Strike Follow

THE PAY dispute in DEFRA, the former ministry of agriculture, entered its tenth week at the beginning of this week. A rolling programme of regional strike action, an overtime ban and a work to rule are starting to break the resolve of management.

THREE HUNDRED low paid health workers across ten Glasgow hospitals began an all-out indefinite strike on Tuesday of this week. The 300 medical secretaries are fighting to upgrade their pay and improve their terrible working conditions.

HUNDREDS MORE job centre workers in the PCS civil servants' union joined the indefinite strike for safety at work on Monday of this week. Workers at the government's new Pathfinder offices in Streatham and Brent in London have entered the eighth week of their strike against the removal of safety screens at work.

SIX DAYS of strike action by 900 members of the UNISON union have forced Sefton council on Merseyside to reopen two of the care homes it shut. The income from the sale of a third site has been ring-fenced to be reinvested into social services, and a site is to be found for a new children's home.

STRIKE action planned at Scottish Power this week has been called off to allow negotiations with management. The decision was taken at a stewards' meeting addressed by officials from the AEEU, GMB and TGWU unions.

Mark New, a leader of the Dudley hospitals workers' strike and the candidate of the United Left, has been elected to the national executive committee (NEC) of public sector union Unison. Mark was elected by health workers in the union for a "health" seat on the union's NEC.

WORKERS AT whisky makers Chivas Regal took part in a third day of strike action on Wednesday of last week. The workers, members of the GMB, AEEU and MSF unions, voted to strike by an overwhelming four to one in an attempt to win a pay rise.

THE planned strike by train drivers in the ASLEF and RMT unions on London Underground was called off by union leaders on Thursday of last week just hours before action was due to start.

THE SOCIAL services branch of the UNISON union in Waltham Forest has passed a motion calling for one-day strike action against £2.5 million of council cuts. Workers and the local community were set to lobby the council on Thursday of this week.

ROSSINGTON Miners are back on all-out strike. They returned to work for one day last week to overcome legal complications. The decision to return to work for 24 hours was taken after NUM members voted to strike in a second ballot.

HUNDREDS OF low paid women workers in hospitals across Glasgow are preparing for an all-out strike to force hospital bosses to give them better pay and conditions. They are 300 medical secretaries who have a vital role to play in healthcare provision in hospitals.

THE NEW Labour government could face a strike by tens of thousands of workers in job centres across Britain if the current strike is escalated to national action.