Solidarity 294, 28 August 2013

Egypt's left after the massacre

Hannah Elsisi of the Egyptian Revolutionary Socialists and the ISN writes: “This notion of ‘but Morsi is better than Shafiq and then we can deal with him later’, which some of the left put forward in last year’s elections, is in my opinion the mistake many of us made that paved the way for today’s ‘let the army get rid of them, then we will deal with the army’. “This transitional thinking is what keeps compromising the revolution and causes the revolutionary movement to stutter. “We need to be confident and coherent and rid ourselves of the amnesia, divisive and disingenuous polarisations, and...

Workers' Liberty summer camp

For Workers’ Liberty summer camp, 8-11 August, close to 50 people came to Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, more than previous years. Sessions concentrated on three streams; ecology, liberation and class struggle socialism. There were also film showings and a brilliant “open mic night” of theatre, poetry and music. Comrades were free to attend these or have fun by the campfire, discussing politics, socialising, climbing hills, eating delicious vegan food and playing football matches, including at 6am! I found this summer camp the best one yet. It was relaxed, with excellent discussions, as well...

Whipps Cross protests

Two demonstrations have been set against threatened cuts at Whipps Cross hospital in East London. The first is on 16 September, 5pm at the Whipps Cross Road entrance; the second, on 21 September 21, noon at The Green. The threat comes from plans being compiled by Barts Trust to cover a £50 million deficit arising from the £7.1 billion PFI bill at two of the Trust’s five other hospitals, Bart's and the Royal London The Trust plans to force 1,000 staff, from healthcare assistants to matrons, to compete against each other for jobs as it reorganises nursing cover across its six hospitals. It has...

Unite can save Labour-union link

The United Left group, which commands a majority on the Executive of the giant Unite union, meets in Manchester on 31 August to discuss the Collins-Miliband proposals on the links between the unions and the Labour Party. UL secretary Martin Mayer, in convening the meeting, has made clear that he disagrees with Ed Miliband’s suggestion that trade unionists counted as “affiliated members” only if they explicitly and individually “opt in”. Jim Kelly, another known defender of the collective trade union voice in the Labour Party, is due to introduce the discussion. The UL meeting could lead to...

No support for US bombs: but Assad is main enemy

Syria's disgusting, murderous, one-party state is responsible for mass murder, torture on a vast scale, and an enormous humanitarian disaster inside Syria, where whole towns have been raised to rubble. Over four million are internally displaced, nearly two million have fled the country, seven million are in immediate need of humanitarian aid, the economy has collapsed, and over 100,000 are dead. The main responsibility for this utterly avoidable catastrophe belongs to the Syrian government and military. Bashar Assad’s small ruling inner circle has chosen to reinforce and exploit sectarian...

Syria: a reply to Marcus Halaby

"The regime and its allies have lost any moral standing in what they chose early on to frame as an existential struggle, in which self-serving ends justify abominable means. Much of the opposition, in response, has gradually adopted a similar worldview, brandishing its enemy's ruthlessness to excuse its own excesses ... The opposition refers to the regime as an occupying power and tends to stress the alien culture of the Alawi minority that forms a key component of the regime's fighting structure. .. "The core of the opposition, never entirely peaceful, has grown vicious and short-sighted, too...

US: new fast food strikes

US workers employed by fast food chains including McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Wendy's will launch a national strike on 29 August as part of their ongoing fight to win a $15/hour minimum wage. Most fast food chains currently pay well below $10 per hour (some as little as $7.50), and workers have organised a series of citywide strikes over the past year, involving workers in New York, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and elsewhere. The planned national strike will take place the day after the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the seminal labour and civil...

High Court blow for unions

A High Court Judge has ruled that two of the actions in an RMT campaign of industrial action "short of a strike" at East Midlands Trains are unlawful, as they technically compromise strike action and are therefore not covered by the union's ballot for action short. RMT balloted its East Midlands Trains members for the action in a dispute over a range of issues relating to major upgrade work at Nottingham station. As part of the action, members refused to work various turns and duties outside their agreed rosters - effectively a form of "work to rule". East Midlands Trains bosses sought a High...

Police colluded with bosses to blacklist workers, says ex-cop

Peter Francis, a former undercover police officer turned whistleblower, says information he gathered was later passed to the "Consulting Association", the shadowy company funded by 40 major firms to help them blacklist potential union organisers. Francis says that information he gathered while posing as a member of the Youth Against Racism in Europe group was passed onto the Consulting Association. Senior figures involved with the CA have admitted to a parliamentary committee investigating the issue that they had regular contact with the police. To many, including many blacklisted workers...

Bridgwater posties stay strong

Bridgwater postal workers show no signs of flagging in their fight against bullying bosses. They concluded their ninth strike day on Monday 19 August, and will seek the green light from their union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), to launch a week-long strike from 2 September. The strike has become a beacon for postal workers nationally, as burgeoning local disputes provided momentum for a national fight against the government's planned sell-off of Royal Mail. Management culture in the postal service has become intolerable for many workers, and is described by union reps as based on...

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.