Strike Follow

IN RESPONSE to the strike planned for 1 September at its West Gorton, Manchester site, IT company Fujitsu Services announced that first-line helpdesk staff nationwide would now get full company sick pay and five days extra holiday.

"We're fed up with rubbish money and getting driven like slaves. Let's take the smile off those bloody managers' faces," says Mike, a Royal Mail delivery worker from Newcastle. The strike ballot among 160,000 postal workers has started, and there is a great determination to win the vote and hit Royal Mail hard.

OVER TWO hundred bus drivers in York were set to strike on Wednesday of this week. Last week their first planned strike was called off while management negotiated a deal with the union.

AROUND 100 workers at Cold Drawn Products in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, walked out on strike last Tuesday. They were angry that they had been offered a 2 percent pay rise, having asked for 3 percent. The workers at the wire manufacturing company planned to walk out again on Monday of this week if their demands are not met.

AMICUS UNION members at Fujitsu Services in West Gorton, Manchester, have voted to strike by a majority of over 75 percent. The dispute is over two sets of issues. Firstly, the company are breaking longstanding union recognition and redundancy agreements. Secondly, the company have rejected the union's pay claim.

NURSERY NURSES in Scotland plan to escalate their action against low pay and for respect for the valuable job they do. The workers' Unison union has said that nursery nurses across Scotland will strike for a week, between Monday 8 September and Friday 12 September, unless Scotland's local authorities come up with a decent offer. The week of strikes will culminate in a protest at Glasgow Green on Saturday 13 September.

AROUND 160,000 postal workers across Britain begin a strike ballot over pay next week. London postal workers will also vote in a second ballot over London weighting. Nationally postal workers have been offered a 4.5 percent rise over 18 months. Any larger increase is dependent on mass job cuts, a worse service and even harder terms for the workers.

CHILE SAW its biggest national strike last week since protests against the military dictatorship in the 1980s. The one-day strike came only weeks before the 11 September 30th anniversary of the coup which saw General Pinochet topple the elected government.

WORKERS AT Rhodia chemical factories in Widnes, Cheshire and Oldbury went out on strike again to defend their pensions last week. The company wants to close the final salary pension scheme to new workers. But the 600-strong workforce is determined to stop the erosion of their pension rights.

OVER 80 members of the GPMU media workers' union were to strike this week against the planned closure of the library and copy-taking departments at the Daily Record. They say 19 jobs will go if these departments are moved to Watford.

YORK BUS drivers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. The TGWU transport workers' union balloted drivers when employer the First Group rejected a demand for £8 an hour pay. Support for the strike was solid, with 205 voting in favour and only ten against. The turnout was 82 percent.

WORKERS AT the Forensic Science Service may go on strike against government plans to privatise it. The Prospect union, representing 1,400 scientists at the service, will decide this week whether to organise a strike ballot. The PCS civil service union, which represents 380 clerical staff at the forensic service, is also considering strike action.