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UK Workers' Movements Newswire Archive

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IWW and NUM Celebrate Anniversaries of Struggle

30-03-2005 18:06

Politicians of every stripe will destroy national
industries to avoid facing a determined industrial
union, said union activists in Newcastle, England. The
workers spoke on March 6, 2005 at a British centennial
celebration of the Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW) and the National Union of Miners’ (NUM)
1984-1985 strike.

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Unions to strike over BBC job cuts

25-03-2005 13:15

NUJ members working for oppressive management
Back in Medaevaltimes governments put out the eyes and ears of politicalprisoners. Now,all they think they have to do is to put out the eyes and ears of the British public: BBC programme makers.

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Defend Our Pensions - support Public Sectore Strike

18-03-2005 14:17

We are calling on all people – the elderly, disabled, unemployed and other council service users, to support this call for strike action by the Trade Union UNISON.

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Marshall Aerospace workers on strike

15-03-2005 08:39

workers outside marshalls
Today 180 aircraft fitters are on strike at Marshall aerospace for a new grading structure. Pickets will be out all day.

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Pensions talks between Prescott and unions stall

13-02-2005 12:36

The latest news from the New Labour spring conference at Gateshead is that talks between unions and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on public sector pensions have stalled.

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PCS Union in massive row over benefit payments

01-02-2005 18:13

the PCS union reacts as claimants are denied payment unless they agree to be paid into a bank/post office

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Liverpool social workers punished by council for striking

19-01-2005 19:15

Liverpool social workers report the awful problems they've faced since returning to work from strike action. Social workers took strike action last year to protest at their pay and conditions, and have been singled out by management since they returned to work last week.

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Edinburgh Starbucks Picket

13-01-2005 17:21

Audio
Supporters of the Zapatista’s, and the International Workers of the World joined forces in Edinburgh to picket Starbuck’s on the Royal mile for the second time on Saturday the eighth of January. Ignoring the cold, they handed out steaming cups of free fairtrade coffee from Chiapas to passing punters, and tried to persuade them not to go into the café. AUDIO AND PICS BELOW

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PROTESTORS PICKET EDINBURGH STARBUCKS

20-11-2004 23:50

Protestors picketed Starbucks in Edinburgh’s High Street for three and a half hours on Saturday 20th November. Demonstrators served up free zapatista coffee, proclaiming solidarity with the rebel indigenous movement in Mexico and with New York Starbucks workers in dispute with the coffee giant. The action was jointly organised by Edinburgh Branch Industrial Workers of the World and Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Group.

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Uproar at European Social Forum

13-11-2004 20:38

LONDON, October 24—The European Social Forum (ESF) came to London last weekend, bringing in over 20,000 people, overwhelmingly from continental Europe. But those who bought into the standard ESF promise that “another world is possible” found themselves trapped in “Ken’s World.” That is Ken Livingstone, New Labour’s Mayor of London. This event was bankrolled, orchestrated and tightly controlled by the Mayor’s office with the able assistance of supporters of Socialist Action who are highly paid executives in his administration and the unpaid services of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). This “anti-capitalist” shindig was so tame that it was endorsed by the labour statesmen and House of Lords hopefuls of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

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Haiti's Yannick Etienne at the European Social Forum

10-11-2004 10:31

Yannick Etienne, a prominent activist in the Batay Ouvriye (Workers' Fight) organisation in Haiti, participated in the European Social Forum in October 2004.

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Civil servants strike.

04-11-2004 19:11

Tomorrow there are strike rallies in many parts of the UK against proposed job losses for civil servants and in favour of better working conditions. Their demands (from  http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=893874) include:

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Laing Workers Sit-In Strike This Friday - Solidarity Protest!

03-11-2004 00:46

Construction Workers at the Channel Tunnel Rail Link need as many people to come down and support their action this Friday! Show management that they will not be intimidated into accepting exploitation wages and conditions! Get out of bed and get yourselves down there this friday....

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Strike Action Brewing Over the Laing O’Rourke ‘Contrick’

26-10-2004 02:10

Workers employed by construction giant Laing O’Rourke are refusing the company’s new pay and conditions deal. Under the new contract or ‘contrick’ as it has been renamed by workers, pay will be halved, bonuses will be decided by management, a day off must be planned 40 days in advance and holiday pay could be cut by £20 per day for each worker. Management has told workers they will be sacked if they do not sign. Construction union UCATT has told workers to sign the contract despite there having been no ballot and no full viewing of the contract itself. The GMB union has been barred off the site, in contravention of construction industry agreements.

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COBAS Union condemns UK ESF organising committee (swp/sa/gla)

19-10-2004 21:54

COBAS condemns uk esf committee domination of the ESF closing demonstration and treatment of young people from 'autonomous spaces'.

Tuesday 19th October 2004 :
From Italian union COBAS regarding the ESF rally

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TUC leader calls for closer links between unions and social movements

19-10-2004 10:19

The concern raised by some pundits that the scale of trade union involvement in this year's European Social Forum represents a mainstream takeover will raise a wry smile from those who remember that it was only 20 years ago that Margaret Thatcher dubbed unions the "enemy within".

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Haiti and sweatshops - union organiser speaking - Tuesday 19th October

18-10-2004 16:54

Yannick Etienne of the Batay Ouvriye union federation is visiting Britain to speak about the organisation of sweatshop workers in Haiti. As part of her short tour, the activist is speaking at Sheffield University.

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3 trade union leaders assassinated in Colombia, urgent solidarity needed

24-08-2004 03:50

a few weeks ago three trade union leaders were murdered in cold blood by the Colombian Army. please read and then send this letter to let them know they can't get away with this stuff anymore. URGENT!

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East Anglia workers strike threat beats turkey corporation!

30-07-2004 11:57

Around 1,000 workers had voted for strike action at the Holton and Great Witchingham plants in Norfolk and Suffolk. The strike was due to go ahead last Monday (19th July). However, in the face of this proposed action, their bosses at the giant Bernard Matthews Turkey corporation instead suddenly withdrawn its plans to change shift patterns and extend the working week from four days to five. The workers have shown that being organised in a Trades Union can win real results. There actions have now won a withdrawal of the shift changes, a 3 percent pay rise and a 1 percent increase in pensions.

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SY Bus Strike - Day 9 - Photos

29-07-2004 11:22

Strikers
Some phots from the pickets line at Olive Grove bus depot in Sheffield.