THE NAZI BNP won a council by-election in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, on Thursday of last week. They disguised their most racist policies and concentrated on other issues, picking up 1,607 votes.
Refusing to give up their holidays UNION REPS for Edinburgh's 350 refuse collectors were set to meet city council officials this week, in a bid to resolve a long-running dispute. In 1991 refuse collectors entered a five-year agreement to "sell" six of their ten days public holiday entitlement for just over £1,000 each. The agreement ran out in 1997 and the issue has never been resolved.
ACTION BY health workers has defended resources and stopped threats of disciplinary action. Several weeks ago staff in the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) in south Manchester were told that after a £5 million overspend last year a consultant post would be left vacant.
THE AMICUS union is planning a protest at the Labour Party conference in September against the haemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs. The march and rally will take place on Monday 29 September in Bournemouth, the same day that chancellor Gordon Brown will be giving his conference speech.
YORK CITY football fans disrupted Persimmon Homes' show home opening in York last Saturday. They are angry with the company's plans to "redevelop" the club's stadium at Bootham Crescent. They hung banners from fences and flagpoles and organised a game of football on Persimmon's manicured lawn. One fan said, "They want to build houses on our ground, so there's nowt wrong with us playing football on theirs."
THE Socialist Alliance has called a national day of action in Brent, north west London, on Sunday 31 August. We are urging activists from across England to come into the constituency on that day to help campaign for our candidate in the forthcoming Brent East by-election.
WORKERS AT Rhodia chemical factories in Widnes, Cheshire and Oldbury went out on strike again to defend their pensions last week. The company wants to close the final salary pension scheme to new workers. But the 600-strong workforce is determined to stop the erosion of their pension rights.
THE PCS civil servants' union is calling for a national day of action, involving all unions, over attacks on pensions. New Labour is increasing the pension age of many public sector workers from 60 to 65. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka says, "Public servants are very angry about this proposal."
LONDON Underground workers have been left wondering whether to laugh or cry following the end of the pay campaign for 2002. After two days of strikes last year, London Mayor Ken Livingstone stepped in, offering to settle the dispute via binding arbitration. London Underground had imposed 3 percent, provoking the strikes.
CHILDREN AGAINST War held an angry demonstration against the use of cluster bombs last Sunday. They marched on Downing Street to protest against the use of the weapons by the US and British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
OVER 80 members of the GPMU media workers' union were to strike this week against the planned closure of the library and copy-taking departments at the Daily Record. They say 19 jobs will go if these departments are moved to Watford.
YORK BUS drivers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. The TGWU transport workers' union balloted drivers when employer the First Group rejected a demand for £8 an hour pay. Support for the strike was solid, with 205 voting in favour and only ten against. The turnout was 82 percent.
