Bulletin 102

As Olympics fever grips some of the nation, many trying to put out of their minds what will happen after the £9 billion jamboree. Remember, just 15% of the total cuts programme has been implemented, the economy is stuck in a recession and the eurozone crisis is still rumbling, so there is sadly, plenty more austerity for us to face. Some workers have still been fighting back, like the London Underground cleaners and National Gallery staff, right up to the start of the Games. What we have to do is co-ordinate all the protests into a unified campaign for a one-day general strike against the ConDem government and the system it represents. That’s why the NSSN has organised the lobby of the TUC on Sunday 9 September. We need to put pressure on the trade union leaders to organise the anger into a mass movement. Kevin Parslow (NSSN Assistant Secretary)

So get your members, workplaces, families behind the NSSN lobby of the TUC in Brighton Sun Sep 9^th. Please sign & share the PETITION we will hand into the TUC over this, thanks. Let’s see if we can get it over 500 this week!

TRAVEL: The transport is being booked in many areas; to reserve a seat, email [email protected] or contact your regional network organisers, some listed below:

Hampshire: Dave Boyes 07833 412757

Southampton: Graham O'Reilly 07578 331537

Portsmouth: Chris Pickett 07707 039071

Birmingham and Coventry: Clive Walder 07771 931185

[email protected] 07894716095

Thanks to PCS & RMT nationally & Leeds TUC for also supporting the lobby.

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GENERAL UPDATES

a) STRUCK

RMT cleaners on the London Underground and DLR along with staff across the tube network struck over Olympics payments, implementation of recognition and reward agreements and the use of under-trained volunteers. Please also sign the petition. More

PCS members at the National Gallery in London struck last Friday in protest at redundancies to Gallery assistants who help the public and protect the valuable collection. Letters of protest to: Nicholas Penny (Director of the National Gallery), National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Further action is planned if management refuses to back down.

Unite Paragon workers striking for the 4^th day today over changes to shift and overtime premiums against a backdrop of seven years of pay freezes. More

Unite Dunbia Llanybydder demonstrate ‘solid support’ for action as they go out on strike following the company’s refusal to recognise the union. More

b) STRIKING

RMT bus drivers working for Stagecoach at Winchester depot are to take both strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over pay on Saturdays 4th & 11th August. The attempt to force through below inflation pay increases comes just a month after Stagecoach reported pre-tax profits of £239.8m.

PCS Month of action by tax workers against cuts: Tax workers begin a month of industrial action today to highlight the extent of the cuts in September with action short of a strike taking place. More

RMT Tyne & Wear Metro Cleaners further 48 hour strike in their battle against poverty pay and the victimisation of a work colleague, from 22.00 Sunday 5^th August. Churchill’s highest paid director has had a salary increase of more than 18% in the last 5 years to nearly £160,000.

ASLEF East Midlands Trains members will take strike action on the August 6-7-8, 2012, as part of their on-going dispute with EMT over pensions contributions. More

UNITE & GMB REMPLOY workers strike again on Monday 6^th August. Reports from Scotland, Wales and England of the 2^nd days strike on our website. More

PCS ATOS representing 1.600 workers in the Multi-million pound company Atos is refusing to improve a below inflation pay offer or commit to becoming a 'living wage' employer, faces strikes later this month. More

PCS Contact centre vote to strike on 13^th August in support of taking further discontinuous strike action in CCS needed before the dispute could be ended. More. & Posters ‘THEY’ DON’T want you to see.

c) BALLOTING

RMT is preparing to ballot cleaning, facilities and asset management, and mechanical engineering staff on Heathrow Express in a dispute over pay. Employed by contractors Amey Rail, BAA, who own Heathrow Express and Amey, and are all part of Ferrovial. RMT has also highlighted issues of poor and unfair treatment of staff and undermining of Terms and Conditions.

PENSIONS: Unison Higher Education Service Group Executive voted to recommend REJECTION in ballot on pensions - NSSN supports REJECTING the proposals which do see tiny enhancements but still mean workers will be expected to pay more, work longer and get far, far less! Unfortunately, the UNISON Local Government SGE has voted to recommend that their members accept it. We support those Unison activists campaigning for a REJECT vote.

FBU is holding a consultative ballot for control members in England and Wales who belong to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The union’s executive council believes government proposals are still unacceptable – especially on working to 68 and the way pensions are accrued and revalued for inflation. More

NUT urges YES vote on ballot open now to strike over pay & conditions. More

BECTU SIS Outside (former BBC) Broadcasts gets underway next week (7 August) following management's insistence that there is no scope for an improvement on their pay offer. More 

d) OTHER

RMT Serco Northlink Ferries dispute settled, ensuring that pensions, jobs and working conditions are protected.

RMT warned that the profiteering chaos of rail franchising is about to descend into total anarchy as it was reported this morning that First Group – who only months ago pulled the plug on their Great Western franchise to dodge £800 million in payments to the UK taxpayer – are being touted as favourites to take over the West Coast route from Virgin.

PCS Equality & Human Rights Commission proposals for staff reduction to 150 are subject to a 90-day statutory consultation.

