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.
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 15th 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.
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."
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):
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