Tens of thousands of job centre and benefits office workers across Britain in the civil servants' PCS union struck on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. The union estimated that 40,000 people took strike action over the two days, while management claimed 32,000 struck. This is out of around 65,000 union members in the workplaces affected.
A series of reports into the background to riots in the north west of England earlier this year were released on Tuesday, as Socialist Worker went to press. Days earlier home secretary David Blunkett had told journalists that immigrants must try to be more "British" and that they should "accept our norms".
"A war on the public sector." That is how GMB trade union leader John Edmonds described New Labour's new plans to send NHS patients for treatment in private hospitals or abroad.
Tony Blair attempted to spread New Labour style festive cheer last week by declaring the success of the government's Rough Sleepers Unit. The unit claims the number of people living on the streets has been reduced by 71 percent over the last three years.
New Labour is to pour public money into grammar schools in a move that John Major's Tory government would have been proud of. The government's schools minister Stephen Timms made the announcement last Sunday.
Socialist Worker asks our readers to send cards, letters or messages of support to people who are unjustly locked up in prison this Christmas. Among the miscarriages of justice are:
Some 700 council workers in the east London borough of Waltham Forest struck for 24 hours on Tuesday of last week. The action, by workers in the social services department, was against cuts planned by the Labour council, and in defence of jobs. There were good picket lines, and a lobby of the council was planned for this week.
Around 1,000 people demonstrated in support of the Palestinians and against the Israeli state when former US president Bill Clinton visited Glasgow on Monday. Clinton was in the city to raise money for the Jewish National Fund, a Zionist organisation.
Many strikers in the Pathfinder offices are angry and disappointed about their national leaders sending the majority of them back to work on Friday of this week. Because every striker received 85 percent strike pay the PCS's strike fund was drained.
Around 150,000 postal workers were waiting this week to find out whether they would start ballots for a national strike for better pay and against job losses linked to privatisation.
