Ameen Hadi speak at a Unison union conference (Photo: Unison)
Support is growing—both in the community and throughout the trade union movement—to defend Ameen Hadi against far right smears.
Over 2,700 people have signed the petition opposing the far right attack on a leading trade unionist and anti-racist campaigner, and his branch Salford City Unison.
Ameen, the Unison union branch equalities officer at Salford City Council in Greater Manchester, was placed under investigation by his employer last month as a result of a campaign against him by the far right.
The torrent of abuse against Ameen pushed by fascists, including Nazi Tommy Robinson, came after a Together alliance rally in Manchester on International Women’s Day in March.
Far right thugs abused Hannah Spencer, the newly elected Green Party MP for Gorton and Denton,
following the rally.
Appallingly, Salford council responded by placing Ameen under investigation, after the far right claimed that they were the victims.
A statement from Salford City Unison called on the council “to restore Ameen to his workplace and to reach the clear and obvious conclusion that Ameen should not be punished for being the victim of a far-right attack and subsequent witch hunt”.
“Any other outcome would embolden the far right and tell them that Salford City Council can be intimidated into targeting black workers and trade unionists for nothing more than refusing to see a woman MP violently attacked for standing up for equality,” it said.
Ameen has received wide support from MPs, Salford councillors, union leaders, other trades unionists and community activists.
The Green Party Trade Union Group and Green Party Unison network have also come out in support of Ameen.
They said Ameen and Hannah Spencer MP were subjected to “unprovoked aggression” by the far right—the latest in a number of recent far-right attacks on events and protests in Manchester.
“We join Salford City Unison, Unison general secretary Andrea Egan and thousands of trade unionists, anti-racist and social justice activists, councillors, MPs and others who have declared solidarity with Ameen and spoken out against Salford council’s action.
“We call on activists and leaders throughout the Green Party to do likewise, including by signing the petition in support of Ameen and Salford City Unison branch.”
Ameen is set to speak at the Salford Trades Council May Day event on Monday 4 May.
The Campaign is urging all supporters to attend the march and rally in solidarity with Ameen and Salford City Unison.
Unite union members have slammed union officials for holding meetings behind closed doors with Reform UK.
The Times newspaper revealed last week that Unite officials held secret talks with the far right party over the Birmingham bin strike.
According to some polls, Reform UK is expected to win around 26 seats on the council in the May elections.
A Unite rep from Birmingham told the Reunite the Union website that general secretary Sharon Graham “has no mandate from Birmingham council workers or the bin yards to hold talks with Reform. She hasn’t spoken to us about it at all.”
Unions should be preparing to resist Reform UK’s racism and its attacks on workers after the May elections, not cosying up to them.
Unison union members at the University of Bristol are striking for the second time over a paltry 1.4 percent pay offer. This amounts in real terms to a pay cut of over 3 percent.
Nathan, co-branch secretary at the university said, “Higher education workers got by far the lowest pay offer of any public sector workers, which comes off the back of 17 years of real terms pay cuts—administrators, IT workers, librarians have had enough.”
This sentiment was expressed in solidarity on the picket lines from students, other trade unionists and passersby.
“We’ve had a huge surge in new members joining since this strike began.
“They see a branch of their fellow workers standing up for their rights and are gaining confidence in collective struggle,” said Nathan.
“It’s time to turn the tide on pay and keep building a national fightback.”
Speakers at the lunchtime rally last Wednesday criticised restructuring within university departments, which has deepened the discontent among workers.
There is potential for escalation if there isn’t a serious shift in management’s offer. There is no sign these workers are backing down.
By Jack Drury, Bristol
Meanwhile, support workers at the University of Gloucestershire struck last Thursday after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer of just 1.4 percent.
The strike by Unison union members comes as the university has recently invested £75 million in its new City Campus in Gloucester.
Further strikes were set for Tuesday and Wednesday this week as the dispute over pay continues.
Porter drivers at Prestwich Hospital, Greater Manchester, are set to strike for five days this week beginning on Tuesday.
They will strike next week for a further four days if their demands are not met.
The Unison union members voted unanimously to strike over pay and re-banding.
Three years ago, their role was then re-banded from band 2 to band 3 in recognition of their job roles.
But bosses have refused to implement the pay increase or pay the back pay they are owed.
Workers are furious. They have been cheated out of an agreed pay rise the day before two years back pay was due to be paid.
They should take inspiration from other NHS workers who won re-banding and back pay after a fierce and solid campaign.
In Maiden Newton, Dorset, members of the public gave fire chiefs a grilling at two consultation meetings last week.
The daytime meeting had around 130 people from Maiden Newton and the surrounding areas, and 120 showed up for a second meeting in the evening.
The entire population of the parish is less than 1,200.
The packed consultation meetings show the strength of feeling about plans to shut eight local fire stations. Campaigners say this will increase response times in emergencies, which are already slower than the national average.
The FBU union says, “Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is already stretched to breaking point. Since 2010, the service has lost a fifth of its firefighters—and cutting another 96 roles would strip away another 16 percent of the frontline workforce.”
As the climate crisis drives more fires and floods, fire services will be even more stretched.
Nottingham Save Our Services Campaign and Friends of Sherwood Library are celebrating the reopening of our local library. It was closed during the Covid pandemic for rebuilding.
However, after 30 months and many marches and rallies, we finally got our library reopened on Friday 17 April. Not only that, we pre-empted the official council opening by staging our own “opening” by cutting the “tape” before the officials.
But the fight is not over yet. Local Campaigner, Colin Barrett, said at the opening “we now must fight for the full opening hours before it was closed.”
By Richard Buckwell, Sherwood resident and campaigner
A strike in Camden ahead of key by-election
Failure to end forever wars or bring prices way down
Trade unionists should support and vote for the UCU motion
Hundreds attended an anti-austerity summit hosted by Hackney council
