NSSN 316: Support POA! March against education cuts!

At 4am this morning (15 Nov), the NEC of the POA Prison Officers union called on its members to take protest action against health and safety concerns due in large part to the savage cuts in staff numbers.

Lincoln Prison protest
Lincoln Prison protest

Supporters of the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) today have today visited prisons to show our solidarity with the POA (one of our nine affiliated unions) and their members.

At Wormwood Scrubs in West London, NSSN national chair Rob Williams spoke to POA members saluting their action, “You have been given letters from the Governor saying that the POA is calling illegal action but you have had your legal right to strike taken away. The NSSN calls on the whole trade union movement to come to your aid if the Government takes action against you and your union.”

We have since heard that a High Court injunction has been taken out against the POA. Please show your support to the POA by visiting the protests which are taking place outside prisons, inviting the POA to send a speaker to your union branch/trades council or email a message of support to the union via [email protected] and @POAUnion on twitter.

PCS backs POA stand against dangerous prison conditions

 

 

Stop Education funding cuts – march with education workers and students & support the Durham teaching assistants strike

Thursday 17 November – London NUT March and Rally

Assemble for March: 17:00, Whitehall, (Opposite Downing Street)

Rally: 18:30, Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, SW1P 3DW  NUT website

nut-london-demo

Saturday 19 November – UCU/National Union of Students national United for Education demonstration

Assemble at Park Lane London W1K 12noon UCU website    NUS website    Facebook event

Support the reinstatement of London Met UCU union reps: Mark Campbell and David Hardman

ucu-nus-19-nov-demo

 

Saturday 26 November – North West NUT Rally

Rally: 12:00, Sackville Gardens, Manchester, M1 3HB leaflet

 

Saturday 26 November – Midlands NUT Rally

Rally: 11:00, Vista Suite, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Holliday Street, Birmingham, B1 1HH   NUT website

 

Unison: Funding cuts threaten nursery schools, unions warn Greening

Support the Durham Teaching Assistants from Unison and ATL who were on strike last week to stop wage cuts of 23%

Unison: National hardship fund for Durham dispute

Donate to the Durham TAs’ fund here

Durham TAs Facebook page here

Donate to Derby hardship fund here

Derby Unison branch Facebook page here

 

 

NSSN news

Early notice – the 11th annual NSSN Conference will be on Saturday July 1st 2017 from 11am in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. It is open to all trade union and anti-cuts campaigners

This is a video of the NSSN TUC Congress Rally on 11 September – Tories Out! Keep Corbyn!

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 Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. Our address is NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE. Affiliation letter is below

Download the ‘Join the NSSN’ leaflet here

And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]

 

 

Union News

RMT

Big votes for action in two separate disputes on London Underground (15 Nov) – Tube union RMT confirmed today that balloting has concluded in two separate disputes on London Underground with massive votes for action being recorded in both. Both disputes, tube station staff and Piccadilly Line drivers, have safety of passengers and staff at their core read more

RMT secures massive victory on Tube Lines over pay, pensions and Night Tube (11 Nov) – TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it has secured a massive victory for Tube Lines maintenance staff on London Underground on pensions, pay and Night Tube read more

The NSSN calls on all our supporters and affiliates to support RMT members who are in dispute with Southern Rail – the next strike dates are: Tuesday 22nd November to Wednesday 23rd November, Tuesday 6th December to Thursday 8th December, Thursday 22nd December to Saturday 24th December and Saturday 31st December 2016 to Monday 2nd January 2017 read more here   and here  . Please send messages of support and donations to the RMT – [email protected] RMT Unity House 39 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD

Update: ASLEF on Southern dispute

RMT today Day of Action for “Safer Scottish Trains” this Wednesday November 9th (Nov 7) – RMT members and supporters from the community will be handing out postcards to members of the public urging them to endorse the campaign and to take up the issues with their local politicians read more

RMT’s “port of shame” protest in Aberdeen this morning (4 Nov) – “Port of Shame” protest in Aberdeen this morning demanding action over the poverty pay scandal on Serco/Seatruck Northern Isles services read more

 

