Solidarity 470, 23 May 2018

Renationalise the railways!

Virgin Trains East Coast, the consortium that runs the line from London to Edinburgh and which is 90% owned by Stagecoach has had its franchise taken away. The line is now temporarily in public ownership, renamed the London North East Railway. This follows the consortium admitting that they had over-bid for the contract — offering £3.3 billion in order to land the contract, when they had no intention of paying this amount, or as they put it, they “discovered” they were unable to pay the amount. The Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had previously discussed ending the contract early and...

Traffic wardens strike

Traffic wardens in Hackney struck for 48 hours from Monday 14 May in a dispute over pay. The traffic wardens, employed by APOCA Parking, are organised by Unite, which has put in a claim for a cost of living pay increase of five percent. Workers are also fighting back against unfair implementation of sickness procedures, and unfair and potentially discriminatory implementation of the annual holiday allocation. Unite is also arguing for APOCA to agree to yearly pay negotiations, as happen in local government, with the aim of accounting for cost of living increases every year.

Tesco workers demand 15%, bosses offer 3%.

Warehouse and office workers at Tesco’s distribution centre in Dagenham, east London, struck for 24 hours from 17-18 May. The workers, who are members of the Usdaw union, are demanding a 15% pay increase. Tesco bosses have offered 3%. The workers’ claim would equate to a £1.39/hour increase. The logistics sector is strategically crucial to the capitalist economy, but unions, where they have members, have tended to be conservative. The Dagenham centre employs around 1,000 workers. A significant number of the workers are Eastern European migrants. Strikers organised a relatively large picket...

Tube drivers plan strikes

Tube drivers at several London Underground depots will strike on 6 and 14 June. RMT and Aslef members on the Jubilee Line will strike to demand improved work/life balance, as a proposed new timetable threatens to increase weekend working. Aslef members at the District Line’s Acton depot will strike again on the same dates, following an action on 13 April, over abuse of disciplinary procedures. April’s strike had a significant impact on the service, with RMT members refusing to cross Aslef’s picket lines. RMT has also declared a dispute with the train side management on the Piccadilly Line...

Bring outsourced University of London workers back in house

Over 100 cleaners, porters, receptionists and other outsourced workers at the University of London will strike on 6 June. Workers organised by the IWGB union previously struck on 25-26 April in a campaign to be brought back in-house and have parity of terms and conditions with in-house workers. Outsourced workers currently receive inferior pensions, and less holiday, sick, maternity and paternity pay. Protests in support of the strikes on 25 April were attended by hundreds of supporters, including Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. A series of strikes and protests has already forced the...

Picturehouse workers strike again

Picturehouse workers will be on strike again for the Sundance film festival happening at Picturehouse Central from 31 May to 3 June. They will be striking during the opening night on Thursday 31 May, and again on Saturday 2 May. The strikes will hit several premières taking place at the festival. Behind the scenes at several workplaces, despite no strikes for a while, tensions has been running high. Many of the striking sites are being deliberately understaffed. The company is refusing to hire new staff either due to fears new staff will simply join the union Bectu, or as a way to punish and...

All eyes on TGIs

Workers at TGI Fridays restaurants in Covent Garden, London, and Milton Keynes struck on Friday 18 May in the first of a series of Friday strikes over a new tips policy which would see workers losing up to £250 a month. Workers at TGI Fridays in the Trafford Centre, Manchester and Haymarket Piccadilly, London, have also now voted 100% in favour of strikes and are expected to join the strikes on Friday 25 May. Results of ballots at other restaurants in Enfield, and Gateshead Metro, Newcastle, are expected soon. All six sites may be on strike by Friday 1 June. Boni, a striker from the Milton...

Ken Livingstone: good riddance

Ken Livingstone resigned from the Labour Party on 21 May. Good riddance! He ceased to be a real left-winger decades ago, he has a clear record of high-profile antisemitic comments, and he has been aggressively persistent about them. Yet the Labour Party is still blundering along without any open and thorough discussion of antisemitism. There are still people on the left who see nothing wrong in what Livingstone has said. Suspensions, expulsions, resignations will resolve little until we have that discussion. In April 2016 Livingstone chose to offer comment to BBC London on Labour’s suspension...

Democracy and the democracy review

The Labour Party Democracy Review is now in its third and final period, inviting submissions on the following issues: “Electing our Leadership, How we Make Policy and The Way We Work.” It still remains unclear how the findings of the review will be presented and what the status is of the various rule change motions remitted last year on the advice of the National Executive, or when they will be considered. Meanwhile Momentum is carrying out a consultation of its membership on which proposals it will forward. They have asked its members to answer “Yes” or “No” to 13 questions. Longer policy...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.