Socialist Worker

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Wage cuts and job losses mean children go hungry

Real terms wage cuts and sackings have left millions struggling to put food on the table according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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International Comment Features Reviews What We Think Other

News

Top cop grilled over ‘theory’ of gun at Mark Duggan Inquest

A former Metropolitan Police commander told the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan that he was not told that Mark had pointed a gun at police before he was shot. Stuart Cundy, who was in charge of the Trident gang crime command, gave evidence at the inquest on Thursday of last week.

Firefighters' union calls new action in row over pensions

Firefighters walked out of work across England and Wales on Friday of last week and Monday of this week against Tory attacks on their pensions.

Council targets Heygate man for eviction

The last remaining resident on the Heygate estate in south London was ordered to leave his home on Tuesday of this week.

Merry Xmas—you’re homeless

Over 800,000 children in Britain will be homeless at Christmas, according to homelessness charity Shelter.

MPs set to grab even more cash

Not content with flipping second homes and claiming £200,000 for energy bills, MPs are hustling for more.

Mikey Powell appeal upheld

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has upheld an appeal by the family of Mikey Powell that a 2009 report into his death was misleading. 

Cops quizzed after death

Bijan Ebrahimi was beaten, set on fire and murdered following rumours he was a paedophile.

Hunt’s plan to close hospital A&Es will cost lives in north west London

Tory health minister Jeremy Hunt is hell bent on closing even more A&Es. Within days of losing his court battle to close Lewisham Hospital’s A&E in south east London, he confirmed bloody new cuts in north west London last week.

Brighton march against NHS sell-off

More than 500 people joined the protest

Fury over new east London sackings at Barts Health Trust

Bosses at Barts Health Trust announced plans to sack a further 160 nurses from its six already overstretched east London hospitals last week.

University staff strike back against pay insult

Higher education workers took part in one of their strongest strikes for decades on Thursday of last week.

News in brief

Home secretary admits Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed "no threat". Gypsies fight eviction. Lawrence family denied justice. Benefits cap challenge lost

CWU union calls off Royal Mail strike, but deal is unclear

The national strike of post workers due to take place on Monday of this week was called off. The CWU union said it had won concessions from Royal Mail

Elections in National Union of Teachers important for the next stage of strikes

Elections are underway in the NUT teachers’ union.

Don’t close Barnsley library

Campaigners in Barnsley held a protest meeting last Saturday and launched a campaign to stop the demolition of Barnsley Central Library.

National Front flop in Swansea

The Nazi National Front’s (NF) plans to disrupt Unite Against Fascism’s (UAF) day of anti-fascist action in Swansea ended in failure last Saturday.

Reports round-up

Park Academy school cleaners demand living wage | Conel protest against a 23 percent pay cut | London Met against zero hours deals | Lambeth lobby to stop college sell-off | Justice Alliance demands opposition to legal aid cuts

Burning anger against cuts on bonfire day of protests

Protesters were taking action against austerity around Britain as Socialist Worker went to press on Tuesday.

News of the World editors part of hacking ‘conspiracy’

The trial of former News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson and six others at the Old Bailey continues.

Pupil in Glasgow support pupil support assistants strikers' plan to escalate action

Around 1,000 pupil support assistants (PSAs) struck in Glasgow on Thursday of last week. 

Probation officers say we don’t want G4S in charge

Probation officers across England and Wales struck on Tuesday of this week against plans to privatise the service.

South Gloucestershire council workers throw out offer and vow to fight

Unison union members at South Gloucestershire council have voted to reject the latest offer from council bosses. 

Commonwealth Games disability rights protest

 

Atos strike for pay increase

Some 2,000 PCS union members working for IT firm Atos struck on Tuesday of this week.

Student Assembly Against Austerity

More than 100 students joined the national Student Assembly Against Austerity on Saturday of last week. 

Reports round-up 2

Strike ballot looms on London Underground | Mitie cleaners set for a three-day walkout | Aslef suspends drivers’ action | Strike ballot result due at UPS Camden | Building workers reject poor pay deal

Yarl's Wood abuse witness deportation halted

A last minute decision halted an attempt to deport the main witness to alleged sexual abuse at Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre. 

