Solidarity Scotland

Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement today described as obscene the colossal levels of public money being squandered by the previous New Labour/Lib Dem Scottish Executive’s ideological fixation with privatisation.

The new Scottish Executive have released figures that show that £22.3 billion in taxpayers money will be handed out to private companies over the next 40 years. The cost of the so-called Public Private Partnerships – deals where private companies are paid billions from the public purse for building schools, hospitals and prisons – has jeopardised public spending and public services for the next 40 years.

Tommy Sheridan – Solidarity co-convener said; “ What these figures prove is that New Labour’s fixation with privatisation is going to cost £4,500 for every Scot and a 40 year millstone around the necks of the Scottish Executive and local authorities. We opposed PPP/PFI policies since their inception because we knew they were a massive rip-off, designed to cut public expenditure and hand over massive public sector contracts to big business. These figures prove that our arguments were correct”

“We are now calling for a complete moratorium on all new PPP contracts both at a Scottish Executive and local authority level. We are calling on the Scottish Executive as a matter of extreme urgency to bring forward a cheaper public sector alternative help to ensure high quality and accountable public services in Scotland.”

City of Edinburgh Council Strike

This Thursday 23 August thousands of Unison members in Edinburgh Council will go on a days strike against the proposed budgets cuts. Management, having overspent their budget by £10 million, want to make staff pay for their mistakes. In particular there is a refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.

Our Unison branch has had a policy of balloting for strike action when faced with compulsory redundancies and this has successfully prevented compulsory redundancies for many years (decades in fact).

Striking members will assemble at 9.15 am at the City Chambers on the High Street to lobby the full council meeting due to take place.

The one day strike is the start of a programme of action. And union members in Edinburgh Council take heed and heart from the victorious strike of social workers in Glasgow Council. The success of their action has led to a debate whether to adopt the successful tactic of indefinite strike action here.

Luke Henderson, Convenor SfC Department, Personal capacity

Glasgow Social Care Strike

August 2007 saw a very significant victory for 600 Glasgow Social Care Workers. After 20 days of indefinite strike action these workers - members of the Unison trade union - won a decisive victory in their dispute with Glasgow City Council.

Brian Smith the Glasgow Unison Social Work Services secretary reports on the outcome and the lessons of this important strike for all public sector workers in Scotland.

RET for island ferries ?

On 13 Aug 2007, the SNP Executive announced a pilot study into RET. Welcome news for island residents and indeed for Solidarity.

Click on Highlands and Islands link for more details.

Time for decisive action on Nigg

The Solidarity party has called for decisive action over the future of the mothballed Nigg yard facility on the eve of Highland Council’s latest Planning, Environment and Development Committee (meets Wednesday 15^th August).

Solidarity has called on Highland council and the new Scottish Executive to come together to carry out a compulsory purchase of the so called ‘ransom strip’ owned by the Wakelyn Trust which has held up the sale of the yard, and to throw their weight unequivocally behind Cromarty Firth Port Authority’s bid to take over the yard as a multi-use facility.

Sheridan says Alexander will be a disaster for Labour

Solidarity co-convenor Tommy Sheridan today said farewell to Jack McConnell and predicted Wendy Alexander will prove disastrous for Labour. He said

“I have known Jack McConnell since he was a student politician at Stirling. He ultimately failed as Labour leader in Scotland because he toed the party line and failed to stand up for Scotland against Blair and Brown’s creation - New Labour - and their disastrous policies including the war on Iraq.

Wendy Alexander is much more New Labour than Jack McConnell, she and her brother are protégés of Gordon Brown and before she entered the parliament she was a consultant advising on selling off public services. She may be bright but she will be a disaster for New Labour consigning them to opposition for years to come.

Socialists who are left in the Labour Party must be in despair that they can’t even find a left candidate to stand."

Postal Workers Step up Industrial Action

Postal Workers in Greater Glasgow stepped up their industrial action today as "unofficial" action spread across Central Scotland.

The strike started at the Springburn Mail Centre yesterday (Tuesday) and spread across Central Scotland by the end of the working day. Over a hundred workers at Sighthill in Edinburgh joined the action after four comrades were susopended for refusing to handle mail from the Glasgow Centre that was on strike.

The CWU rolling programme of action contunues this week with the withdrawal of labour in the network from today (Wednesday 1 August) to 3 am tomorrow; on Thursday from 3am, 24 hr strike action at delivery and separate collection hubs; strike action from 19.00 at airports on Friday 3 August until 19.00 on Saturday 4 August; strike action at MDECS from 3 am on Saturday 4 August to 3 am on Sunday 5 August.

Solidarity Councillor in Glasgow, Ruth Black supported the unofficial action today:

"The CWU members are being cornered into these actions by an employer who have shown no regard for the workers contracts and conditions."

Rosyth Workers Vote to Strike

Workers at Rosyth Dockyard have voted overwhelmingly in support of strike action over changes to pensions. The technical staff, managers and engineers who are members of PROSPECT voted 73% in favour of strike action with other unions expected to support the action soon.

Postal Workers Escalate Action

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have escalated their industrial action with a series of strikes over the next two weeks. The first of the actions began on Wed 25th July with staff at Cash Handling and Mail Centres starting a 24 hour stoppage at 7pm.

Solidarity member and Postal Worker Gary Clarke said:

"Royal Mail managers are treating the workers with contempt. We have been given no choice but to step up our action."

Glasgow Social Care Workers Strike

Six hundred Social Care Workers, members of Unison and employees of Glasgow City Council Social Work Services began all-out indefinite strike action on Tuesday 24th July in pursuit of their claim for a higher grading.

See STV report on strike with comments from Brian Smith and other Social Care Workers http://tinyurl.com/2s99uc

Ian Leech, Solidarity member, Social Care Worker, Unison Steward reports from the strike (in a personal capacity):

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>

Results 81 - 90 of 311

[ Back ]

Latest Articles
Mike Gonzales on Bolivia Taking Crime Seriously - Gary Fraser May 1st - International Workers Day Grangemouth by Ray Gunnion No to Labour’s Doubling of tax on Low Paid Workers

Solidarity Scotland Manifesto
Download Our Manifesto

_{^{Pic: Duncan Brown}}

Election blog updates

Networks