Museums strike in Wales, 1.8.15

Museums strike in Wales, 1.8.15   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)


Justice for jannies

Labour-run Glasgow council, through its arm’s length external organisation (Aleo) Cordia, is refusing to talk with school janitors in an increasingly bitter industrial dispute.

Janitors took three days strike action in March and again last week. There have also been protests at the council and Cordia headquarters.

Industrial action began on 19 January by boycotting a number of duties. Cordia is refusing to pay a Working Context and Demands payment (WCD) – ranging from just over £500 to over £1,000 – to school janitors, and is using spurious arguments.

Socialist Party Scotland and TUSC fully support the janitors’ action and the #justiceforjannies campaign. We call on the Labour council to meet the janitors’ demands immediately.

Matt Dobson Socialist Party Scotland

Glasgow pay cuts

1,500 GMB union members in Glasgow City council will be balloting for industrial action over changes to working time contracts that will leave many low paid workers up to £500 a year worse off.

The council wants to convert six public holidays into annual leave, removing the ability of staff to work hours on overtime rates of pay which workers depend upon to boost their modest pay packets.

The background to this effective pay cut is the Labour-run council implementing £130 million of cuts as part of the SNP’s austerity agenda.


Keep the guards

As we go to press, 400 Southern railway on-board conductors (guards) – members of the RMT union – are taking 24-hour strike action over passenger safety concerns.

Southern wants to remove the conductors and have them replaced by inadequately trained On-board supervisors – who won’t always be present. This regressive step is part of a plan for driver only operated trains – putting company profits ahead of passenger safety.


Museums all out

PCS members at all six sites of the National Museum of Wales will be taking indefinite all-out strike action from Thursday 28 April.

This is in response to management’s threat to sack the workforce and impose new contracts that cut weekend payments.

Management is looking for cuts in response to the Welsh government cuts to museum funding. The Welsh government must step in to prevent the cuts in pay and settle this dispute.


North Sea strike

Workers employed by the Wood Group contractor, which operates Shell oil platforms in the North Sea, staged unofficial strike action last week over plans to savage pay and conditions. The company is accused of cutting pay and conditions to protect profits. Unite and RMT union officials have hinted at possible official action ahead of talks with the company.