Solidarity 153, 12 June 2009

Which way for the unions and Labour?

What should socialists conclude from the debate at the Communication Workers’ Union conference on the union’s political relationship to the Labour Party (where no policy was passed)? The AWL’s National Committee favours disaffiliation moves where they are linked to positive moves for independent working class politics. We are also conducting a debate on this issue in the AWL ). Two responses. Activists should back working-class candidates By John Bloxam Events at the CWU Conference on Monday 8 June says much about the wretched state of the union leadership and the urgency of pushing the fight...

Protecting children from religion

A young child is removed from his family, taken to live in a remote community, made to engage in strange rituals, denied the company of ordinary children, dressed in unusual clothes and surrounded by adults who worship him. Are these scenes from some despotic cult? No, this is the way that new religious leaders are “nurtured” under the auspices of what are widely held to be the enlightened and progressive practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Osel Hita Torres was identified whilst just a baby as the reincarnation of then recently deceased Lama Yeshe. The Tibetan Buddhist Federation for the Protection...

Politics in the New Depression

America is a centre-right nation. Or so the pundit class in America tirelessly insists. The Obama administration is ubiquitously warned, from quarters both friendly and hostile, that failure to adhere to this truism augers political calamity. At first glance it might seem very curious that a President, who ran as a moderate and who made no secret of his desire to reach across the political aisle to create a new political center, should require such constant and persistent admonishments. The problem is that not only did the Democrats win in the last election, they won big. They control both...

Tube: striking for jobs and pay

London Underground workers struck for 48 hours from Tuesday 9 June-Thursday 11 June over pay, jobs and management bullying. • 1000 jobs are at risk on London Underground and up to 3000 in Transport for London as part of a £2.4 billion cuts package. LUL have refused to rule out compulsory redundancies, despite signing up to a “no compulsory redundancies” agreement in 2001. • London Underground had been offering a five year pay offer that would have amounted to a pay cut. • LUL management have been breaching disciplinary and attendance procedures and have encouraged aggressive and punitive...

A victory for militancy!

Rob Williams, Unite convenor at the Linamar car plant in Swansea, has been re-instated following his sacking by the company last month. Rob was sacked for his record of defending members’ interests and building solidarity with the Visteon struggle. The company’s capitulation is a huge victory for Rob and for the workers at Linamar who voted overwhelmingly for industrial action to save Rob’s job. The threat of strike action over the victimisation, due to begin on Thursday 11 June, forced the company to back down. The workers at Linamar have succeeded where direct talks between Brian Wade of...

Probation Service fight

NAPO and Unison members in South Yorkshire Probation Service last week suspended a planned 24 hour strike against jobs cuts which management are trying to impose. Several staff have already taken voluntary redundancy/voluntary early retirement, but the management plan to restructure the service and cut middle management and admin staff. The strike was against compulsory redundancies, but the two unions are also opposing the redundancy selection process management have used. By choosing to attack managers and admin workers whilst “preserving frontline services” the management have sought to...

Post: use the ballot!

Postal workers across London recently voted nine-to-one for strike action over jobs and cost savings. At the postal sector conference of the CWU, on Wednesday 10 June, Dave Ward, union deputy general secretary responsible for the sector, declared that this is “a time of maximum vulnerability for both the government and Royal Mail management”. Ward’s conclusion was not that CWU should move quickly into industrial action to secure jobs, pay, pensions, and public ownership; he moved a motion offering a three month-moratorium on industrial action in exchange for a similar commitment from the...

CWU rejects BT deal

On Wednesday 10 June, the telecom sector conference of the post and telecom union CWU heavily defeated the sector Executive on the issue of the “Service Delivery Transformation” deal for BT Openreach engineers. The Executive majority, the so-called “Effective Left”, had proposed the deal as the only way to avoid compulsory redundancies. The plan involves: • A new “foundation grade” which will put all new workers on £4000 lower wages. • A change in attendance patterns so that workers lose premium pay for Saturdays. • Working up to 9pm without any premium pay, and being obliged to work up to two...

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