rmt, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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442: June 24 NSSN Solidarity Meeting: Save Ford Bridgend

June 20, 2019 in Bulletins

Last week, we headlined our bulletin with the news that Ford intend to close the Bridgend Engine Plant. This would be a disaster for the 1700 workers in the plant and many others in the supply chain and related industries, as well as the working-class communities in South Wales will be affected. The NSSN gives our full support and solidarity to the Ford workers and their unions Unite and the GMB. We are holding a public meeting this coming Monday in Bridgend in solidarity with the Ford workers. NSSN chair Rob Williams, a former convenor at the now closed Swansea […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, Bridgend, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, Ford, housing, John McDonnell MP, napo, NEU, no cuts, NUT, Pay, pcs, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite
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NSSN 441: Stop the closure of Ford Bridgend

June 7, 2019 in Bulletins

This week, we headline our bulletin with the horrendous news that Ford intend to close the Bridgend engine Plant. This would mean that over 1700 workers in the plant and many others in the supply chain and related industries are directly affected. But in addition, working-class communities in South Wales will be affected. The NSSN gives our full support and solidarity to the Ford workers and their unions. NSSN chair Rob Williams, a former convenor at the now closed Swansea plant said, “This is a catastrophe for these workers, their families and communities and the whole Welsh economy. It comes […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, Bridgend, bullying, cleaners, Fast Food Rights, fbu, Ford, lobby, NEU, nhs, rmt, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 440: RMT SWR strike back on over guard guarantee

June 5, 2019 in Bulletins

RMT announces five days of strike action on SWR (30 May) – RAIL UNION RMT today announced five days of strike action on South Western Railway – accusing the company of dragging their heels in protracted talks over the guard guarantee after the union suspended action back in February in good faith based on written assurances over the rolling out of driver only operation. As a result of SWR’s failure to move forwards on an agreement RMT members will take action as follows: We instruct our SWR Guard, Commercial Guard and Driver members to take industrial action by not […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, general strike, napo, NEU, nhs, nssn, One Housing Group, pcs, poa, rmt, Scotland, South Western Railway, Strike, SWR, terms and conditions, TUC, Unite, Yorkshire
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439: Support the South London Unite strikes in Woolwich & Bromley

May 29, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s NSSN bulletin with two Unite disputes in South London. Woolwich Ferry workers are in the middle of 10 days of strikes while library staff in Bromley will be going on infinite strike action from June 6th. Please give your solidarity and send messages of support and any financial assistance via Unite regional officer Onay Kasab Onay.Kasab@unitetheunion.org Woolwich Ferry staff strike for 10 days in Groundhog Day safety dispute, says Unite – Workers, who operate the Woolwich Ferry used by an estimated 2.6 million passengers a year, are to strike for 10 days in a dispute over […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, Bromley, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, General Election, general strike, GMB, housing, John McDonnell MP, library, lobby, London, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Strike, terms and conditions, Theresa May, Tories, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Woolwich Ferry, Yorkshire
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NSSN 438: Come to NSSN Conference 2019 on July 6th

May 24, 2019 in Bulletins

This year’s National Shop Stewards Network Conference is on Saturday July 6th in London. It is open to everyone in the labour and trade union and anti-cuts movements. Come and take part in the biggest annual gathering of rank and file trade unionists. Hear from some of the biggest union struggles such as the victorious Glasgow Equal Pay strikers and the Birmingham Bins and Homecare Workers as well as the Swindon Honda shop stewards, fighting to save their plant from closure. There will also be militant union leaders addressing conference. This is a vital time for trade unionists with […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, British Steel, Conference, CWU, EIS, general strike, housing, Miners, napo, Nationalisation, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, Probation, Scunthorpe, Strike, tupe, Unite, Yorkshire
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437: Breakthrough for Birmingham Homecare workers – save Honda

May 14, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s NSSN bulletin with what appears to be a major success for the Birmingham Home care workers in Unison. We hope that this can be confirmed and consolidated. We also report on the catastrophic news that senior Honda management have announced that they intend going ahead with the closure. We have been proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with both groups of workers and will continue to do so. In the last few months, we have organised NSSN meetings in both areas to give a platform to the workers’ struggles. We invite them both to speak at […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, Birmingham, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, honda, housing, Miners, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, pcs, poa, Strike, swindon, terms and conditions, Unison, Unite
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NSSN 436: Pay rise victory for privatised NHS workers