TSSA

TSSA balloting London Underground members over safety (15 Nov) – TSSA members working on London Underground will be balloted on strike action this week in relation to the worrying and rapid decline in safety standards on the tube network which have accompanied the new working practices introduced in April this year read more

 

Unison

Glasgow Unison janitors start new 14-day strike & ICT staff vote for action – Unison School Janitors will strike from 14 November for two weeks in working context payment dispute. Our members in ICT voted 96% for strike and plans for action will be announced soon   Glasgow Evening Times: Plans to privatise council IT services called in for scrutiny by opposition    Unison Glasgow City Branch Facebook group

Send messages of support to [email protected]

Support Barnet library workers, who were on strike on November 5th and 12th against closures and redundancies www.facebook.com/BarnetUNISON   www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp

Sign petition to support the Kinsley School cleaners in Wakefield on indefinite strike since September 6th sign here   Facebook Group  Donate to strike fund – send to Wakefield Unison, 18 Gills Yard, Wakefield WF1 3BZ

 

NUJ

Newsquest south London staff back, but on a work to rule – Journalists on Newsquest south London titles returned to their office following ten days’ strike action and will be working to rule. The dispute followed the company putting all but a handful of the 29 staff at risk of redundancy and proposed a “restructure” resulting in 12 reporters covering news, sport and leisure across 11 newspapers and associated websites under a single content editor read more  To send messages of support and donations to the hardship fund, email Bernard Roche at [email protected] noting the amount and send the money to Account number 20143387 Sort code 608301

 

PCS

Support government equality watchdog strike 16 November (11 Nov) – PCS and Unite members at the government’s equality watchdog are to strike again against crippling cuts on Wednesday (16 November) following this week’s well-supported action. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is to lose a quarter of its staff, including 24 workers who are being threatened with compulsory redundancy read more

Sign the petition to end privatisation at the Imperial War Museums sign here

 

Unite

Third wave of Manchester Fujitsu strikes will mar prestige company event (15 Nov) – A third wave of strikes at IT giant Fujitsu in Manchester for 48 hours, starting tomorrow (Wednesday 16 November), in the pay, pensions and job security dispute will mar a top international company event. The strike will coincide with the Fujitsu Forum trade fair in Munich which is expected to attract 14,000 visitors, including senior members of the company’s global management team read more

West Yorkshire bus drivers strike on November 14 read more

Essex, Kent and Surrey bus workers in strike vote over secret ‘mystery shopper’ (14 Nov) – industrial action ballot involving 1,050 bus drivers working for Arriva Southern Counties opens today (Monday 14 November) over fears that a new ‘mystery shopper’ scheme will be used to fire experienced drivers, their union, Unite announced today. Bus drivers operating out of nine depots across Essex, Kent and Surrey are involved in the dispute which follows a recent survey showing that a quarter of bus workers at Arriva Southern Counties have been bullied read more  

AWE workers stage ‘successful strike’ today over threat to pension scheme (14 Nov) – Workers at AWE plc – the Atomic Weapons Establishment – are staging a 24-hour strike today (Monday 14 November) in the dispute over the threat to close the defined benefit pension scheme and substitute it with an inferior alternative. Six hundred employees, members of Unite, the UK’s largest union, were picketing the AWE’s two sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire, along with members of the Prospect union read more

British Airways cabin crew in strike vote over ‘poverty’ pay levels (11 Nov) – Thousands of cabin crew working for British Airways ‘Mixed Fleet’ will begin voting on strike action next Wednesday (16 November) in a dispute over ‘poverty’ pay levels which are leading to crew sleeping in their cars between shifts. The ballot of members of Britain’s largest union, Unite working on a combination of long and short haul flights from London Heathrow airport closes on Wednesday 14 December. It comes after crew rejected a 2 per cent pay offer by the airline and on-board customer service managers fight for the right to collectively bargain after six years of no pay rises read more

Online construction Rank & File Siteworker bulletin here  National meeting Saturday

Next Crossrail mass meeting will be held on 17th November 2016 at 7pm at Bloomsbury Baptist Church 285 Shaftesbury Avenue WC2H 8EP – All sites to send a delegation to address the issue of a full industrial ballot on Crossrail

