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NSSN bulletin 104
I passed the newsagents this morning and saw
the Daily Mirror headline - "Britain's 20 most wanted tax dodgers".
I thought what's this? Is the government of the rich going to
finally expose their fat cat friends? But I didn't recognise anyone
on the front page. True to form, while we don't condone tax dodging
of millions of pounds, and these 20 are responsible for £700 million
being lost - its a drop in the ocean compared to the £120 billion
avoided and evaded by the super-rich and the corporations - much of
it legally! PCS's 'Tax Justice' campaign has brought much of this to
light. Where's the photo of Sir Phillip Green, the boss of Arcadia
which owns Topshop and Burtons? He avoided £285 million on his own
when he put his business in his wife's name! 20 tax dodgers? We
could name 200 or 2,000 and more!
This week also saw the a high profile challenge to the further
privatisation and outrageous fares whilst many rail companies are
raking it in. Privatisation of our railways has led to a fragmented
and dysfunctional system. With further cuts it is suggested that
another 20,800 staff are at risk. ’’18 years on passengers are
paying 10 times more than in other European cities and we are paying
£3billion more than when we actually owned them!’
This shows that the cuts are unnecessary and that the money does
exist in society. That's why the NSSN has always said "Stop ALL cuts
- not one job or service for the bosses' crisis." We welcome the TUC
demonstrations on October 20 in London, Glasgow and Belfast and
we'll be helping to get a million on the streets. But we fear that
this weak and divided government can stagger on if it is left at
that. However, a strike reaching out from the public sector to the
private sector - a 24 hour general strike - as the launch of
sustained and co-ordinated action that could force the ConDems back.
Our strength was shown on N30 last year when 2 million took action
together to defend public sector pensions. Unfortunately momentum
was then lost when some union leaders signed up to the outline of a
deal. We call on Unison members to vote NO & REJECT the government's
pension deal now and we welcome the Unison's executive in Higher
Education in voting to ballot for strike action in October and
November over pay. Whether its pay or pensions, there's clearly a
basis for the co-ordinated strike action that can unite all workers
suffering from the Tory-LibDem austerity drive.
Come to the NSSN lobby
of the TUC in Brighton on Sunday September 9 which is
calling on the unions to organise this type of action. Listen to
fighting union leaders like Bob Crow RMT, Mark Serwotka PCS and
Steve Gillan POA as well as hundreds of shop stewards, reps and
activists. March together on October 20th...then strike together to
stop Cameron's austerity! (Rob Williams Chair NSSN)
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Over 150 people have already committed to coming to the lobby of the
TUC and that’s despite the summer slowdown and spectacular sporting
events. Steve Hedley RMT newly elected Assistant General Secretary
explains why he is attending. So book a place and get your members,
workplaces, families behind the NSSN lobby of the TUC in Brighton,
Sunday September 9. Please sign & share the
PETITION we will hand to the TUC
over this, thanks.
Birmingham and Coventry 8am Priory, Queensway then 8.30 Coventry
sports centre, Fairfax st. Clive Walder 07771 931185
Brighton & South East [email protected] 07894716095
Bristol Leaving at 8am from Anchor Road, [email protected]
Hampshire Contact Dave Boyes 07833 412757
Huddersfield 6:00am - Mike Forster 07887668740
Hull - details tbc contact Mike Whale 07528780098
Leeds 6:30am - Kevin Pattison 0707962867034
London 10.45 London Bridge station, contact us to reserve a ticket
£5 & possible West London coach 07977132391
Portsmouth Chris Pickett 07707 039071
Southampton Graham O'Reilly 07578 331537
Totnes & Newton Abbot- Minibus leaving Totnes 8am, pick up in Newton
Abbot. Alex Moore [email protected] 01803 868713
Sheffield 7:30am- Alistair Tice 07706710041
Wales Tumble - 5.00am, Llanelli Town Hall - 5.20am
Swansea railway station - 5.45am, Cardiff Museum - 6.30am
Ronnie Job [email protected] 07963 454 041
If your area is not covered but you want to come let us know.
[email protected]
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GENERAL UPDATES
a) STRUCK
Congratulations to John Lewis cleaners who after 2 days of
strikes have seen off threatened compulsory redundancies + won 10%
pay rise!
PCS Contact
centre
workers struck again on Monday
over oppressive working conditions and unrealistic targets. Over
6,000 members in 32 call centres in England, Scotland & Wales took
part. Further
discontinuous strike action is planned.
