Socialist Worker

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Take on the Tories - disabled mother made homeless by the cuts speaks out

Tory austerity is wrecking working class lives across Britain—and their latest assault will only make things worse.

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International Comment Features Reviews What We Think Other

News

Reports round-up

Luxury hotel strike; NHS protest; Reclaim the Power direct action; Odeon workers; anti-racism day school

Universities and colleges round-up

Coordinated walkout against cuts at London Met | Strike against closure at Lewisham and Southwark College | Protest against casualisation at Warwick University | Ballots at University of South Wales and Mid Cheshire College |

Lib Dems are hypocrites on Human Rights Act protest

Around 250 people protested outside Downing Street against the Tories’ threats to human rights last Saturday.

Support Robert O’Donnell, Unison rep sacked by Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre

Unison union rep Robert O’Donnell has been sacked by the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).  

Striking Dundee hospital porters go to Scottish parliament

Striking hospital porters from Dundee took their battle to be regraded to the Scottish parliament last week. They’re demanding action to end their nine-week all-out strike.

Funeral for Sheku Bayoh

The funeral of a man who died following contact with police in Fife, Scotland, is set to take place this Sunday.

Rotherham newspaper bosses target leading union militant Phil Turner

A leading activist in the NUJ journalists’ union at the Rotherham Advertiser in South Yorkshire has been targeted for redundancy.

Victory in Lewisham over academy plans

Teachers in Lewisham, south east London, were celebrating a victory this week after threats to convert schools to academies were withdrawn. Also: teachers' strikes in Swansea and Newham

Rotten football system goes further than Sepp Blatter

The outrage of England and Europe over Fifa corruption is hypocritical, writes Dave Sewell

Senior figures are named as abusers

Three women have come forward to allege that a former Liberal Democrat MP carried out abuse against them as girls.

DLR cleaners walk out for better pay

Cleaners working for facilities firm Interserve on Docklands Light Railway (DLR) began a 48-hour strike on Wednesday of last week over pay and working conditions. Also: Tube workers fight rosters, strike on TransPennine Express

Reject the deal at Network Rail

The RMT union suspended a planned strike at Network Rail after bosses made a new offer. 

Escalating walkouts gets more out of Kone bosses

Engineering maintenance workers at door and lift firm Kone ended a strike on Monday of this week with a new agreement with management. 

Tata Steel workers deliver a resounding vote for action

Workers in the Community union at Tata Steel plants across Britain have voted by almost 90 percent to strike in defence of their pensions.

Solidarity demonstration for detainees at Dungavel

Up to 400 people joined a demonstration outside Dungavel detention centre in Scotland last Saturday. The protest was called by the Scottish TUC (STUC).

Hillsborough inquest hears of attempts to revive Adam Spearritt

Fresh inquests into the Hillsborough disaster heard evidence about 14 year old victim Adam Spearritt on Monday of this week.

Furious Filipino nurses take on the Daily Mail's racist smear

Up to 600 Filipino health workers and supporters rallied outside the Daily Mail’s west London offices last Saturday, to defiant chants of “End racism now”.

News in brief

Short news stories from the past week on cops using tasers, deaths in custody, and the queen scrounging even more cash

Tory queen’s speech sees new attacks on the poor

The Tories have unveiled plans to push up poverty, increase evictions and sell off more public services—and that’s only the start of their assault.

Council workers resist outsourcing in Barnet and Bromley

Unison union members in Barnet, north London, held a council-wide strike on Monday and Tuesday of this week. 

Drivers can win in Barking

Refuse lorry drivers in Barking and Dagenham, east London, began an eight- day strike last Saturday.

Glasgow strikers reject bosses’ insulting offer and vow to fight on

Under growing pressure from the all-out homelessness caseworkers’ strike, bosses tried to sell a shoddy deal. Strikers spoke to Raymie Kiernan about the next steps in their struggle

Strikers take on job cuts at south London college

Workers at Lewisham and Southwark College (Lesoco) struck today, Thursday, in defence of jobs and education.

Workers call for united action after strike at London Met

Workers in the UCU and Unison unions at London Metropolitan University struck together yesterday, Thursday, in a row over redundancies.

Hundreds of protesters demand closure of Yarl's Wood refugee prison

Sections of the outer fence of Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre were torn down today, Saturday, as some 700 people protested outside to demand its closure.

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International

Greek government under increasing pressure as bailout deadlines loom

Greece’s government entered the final month of its bailout extension this week under more pressure than ever.

Call for protests as Egypt's regime jails socialists

Activists have been imprisoned as part of an Egyptian government crackdown, reports Judith Orr

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Comment

Breakthroughs for new parties in Spanish elections

Election results in the Spanish state reflect a mood for change. But there needs to be a clear left alternative, argues Dave Sewell

Why Ukraine gets an easy ride over debt

You may not have noticed, but Greece isn’t the only country that is engaged in difficult negotiations about its foreign debt. Ukraine is too.

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Features

Conflict and war in Syria

Judith Orr spoke to Syrian socialist Joseph Daher about the resistance, the regime, the West and rise of Isis after more than four years of conflict in the country

The battle for Tower Hamlets - help Rabina Khan hit back at austerity and Islamophobia

Tower Hamlets is set to elect a new mayor on 11 June after a racist witch hunt saw Lutfur Rahman removed. Now Rabina Khan is running to defend democracy and take on the establishment, her supporters told Dave Sewell

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Reviews

Barnsley punks bring politics back to centre stage

Formed two years ago in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, The Hurriers call themselves “A proper socialist punk band”.

Reviews round-up

1864 | The Siege

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What We Think

Demand more than this Labour leadership contest

Millions of workers look for relief from the Tories’ latest onslaught. But activists looking at the Labour Party’s leadership election will despair.

British army terrorism in Northern Ireland

The British state is guilty of murder and terrorism. A BBC Panorama programme, Britain’s Secret Terror Deals, examined security force collusion with Protestant Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. 

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Other Categories

Letters

Keep Tories’ ‘British values’ out of the education system, Socialist Worker unity statement is welcome, Filipino nurses say thank you and more

The things they say

The week's news in their own words

The kind Tory who aided Ukip - and a mystery leaflet

Royston Smith, the new Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, is a generous man.

New right to buy scheme will worsen homes crisis

The housing crisis in Britain is causing misery for millions—and it is about to get even worse as the Tories plan more sell offs, writes Annette Mackin

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