May 8, 2019 in Bulletins

From the GMB website: Striking NHS catering workers at two hospitals have won a huge victory today [Friday May 3, 2019] after a £1.2 billion outsourcing giant agreed a wage rise. The low-paid workers – mainly women working in the kitchens at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw hospital – had been on strike since May 1 after French company Sodexo refused to match the pay rise other members of staff across the hospitals have received. But today, Sodexo bosses agreed to pay the award in full and backdate it to April last year. The agreement is a big win for […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, Bassetlaw, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, CWU, doncaster, Fast Food Rights, general strike, GMB, housing, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Sodexo, Strike, terms and conditions, tupe, Unison
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435: Southampton teachers & support staff defeat school cuts

May 2, 2019 in Bulletins

Teachers and support staff at Valentine Primary School, members of the National Education Union (NEU), are celebrating an important victory following strike action. Union members reached an agreement with Southampton’s Labour-run city council for a two-year freeze on cuts. This report is from local NSSN supporters who have been prominent in giving solidarity to striking teachers and support staff alongside campaigning and parents. “A united campaign of school staff, the NEU, the head teacher, the senior leadership team, governors and parents, stood solidly together over months of organising. We fought to ensure the damaging cutbacks were not inflicted through staff […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, Cuts, CWU, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, GMB, housing, John McDonnell MP, lobby, Miners, napo, NEU, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, poa, School, Southampton, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Valentine
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NSSN 434: #WeStandWithLyra

April 25, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN stands in solidarity with the family, friends, workmates and comrades of Lyra McKee and her union the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Lyra was killed while reporting on rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18th. Our supporters took part in vigils and remembrances in Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK yesterday on the day of her funeral as well as protests, including by many trade unionists, in the last week. In a statement Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ General Secretary, said the murder has shocked colleagues in Northern Ireland and expressed sympathy to her partner and colleagues […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BFAWU, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, Derry, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, housing, Lyra McKee, NEU, NIPSA, no cuts, Northern Ireland, nssn, NUJ, pensions, poa, TUC, Unison, Unite
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433: PCS members fight back in Ealing Tax Office and BEIS

April 15, 2019 in Bulletins

As PCS undertakes a national strike ballot against the continuing pay cap, members of the union took 3 days of strike action last week in two different disputes – to stop the closure of Ealing Tax Office and for low-paid outsourced workers to get the London Living Wage in BEIS. Please support both disputes as well as the national ballot. As you can read below, PCS members in Wolverhampton are also going to be balloted to fight the proposed closure of their tax office General secretary tells HMRC strikers: “HMRC don’t care about Ealing” (10 Apr) – PCS members in […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, BEIS, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Ealing, general strike, housing, napo, NEU, nssn, pcs, Tax Office
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432: Victory for Unison Strikers at Liverpool Women’s Hospital

April 9, 2019 in Bulletins

From North West Unison website: The staff will no longer be paid just the legal minimum wage but receive the NHS rate for the job. UNISON members who work as domestics, catering staff, porters and security staff at Liverpool Women’s Hospital have won their campaign to secure NHS rates of pay. The staff will no longer be paid just the legal minimum wage but receive the NHS rate for the job. This is worth more than £1 an hour, and over £2,000 a year for full-time staff. Staff will also as part of a 3 year deal get the same […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, bullying, cleaners, CWU, Liverpool Women's Hospital, lobby, Miners, napo, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, poa, rmt, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 431: Honda workers march – “This is the fight of our lives!”

April 2, 2019 in Bulletins

The streets of Swindon were filled last Saturday with Honda workers, their families and supporters from the trade union movement. Thousands marched against the planned closure of the car plant in 2021. 3,500 Honda workers’ jobs are on the line and up to 10,000 more affected in related industries. Amongst the speakers at the rally were Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and plant convenor Paddy Brennan. Speaking alongside his shop stewards, Paddy said, “This is the fight of our lives.” The NSSN will support any action taken by the workers to defend their jobs. We call for the plant to […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, cleaners, general strike, honda, John McDonnell MP, Miners, NEU, nhs, nssn, NUT, poa, rmt, Scotland, swindon, terms and conditions, tupe, Unite
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430: Join demo to stop the Swindon Honda closure!