More
&
Posters
‘THEY’ DON’T want you to see. NSSN reports from
strike day here.
Unite
bus drivers at Abellio Byfleet 24 hour strike Monday 13 August
over pay and duty rosters contact
[email protected]
RMT bus drivers
working for Stagecoach
at Winchester depot struck in a dispute over pay as the company
tries to force through below inflation pay increases. A month ago
Stagecoach reported pre-tax profits of £239.8m.
RMT Cleaners for
ISS & INITIAL
struck again at Stratford over hours for pay and Olympic
recognition.
Unite members at Gomer Press in Llandysul,
Ceredigion struck yesterday for half-a-day in response to enforced
changes to pay and conditions and ‘a culture of bullying and
harassment of union members’.
Unite Bus drivers in Surrey
took part in a one day strike on Monday and are threatening further
strike action in pursuit of a fair pay rise. The 120 drivers -
working for the Dutch government-owned company Abellio at the
Byfleet depot - disrupted services in Guildford, Kingston, Staines,
West Byfleet and Woking.
b) STRIKING
Unite members at Capita IT Services
have voted overwhelmingly for both strike action over work being
sent to India and a wider compulsory redundancy plan. The dispute is
centered around four sites in Reading, Craigforth, Birmingham and
Bournemouth where 220 staff are employed. The impacted sites serve
Prudential Phoenix and Abbey Life customers.
PCS Month of
action by tax workers against cuts:
Despite the fact that they are only half way through the current
programme of action calling for 'Tax Justice for All', the PCS have
already made gains on their key demands. The Tax Justice message,
coupled with campaigning and action by members on the ground, has
resulted in the department beginning to listen. The 1,000 temporary
jobs announced recently is a recognition that the department is
under resourced and more investment is needed.
Unite
maintenance
staff in 3 Lincolnshire hospitals
began work to rule on Monday over £1,700 pay cuts.
Unite Sheffield
City Council Craft workers
are due to take in industrial action consisting of a 24 hour
stoppage starting at 06.00 hours on Friday 17th August 2012 to
defend their pay. Messages of support:
[email protected]
c)
BALLOTING
PENSIONS:
NSSN argues we should REJECT the proposals which 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 a retirement age of 68 and pensions
accrual and inflation revaluation.
NUT urges YES
vote
on ballot open over pay & conditions.
RMT
prepares ballot for action and political fight as First Group wins
West Coast franchise with massive cuts plan.
As
it was confirmed this morning that First Group have won the
InterCity franchise from Virgin on the basis of 20% cuts across the
board and with a bid that RMT says contains a billion pound black
hole.
WERE ABOUT TO STRIKE BUT...
PCS ATOS
PCS
members at the multi-million pound company Atos were about to
strike this Monday but a better offer has been brought to the table
including immediate payment of the living wage, some
non-consolidated payments, new pay process, transparent appraisal
system & development of plan to promote dignity & fair treatment for
all workers.
d) OTHER UPDATES
Disabled People
Against the Cuts’
actions against ATOS – the company that’s sponsoring the Paralympic
Games but wrecking disabled people’s lives. As thousands of Remploy
workers are put out of jobs in the coming weeks, this protest
becomes more important. Today Unite will be at downing street
handing in over 8,000 messages of support for the Remploy factories.
Redundancy payments are also £5,000 less! The Welsh government has
put aside £2.4 million for employers giving jobs to those Remploy
workers whose factories are being closed.
Staff working at
the private hospital Royal Bucks, only got paid 2%0 of their wages
for July. They were given three days notice of this. A week later
they were given 30 days notice of redundancy and that the hospital
was closing. A hardship fund has been set up, initial donations can
be made payable to Bucks Health Unison and sent to the Union Office,
Tindal Centre, Bierton Rd, Aylesbury Bucks, HP19. Contact steve
bell, bucks unison branch sec and Unison SGE
Brighton
Green council is planning to close homes for adults with learning
difficulties -
please sign and share.
SAVE our school
fields!
Education Secretary
Michael Gove is selling off our school sports fields to rich
property developers at a staggering rate -- leaving a
generation of British kids with nowhere to play. Sign the
Avaaz
petition
as part of the campaign.
NUT Worthing oppose
Academy schools:
[email protected]
&
Petition.
