Wednesday 24 June 2015

NSSN - NATIONAL SHOP STEWARDS NETWORK
CONFERENCE - SATURDAY - 4th JULY - LONDON

David Cameron calls the UK “the aspiration Nation”. It is. 
Where once we had rights to housing, healthcare, education, welfare, decent pay and pensions - now we can only aspire to them!
      - Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary.

The trade union movement - six and a half million strong & growing - is, on the industrial plane, working people’s most powerful weapon in the battle against austerity and the Tory pro-big business government.

The Tories know this - which is why they are preparing to further strengthen existing anti-trade union legislation (left untouched by New Labour during its 13 years in power).

We know it too, which is why TUSC’s sister organisation in the trade union movement - the National Shop Stewards Network - is building its own forces and influence.

The NSSN argues for democratic, fighting trade unions to defend jobs, wages and conditions - and to help inspire and organise those workers not currently in a union.

The 9th National Conference is on Saturday, 4th July. It is open not only to union activists, but also to all those seeking to fight back and organise solidarity and support for people in struggle - whether at work or in their communities.

This year the conference has another marvellous array of excellent speakers.

They include

MARK SERWOTKA, PCS General Secretary,

RONNIE DRAPER, BFAWU General Secretary,

MATT WRACK, FBU General Secretary,

STEVE GILLAN, POA General Secretary,

PETER PINKNEY, RMT President,

HELEN PATTISON, Youth Fight for Jobs campaign,

DAVE SMITH, anti-blacklisting campaigner, and

ISAI PRIYA, Tamil Solidarity trade union co-ordinator.

The conference is from 11am – 4.30pm.

The address is - Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Sq, London, WC1R 4RL

More details can be found on the NSSN website HERE.

Monday 22 June 2015

SOLIDARITY WITH LOCAL NUJ STRIKE!

We'd like to express our solidarity with our local NUJ members who are on strike to defend jobs and conditions. In Sutton, the picket line can be visited outside the entrance to Quadrant House.

The owners of our friendly "local" south London papers is an international media conglomerate!

We include below, what we said in June last year when a similar strike was underway.

"You might fondly imagine that both are community based papers, concerned for the people of Sutton & Croydon, holding the local powerful to account, and keen to expose local shenanigans in the Council and other places (we are not, of course, implying there are any).

However, both “Guardians” are owned by Newsquest Media Group. The third largest local paper producer in the UK, with 300 titles.

Newsquest itself was set up in 1995 when New York buy-out firm KKR spent £210 million of largely borrowed money to buy UK Reed Regional Newspapers, from Elsevier.

After selling various pieces of this publishing mini-empire and buying various pieces from other media groups, such as Pearsons (who own the Financial Times), the “refreshed” company was sold, in 1999, to Gannett Inc, for £920 million - suggesting a very a tidy profit.

KKR is Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts. Before they set up their buy-out operation, they all worked for Bear Stearns in New York. That’s the firm that went bust early in 2008, helping precipitate the global financial meltdown.

Gannett Inc is the ultimate owner of the Guardian. Gannett’s fatuous byline (which most firms seem to want to have these days) is, - “Its all within reach.”

Its headquarters are in Virginia, USA. Amongst other things, the corporation owns 43 television stations. Its total assets are worth around 7 billion dollars.

The Sutton Guardian, The Croydon Guardian: as local as any other subsidiary of a global corporate behemoth!"

Sunday 14 June 2015

ANTI-AUSTERITY DEMO - LONDON


SATURDAY, 20th JUNE, 
12 Noon 

BANK OF ENGLAND!


We have been out on the streets supporting this demo. 

We quickly produced 1,000 leaflets which were eagerly taken up by people in Croydon.

The main text of the leaflet is below. See the leaflet HERE.

"We support this national demo initiated by The People’s Assembly & supported by unions and other organisations.

With barely a quarter of the vote of the electorate, the Tory government has no mandate to impose further cuts in living standards, cuts in vital public services and benefits!

Labour failed to challenge the previous government. Their policies failed to win the votes of workers. Labour offered a pale imitation of Tory policies!

So we now have another pro-rich, pro-big business government!

Trade Unions must urgently take a strong lead to organise the fight back. With over 6 million members (and growing) they are a massive potential force!

Unless the Tories are stopped, we will face 5 more years of cuts in services, benefits, jobs and wages.

Labour now offers precious little for workers. TUSC, with other like-minded people, must therefore continue building a strong working class political voice."