Two hundred local government workers marched in Falkirk on Saturday against the SNP led council who have issued thousands of termination contracts to staff and proposals to re-employ workers on inferior contracts. This is the first example anywhere in Scotland of a council walking away from negotiations and imposing new contracts. Up to five hundred workers in Falkirk face swinging pay cuts. Many more are having their terms and conditions undermined.
On Monday hundreds of Unison and GMB members will be on strike in Falkirk. The TGWU have not completed their ballot but will not cross picket lines. Workers are demanding "not a penny off the pay - not a minute on the day" which was the main chant on Saturday's demonstration and a return to genuine negoitiations. Solidarity gives 100% support to these workers and demands an end to these bully boy tactics by the employers. This struggle in Falkirk is vital as other councils across Scotland will be looking to see if Falkirk Council can get away these anti-trade union policies.
This is all being done in the name of Single Status - a fundamentally flawed system agreed by the unions and the employers in 1999 to supposedly deal with years of unequal pay suffered by women workers. However, Single Status was agreed without guarantees that there would be resources, i.e. money to equalise pay. Now the chickens are coming home to roost with councils across Scotland implementing cuts in wages, ironically including many women workers, and attacks on conditions to pay for Single Status. Solidarity supports equal pay and demands that it be fully funded by the Scottish executive. No worker should face cuts in wages and attacks on their terms and conditions. We support workers taking strike action as the only way to force employers and the Scottish Executive to pay up. With 28 of Scotland's 32 local authorities still to implement Single Status, 2007 could see major battles across Scotland in defence of pay and terms and conditions.
Solidarity Call on Scottish Executive to Dump the Business "Neds"
Sunday, 17 December 2006
Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement have called on the Scottish Executive to end it’s cosy relationship with big business following moves to increase the influence of business in running devolved Government.
Permanent Secretary Sir John Elvidge announced that he was abolishing the Executive's 14-strong management group and setting up a new, eight-member Strategic Board, to run the service but has only cut civil servants from the Board, leaving all of the appointed business representatives in place as Non-Executive Directors (NEDs).
Rosemary Byrne MSP, Co-Convenor of Scotland’s fastest growing party condemned the move.
“Once again we see an undue level of influence from business interests and an accent on running public bodies as businesses. I call on the Executive to end this cosy relationship and appoint trade union representatives from the public sector unions and the STUC to replace the fat cats.”
The three NEDs are David Fisher, HR Director of HBoS, who last week gave guests at a champagne reception free Fortnum and Mason hampers while Farepak victims protested outside; Corporate Lobbyist, Shonaig Macpherson; and Bill Bound, a former senior partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who was formerly employed by Ronald Reagan’s Administration in the USA.
New Labour Abandon Homeless Families at Christmas
Saturday, 16 December 2006
Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan has criticised the Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council for abandoning the needs of homeless families at Christmas. Figures revealed in an answer to a parliamentary question by Sheridan this week showed that there was yet another rise this year in the number of people registered as homeless. Overall in Scotland the numbers have risen by 4% this year and 38% over the last five years. Despite claims by Local Government Minister Tom McCabe that Scotland has “the best homeless legislation in Europe”, the number of people registered as homeless in the North Lanarkshire area of his own constituency have gone up by over 200%.
On Thursday, a report from Shelter showed that 5,000 children will be in temporary accommodation over Christmas. Sheridan, Co-Convenor of Scotland’s fastest growing political party said:
“These figures show yet again that all New Labour can offer to homeless people is empty rhetoric”.
Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council have closed a “one stop shop” base for their Homeless Persons Team in the city centre, relocating the various services to a number of sites across the city. Workers slammed the move warning that vulnerable people could be left in the cold and without vital services over the winter.
The Glasgow Solidarity MSP slammed the moves after discussions with staff who had contacted him over the moves:
“The staff understand the issues faced by homeless people and their voices should be heard in any change to services. The people in comfortable offices who merely talk about homelessness need to listen to those who actually work at the coalface."
Homelessness will be one of the main issues on Tommy Sheridan's radio show "Sunday Morning With Citizen Tommy" on Talk 107 tomorrow from 10.00am with a guest from The Big Issue. www.talk107.co.uk
Unite for Peace This Christmas
Friday, 15 December 2006
Anti-war campaigners from across Scotland will gather tomorrow (Saturday) at a series of events against the occupation of Iraq and Afhanistan and in sombre ceremonies to remember the dead and call for peace in the Middle East.
Solidarity Co-Convenor, Rosemary Byrne, will join a vigil in her home town of Irvine and the welcome those who take part at her conctituency office for light refreshments. The South of Scotland MSP said:
"With so much going on in our lives at this time of year it is easy sometimes to forget the sluaghter taking place in our name across the Middle East. I would urge all Solidarity members and others to come along to one of the events this weekend and stand in Solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq."
UNITE FOR PEACE - Glasgow
12:30 PM-2:00 PM George Square Glasgow BRING THE TROOPS HOME - DEFEND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES - SAY NO TO ISLAMOPHOBIA Organised by Glasgow Stop The War Coalition
5:00 PM-6:00 PM War Memorial, The Cross,Irvine Brief Speeches amd Messages about the need for Peace, a Chance to Light a Candle For Peace. Organised by various local groups and campaigns Light Refreshments at Rosemary Byrne MSP, Montgomery Street, Irvine From 6.15pm
5:00 PM-7:30 PM on the steps of St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral, top of Leith Walk, Edinburgh.
Join the St. Marys Justice and Peace Group supported by Edinburgh STW
BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN - NO TRIDENT REPLACEMENT
5:00 PM-6:00 PM Burns Statue Square, Ayr Brief Speeches and Messages about the urgent need for Peace in the Middle East Chance to Light a Candle For Peace - Vigil Organised by the Ayrshire Palestine Forum
Solidarity with Council Workers
Friday, 15 December 2006
Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement gives 100% support to council workers across Scotland who are fighting back against cuts in pay and attempts to worsen their terms and conditions.
We will join hundreds of UNISON and GMB members in Falkirk to protest against the actions of the SNP and others on Falkirk Council who ended negotiations with the trades unions and are imposing new contracts. We demand that the Council abandon their plans to cut wages and inpose new contracts and instead agree an acceptable deal with the trades unions. The Scottish Executive must fund genuine equal pay and provide the resources to local authorities to cover the costs.
The tremendous vote for strike action by GMB members in Falkirk and UNISON members in Glasgow are an example for other workers to follow.
Glasgow’s New Labour council were forced to retreat in the face of strike action last week and members of Solidarity played a key role in this victory.
Tricia McLeish, UNISON and Solidarity member:
“Women workers have suffered the brunt of low and unequal pay for years. It is scandalous the New Labour, the SNP and the rest think it is justified to cut the pay of the low paid, including many women, to deal with unequal pay. We need decent pay for all, and that is what Solidarity is committed to fighting for.”
The SNP, like New Labour have proved that, despite their words, in practice they are no friends of working class people and the trade unions. That is why we need a party that stands up for Trade unionists.
Solidarity are that party. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with trade unionists in Falkirk and across Scotland. Join us!
UNISON Demo – Saturday 16th December – Callendar Park Falkirk – 11.00 am
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