Issues

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Issue - 1892
Dated - 13 Mar 2004
BT

"WE'RE SICK of waiting," was the unmistakable message delivered to BT last week. Scores of Communication Workers Union members lobbied the company's London HQ demanding an increase in the allowances paid to employees working in the capital.

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In this issue

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BT

"WE'RE SICK of waiting," was the unmistakable message delivered to BT last week. Scores of Communication Workers Union members lobbied the company's London HQ demanding an increase in the allowances paid to employees working in the capital.
13 March 2004
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Unite Against Fascism

COMMUNITY leaders, trade unionists and faith groups joined forces at a Unite Against Fascism conference in Sheffield last Saturday to discuss how to counter the threat of the Nazi BNP in the city. They heard from an array of speakers, including world champion boxing coach Brendan Ingle, himself an immigrant from Ireland.
13 March 2004
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Lecturers

ACTION BY university lecturers over pay continues with growing pressure by the membership on the executive of the AUT union to step up the action. At Leeds, weekly strike committee meetings are attracting 20 or so departmental reps, and the feedback from departments is tremendous.
13 March 2004
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Schools

AROUND 100 people lobbied a Calderdale (Halifax) council meeting on Wednesday of last week in noisy protest at the threat of closure of a popular local school, Mixenden Community Primary. Councillors callously voted for closure-all Labour and Tory councillors. Just one Lib Dem and three Nazi BNP councillors voted against.
13 March 2004
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Defend council housing

CAMPAIGNERS to defend council housing will be in Manchester this weekend to coincide with the Labour Party local government conference. The Defend Council Housing campaign organisation and the Council Housing group of MPs are holding sessions to collect evidence in favour of what has been dubbed "the fourth option-direct investment in council housing".
13 March 2004
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Pensions

DELEGATES FROM around the country attended an Institute of Employment Rights conference on pension provision recently. It discussed two key issues-the future provision for pensions and the problems with existing pension schemes.
13 March 2004
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Globalise Resistance

OVER 100 people attended the Globalise Resistance Scotland conference in Glasgow last Saturday. Participants heard George Galloway denounce as "drivel" Blair's recent speech that though the war in Iraq might have been illegal, it shouldn't have been. Mark Curtis, author and now director of the World Development Movement, spoke of the need for more direct action.
13 March 2004
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Workers’ unity needed to fight these job cuts

STRIKERS AT Metzeler's plant in Coalville, Leicestershire, held their sixth one-day strike on Monday over the company's pay offer. They were also planning to hold a vote over whether to continue the action. The 16 engineers have been fighting to wrestle a 73p an hour pay rise from the multinational company. They are in the Amicus union. Most of the 500 shop floor workers are in the TGWU union, who narrowly voted for the pay offer.
13 March 2004
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It was 20 years ago today

OVER 400 Notts, Hucknall and Linby striking miners and their families celebrated the 20th anniversary of the strike on Friday of last week. Speakers included ex Hucknall miner Les Dennis, who said that the only ballot there should have been was whether to return to work after the strike without the sacked miners from the pits being given their jobs back.
13 March 2004
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NHS

PORTERS AND domestic staff at Bolton and North Manchester general hospitals (part of the same trust) have voted to strike. They work for ISS Mediclean, a multinational which has profited from the privatisation of the NHS.
13 March 2004
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The strike plan is not enough

OVER 90,000 civil servants in the PCS union are set to strike again for two days on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 April. The strike will close down job centres, benefits offices, pension centres and the Child Support Agency. This is the next stage of the campaign against poverty pay by workers in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
13 March 2004
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Union defiant in face of threats

COUNCIL WORKERS rallied outside Newham Town Hall in east London on Monday lunchtime against a major threat to their trade union branch. At the heart of the fight is the right of trade unions to represent their members, and for members to democratically decide what the union branch does. Up to 100 members of the Unison union joined Monday's rally. They were supported by trade unionists from the local further education college and Unison branches in other London councils.
13 March 2004