LEADERS OF the CWU postal workers' union have called off a strike planned for this week. They claim they have achieved a "major victory" over pay. In fact they have surrendered to Royal Mail bosses' and threaten to weaken workers' ability to fight in the future. It is important that activists throw themselves into defeating the proposed deal in the forthcoming ballot.
A RECENT letter from the managing director of Arriva trains shows exactly why workers at the company are continuing their campaign of strike action. The brief note was a response to a heartfelt letter from the wife of a conductor in Hull. She listed the pressures on her husband and the abuse he often faces from passengers, some a result of the chaotic service Arriva runs. For this and his responsibilities for safety on the train his basic salary is just £15,500 a year for working shifts.
OVER 50,000 council workers across London are set to strike next Tuesday, 14 May. The one-day strike is over a demand for higher London weighting, the extra pay many workers get for the costs of living and working in the capital. Housing, transport and other costs are higher in London than elsewhere. And workers, many of whom are already on low pay, are being hit hard.
THE NAZI British National Party has conned its way into the council chamber for the first time in nine years.
THE VAST majority of people in Burnley, as across Britain, are NOT Nazis. Even in the three wards in Burnley where the BNP managed to get elected, the majority of people did not vote for the Nazis.
THE ANTI Nazi League mobilised hundreds of people to oppose the BNP during the council elections.
THERE WERE some results the media totally ignored—the significant votes for socialist candidates offering an alternative to the pro-privatisation, pro-business policies of all the mainstream parties.
HUNDREDS OF anti-Nazi campaigners were out leafleting last weekend in the council wards targeted by the British National Party (BNP). Over 250 people managed to leaflet every house in Burnley in the north west of England, where the Nazis were putting up 13 candidates. About 100 campaigners joined Anti Nazi League leafleting in Oldham, also in the north west.
The crisis at ITV Digital exploded on Tuesday of this week with 1,300 call centre workers facing the sack. ITV Digital was due to switch off its pay TV channels on Tuesday. The collapse will hit smaller football clubs that relied on TV revenues.
Railtrack in the skies AIR TRAFFIC control is back in financial trouble. Just two months after the last bailout, the part-privatised National Air Traffic Service (NATS) is looking to make ordinary people pay to get it out of a hole. Business backers are threatening to pull the plug on the part-privatised service.
MOST POLLS suggested that up to three quarters of registered voters would not take part in this week's local council elections. Socialist Worker went to press before the elections, but it would be remarkable if the turnout is not low.
