HUNDREDS OF people have been shot dead in Iraq over the last three weeks. They are the victims of both US patrols and of rival gangs who have exploited the power vacuum created by the occupying powers. The UN children's agency UNICEF also warns that the humanitarian crisis in the country is getting worse - with continuing blackouts, untreated sewage pouring into drinking water, food shortages and epidemics.
"SEVEN WEEKS without money. Minimum wage. Drowning in debt. No money to feed kids." That's how one woman summed up the impact of the chaos gripping the government's system for paying tax credits. The means-tested credits are the centrepiece of Chancellor Gordon Brown's welfare plans.
UP TO 1,600 jobs to go in schools. That's the reality behind education secretary Charles Clarke's claim that he has sorted out the schools funding crisis. Clarke tried to wrongly blame local education authorities for holding back government cash from schools.
A FIGHT between low paid journalists and a multinational corporation has reached a decisive stage this week. The Newsquest corporation is one of Britain's biggest owners of local newspapers, and is a subsidiary of the US multinational Gannett.
Janice Godrich is the president of the PCS civil servants' union and a member of the Scottish Socialist Party. She spoke to Socialist Worker about the upcoming elections to the union's national executive, which begin on Friday 6 June. The socialist Left Unity group and the PCS Democrats group are standing a united list in an attempt to defeat the right wing Moderates group that has dominated the union.
THE LEFT dominated the annual conference of Natfhe, the university and college lecturers' union. Delegates felt lifted by the recent experience of the anti-war movement. This fed into overwhelming opposition to New Labour's policies on every front and larger than usual meetings for Rank and File, Stop the War Coalition and the Socialist Alliance.
COUNCIL WORKERS in Luton from the TGWU, GMB and Unison unions held a 40-strong protest of the council on Thursday of last week. Workers were protesting against plans to privatise the building, cleaning and printing departments. Jim Gregg, Unison branch secretary, said, "These are loyal, dedicated workers who after years of operating under difficult conditions are now finding themselves outsourced."
AROUND 80 people protested against the first council meeting of Nazi BNP councillor John Savage in Sandwell, West Midlands, on Wednesday of last week. The protesters were mainly members of Sandwell Unison union. Tony Barnsley, the assistant branch secretary of Sandwell Unison, said, "We think the BNP have conned their way into power by blaming asylum seekers. Our members, particularly our black and Asian members, feel threatened by the BNP. I will refuse to work for them and we are encouraging our members to do the same." Another BNP councillor failed to show up for the meeting.
ANTI-WAR movement teach-ins, discussion meetings and debates continue to attract large and enthusiastic audiences across Britain. Those which took place last week included:
OVER 70 protesters staged sit-downs outside the gates of the nuclear dockyard in Plymouth last Saturday. The demonstrations followed news reports that HMS Tireless, a nuclear submarine based at Plymouth, was damaged after colliding with an iceberg. More than ten "T" class submarines are based in Plymouth, all having the same design fault.
TONY BLAIR'S candidate for a top position in the postal workers' CWU union was soundly defeated last week. John Keggie, a member of Labour's national executive, was defeated by Dave Ward for the post of deputy general secretary (postal). This is the position which Keggie presently holds. Keggie took 16,814 votes - Ward won 19,404.
HUNDREDS OF Inland Revenue workers in the PCS civil servants' union unofficially walked out of their offices for 15 minutes on Friday of last week. The workers were protesting against the crisis caused by the government's new tax credit programme which left Britain's poorest families waiting for vital money.
