RMT MEMBERS on the Mitcham Belle bus company in south London struck for union recognition on Monday of this week. They are also set to strike on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Union members voted by 69 to four in favour of strike action after management refused to negotiate with the RMT.
NEWHAM COUNCIL has been forced to back off again over its attacks on the Unison union. Workers have been fighting against council bosses' attempts to derecognise Unison. The New Labour-run council evicted the union from its offices, banned us from putting out our own publicity materials and stopped union officers having any facility time.
DO YOU fancy working until you are 72...or even 86? That's the prospect for young workers according to research released last week. Consultants Hewitt, Bacon and Woodrow found that the low level of the state pension and huge cuts in pensions which companies have pushed though have created a poverty time bomb.
THE LECTURERS' union Natfhe has called a boycott of links with London Metropolitan University after management issued dismissal notices to 387 academic staff. The boycott, called by Natfhe's higher education national committee, is the first step in what union activists hope will be determined resistance. Other university bosses are looking to see if LMU is able to get away with its bullying tactics.
AMBULANCE WORKERS in the north east of England are threatening to take industrial action over management plans to stop paying them during meal breaks. The threat of action, which could take the form of an overtime ban, is another blow against Agenda for Change-New Labour's planned shake-up of the NHS. Under Agenda for Change every NHS worker would be put on a new contract. The North East Ambulance Service is one of 12 Early Implementer sites testing the scheme.
THE CONFERENCE of the CWU post and telecom workers' union began on Sunday-but bureaucratic manoeuvres immediately forced off the agenda the issue which many activists regard as crucial. The question of the union's relation with Labour and the possible democratisation of the political fund were due to be discussed on the first day.
THE CONFERENCE of the PCS civil servants' union last week saw complete opposition to the New Labour government's plans for pay, job cuts and pensions. Over the last year the union has grown to 310,000 members from 292,000 last July. That's because we have fought over issues such as pay. The left overwhelmingly won recent elections to the national executive.
OVER 200 laggers and engineering workers were on unofficial strike at the beginning of this week at the Aberthaw power station in South Wales. They walked out on Friday 4 June after their employers said they would not be employed on national "blue book" terms and conditions.
MEMBERS OF the journalists' NUJ union struck on Friday of last week at the Blackpool Evening Gazette, the Fleetwood Weekly News and Lytham St Anne's Express over pay. They are protesting at a new pay structure that would leave fully qualified senior journalists earning only a little over £16,000.
STALL HANDLERS in the TGWU union have forced their RaceTech bosses to back down over cuts in their allowances and expenses. The stall handlers, who work on race courses, struck two weeks ago, hitting several race meetings including Royal Ascot.
Four ex-councillors in the West Midlands have issued this statement calling for a Respect vote:
