Socialist Worker

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Friday 20 September - our chance to transform the struggle over climate change

Climate actions planned for this week could open the door for a new phase of a climate justice movement.

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International Comment Features Reviews What We Think Other

News

Trades Union Congress votes to support 20 September climate action

Union leaders have supported workplace action for the global climate strike on 20 September.

£80 billion toxic legacy of private finance in the NHS

Cash-strapped hospitals will have to fork out a further £55 billion to banks and building companies, according to a report published on Thursday.

Workers are set to strike on global day of climate walkouts

Friday 20 September could mark a turning point in the struggle to stop climate chaos, writes Sarah Bates

Extinction Rebellion plans new phase of action in October

Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists across the world are preparing for the next phase of the rebellion—7 October.

Tayside pharmacy workers are still solid in their indefinite strike

Solidarity is growing for pharmacy workers on indefinite strike in Tayside, Scotland.

Reports round up: Workers protest at Bakkavor foods as they prepare for strike

Up to 100 workers outsourced to Sodexo at St Mary’s hospital in west London began a strike ballot this week.

Labour’s position on the EU bends to the will of the right

The Labour Party conference, beginning on Sunday, looks set to be dominated by debates over whether to back remaining in the racist and neoliberal European Union

Health visitors in Lincolnshire are still defiant

Striking health visitors in Lincolnshire have refused to back down after a Tory council leader tried to dismiss their action.

Boris Johnson’s Brexit balance deepens division among Tories

Johnson hopes he can deliver Brexit come what may on 31 October—and win back right wing votes. But he still has to appease the pro-EU big business, says? Tomáš Tengely-Evans

Brexit ‘chaos’ warnings are an excuse to attack workers

Big business is ratcheting up pressure on the Tories over a

LGBT+ round up: Activists hold firm against hate on Soho protest

LGBT+ activists staged a “holding-of-hands” protest in Soho, central London, on Friday of last week against a spike in hate crime.

Workers strike against ‘the uncharitable charity’ in Wigan

Support staff in the Unison union working for Addaction in Wigan struck for a third day last week.

Transport round up: Tube workers vote for strikes

Members of the RMT union on the Central, Jubilee, District and Northern lines have voted overwhelmingly for action short of a strike over excessive track noise.

Local government round up: Picket at Bromley libraries ahead of talks

Talks between bosses and striking library workers in south east London were set to take place as Socialist Worker went to press on Tuesday.

University workers build ballots for strikes

Around 125,000 UCU union members in universities across Britain have started voting in ballots for strikes. One ballot, for action over pay, workloads and unequal contracts, involves union members at 147 institutions.

Cops ramp up brutal refugee crackdown

Refugees in northern France are facing a brutal border clampdown by British and French authorities.

Nottingham College workers holds defiant action

A strike at Nottingham College on Wednesday of last week drew between 20 and 25 strikers picketing at all five college sites for the first day.

‘We’ll stay out so we can win,’ say PCS union members on indefinite strike

Outsourced workers have vowed to keep up their indefinite strike after bosses claimed to give in to one of their central demands.

Diageo workers call off strike after bosses' new offer

Around 1,500 workers at Diageo plants across Scotland were set to begin ten days of strikes over pay on Tuesday night but called them off after a new offer

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International

The West offers no solution to Hong Kong protesters

The biggest protests since the withdrawal of a hated extradition bill took place in Hong Kong last Sunday.

International round-up—Strike to defend French pensions

Workers across France are set to strike next Tuesday against the government’s assault on pensions.

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Comment

Class isn’t just oppression—it’s the power to fight back

Union leaders agreed to define class as a form of discrimination. But it’s not just another oppression, argues Sadie Robinson

The Iraq war is still haunting US foreign policy

John Bolton's dismissal can be traced back to an earlier Republican presidency in which Bolton served, that of George W Bush

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Features

Revolt to save the planet

As the climate movement intensifies, Sarah Bates says a new book by activist and author Naomi Klein raises serious questions about what action can win a sustainable world

Royal Mail workers: fighting a package of attacks

This time it really is the big one. Decades of struggles over the future of Royal Mail and the postal industry have all been leading towards this pitched battle.

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Reviews

The Testaments—a rich and complex sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

This follow-up novel has been a long time coming. It’s grim, but also exciting and never straightforward

World on Fire—a war drama about people, not patriotism

Rarely do we see a war story that focuses on ordinary people rather than the event as a whole

Amadjar is an epic and exciting journey with Tinariwen

Recorded on the road in a campervan-turned-studio, Amadjar is the ninth album by internationally acclaimed Tuareg nine-piece Tinariwen

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What We Think

Climate action shows how to take control

The global climate strike this Friday has shown how trade unions can revive.

No more wars over oil

Saudi Arabia and the US are driving closer to war with Iran, following drone strikes on Saudi Arabian oil plants last Saturday.

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Other Categories

Letters—British Gas is driving down our wages to boost profits

I’m writing on behalf of my colleagues from British Gas. British Gas sells energy and mechanical services.

The things they say

‘A man of great natural charm and intelligence’

British spooks’ role in torture and terror will remain secret

Declassified cables provide new details of the torture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah were subjected to by the CIA.

How far do Labour’s plans for workers go?

The Labour Party has unveiled ‘radical measures’ under a new Ministry of Employment Rights. Tomáš Tengely-Evans casts a critical eye over the plans

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