The Extinction Rebellion group in Bristol staged a vibrant day of action last Saturday to highlight the impact of the fashion industry on the environment
Around 500 people joined the action, and blocked three roads into the city. They then marched through the city centre and gave out leaflets explaining the reason for the action—and a piece of cake to motorists.
Activists also held workshops around the theme of the protest in the main shopping area.
Many hadn’t been involved in activism before—an indication of a large climate change movement developing in Bristol.
Salena Williams
Anti-fracking campaigners in South Yorkshire were set to protest in Rotherham on Tuesday of next week as a public inquiry gets underway.
Rotherham council has twice voted against applications by Ineos to frack in the village of Woodsetts.
But Ineos has appealed the decision, leading to the inquiry. Woodsetts resident Richard Scholey said, “Our village said no to fracking. Our elected councillors have said no twice. I’m outraged Ineos have the arrogance to come back again.”
Privatised workers at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals are celebrating a victory over equal pay.
The Unison and GMB union members had planned to strike last Thursday to demand the same rate of pay as workers who are employed directly by the NHS.
They work as porters, cleaners and other support staff for outsourcing giant ISS.
The news follows recent victories over the same issue at the Royal Bolton Hospital, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals.
Meanwhile, Unison union members at Princesss Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, were set to strike against plans to outsource their jobs on Thursday.
The 220 cleaners, domestics and other support staff plan a further 48-hour strike from 11 June and a 72-hour strike on 18, 19 and 20 June.
Thanks to Janet Szpakowski
An indefinite strike at Bromley libraries in south east London is on the books.
Around 50 Unite union members at 14 libraries were set to walk out from Thursday of this week .
Workers, employed by Greenwich Leisure Limited, voted 98 percent to strike over pay and a host of other issues.
The 50 workers say that bosses haven’t filled vacant posts and are asking workers to be managers without paying the proper rate.
They are fighting for a 6 percent rise in basic pay backdated to April 2019.
Social workers in West Dunbartonshire near Glasgow have won a new offer from bosses after voting 99 percent for strikes on an 82 percent turnout.
The Unison union members are fighting excessive workloads, inappropriate working environments and health and safety issues.
Unison Scotland says the strike vote led to “a firm offer from the council of concrete proposals to begin to address the substantive issues which are the basis for the dispute. Critically, there was a firm timescale set.”
Workers voted to accept the offer in order to allow further talks and will review progress on or before 31 August.
Jim Griffin, Unison steward and social worker, said, “This is encouraging progress. The team remains committed to ensuring we meet the needs of our service users, and hope the means to do so will be agreed through the coming consultation.”
About 80 protesters lobbied a meeting of Barnsley council cabinet last Wednesday. The Unison union organised parents, children and teachers to demand the council reverse plans to privatise the school meals service.
The council leader promised he would postpone any decision until after schools had been consulted.
Protesters celebrated by marching through Barnsley.
George Arthur
Workers at Colloids, a plastic manufacturer in Merseyside, are striking indefinitely against the sacking of their Unite union rep George Gore.
The 36 process operators, at the Kirkby plant began the action on Monday of last week.
Strikers are furious after video footage emerged of management breaching health and safety rules that George was accused of breaking.
Unite’s Pat Coyne said, “If Colloids is that safety conscious, then why are its managers not being sacked for breaking the rules too?”
Postal workers at a Royal Mail delivery office and mail centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, struck unofficially last Thursday.
The CWU union members returned to work later that day “after negotiations and certain assurances have been made”. The CWU Eastern No 5 branch praised the “great support from members”.
Workers are claiming victory over pay at multinational firm Chanel’s store in London.
Bosses offered cleaners, members of the United Voices of the World union, a rise of 10 percent to £9.10 an hour after they threatened to strike.
But workers kept up strike plans. Chanel has now said it will pay the London Living Wage of £10.55 an hour to cleaners across its stores.
Workers at Sellafield postponed a 14-day strike that was set to begin last Sunday after management agreed to further talks.
Around 180 Unite union members in catering, cleaning, security, laundry and environmental services at the nuclear plant in Cumbria are fighting over pay.
They are employed by outsourcer Mitie. If there is no deal, strikes were set to begin on Thursday this week and continue until 17 June.
Workers at Loulou’s private members club in Mayfair, London, were set to protest this Friday as part of a campaign to stop kitchen porters being outsourced.
Demands also include the London Living Wage of £10.55 an hour and “decent occupational sick pay”.
The workers are members of the IWGB union.
Bosses are obsessed with making cuts
Another year of inaction from our rulers
