Dessian Strike - Belfast - update June 23rdSocialist Party leaflet on this ongoing strike.The strike is still solid and production has been cut to virtually nothing. Last week a number of the sales reps who handled the big orders on which the factory depends handed in their notice saying they could not sell the rubbish that was being turned out by the agency workers and the few scabs currently working. Talks are due to take place this week but the strikers do not expect a breakthrough. The company are still refusing to budge on their demand for the reinstatement of sacked shop steward, Paddy McCloskey. Socialist Party members have been visiting the strike and giving support and assistance. The recent NIPSA Conference passed an emergency motion supporting the strike. The sacked airport shop stewards, two of whom are members of the Socialist Party, have also been to the picket line to give support. Messages of support and donations should be sent to Stephen Magee, 31 Ava Crescent, Belfast BT7 3DU. Cheques should be made payable to the “Dessian Fund”. Below is the text of a Socialist Party leaflet on the strike. Read the first SP reports here... |  |
Monday 16th Feb. Airport strikers go onto Hunger strike - ATGWU concedes enquiry
Gordan McNeill and Madan Gupta agreed to end their hunger strike following a meeting with T&GWU Regional Secretary, Brendan Hodgers, at which their call for an enquiry to investigate all that happened during their dispute, including the events that led up to their sacking, was conceded. Read more here...Attack on the Belfast airport strikers and the Socialist Party
In November 2003 Sean Smyth, a member of the ATGWU, wrote an article on the Belfast international airport strike, the role of the strikers and the SP.Normally the SP would just ignore attacks from individuals and sectarian groups, but because this attack got some attention and involves our activity supporting workers in struggle, we discussed the matter and drew up this reply, after discussion with the workers concerned. The Socialist Party has a long and proud tradition of supporting workers in struggle.
This attack contains serious and completely untrue allegations about the airport workers and the Socialist Party so we have produced a reply which is endorsed by the workers. We are posting the original article along with the SP's reply and a comment from the airport workers endorsing our reply.
Initial NIPSA election results 16/2/4
A full report is still not available, but the Time for Change group in NIPSA numbers elected onto the General Council has risen from 7 to 9. Within this block there are 4 SP members. Congratulations to all concerned, a full report will follow, including the problems caused by the split to the right by the SWP and others.QUEENS STRIKE ENDS IN VICTORY: note added, 24/1/4.
The Queens University Belfast Crèche strike ended this week in a victory for the crèche workers.From a position last November where Queens management refused to consider any change in terms and conditions the workers have achieved a considerable improvement in pay.
For Assistant crèche workers pay will rise by £1000 consolidated over the next 2 years for Supervisors the rise will be £600 consolidated and a £400 lump sum this will be in addition to their annual NJC linked rise.
Thanks to everyone who gave support, without such solidarity this victory would not have been possible.
Time for Change.
2 more photos from the picket lines are available here.
January 2004 Socialist Voice - Reports of various disputes
Royal Mail and 1984!!
Managers are urged to spy on and photograph activists
Kevin Maguire - Saturday November 1, 2003 - The Guardian Read the report here.
Reports of various disputes
Trade Union Reports: Rail workers begin break with Labour, PCS, social workers. Socialist Voice, July 2003
Trade Workplace - Trade Union Reports: CIE, Builders, ADM in Cork, CPSU Socialist Voice, July 2003
Belfast International Airport picket
Socialist Trade Union victory
Carmel Gates, Socialist Party and Time for Change candidate for the President of NIPSA, Northern Ireland's largest trade union, comfortably won the election at the union conference in Newcastle last week. Here is a short report. Congratulations to all concerned.
News
Bernard Roome, a member of the SP in England, moved the following resolution on the Communication Workers' Union National Committee. It was carried unanimously:
"The CWU re-confirms its total opposition to the impending war on Iraq and will campaign for all members to take protest action on the day that war is officially declared."
All trade union activists opposed to the war can take encouragement from this.
The weekly paper of the Socialist Party in England/Wales carried this editorial in their paper after Prescotts bully boy threats were made. All trade unionists should give it a good read.
Firefighters Can Win –
Despite Prescott’s threats
THE 55,000 firefighters who have taken strike
action, have not only widespread public support but also the industrial muscle
to defeat the government and win their demand for a decent wage that reflects
their responsibilities and skills.According to The Guardian, Blair and his warmongering government have been forced to reduce the number of troops covering the dispute. They are making troops work longer shifts to make up for the thousands of troops they are sending to the Gulf.
New Labour ministers were taken aback by the decision to go ahead with strike action on 28 and 29 January. They confidently expected the union leadership to call them off, even though the government declared that their position had not changed a bit.