March 26, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN will be joining thousands in Swindon this Saturday March 30th on the demonstration called by Unite the union against the closure of the Swindon Honda plant. The plan is for this to happen in 2021, with 3,500 Honda workers’ jobs on the line and up to 10,000 more affected in related industries. This will be devastating for the community. We give our full support to the union and its members. The NSSN has built up a longstanding relationship with the Honda shop stewards. Plant convenor Paddy Brennan successfully won his reinstatement after being suspended in 2011. Paddy calls […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, fbu, general strike, GMB, honda, John McDonnell MP, lobby, napo, nhs, no cuts, NUT, pcs, pensions, Prospect, swindon, terms and conditions, tupe, UCU, Unite, Unite the Union
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NSSN 429: PCS launches national pay strike ballot

March 19, 2019 in Bulletins

We headline this week’s bulletin with PCS’s national industrial action ballot on pay, which opened yesterday. PCS is one of our longstanding affiliated unions and we give them and their members our full support and solidarity. The NSSN vice-chair Katrine Williams is a member of the PCS NEC:- “To challenge the Government’s pay restraint it is vital that we break through the 50% threshold in our current PCS ballot of 125,000 mainly Government Department members. So that we can demand the full funding for a 10% pay rise that is needed to increase pay to decent levels in the civil […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Bins, Binworkers, Birmingham, cleaners, housing, lobby, Miners, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, TUC, tupe, Unison, Unite
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428: NSSN Birmingham Rally to build solidarity for strikes

March 12, 2019 in Bulletins

Tonight March 12th, the NSSN is hosting a public solidarity meeting with striking Birmingham Unite binworkers and Mandy Buckley Unison Convenor for homecare workers as well as PCS Universal Credit strikers from Wolverhampton and Walsall at 6.30pm in the Birmingham Midland Institute – 9 Margaret St B3 3BS. Speakers include striking workers from all three disputes alongside Unite Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett and NSSN national chair Rob Williams and Greenwich Unite branch secretary Danny Hoggan Facebook event Unite Birmingham bin strikes suspended as new offer on the table (7 March) – Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union has […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, Birmingham, bullying, cleaners, condems, Fast Food Rights, fbu, Miners, nhs, no cuts, nssn, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, rmt, Scotland, tupe, Unison, Unite the Union, Universal Credit, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Yorkshire
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NSSN 427: #IWD2019 – support the ‘Women’s Lives Matter’ campaign

March 6, 2019 in Bulletins

NSSN 427: IWD2019 – support the ‘Women’s Lives Matter’ campaign This Friday is International Women’s Day. This year we are highlighting ‘Women’s Lives Matter’ – the campaign against cuts to domestic violence services. Please take this to your trade union and trades council and table it for discussion and debate to help build the campaign:- The union notes that: Domestic violence kills women. On average two women a week are murdered by a male partner or ex-partner in the UK and a further three women a week kill themselves to escape abuse. Services for women and children fleeing domestic violence […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, blacklist, bullying, cleaners, condems, general strike, honda, International Women's Day, IWD, IWD19, IWD2019, John McDonnell MP, NUT, pcs, Unison, Women, Women’s Lives Matter
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NSSN 426: Support the Swindon Honda workers – stop the closure

February 26, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends our full solidarity and support to the Honda workers in Swindon after the company announced plans to close the plant in 2021. In addition to the 3,500 workers directly employed at the plant, over 12,000 jobs in component and related industries are on the line. We hope that the union and the workers’ campaign forces Honda to reverse their decision. But as when the Port Talbot steelworks were threatened three years ago, the NSSN believes that if necessary, such vital industrial plans should be taken into public ownership to ensure jobs and communities are protected. The NSSN […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, austerity, blacklist, cleaners, CWU, general strike, honda, napo, NEU, no cuts, NUT, Pay, pcs, pensions, poa, rmt, Scotland, tesco, Unite, Yorkshire
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NSSN 425: Victories show action works!

February 18, 2019 in Bulletins

This week, we headline our bulletin with news of recent successes after long running disputes – by women workers in Glasgow fighting for equal pay and the RMT fighting Driver Only Operation on Northern Rail. We send our solidarity and hope that both will be finally settled acceptably to both sets of workers and their unions Unison & GMB ‘We won’ – Glasgow women celebrate equal pay (7 Feb) – City Chambers rally greets council’s ratification of £548m deal to compensate for years of unequal pay. “We won!” was the cry as underpaid women workers held a celebratory rally […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, BFAWU, blacklist, cleaners, CWU, Equal pay, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, housing, Miners, napo, nhs, no cuts, Northern Rail, nssn, NUT, rmt, Scotland, terms and conditions, Yorkshire
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NSSN 424: Birmingham binworkers get ready to strike again

February 5, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends solidarity to the binworkers who were on strike in 2017 and are being forced to take action again. From the Unite website:- Birmingham bins dispute escalates as council ignores deadline for peace deal (4 Feb) Unite, the UK and Ireland’s largest union, has announced that over 300 refuse workers employed by Birmingham council will begin two days of strike action a week, starting Tuesday 19 February, in an escalation of the ongoing industrial dispute. The two days a week of strike action, will be in addition to the overtime ban and the work to rule which the […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Appeal, BFAWU, Binworkers, Birmingham, blacklist, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, Homecare, housing, INMO, mandate, Miners, Pay, pcs, poa, rmt, Scotland, Strike, terms and conditions, TUC, tupe, UCU, Unison, Unite
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NSSN 423: Support the Ireland Nurses and Midwives strike!

