Issue: 2402
Dated: 06 May 2014
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Politicians turn on Ukip but pander to its key argument of scapegoating migrant workers, reports Judith Orr
Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, was arrested last week.
Workers at Lambeth College in south London held a defiant strike on Thursday of last week against hated contracts imposed by bosses.
A 12-hour strike by residential care workers in Neath Port Talbot, South Wales, set for Tuesday this week has been called off. A 24-hour strike has been called in its place from 7pm on Tuesday of next week.
The postal and finance and telecoms sectors in the CWU union both held their conferences in Bournemouth from Tuesday to Thursday of last week. The postal conference was the first since Royal Mail was privatised last year. It showed signs that workers already face serious problems.
UCU union members in higher education have accepted a below inflation pay rise of 2 percent—a cut in real terms. Elections for the union president is underway. And support grows for sacked staff in Glasgow.
Firefighters across England and Wales walked out on strike on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week to defend their pensions.
Trade union support is increasing for the South Yorkshire Freedom Ride campaigners.
Campaign to get rid of Nazi Nick Griffin in the North West continues, while anti-fascists returned to the Isle of Dogs, east London, to commemorate a victory against the Nazi British National Party 20 years ago
Staff at the Ritzy cinema in south London walked out on Thursday of last week to join colleagues protesting outside.
May Day marches were held around Britain from Thursday of last week to Monday of this week to mark International Workers’ Day.
Over 100 people came to a meeting on London’s Housing crisis called by Waltham Forest and Redbridge trades councils on Wednesday of last week.
Egypt Solidarity has organised a workshop in London on 24 May to discuss how campaigning activities can help those who struggle for change. Resistance, revolution, repression includes sessions on: Egypt after the coup, human rights and repression, universities and student life, workers and labour struggles.
The PCS union executive (NEC) voted last week to not make any immediate approach to the NUT and Unison or other unions likely to join them in defence of pay and conditions.
Bosses and the RMT union agreed on a review of closures after last week’s strike, but Tube workers say prepare for more, reports Raymie Kiernan
Nearly 500 workers at EDF energy struck on Tuesday of this week, against a national 2 percent pay offer and two regional pay disparities.
Workers based at Transport for London (TfL) headquarters and Travel Information Centres were set to strike to defend their pensions on Friday of this week. The strike was due to begin at 6am and last for 24 hours.
The government has said it will allow the Scottish government to decide how much Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) can be given to bedroom tax victims.
The Unite union has called a protest in defence of suspended One Housing Group rep Bryan Kennedy.
Elections to Unison’s Service Group Executive are underway. Socialist Worker supporters are campaigning for the following left candidates.
Supporters of the Fast Food Rights campaign around Britain are set to join others in more than 30 countries in an international day of protest on Thursday of next week.
Over 300 people protested to save St Joseph’s primary school in Milngavie, Glasgow on 26 April.
Some 50 former Tesco lorry drivers in the Unite union protested outside Tesco’s distribution centre in Doncaster last Saturday.
Care UK workers in Doncaster began a 14-day strike on Monday of this week. The leading NHS privatiser has launched a massive attack on workers with the introduction of new contracts last month.
Fresh accusations of police racism and corruption in Scotland Yard emerged this week.
For the first time unemployed workers could have their benefits cut off for up to three years if they refuse jobs with zero hours contracts.
Hillsborough inquest adjourns, Harmondsworth detainees halt hunger strikes, Infant deaths high in Britain, NHS contract selloffs soar
A Ukip rally in London turned into chaos on Wednesday evening as speeches attacking migrants were disrupted by anti-racist protesters.
Charlie Kimber reports from South Africa on a critical election, mass workers’ strikes and political turmoil
Around 80,000 platinum miners have been on strike since January. The 15-week strike is one the biggest in South Africa’s history.
Henrique Sanchez says big business will be the real winner of the World Cup—while ordinary Brazilians are losing their homes
Two years ago South African cops shot and killed 34 strikers at Marikana platinum mine, with the collusion of bosses and politicians. Now a documentary film about the massacre is being shown in the platinum belt where 80,000 miners are on strike. Charlie Kimber describes the atmosphere at one of the mass twilight screenings
Ukraine lurched closer to civil war this week. Ukrainian soldiers, pro-Russian fighters and civilians were killed and injured when Ukrainian government troops stepped up attacks against rebels in the eastern town of Slovyansk.
Hundreds of thousands of people marched and rallied for International Workers’ Day on Thursday of last week.
The abduction of over 200 school students by Islamist group Boko Haram has created a crisis for Nigeria’s government.
Much recent economic news around the world is best described as smoke and mirrors. It’s true that there is some real evidence that advanced economies are starting to recover from the Great Recession of 2008-09.
In the second of a series on commodities that shaped the world, Simon Basketter looks at how brutal imperialist bosses turned useless rocks into a lucrative market
Workers who care for elderly and disabled people are under attack in the media and from greedy new bosses racing to cut corners. They spoke to Raymie Kiernan about how privatisation and cuts are making life in care homes more stressful and dangerous—for workers and those they care for
The Japanese animator’s final film The Wind Rises is, as always, strange and beautiful—but it opposes war through rose-tinted glasses, says Ken Olende
Everyday Robots is former Blur and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn’s first full blown solo studio album. It is a diverse collection of 12 tracks, seldom uplifting but beautifully crafted and at times haunting.
Anyone who grew up with Frank Sidebottom’s regular appearances on Granada TV in the 1980s and 90s will be sorely disappointed if they expect this film to be about him.
Cancer is met with much fighting talk these days. But charity ads that tell us we can make the disease “scared” won’t impress socialist Mike Marqusee.
Why are the Tories backing one set of pharmaceutical bosses and Labour another?
Children were “taught nothing” at a free school in Sussex that was forced to close last month.
Socialist councillors can help boost resistance | A plaque to remember our comrade Don Casson | Research exposes an anti-abortion myth | Anti-worker policies boost French fascists | Shop support for strikers | Vote against nationalism | Ukip’s poster boy is an immigrant | Farage is not so popular | Coral benefits are being lost
Things that they say
One of the “priority investors” offered cut-price shares in the government’s privatisation of Royal Mail is a major donor to the Conservative Party. Asset management firm Fidelity Worldwide has given nearly £975,000 to the Tories.
Economic output is growing, however slowly. Here Dave Sewell looks at the reality of the recovery in different sectors and what it means for workers