VICTIMISATION…
RMT member at
Churchill Cleaning services,
Tyne & Wear has succeeded in his claim against unfair dismissal. He
was dismissed after providing an honest critique of mismanagement in
a comments box, he was dismissed without notice. Staff balloted and
took action in his support and over poverty pay.
Three workers (2
UNITE members) who were sacked by Liverpool Mutual Homes (HMS)
, alongside 12 others, are also now facing court action over
questionable charges over workers who have been at the head of the
campaign. Many trade unionists in Liverpool stood outside the court
this week in support; the case is adjourned till 23rd
August.
BLACKLISTING:
CWU
have raised a motion at TUC conference (p15) against corporate
bullying.
SHREWSBURY: 1st
Sep
Justice for Shrewsbury Pickets 40th anniversary
conference.
[email protected]
INTERNATIONAL…
Turkey – 5,000
textile workers are striking indefinitely in Gaziantep for a wage
rise.
With
the support of security forces the textile company bosses are
planning to divide the workers’ struggle, increasing pressure on the
workers and organising wide ranging attacks to force them to return
to work at existing conditions . Messages of support
[email protected].
More
PAKISTAN –
Hotel Workers protest and sit in after months of unpaid wages. HONDURAS
teachers take action in defence of their work, social security
and public education. RUSSIA – Release Pussy Riot
immediately!
DIARY …
16 August
Peterloo
Memorial, Radisson Hotel, Manchester. 7pm (£3/1)
17 August
Stop Condor
Ferries exploiting seafarers at 12 platform rd, Southampton, gate 4.
18 August
Remploy lobby of
Scottish Parliament
Scottish Rank &
File meet 10am STUC, 333 Woodlands Rd, Glasgow.
Chelmsford trades council says “Stop
the EDL”.
[email protected].
RMT protest
at Portsmouth Continentia Shipping Port, PO2 8SP
1911 transport
strike commeration of workers killed by troops, 10am Eldonian
Village hall, Liverpool. Len McCluskey to unveil the plaque.
24 August
Protest against
Balfour Beatty 10am, Balfour Beatty Engineering Services HQ, 40
Ainslie Road, Hillington Park, Glasgow, G52 4RU. Protest called
jointly by: Blacklist Support Group and UNITE Scottish Sparks rank n
file.
28 August
ATOS protest at
12 1st Floor, Tamarisk hse, Jobcentre plus, Cotland rd,
Bournemouth
31 August
National Hazards conference, Keele
University
[email protected]
1 September
Justice for
Shrewsbury Pickets 40th anniversary conference, 12 noon,
Unite HQ, Liverpool, L3 8EF
We
are Waltham Forest
march “We are united against the EDL” and event 11am
02 September
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. The pupils walked out & for many years
were taught by those sacked teachers whilst money was raised for a
Strike school.
08 September
Wigan Diggers
- A FREE Open Air Festival celebrating the life and ideas of Wigan
born and bred Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) & the 17th Century
Diggers' (True Leveller) Movement. The Wiend, Wigan, 12-8.
09 September
'Strike against Austerity!'
NSSN lobby of TUC conference: Brighton 1pm, assemble at The Level
and rally at Hilton Hotel.
15 September
“No hospital closures, no cuts to
services” Greenwich & Bexley trades council demo, Assemble 1pm
General Gordon Sq.
[email protected]
22 September
Protest against
the LibDem conference Brighton – No to Austerity! Noon @ The Level (Stop
the Cuts & Brighton Trades Council)
30 September
Lobby of Labour
Party conference for a clear commitment to repeal the Health and
Social Care Bill and rebuild our health service.
07 October
Protest at Tory
party Conference
14 October
Defend the Right
to Protest National Conference 11.30 -5.30pm, London
17 October
Youth fight for Jobs Scotland & PCS
Young members network March for Jobs!
MIDLANDS
NSSN Conference Unite
offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 1200-1600. Speakers
include Joe Simpson, Asst Gen Sec POA
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.
21 October
Ragged Trousered Philanthropist
performance introduced by Matt Wrack, GS of FBU.
20-24
November
The Visteon/Ford
Occupation, a play 7.30pm (£10) The emerald Roadhouse, Finaghy rd,
North Belfast. For tickets contact John Dunne
[email protected]
24 Nov
YORKSHIRE &
HUMBER NSSN Conference 10am
- 4pm. Leeds, Cosmopolitan Hotel, 2 Lower Briggate, LS1 4AE. Contact
Kevin Pattison 07962867034.
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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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