Racist billboards to go

The racist billboard vans telling “illegal” immigrants to “go home” are being permanently withdrawn.

Tories scrap their bond plan to deter immigrants

The Tories have scrapped their much heralded plan to force some immigrants to put up a bond of £3,000 before coming to Britain.

Crown post office strike called off

Planned strike on Monday of this week cancelled

Blacklisted workers walkout of bosses' compensation scheme charade

Blacklisted workers have walked out of the first round of talks over construction bosses’ proposed blacklist compensation scheme.

Probation officers come out against privatisation

Probation officers in the Napo union ended their 24-hour strike today, Wednesday. The workers walked out from 12 noon yesterday against government plans to privatise probation services.

Pictures of probation officers' strike on 5-6 November 2013

Photos from the picket lines of the anti-privatisation strike

Thousands join anti-austerity protests around Britain

 Thousands took to streets around the country to protest against austerity yesterday, Tuesday. The People’s Assembly coordinated the Burn Austerity day of action on bonfire night, with hacker group Anonymous also staging protests.

Mitie cleaners strike for a third time to demand a living wage

Striking First Great Western (FGW) train cleaners demonstrated outside Paddington Station this morning, Friday, in their third strike for a living wage from outsourcing giant Mitie.

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International

Workers walk out across Indonesia for a pay raise

More than two million workers struck across Indonesia last week demanding a 50 percent minimum wage rise as well as healthcare and an end to contract work and outsourcing.

Israel bombs Syria—again

Israeli jets bombed a base near Latakia in Syria on Thursday of last week.

Racist scapegoating of Roma continues

Authorities in Greece plan to send a seven year old girl seized from a Roma family to Bulgaria.

In brief

Egypt. Kenya. Niger. France.

Workers' resistance can stop government cuts in Greece

As workers prepare for a general strike, Nikos Loudos says their struggles have forced unions to call action

Greek workers disrupt Troika visit but police attack ERT occupation

Greece’s international creditor organisations came to Athens to inspect the government’s progress in making cuts this week. But their visit was disrupted by a general strike against mass sackings yesterday, Wednesday.

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Comment

Michael Gove changes GCSEs to make sure more students will fail

Michael Gove has taken another chaotic step towards undermining state education. He is rushing through another change to GCSE exams. Yet again, teachers are breathlessly trying to catch up.

The Bank of England is feeding a monster

Mark Carney, the new governor of the Bank of England, has learned nothing from the financial crisis, says Alex Callinicos

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Features

Bugging and spies - just how powerful are the world's intelligence services?

US president Barack Obama tapped German chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian president Vladimir Putin tapped the G20—and all of them bugged all of us, writes Simon Basketter

Reasons to be powerful—how workers can face down bosses' threats to move abroad

Does the Grangemouth defeat leave us at the mercy of unbeatable bosses? Raymie Kiernan says the working class is still a force to be reckoned with—when it fights

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Reviews

Imperial War Museum North artworks reveal futility that war reporters fail to cover

Katrina Lawrie is blown away by the Catalyst exhibition, which looks at war without the sanitising agenda of the media

Arcade Fire's Reflektor puts modern myth to shimmering soundtrack

Montreal rockers Arcade Fire are back with possibly their best album yet.

Reviews round-up

How to survive a plague | Queens of the coal age

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What We Think

Resist the right wing smear campaign against our trade unions

The Tory-supporting press has declared open war on the Unite union.

The revolution we need

Revolution made it into the mainstream media recently after comedian Russell Brand called for “total revolution” in the New Statesman.

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Other Categories

Letters

How we're building against racism and fascism - and the Tories' latest attacks

The Things They Say

Thing that they say

Iain Duncan Smith ‘very pleased’ as department sinks in crisis

It’s been another bad week for work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith.

Bullying landlords drive poor tenants to despair due to impact of bedroom tax

Tenants in Glasgow met last week to discuss the devastating effects of the bedroom tax and how they can fight to scrap it now, reports Dave Sewell

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