THE LONDON weighting dispute in higher education is continuing to spread. There was a one-day strike by support workers in the Unison union in the old (pre-1992) universities on 26 September.
WE ARE planning to hold a mass protest against privatisation in Newcastle on 2 November. We face radical proposals that will mean the wholesale privatisation of services in the city.
THE SCOTTISH anti-war movement took to the streets for the first time since 28 September last Saturday.
GEORGE BUSH IS as determined as ever to attack Iraq. Some newspapers last week claimed a United Nations (UN) deal had averted war. But despite all the manoeuvring at the UN Bush is preparing to attack Iraq. Last week the US continued its huge build-up of weapons in the Gulf. US troops are pouring through the Suez Canal in Egypt. One ship carrying fighter jets has arrived in the Persian Gulf, and another is heading there.
FIREFIGHTERS AND emergency control room staff have been voting for their first national strikes in 25 years. None of them relishes going on strike. They have been forced into it by a government that treats them with contempt. It is the same arrogant New Labour government that backs George Bush's war drive even though unprecedented numbers of people in Britain oppose it.
MILLIONS OF people in north west England and East Anglia this week faced worry and uncertainty over their electricity supply. An enormous crisis is sweeping Britain's power generating industry, with power stations already being shut and warnings that worse could be to come. Millions across Britain could face the kind of power cuts which hit California in the US two years ago.
Channelled onto the dole HUNDREDS OF workers face the dole as a result of the planned merger of two TV companies. Carlton and Granada are set for a £2.7 billion merger which will make top bosses a fortune. Things are different for those who do the work.
TRAIN COMPANIES are to be allowed to hike up their fares despite one of the worst years ever for delays. The government's Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has said London and south east England operators, which run 70 percent of services, will be able to raise fares by 1 percent more than inflation.
THE COMPANIES due to take over the infrastructure of London's tube under the government's PPP privatisation scheme expect to get a 500 percent return on their investment. The figure comes from a study by the Labour Research Department.
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) is demanding that Britain and British firms embark on wholesale privatisation of public services, government documents revealed this week. They revealed that Britain faces WTO demands to "remove all establishment restrictions on hospital and social services, rest, convalescent and old people's homes".
"NOT GUILTY." That was the jury's unanimous verdict on 12 charges against Asians who defended their community in Burnley from racist attack. The jury in Preston Crown Court last week sided with the Asians who on 24 June last year mobilised to stop gangs inspired by the Nazi British National Party terrorising the area.
THE ATTEMPT by London Underground management, with the connivance of the government, to inflict a serious defeat on the rail unions has spectacularly backfired. London mayor Ken Livingstone came to an agreement with leaders of the RMT and Aslef unions on Wednesday of last week. This has pulled the rug out from under the tube bosses. Livingstone met the unions' call for independent mediation over this year's pay claim and related issues.
