Industrial news in brief

Submitted by Matthew on 3 December, 2014 - 11:58 Author: Gemma Short and Charlotte Zalens

Following a re-ballot which returned 83% in favour of strikes on a 58% turn out, Lambeth College UCU will be on their first day of new strikes on Thursday 4 December.

The dispute is over changes to contracts which see two weeks cut off annual holidays, a massive reduction in sick pay entitlement, and extra hours of teaching with no extra pay. UCU members at Lambeth college were re-balloted following a court injunction against their previous indefinite strike plan.

Mandy Brown, UCU branch secretary, said “The strike action taken so far has resulted in some small improvements to the offer made by management. But they do not go far enough. If there is no acceptable offer from management, the action will escalate with two further days on Tuesday & Wednesday 9 and 10 December, then three more days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 15, 16 and 17th December. The action will continue after the Christmas break if necessary.”

Recent communications from the college Principal states there will be no imposition of the new contract for existing staff. However UCU members are determined to make sure there is no new contract for any staff, new or existing.

A similar restructure of contracts is happening at Barnsley college. UCU members there were on struck on 26 and 27 November.

There will be a rally in support of Lambeth UCU at the Clapham centre between 12 and 1 on 4 December.

Messages of support to Mandy Brown (Lambeth) and L. Short (Barnsley)

Lewisham: hands off our schools!

Over 50 activists met on Monday 17 November to discuss how to prevent a large number of Lewisham’s secondary schools becoming academies.

The activists were predominantly school workers, both teachers and support workers. The NUT and GMB both gave commitments that they would ballot workers for industrial action, in schools in the borough, where the governors of the school refuse to rule out going for academy status.

The schools we know are discussing academy plans are Bonus Pastor, Hilly Fields, Ladywell Fields, Prendergast Vale and Sedgehill. There are rumours that other schools may also be considering trying to become academies.

The fact that so many schools in the borough are planning to attempt to convert at around the same time suggests some co-ordination. It also presents those of us who support democratically controlled, accountable, education coordinated across the borough with a significant challenge but also an opportunity. If these initial schools are successful then surely more will follow in their wake and the effectiveness of the Local Education Authority will be smashed, leading again to more schools to consider converting.

However, the fact that so many schools are considering it at the same time give us the opportunity to unite workers and parents at schools across the borough. In Lewisham a massive local campaign stopped the closure of the A&E and maternity wards at the hospital.

We will need a similar campaign to stop the academies, but this time the labour movement will be more central.

Tube strikes for sacked workmate

Rail union RMT reps and activists were feeling rightly chuffed with themselves on the picket line at Morden train crew depot on Monday 1 December.

A majority of members of both RMT and drivers’ union ASLEF showed support for the strike for the reinstatement of sacked train driver Alex McGuigan. Alex failed a breathalyser test, but the company is refusing to take into account circumstances like Alex’s diabetes, which could give false positives. They also flouted standard procedure by only testing a urine sample for drugs, rather than alcohol, and then destroying a second sample.

London Underground (LU) has carried out a spate of unjust sackings — Vicki Hayward, Noel Roberts and Alex McGuigan amongst them — indicating that LU feels it can get away with bending its own rules while unions battle job cuts and station closures as part of the “Fit for the future on stations” plan. Whilst unions must not take their eye off the fight against station job cuts, we must also make sure unions fight effectively against these unjust sackings.

The support for the Morden depot strike provides a good basis to escalate the fight against unjust sackings.

Rail union RMT should step up the fight to reinstate Alex to include all drivers on the Northern line. Strikes to reinstate CSAs Vicki and Noel should also be co-ordinated.

QEH strikers in talks

Talks between the GMB and management at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, are due to take place in December in the dispute over a two-tier workforce.

Strikes on 24 and 25 of November were well supported. GMB organiser Nadine Houghton said “The few workers who didn’t feel able to strike last time decided to join GMB and come out this time because they found out that ISS workers are paid more on other sites and that other sites are also better staffed.”

Solidarity will report on progress in the talks and news of more strikes as we hear it.

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