Glasgow Follow

OVER 2,000 firefighters and their supporters converged on Belfast from around Northern Ireland and Britain as the firefighters' campaign for decent pay hotted up last weekend. This latest Fire Brigades Union (FBU) demonstration had the same confident and vibrant spirit shown on previous demonstrations on the streets of London, Glasgow and other cities.

"LISTEN TO the workers!" "Could you live on our pay?" These were some of the shouts which met Scottish health minister Malcolm Chisholm as his car swept into the Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock, near Glasgow, on Friday of last week. Chisholm was officially welcomed by a row of suited hospital managers. But first he was challenged by a lively demonstration of over 100 angry and militant pickets, on their fifth day of an unofficial strike against low pay. The strike was continuing at the beginning of the week.

HUNDREDS OF health workers packed into a social club in the East End of Glasgow last Friday evening. The celebration had been organised to mark a stunning victory. Over 300 health workers at the city's Glasgow Royal Infirmary took on the multinational firm Sodexho, which runs support services at the hospital, and won.

OVER 200 people gathered outside Scotland's national football stadium, Hampden Park, in Glasgow on Friday of last week to protest at next month's under-21 football match between Scotland and Israel.

We're more angry than ever before THE ANTI-war mood in Glasgow and across Scotland is growing daily and not just among the usual suspects. For years the Muslim community has been considered quiet and respectable, playing little or no role in active politics.

DEFIANT STRIKES by 300 workers at Glasgow Royal Infirmary have defeated Sodexho, a brutal multinational that operates in 72 countries. The inspiring news came through on Monday that six days of strikes had forced massive concessions from the firm.

THE TRIALS have started of people who were arrested during the Govanhill pool protests in Glasgow last year. In an effort to stop the immensely popular pool from being closed by the city council, local people and their supporters occupied the facility. On 7 August last year sheriff officers backed by police began removing people from the building. People rushed on to the streets to protest and were eventually met by charges from mounted police.

ABOUT 300 workers employed by the private contractor Sodexho at Glasgow Royal Infirmary struck for three days this week over pay. This follows a two-day strike last week. Strikers picketed the hospital enthusiastically and showed they are solidly behind the strike. One of the pickets told Socialist Worker, "We're sick of low pay and being pushed around by this management. Those on strike are porters, domestics, and catering and security staff. We are an important part of the NHS and we deserve to get a decent rate of pay."

THE NATIONAL president of the EIS-CLA, the Scottish further education lecturers' union, was sacked last week from his job at Glasgow's Central College of Commerce. Jim O'Donovan had been suspended on full pay following a disciplinary hearing at the end of last term.

OVER 5,000 firefighters and control room staff marched in Glasgow on Monday as part of the Britain-wide campaign over pay. It was a brilliantly colourful and noisy protest with big delegations from London, Yorkshire, Cornwall, Ireland and many other places. Many of those present said that it was "not like a trade union demo-it was more like the sort of thing they do in Europe".

AROUND 200 workers at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary could be on strike next week. The planned action follows a 95 percent vote for action. The porters, domestics, security and catering workers are employed by Sodexho. This company made money from the asylum voucher system. It pays workers at the infirmary as little as £4.10 an hour.

THE NATIONAL president of the Scottish lecturers' union, the EIS-CLA, is the latest union activist to be targeted by management at further education colleges in Scotland. Jim O'Donovan has been suspended from his lecturing post at the Glasgow Central College of Commerce.