Support Manchester Fujitsu strike for job security, pay and pensions read more

 

FBU

North Yorks fire authority has days to avert industrial action ballot (9 Nov) – North Yorkshire Combined Fire Authority have just days to avert firefighters in North Yorkshire voting for the first time ever locally on whether to take industrial action over a series of cutbacks that will result in fire crews taking up to 30 minutes longer to make it to the scene of an emergency. There are serious concerns for public safety and the safety of firefighters as a result of the impact the cutbacks will have read more

 

BFAWU

Tell McDonalds To Fix Working Conditions At European Stores, NOW! – McDonalds make billions in profits worldwide each year, yet continue to exploit and neglect workers with zero hours contracts, poor pay and Union-busting techniques. The Fight For $15 campaign has launched a petition, asking people to stand with McDonalds workers across Europe and demand justice in the workplace. The petition, along with more information about the campaign can be found here. Please sign and pass on to friends, family and colleagues

Reinstate Kumaran Bose – sacked by Samworths! The NSSN is supporting the BFAWU’s campaign in support of Kumaran Bose who was dismissed for speaking out and for organising a union in his workplace read more    Facebook group

 

UCU

Support the reinstatement of London Met union reps: Mark Campbell and David Hardman https://uculondonmet.wordpress.com/

 

CWU

CWU to fight closure OF iPSL Bootle (9 Nov) – The CWU will fight the closure of the Intelligent Processing Solutions Ltd (iPSL) site in Bootle the Union confirmed today. iPSL has announced that the move to image processing of cheques mean its future working plans assume closing seven of its nine sites including Bootle sometime during 2018 read more

Reinstate Clive Walder – Clive Walder, a longstanding leading rep in the CWU was sacked last November after 38 years of service with British Telecom. Clive is chair of the CWU Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester branch. Clive worked in a BT call centre and was dismissed after an aggressive customer reported him to management just 33 seconds into a phone call. The decision was made without taking stress into account despite the local CWU branch reporting that 7% of staff at the call centre leave their jobs each month, some walking out mid shift. Management took the decision without consulting any medical advice or taking into account any mitigation.

Clive is a NSSN steering committee member and we will be supporting the campaign protesting the sacking and campaigning for his reinstatement.

Contact Clive to send messages of support and invite him to your union branch, shop stewards committee, trades council etc – [email protected] 07771931185

 

NUT

Support Simon O’Hara — victimised teacher at Small Heath School in Birmingham

 

Nationalise Tata – support the Steelworkers

For latest developments, follow Facebook group

 

BECTU

More November strike dates announced at Brixton Ritzy Picturehouse cinema – Thursday 17th 10pm-6am Friday, Friday 18th 4pm-9pm, Saturday 19th midday-6am on Sunday, Sunday 20th 3pm-6.30pm and Monday 21st 6pm-9pm. We’re striking over the first 5 days of Fantastic Beasts because we believe everyone has the right to be able to afford to watch wonderful films full of hope like the Harry Potter series Brixton Facebook Page

Hackney Facebook Page   Support the Picturehouse Strike Fund – donate now

 

Defend the NHS

‘It’s Our NHS’ – National Demonstration to defend the NHS in London on March 4th 2017 – called by ‘Health Campaigns Together’ an umbrella organisation of different local campaigns against NHS cuts https://www.facebook.com/events/1771664639725061/  http://www.healthcampaignstogether.com/index.php

Sign petition against NHS cuts here

 

IWGB

Deliveroo riders in north London are taking legal steps to gain worker’s rights following a victory by Uber drivers (15 Nov) – The food couriers are following the example of two minicab drivers who last week won a case against Uber to be considered as employees rather than self-employed.

