Strike Follow

Hackney BIN WORKERS and street cleaners in Hackney, east London, have forced the council to back off from 40 compulsory job cuts. The 280 workers had been set to take strike action for two days this week. The workers had threatened to escalate to all-out action in the beginning of September.

HUNDREDS OF workers at a BAE Systems plant, formerly British Aerospace, near Manchester have voted to take strike action over pay. The 620 workers at the Woodford factory in Greater Manchester voted by a huge 93.95 percent for strike action.

SOME 120 workers for British Gas Services in London held a strike last week in a dispute over pay. The engineers, members of the GMB union, are demanding the firm pays all the workers the £100 inner London allowance which only a section of the workforce gets.

Strike to shut Ford across EuropeOccupy Rover to keep out alchemyStop New Labour giving in to the fat cats

Great politics on the picket lines DURING THE Connex rail strike on Tuesday of last week myself and another comrade went down to the drivers' picket line at Orpington, Kent. The response we received was brilliant. People welcomed us when we said we were from Socialist Worker. There was a real willingness by the strikers to talk about the issues behind their dispute and the wider political situation facing workers today.

"THEY ALL think we're scum." That is the view of two young Newcastle fans, Gerry and his mate Sewell. They are the main characters in Jonathan Tulloch's great novel Season Ticket. Gerry and Sewell live in Gateshead. Sewell's dad is doing a long stretch in prison. Gerry's dad is a violent, abusive drinker.

LEICESTERSHIRE: Around 500 care workers across Leicestershire took part in the first of a series of one day strikes last Saturday against plans to cut wages. Leicestershire County Council bosses are trying to impose new contracts which will take away weekend shift allowances. This would cost some workers up to £2,000 a year. It is also feared that this pay cut could pave the way for privatisation. Support for the strike was solid amongst the mainly female part time workforce. Two rallies of about 100 strikers and supporters took place during the day. The workers planned more strikes this week and next unless management backed down.

"UNION railroads Connex." That was the headline in last Sunday's Observer newspaper. Drivers working for privatised rail company Connex have won a magnificent victory. One 24 hour strike by 1,500 train drivers left fat cat rail bosses reeling. Drivers, who belong to the ASLEF rail union, won their demands for a 35 hour week and 100 percent pension rights. Connex has also been forced to agree to recruit at least 60 new drivers. A driver from Battersea depot in south London told Socialist Worker, "Everyone stood together and we won. "All the managers who tried to bully and intimidate us are skulking around the mess room now. They're scared to show their faces."

"WE WERE right to stand and fight. I have no doubts about that. People stood together and that makes me proud." They were the words of one of the sacked Sky Chefs workers who last week decided to end their brave 14 month fight. The 270 catering workers at Heathrow Airport were sacked by air giant Lufthansa simply for taking part in a legal one day strike against huge attacks on their pay and conditions.