Glossary From Problems of Capitalism and Socialism special series on the Bullock Report, Number 2 AUEW: Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers led by Hugh Scanlon (see below). Anuneasy amalgamation of engineers, builders, foundry workers and white collar workers (TASS). TASS, which was Communist Party dominated, split away and merged with the Association of Scientific, Technical … Continue reading Who was who and what was what in industry and politics in the 1970s
[Since Mick Lynch made this speech, the government have announced the closure of all ticket offices.] RMT Press Office: In his annual address to RMT AGM, general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The RMT is sound, robust and in good shape to meet the challenges ahead. "However, we cannot be complacent because the challenges are significant. … Continue reading Mick Lynch in his Own Words
Minimum Service Bill (3) 21 June 2023 House of Commons—Hansard The Minimum Service Bill is not just ludicrous, it is also authoritarian. Having no opposition to speak of, the government acts as if it can do what it likes. Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab) He currently undertakes the roles of Shadow Minister (Business and … Continue reading Minimum Service: a “Ludicrous Bill’ (3)
The International Labour Organisation and the Minimum Service Bill From Morning Star June 20 2023 UN watchdog condemns anti-union Strikes Bill by Matt Trinder Industrial reporter The United Nations launched an “embarrassing” attack on the Tory government’s latest assault on unions and the right to strike yesterday. In a rare but damning intervention, the International … Continue reading ILO and the Minimum Service Bill
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
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
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 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
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 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 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 – 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, 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
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 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 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
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 - 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
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