TONY BLAIR won rare approval in the headlines last week when he apparently persuaded George Bush to halt legal proceedings against two British prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
THE TANKERS of the giant multinational oil companies BP, Chevron Texaco and Shell have begun transporting newly pumped oil out of Iraq. At least three quarters of the new oil is heading for the US.
A SENIOR US general has admitted that the war against Iraq actually started in the middle of 2002 - before any of the dossiers produced to try to justify the war. Lieutenant General Michael Moseley, the chief allied war commander, said the war really began with the intensification of US air strikes under the guise of enforcing the southern "no-fly zone" in Iraq.
NEW LABOUR has moved to increase the pressure on George Galloway, the MP most associated with speaking out against the war. The assault on Galloway is part of New Labour's attempt to smear the whole anti-war movement and to prevent the truth about the war coming out. New Labour has now put back Galloway's disciplinary hearing until 22 October. This is after the TUC and Labour Party conferences - a calculated move to try to dampen down any opposition against the witch-hunting of Galloway.
"RMT MEMBERS, now knowing the company's pay offer as outlined to them at Exeter and Torquay on Sunday 20 July and the greedy excesses paid out to the directors, can only take one view that what is good for them is not good for us. The members have decided to continue their struggle for better pay and conditions and nothing short of their claim will result in normal working. The sooner Stagecoach management realise this, the better for them, ourselves and the passengers."
THE SHOCK defeat of Mick Rix in the election for general secretary of the train drivers' Aslef union brought a glimmer of relief to Tony Blair's ailing government last week. Mick Rix lost to Shaun Brady by 3,299 votes to 4,475 on a turnout of over 45 percent.
CAR WORKERS at Aston Martin plants have voted to strike against management's attempts to introduce "flexible" working practices. The vote was nearly four to one for action in a turnout of almost 90 percent. The 200 workers are based on sites in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, and Bloxham near Banbury in Oxfordshire.
IF YOU work for Ifor Williams trailers in Wales, there are a number of things you can expect. There is pressure from management, long hours and compulsory overtime, the threat of the sack if you are six minutes late, and much more. That's why in the quiet Welsh village of Cynwyd, nestling in the Llangollen hills, 80 workers joined a picket line on a one-day strike on Friday of last week.
STRIKE ACTION by 150 domestics and porters at the Royal Bolton Hospital has forced the private contractor ISS Mediclean to increase their pay. Bosses offered the domestics and porters £5 an hour after a series of strikes. The domestics used to get £4.47 an hour and porters were on £4.61 an hour. The deal includes other improvements on sick pay and holidays. The deal was accepted by 105 votes to 18.