 

The ruling, which could entitle them to holiday pay and a guaranteed minimum wage, may trigger changes affecting thousands of London workers. Deliveroo drivers receive £3.75 per delivery, rather than an hourly fee. Read more here and on IWGB Couriers and Logistics Branch Facebook Group. To help with recruitment of Deliveroo drivers in Camden over the next week go to this IWGB Facebook event

 

United Voices of the World

Cleaners at the LSE are poised to strike for the first time in the history of the prestigious university! The cleaners have been treated as second class citizens for decades and have finally said enough is enough. They have instructed their union, United Voices World (UVW), to put the LSE and their contractor Noonan on notice that a refusal or failure to confirm by 5pm on Friday 18th November 2016 that the two tier workforce that has plagued the LSE for decades will be ended and cleaners will receive equality of terms and conditions with in-house staff, will result in the declaration of a formal trade dispute between UVW and Noonan Read more on United Voices of the World Facebook Group

Check out the trailer to “The John Lewis Lie”, a new film coming to your screens soon. The film exposes the lies behind the claim that John Lewis is a partnership. John Lewis cruelly and inexcusably excludes the cleaners who are consequently denied the annual bonus that everyone loves and celebrates, and who the cleaners are forced to watch celebrate every year

Trade union victimisation: Topshop cleaners have been sacked! Support UVW’s legal proceedings – Two cleaners at billionaire BHS buster Philip Green’s flagship brand Topshop have been sacked for campaigning for a living wage. Their union UVW have started legal proceedings on their behalf for trade union victimisation. However, legal fees can cost several thousand pounds for two big claims like this and UVW runs on a shoe string budget. Therefore, if you would like to contribute towards the legal fees of the Topshop Two’s Tribunal claims then please do so via paypal by following this link  http://www.uvwunion.org.uk/emergency-appeal (you’ll see the button at the bottom of the page) or just by transferring directly to UVW’s bank account: The Co-operative Bank Account title: United Voices of the World Sort code: 08-92-99 Account: 65755617

Read more on United Voices of the World Facebook Group and Websiteincluding photos from the November 5th John Lewis protest!

 

 

Other News

BOOK NOW for a conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Lucas Plan! – Leading figures from the left, trade union, environmental and peace movements are coming together at a conference on November 26th with a fresh perspective on tackling current crises, using the ideas of socially useful production pioneered in the Lucas Plan. The Plan, produced by workers at the Lucas Aerospace arms company, showed how jobs could be saved by converting to make products that answer a social need, rather than weapons. To book for the conference, visit www.lucasplan.org.uk/tickets.  See www.lucasplan.org.uk

 

 

Blacklisting & Victimisation

Buy the book ‘Blacklisted: The Secret War between Big Business and Union Activists’ Author: Dave Smith and Phil Chamberlain. Blacklisted tells the controversial story of the illegal strategies that transnational construction companies used to keep union activists away from work. See the official trailer from ReelNews  

Blacklist Support Group financial appeal: the Blacklist support group is desperately short of funds, to continue the incredible work we need more finance, would you please consider making a donation, raise it at your branches and trade councils. Please make cheques payable to Joint sites committee and send to 70 Darnay Rise Chelmsford Essex CM1 4XA. Please forward onto your contacts many thanks Steve Kelly (JSC Treasurer)

Book http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ70

Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

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

Donate to ReelNews – http://reelnews.co.uk/donationssubscriptions/

 

 

International

PepsiCo responds to formation of new union in Pakistan by attacking rights read more

Somali union “beyond thrilled” at ILO verdict on government violations read more on NUJ website

Iran: Freedom for teacher union leader Esmail Abdi read more

Qatar World Cup labour inspections a ‘step in the right direction’ says Unite read more

 

 

Diary (see & use false economy)

 

2016

 

November

 

19 NUS/UCU United for Education national demonstration in London read more

 

2017

March

4 ‘It’s Our NHS’ – National Demonstration to defend the NHS in London on March 4th 2017 – called by ‘Health Campaigns Together’ an umbrella organisation of different local campaigns against NHS cuts https://www.facebook.com/events/1771664639725061/  http://www.healthcampaignstogether.com/index.php

With Banners Held High – all day workshops, debates, exhibition gig in Wakefield in support of causes such as Justice for Mineworkers and Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign https://webmail.123-reg.co.uk/appsuite/#!!&app=io.ox/mail&folder=default0//NNIS%5B

 

July

1 11th annual NSSN Conference 11am in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL

 

CONTACT US

PHONE 07952 283 558

EMAIL mailto:[email protected]

 

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts

FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP   or STOP The CUTS  Likes page

ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE