Around 600 people packed into the Hackney Empire in east London on Thursday of last week for a gig to celebrate 30 years of Rock Against Racism. The event – which raised money for Love Music Hate Racism – brought together stars of the past such as Misty In Roots (pictured) and the Tom Robinson Band with a new generation of musicians taking a stand against racism and fascism. People came away inspired determined to build a movement to stop the fascist BNP. The BNP’s 8.9 percent vote in the Sedgefield by-election last week shows how crucial such campaigns to stop them remain.
The momentum continues to build across the unions for action against Gordon Brown’s public sector pay cuts.
HSE protest against cuts Workers at the Health and Safety Executive in London protested on Tuesday of last week against cuts, closures and the financial crisis that is engulfing the department Picture: Guy Smallman
Defend Council Housing (DCH) campaigners are angry that Lambeth council in south London has declared that a ballot on the future of the borough’s housing stock was in favour of transfer to an arms length management organisation (Almo).
Workers in the Unite union at Coca Cola Enterprises in Wakefield – the company’s largest bottling and distribution centre – are to strike for 48 hour strikes on Thursday and and Friday of this week and 13 and 14 August.
The Unions are stepping up the campaign to save the Remploy factories employing disabled workers.
Around 60 Respect supporters hit the streets of Shadwell in Tower Hamlets, east London, last Saturday to campaign in what is shaping up to be a closely fought council by-election on Thursday 9 August.
More than 1,000 workers at the Heinz food processing plant in Wigan, Lancashire, walked out for 24 hours on unofficial strike action on Tuesday of last week in protest at management’s latest pay offer.
A strike by RMT rail workers' over safety on the Bakerloo line on London Underground severely hit services on the line on Thursday and Friday of last week. The strike lasted for 24 hours.
Health workers Unions across the health service are moving closer to action over pay. Mike Jackson, lead negotiator of the Unison union, which has 450,000 members in the NHS, said, "Health workers feel a strong sense of injustice that the government has welched on a deal and is trying to impose a pay award that represents a pay cut in real terms.
A strike by 400 signallers and supervisors working for Network Rail in Scotland scheduled for Friday has been called off by the RMT after the company tabled a further revised offer on disputed bonus payments.
Some 27 teachers in the NUT union at South Chadderton School in Oldham went on strike last Thursday over changes to pay and the suspension of their union rep.
