Strike Follow

JOURNALISTS AT the Bradford titles of Newsquest-a division of the giant US media firm Gannett-walked out over low pay on Thursday and Friday of last week. The members of the NUJ union are to strike again on 10 and 11 February, and then on 19 and 20 February. The action involves staff at local papers in Bradford, Shipley, Otley, Keighley, Skipton and Ilkley.

DRIVERS ON English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) struck solidly last Saturday and plan another strike this Saturday. They run freight trains and are members of the Aslef union. EWS drivers are demanding what they have been campaigning for over the last three years-a proper pay rise, a 35- hour week, all of pay to count towards pensions, and a maximum ten-hour day.

THE GOVERNMENT is trying to break the firefighters. Everyone needs to fight to make sure its assault fails. The threats and intimidation came as firefighters struck for 48 hours this week and planned another strike starting from 9am on Saturday.

TRAIN DRIVERS working for freight company English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) plan to strike this Saturday and three subsequent Saturdays. We have become increasingly angry at management's refusal to hold proper talks about pay, the implementation of a 35-hour week, and pensions. At present EWS drivers are on the lowest rates for any rail company.

AN OVERALL majority of 53 percent of Peugeot car workers have voted in favour of strike action. They have rejected a management pay offer worth 7.3 percent over two years. Members of both the majority TGWU and Amicus unions recorded almost identical majorities.

JOURNALISTS in Bradford are set to lead the action again in this year's low pay battles. Members of the journalists' NUJ union at Bradford Newsquest led the way last year with the first pay strike for a decade. They have now voted by 87 percent for a series of two-day stoppages, starting this week on 30 and 31 January.

March to defend education THREE MORE schools in Hackney, east London, have voted in an indicative ballot to take strike action in solidarity with sacked union rep Indro Sen. Teachers at Kingsland School took one day's strike action in support of Sen two weeks ago.

"IT'S A fight on two sides now, and everybody knows it. It's not just over pay. I've just seen Prescott on the TV and he's out to break our union and slash the UK fire service." That's what Mark Barter from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Bedfordshire told Socialist Worker as firefighters and control staff launched their third strike on Tuesday.

THE NATFHE union's special further education (FE) sector conference has voted unanimously for escalating strike action if the employers fail to make an acceptable offer at their meeting with the FE unions next Wednesday. The strikes last May and November were crucial to getting the government to put extra money into colleges.

BUS STRIKES in Norwich have been suspended after management made workers a new offer last week. Some 350 drivers working for the First Group firm in the town recently went on strike for seven days in protest at being made to work longer driving hours. The strike was solid and workers held lively picket lines, stopping some agency workers from going into work.

AROUND 2,500 train drivers working for the freight company English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) are to strike over pay and hours. They include workers who have recently blocked ammunition trains in Scotland. The workers are members of Aslef and voted overwhelmingly for action in a ballot. Strikes have been set for four Saturdays-1,8,15,22 February.

PROBATION OFFICERS in England and Wales are set to take a one-day strike on Wednesday 29 January. This comes after an overwhelming vote for industrial action by members of the Napo union.