The Socialist 21 February 2008

No wage cuts! Fund equal pay

Troops out of Iraq now!

Stop the witch-hunt: Defend the Sheridan 7

Prison officers fight Labour's strike ban

Battle for Shropshire schools goes on

Coventry protests at Widdecombe's attacks

Football: Top of the League for greed

Northern Rock - Labour's reluctant nationalisation

1918-2008: Clause 4 and nine decades of workers' struggles

Record fall in home ownership

London's health care under further attack

Private clinics fail

Hospitals "stacking" patients

Fighting back and building a demo

"Not making sufficient profit"

Universities in crisis: Fees favour the rich

Exeter students fight privatisation

Nottingham defends democracy

Kosovan independence - a dangerous mirage?

Greece: Second general strike in two months

CWI school in Latin America

Science, Marxism and the big bang

It's official - Unison launches witch-hunt on Socialist Party

Socialist gains in Unison branch elections

Collection cuts and bullying equals bin strike!

Victory for council street wardens

Rail pension dispute

Union merger: OILC and RMT

Marching against single status

Solidarity with Pakistan workers

Previous issues, etc

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Victory for council street wardens

Street wardens in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, who are mostly members of Unite (T&G), have won a four-year battle for proper compensation for their anti-social hours.

Kevin Parslow, Unite (TGWU) 1/1228, branch secretary, personal capacity

The wardens, who are used as a flagship service by the borough, have been underpaid since their inauguration in 2003. Originally, their demand for anti-social payments of £3,600 for shifts that can go on to 10pm in summer and Saturday working was turned down.

The council imposed a £2,000 payment without agreement from the union. This was substantially lower than other warden schemes in London.

For four years the union has been negotiating with the council, who have continually claimed there is not enough money to pay the claim. Finally, the street wardens had had enough. In a ballot they voted overwhelmingly for strike action and took three 12-hour strikes in January.

Del Ahmet, their steward, said: "We think we proved a point. The second strike day was the best because we stood firm."

This finally brought the council to its senses and, following further negotiations, they have agreed a one-off payment of £2,150 as recompense for the last four years, enhancement of late hours and weekend working payments, plus a regular anti-social hours payment.

While the wardens recognise that they haven't won everything they asked for, this is a big victory at a time when other Waltham Forest council workers are facing attacks to their pay and conditions through single status.

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No wage cuts! Fund equal pay