January 29, 2019 in Bulletins

Nearly 40,000 health workers in Ireland are due to start strike action tomorrow against wage restraint. The National Shop Stewards Network gives our full support and solidarity to Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and its members. “Ireland’s nurses and midwives will go on strike for 24 hours on January 30th, it was announced. The union is legally required to give one week’s notice, but has given three to allow for safety planning. Should the dispute go unresolved, there will be further 24-hour strikes on 5th and 7th of February, and then the 12th, 13th and 14th. The strike […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, bob crow, cleaners, CWU, Fast Food Rights, general strike, housing, INMO, Ireland, lobby, Midwives, NEU, nssn, Nurses, pcs, Strike, tupe, Yorkshire
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422: Glasgow women workers step closer to equal pay victory!

January 22, 2019 in Bulletins

Last October, thousands of Glasgow council workers sent on a 48-hour strike to demand equal pay. We are delighted to report that a potentially decisive step has been reached in talks with the employer:- GLASGOW EQUAL PAY UPDATE from Unison Glasgow City Branch:- Earlier this week the claimants’ campaign gave Glasgow City Council a revised proposal on a “Take it or Leave it Basis”. The proposal kept all the principles that the campaign has been built on: Value Equality inclusion Parity Consistency Clarity Transparency Protection Unity The council negotiators agreed to take the proposal to Councillor Aitken with a recommendation. […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Equal pay, fbu, general strike, Glasgow, housing, INMO, Ireland, Miners, NASUWT, no cuts, nssn, NUT, pcs, PNA, USDAW
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NSSN 421: Support the striking Durham bus drivers!

January 15, 2019 in Bulletins

From Unite website:- Unite in talks on Durham bus pay dispute, as new strike dates announced (11 Jan) – Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, is to hold talks with Arriva Durham County Ltd on Thursday (17 January) in a bid to resolve the long-running pay dispute. But at the same time, the union announced a further ten days of strike action by its 650 bus drivers from 00:01 on 27 January until 23:59 on 5 February. The bus drivers, based at Darlington, Durham, Redcar, Stockton and Whitby, are currently on strike for a week in the pay dispute. The […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, blacklist, bullying, Bus Drivers, cleaners, CWU, Durham, EIS, general strike, Ireland, Midwives, Miners, nhs, no cuts, Nurses, pcs, pensions, Strike, terms and conditions, tupe, Yorkshire
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NSSN 420: March this Saturday for a General Election to get the Tories out!

January 9, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN is supporting this Saturday’s ‘Britain is Broken – General Election Now’. It is vital that the trade union movement mobilises to force out the Tories and fight for a government led by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell on the pro-worker anti-austerity Labour manifesto from the 2017 General Election. This is the best way to unite workers and not allow them to be divided. Saturday 12th January – Britain is Broken – General Election Now! Demonstration in London hosted by The People’s Assembly against Austerity. Assemble 12pm BBC Portland Place near Oxford tube station Facebook event […]

Tags: 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, blacklist, bullying, Fast Food Rights, fbu, general strike, INMO, napo, Peoples Assembly, terms and conditions, Tories Out, tupe, Unite
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NSSN 419: Happy New Year – get the Tories out in 2019!

January 3, 2019 in Bulletins

The NSSN sends solidarity greetings to our supporters and affiliates as we enter 2019. Let’s make this the year that we get rid of this Tory Government. Saturday 12th January – Britain is Broken – General Election Now! Demonstration in London hosted by The People’s Assembly against Austerity Facebook event NSSN news Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month. You can set up a similar standing order to ‘National Shop […]

Tags: 2019, 24 General strike, Affiliate, Appeal, austerity, blacklist, bullying, CWU, EIS, housing, lobby, mandate, Miners, napo, NASUWT, New Year, nhs, no cuts, nssn, Pay, pcs, pensions, Peoples Assembly, poa, rmt, terms and conditions, Tories, Turkey, Unite, Yorkshire
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