They were still insisting that even the 4% pay increase from last November, as part of a three-year deal, was inextricably linked to the FBU accepting the thousands of job losses implicit in the Bain report.
Nick Raynsford, minister 'responsible' for the fire service, complained that the FBU was " no longer credible". John Prescott said that continuing the dispute would mean less money available to settle the dispute. The local government employers voiced what is central to the bosses in this dispute, when they said that the union could not "have a veto on how a publicly funded and democratically accountable service can be managed" (Financial Times 28/01/03). In other words, they want to end the level of workers' control that the firefighters have over the fire service.
The hypocrisy of these employers knows no bounds. They want to cut the number of firefighters and the number of fire stations and engines but condemn the FBU for striking at a time of "heightened public anxiety about threats to safety". It is the employers that don't give a fig about safety as is demonstrated by the mad dash for privatisation of the London Underground and the rail system. Firefighters have been coming off the picket lines to save lives but they get little appreciation for this.
As we went to press, Prescott announced in the Commons that he would reactivate the 1947 Fire Services Act, repealed in 1959, to take control of the fire service and impose a pay settlement on the firefighters. Firefighters need to meet this challenge with increased determination. They have everything to win by continuing the struggle, especially when war seems imminent. Many increasingly feel that an all-out strike would rapidly bring the government to its knees.
At the same time it would demonstrate to the whole trade union movement that the firefighters mean business and give confidence to workers to take solidarity action as the Tube workers did before Christmas.
Stop Prescotts attack on the FBU
The government is preparing new legal powers to take control of the fire service and impose a pay settlement on Fire fighters, banning the right to strike.
They are preparing to reactivate the Fire Services Act of 1947, repealed in 1959, in an attempt to break the strike. The new powers will allow the government to specify pay, terms and conditions in the fire service. Pay and conditions are currently negotiated with local government employers.
The union called the announcement, which came hours after their latest 48-hour strike began, a "desperate" example of government.
Tuesday's walkout will be followed by a further 48-hour strike on Saturday.
The FBU executive announced on Monday that industrial action will continue after two days of talks with employers at the conciliation service Acas last week.
The Blair government's insistence that the Bain report is non-negotiable means pay raises can only be linked to job loses. This instance means the dispute could become a lengthy one. At mass meetings across the country the anger and determination of ordinary fire fighters has shone through.
FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist condemned the announcement as a "desperate act by desperate people. Imposing a settlement by legislation simply highlights their unwillingness to negotiate," Mr Gilchrist added.
"It is bullying tactics and they do not
impress us."
"This government doesn't give a damn about the fire service," he said. "But this is not going to break the dispute."
Blair’s big gamble
This move is a high stakes gamble for the
Government; it has escalated the dispute beyond one of pay to one of the rights
of the whole labour movement.
Labour MP John MacDonald told BBC radio that the
Government would not get the support of the majority of Labour MPs on this
issue and that they could only push it forward with Tory support. He has
consistently asked for assurance that this would not lead to the removal of the
right to strike; he has received no such assurance.
With such a huge risks involved speculation that
this is a move ‘on track for war’ is rife.
As a part of our campaign to support the Firefighters in this dispute, the Socialist Party organised a very successful public meeting on Thursday, 28th, in the Holiday Inn, University Street, Belfast. Despite being organised at only 4 days notice, and pouring rain for several days limiting the amount of postering and leafletting we could do, a good number of trade union activists attended to hear the platform explain the updated position on the dispute.
The platform included Tony Maguire, the Regional Chair of the FBU and Carmel Gates, the Left candidate in the recent NIPSA union elections. A full report will be uploaded over the weekend.
To help the FBU Socialist Party members in Belfast and Derry raised over £1,150 in several hours activity. £250 was handed over by members in Derry at the picket line, the other £900 presented at the Belfast Support Group meeting, Tuesday 26th.
Every worker should, NO YOU MUST, do what you can to help these people in this dispute. The full might of the government propaganda machine is being turned on them. Solidarity is essential, Solidarity can help win this struggle.
NIPSA General Secretary Election.
For a longer analysis of the result, go here.
Articles in the Nov-December 2002 issue of Socialist Voice
FBU Dispute
The platform for the meeting held on Nov. 30th in Belfast. Jim Quinn, Chair of Region 2 of the FBU, NI; Kevin Lawrenson, chaired the meeeting, he is on the General Council of NIPSA; Carmel Gates, the Time for Change candidate in the General Secretary election.
All three were speaking in a personal capacity at this Socialist Party meeting.