London Follow

HUGE NUMBERS of people marched through the streets of London last Saturday against the occupation of Iraq. Most wanted regime change too-here in Britain. The 100,000-strong protest was called by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain, and took place on the eve of the Labour Party conference.

THURSDAY 16 October could be set to see major strikes across London. Tens of thousands of workers employed by local councils in town halls, offices, depots and schools are to strike for the day in the latest phase of a long-running battle over London weighting.

BULLYING BOSSES and a low pay offer have prompted journalists at the Emap publishing group in North London to vote for industrial action. Journalists were offered just 3 percent to cover inflation. They had asked for 8 percent.

OVER 25,000 postal workers in London were set to strike this week in a defiant response to their management. The strike is over London weighting, but it has greater significance. It will be another important step on the road to the union recovering its self confidence and fighting spirit after the setback of losing the national pay ballot.

"HOW CAN they ignore us any longer? All we want is the truth, justice and change." So said Geoff and Diane Gray, speaking at a Socialist Alliance meeting in Hackney, east London, on Monday of this week. Geoff and Diane are campaigning for justice following the death of their 17 year old son, Private Geoff Gray, in suspicious circumstances at the notorious Deepcut barracks.

POSTAL WORKERS are facing a crucial few weeks which could determine what happens in the industry for years to come. Trade unionists in other industries will also be watching developments intently. Royal Mail managers have gone on the offensive after the shock announcement last week that postal workers had voted by 48,038 to 46,391 against strikes over pay. The outrageous assault from management provoked unofficial strikes in Oxford, and also forms the backdrop to the strikes over London weighting planned in the capital.

OVER 900 people packed into a World Development Movement meeting in London last Thursday to hear speakers report back from the WTO talks in Cancun. Prof Yash Tandon, an African delegate to the WTO, gave a perspective from the inside. The FT had a report saying that poor countries were "likely to be the biggest losers" from the collapse of the talks. Yash explained how this was completely upside down-no deal was much better than a bad deal.

STAFF ON the Heathrow Express, which takes passengers from central London to Heathrow airport, have voted in favour of strike action. The Aslef union plans three 24-hour strikes next month after 41 out of 76 members voted in favour.

THOUSANDS OF workers employed by London councils have backed more strikes to win an increase in the London weighting allowance. Members of the Unison union in town halls, manual depots and schools across the capital voted by 80.7 percent for more strikes in a consultative ballot. Existing ballots allowed union leaders to call more action but they foisted the new ballot upon members anyway.

THE LATEST round of strike action in the universities, targeting student registration week in London, kicked off at University College London (UCL) and Goldsmiths on Monday of this week. They are fighting for improved an London weighting allowance. Members of the Unison and AUT unions picketed the UCL main site on Monday and Tuesday, as well as a number of outlying buildings.

I COME from Derry in Northern Ireland. I'm in London as a journalist covering the Saville tribunal into the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry in 1972. Men of the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment came into our area and shot dead 14 of my neighbours, and wounded 13 others, as thousands of us watched. It took a campaign of 26 years of the relatives of the dead and the surviving wounded before we forced Mr Blair and the Labour government to set up a new inquiry.

PEOPLE WILL be heading for the French capital in November to take part in the second European Social Forum (ESF). The first ESF was in the Italian city of Florence last November, when 60,000 people took part in three days of rallies, debates and forums. The Florence forum culminated in a million-strong demonstration against war. And it was out of meetings at Florence that activists from across Europe called for massive anti-war protests on 15 February this year.