Unite PORTSMOUTH International Port Quay assistants at the centre of the ‘new contract’ dispute at Portsmouth International Port have voted to accept the deal hammered out between Unite, the largest union in the country, and the management. More

UNITE Woolwich ferry workers win £400 award. More

GMB at ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL’S say No to changes in terms and conditions. More

TUC & Pensions warning - TUC is calling on the government to ban employers from passing on the costs of taking advice from consultants on the implementation of their new legal duty to automatically enrol staff in a pension to staff pension pots.

UNISON & Olympic brand protected, so safety is not. Trading standards officers are being required to spend thousands of hours protecting the Olympic brand and corporate sponsors. Thirty local authorities are directly involved with protecting the Olympic brand. UNISON says the staff contribution amounts to the equivalent of 342 enforcement days.

Unite 21 days till the money runs out… A new film by Unite the union shows how workers’ wages are failing to stretch to the end of the month, with the money running out after just 21 days before they have to start borrowing to get by until the next pay day. More

VICTIMISATION…

PENTONVILLE 5- Two stories from NSSN supporters on the Pentonville 5 and Dock strike, five dockers imprisoned for secondary picketing. A general strike was pending. More

BLACKLISTING: A group of blacklisted workers in the UK has launched a High Court claim against construction giant Sir Robert McAlpine which could potentially be worth £600million. Guney Clark & Ryan solicitors served a claim on behalf of 86 claimants for ‘Tort of unlawful conspiracy’ at the High Court last week. The claim targets Sir Robert McAlpine as the company with the worst record of blacklisting. More

FACILITY TIME: Reps make a difference and save the taxpayer millions. More

INTERNATIONAL…

TURKEY: Continuing protests over government ban on industrial action by aviation workers. More Solidarity with Teachers jailed for 40 days. More

NIGERIA: Electricity workers on indefinite strike action over fight to keep PHCN public. More

TAIWAN: 300 textile workers in the Hualon Corporation’s factory in Miaoli County, Taiwan declared indefinite strike on 6th June. More

SRI LANKA: Nurses to strike over overtime, pension age and allowances. More

SWAZILAND: Teachers strike for over a month for democracy. More

SPAIN: Over £10,000 has been raised by the Spanish Miners solidarity committee, more needed. More

Hong Kong: 90,000 march against government’s new national education curriculum. More

Spain/Ireland: Joe Higgins TD Markets force similar savage austerity on Spanish workers. More

DIARY …

1st August

Queers Against Cuts Brighton Pride Block [email protected]

4th August

Action for Rail. McNulty Railway Cuts demonstration Lewes railway station from 10:30 to 12:00, organised by Brighton RMT & Action for Rail; protest in rail minister's constituency.

7th August

Brighton Stop the Cuts Organising Meeting 7:30pm King and Queen.

11 August

National Rank & File JIB electricians & construction trades meeting, 2pm-5pm, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London

Sheffield Save Our NHS - protest against Virgin Care  12 noon on Fargate

14^th August

Fair fares NOW day of action EVERYWHERE! More

17^th August

Stop Condor Ferries exploiting seafarers at Noon Southampton.

18 August

Remploy lobby of Scottish Parliament

Chelmsford trades council says “Stop the EDL”. Planning meeting Thursday 2 August 7.30pm [email protected]. Note that the EDL have postponed the Waltham Forest demo until 1 September.

31 August

National Hazards conference, Keele University [email protected]

1^st Sep

Justice for Shrewsbury Pickets 40^th anniversary conference

02 Sep

Burston Longest strike in British history 10.45am-3.45pm Church Green, Burston, Norfolk. Music, speakers and march! In April 1914, two teachers at Burston Village School were sacked because one of them organised the labourers into the union and to vote for their own representatives on the Parish Council. The pupils walked out and for three years were taught by those sacked teachers whilst money was raised for a Strike school in 1917!

09 Sep

'Strike against Austerity!' NSSN lobby of TUC conference: Brighton 1pm, assemble at The Level.

15 Sep

“No hospital closures, no cuts to services” Greenwich & Bexley trades council demo, Assemble 1pm General Gordon Sq. [email protected]

22 Sep

Protest against the LibDem conference Brighton – No to Austerity! Noon @ The Level (Stop the Cuts & Brighton Trades Council)

30^th Sep

Lobby of Labour Party conference for a clear commitment to repeal the Health and Social Care Bill and rebuild our health service.

07 Oct

Protest at Tory party Conference

14 October

Defend the Right to Protest National Conference 11.30 -5.30pm, London

20 October

TUC Mass demonstration, ‘A Future That Works’ TUC with rally in Hyde Park More. Transport details can be seen at, & should be uploaded to False Economy.

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Follow us on Twitter NSSN_Anticuts, share information with us on Facebook main group 'National Shop Stewards Network' & the NSSN FB 'Stop the cuts' & regularly check our website! But most importantly get active to develop the NSSN and our trade union and community movement against the cuts! There is an alternative!

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07952 283 558

Post: NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9D

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