Strike Follow

Council workers in South Africa have won big concessions over pay after a national strike lasting almost three weeks. The Samwu municipal workers' union won a £14 a month increase in the minimum wage and a 9 percent increase for most of its members. The employers' body had earlier refused to budge from 8 percent.

WESTMINSTER council workers began an all-out strike on Monday against a major privatisation plan by their Tory council. The strike in the London council began with 77 workers in the Parking and Highways Licensing Departments striking and staging lively pickets. At least three people joined the Unison union on the picket lines in order to take part in the strike.

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.

JOURNALISTS at the Mirror-owned Newcastle Chronicle and Journal planned their first day's strike action for this Thursday in a dispute over pay. Another strike is scheduled for next Thursday. The strike is the latest in a wave of action on regional newspapers across Britain.

A HUGELY successful strike by London's tube workers last week has shown they have the power to stop New Labour's crazy PPP privatisation scheme. Members of the RMT union struck for 24 hours from 8pm on Wednesday. The same day hundreds of thousands of council workers walked out. The strike hit London Underground management hard.

THE PAY revolt on the railways is growing. Drivers on First North Western Trains are set to strike in their fight for decent pay. Aslef members on First North Western have voted to strike after rejecting a 3.5 percent offer. They plan three 48-hour strikes-on 28 and 29 July, 4 and 5 August, and 11 and 12 August.

OVER 350 tanker drivers who work for P&O Trans European are considering a new pay offer. It was put forward at the last moment to halt a planned three-day strike. The drivers deliver petrol and other fuels under contract for Shell. An extended stoppage would see petrol stations running out of supplies. Pickets were gathering at 13 depots across Britain as news came though that the strike had been called off.

POSTAL WORKERS are on course to begin a national strike ballot over a proposed joint venture with Balfour Beatty. The workers directly affected are in the Romec maintenance and cleaning section. But the plan has implications for all 180,000 postal staff. A strike ballot was supposed to begin at the start of this month, but was halted for further talks.

ARRIVA RAIL workers in the north of England marched to join the annual Miners' Gala in Durham last Saturday as they staged their fifteenth one-day strike.

WEDNESDAY'S walkout by over one million council workers is the biggest strike yet under Tony Blair. It has brought the reality of life for millions of working people-low pay and insecurity-to the streets of hundreds of towns and cities.

OVER 100,000 South African council workers started their second week on all-out strike on Tuesday. They are fighting for a minimum wage of £150 a month. At present the minimum wage is £125 a month.

JOURNALISTS AT the Rotherham Advertiser are the latest to vote for a strike ballot over pay. The NUJ union members decided to ballot after rejecting a 2.3 percent offer. The Liverpool Post and Echo Weekly group is meeting this week to decide whether to hold a strike ballot.