Jack Jones explains his role in the Labour movement in the 1970s, and how the battle to bring in Industrial Democracy was fought and lost, making something like Thatcherism almost inevitable. An interview with Jack Jones, conducted by Labour and Trade Union Review magazine L&TUR We’d like to begin with the experience of the seventies. As … Continue reading Jack Jones speaks
Trade Unions
Trade Union Diary
Industrial Democracy A new book has just been published: "Our trade unions, what comes next after the summer of 2022?" By Nigel Flanagan, Manifesto Press. The book is vigorously written and addresses the question of the immense weakness of the trade union movement today without flinching. It rightly addresses the question of how it came about as … Continue reading Trade Union Diary
The Minimum Service Bill : ‘a ludicrous bill’
https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-04-26/debates/61E83113-0B2D-40D2-9CD1-ED34E7C7CC17/Strikes(MinimumServiceLevels)Bill 26 April 2023, Debate in the Lords on amendment 3. This amendment would prevent an employee being sacked for refusing to cross a picket line. This is in the event of an employee being issued with a work notice, forcing them to work during a strike. A Conservative argument in favour of the amendment: Lord Balfe … Continue reading The Minimum Service Bill : ‘a ludicrous bill’
ASLEF REJECTS RISIBLE PAY OFFER AND SETS MORE STRIKE DATES
ASLEF REJECTS RISIBLE PAY OFFER AND SETS MORE STRIKE DATES https://aslef.org.uk/publications/aslef-rejects-risible-pay-offer-and-sets-more-strike-dates ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has rejected a ‘risible’ pay offer from the 16 train companies with whom we are in dispute – our drivers not having had an increase in salary at these companies since 2019. ‘Our executive committee met this morning [Thursday] … Continue reading ASLEF REJECTS RISIBLE PAY OFFER AND SETS MORE STRIKE DATES
Minimum Service Levels
Campaign For Trade Union Freedom Rally on the Minimum Services Level Bill Pete Whitelegg At the beginning of this year the government published its long promised anti trade union legislation, the “Minimum Service Levels Bill”. This bill was contained in the Tories 2019 election manifesto. Originally the bill was only applicable to the transport sector. … Continue reading Minimum Service Levels
Public Sector Wage Increases and Inflation—Editorial
Public Sector Wage Increases and Inflation British society as a whole is poorer because of the war it is waging against Russia. The sanctions that it has imposed on Russia have resulted in dramatically higher energy prices. Britain must give up a much larger share of its income to consume the same amount of energy. How is … Continue reading Public Sector Wage Increases and Inflation—Editorial
Speech to Derry Meeting
Speech to Trade Union Rally, Guildhall, 21st February 2023, Derry, Northern Ireland Mark Langhammer The rally was organised by the NI Teachers Council made up of unions as follows: NASUWT, INTO, UTU and NEU (my union). One NITC affiliate, the NAHT (the Principals union) was not on strike. The meeting was hosted by the Derry Trades … Continue reading Speech to Derry Meeting
Labour and Housing
Labour and Housing – Part 11. The funding of housing provision: from 1851 to 1890 By Eamon Dyas The relationship of housing provision to land and land value was examined in parts nine and ten of this investigation. What is proposed at this stage is to look at the history of local authority funding in … Continue reading Labour and Housing
Strikes (Minimum Service) Bill
Strikes (Minimum Service) Bill, discussed in the Lords 21 February 2023 Parliament Notes https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2023-02-21/debates/14076655-2C38-4D27-8875-CEE79DE5BF74/Strikes(MinimumServiceLevels)Bill?highlight=strikes%20minimum%20service#contribution-654EA241-DA24-4405-8A05-0D52F05FEFED [Extracts, starting with the speech of Frances O’Grady and ending with the speech of a Conservative Peer against the proposed government bill.] Frances O’Grady (now Baroness of Upper Holloway) Could workers who are required to work during a strike but who … Continue reading Strikes (Minimum Service) Bill
On Strikes and Wars — Editorial 2
Can British trade unions defend their members’ standard of living without taking a position on the war in Ukraine? The standard of living of the British working class has fallen because NATO is engaged in a war against Russia using Ukraine as its proxy army. Do British trade unions support this NATO war against Russia? If so, should … Continue reading On Strikes and Wars — Editorial 2
Working Conditions: the Case of the Railways
Working conditions: the case of the railways Eamon Dyas In its report on the recent pay offer to the railway workers (link below) the BBC acts as the public relations department of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in the way it frames the offer. Not only is the 4% on offer miserly in itself but … Continue reading Working Conditions: the Case of the Railways
Working Conditions: the Case of the Müller Drivers
Working Conditions: the case of the Müller drivers Eamon Dyas Members of the Unite Trade Union are currently picketing supermarkets in London to highlight an industrial dispute that has received little coverage in the media although it touches on a subject that is becoming a growing concern for workers generally – the erosion of working … Continue reading Working Conditions: the Case of the Müller Drivers
Working Conditions—Comments
Muller and rail disputes: a comment Feargus ORaghallaigh There is an aspect to this story/dispute that has been left unmentioned and I wonder why. It is that Muller is a German-owned milk processor. It is highly successful, concentrating on the consumer/value-added end of the business - short shelf-life chilled FMCG (yogurts and such things). Its big … Continue reading Working Conditions—Comments
Blue Labour
BLUE LABOUR - STRONG ON THEORY, WEAK IN PRACTICE REVIEW: Maurice Glasman: Blue Labour - the Politics of the Common Good, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2022. Peter Brooke HOPEFUL BEGINNINGS Back in 2011 it looked as if Maurice Glasman could become highly influential in the Labour Party. Ed Miliband had become leader in 2010 and, casting around … Continue reading Blue Labour
Mick Lynch In His Own Words
(The image above is by water colour artist Inga Bystram) Transport Committee meetings 11/1/23 https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12513/pdf/ The three witnesses are Mick Lynch (RMT), Mick Whelan (ASLEF) and Frank Ward (TSSA). One of the Committee members is the SNP Gavin Newlands, whose later intervention in the House of Commons we quote below. Extracts. Question. [There have been three … Continue reading Mick Lynch In His Own Words
Pay Increases
Meanwhile, in the Private Sector: Tanker drivers gain huge rise after walkout threat LOGISTICS workers were celebrating yesterday after their threat to go on strike led to them winning a “huge pay victory” worth close to 40 per cent for some staff. About 150 Unite members employed by Wincanton to deliver fuel to Valero petrol … Continue reading Pay Increases
Marie Dupin
The News Personified—a fresh look at the news A short daily humorous piece on French state radio ‘France Info’ Every morning, the journalist Marie Dupin takes on the role of a personality, an event, a place or a fact at the heart of the news. News reports usually leave out historical context, or even any … Continue reading Marie Dupin
Are Strikes Being Banned?
Minimum service levels legislation By Pete Whitelegg We are currently witnessing the largest wave of industrial action since the start of the Thatcher era. The current high level of inflation, combined with real wages having stagnated for at least the past 10 years (see charts elsewhere in the magazine), with real standards of living collapsing for … Continue reading Are Strikes Being Banned?
Labour Affairs 