The Socialist

The Socialist 2 October 2008

Market Meltdown! Profit system failing


Market madness!


Bradford & Bingley: We need real nationalisation

The bishop and the 'bank robbers'

Russia: economic crisis looms

What is short-selling and will the ban have any effect?

Short-sellers back Tories

Another nail in New Labour's coffin


Student debt soaring

Lots of new recruits for Socialist Students


Climate change calamities: Socialist planning needed

Cuts and privatisation threaten new floods


Local government pay dispute in Scotland: solid support for strike

Unison goes to arbitration - a strategy or surrender?

Union calls ballot over health pay

Unions must fight to defend Ford jobs

Lincoln - fight council cuts plan

Workplace news in brief


Jean Charles de Menezes


Conditions in China


Liberty by Glyn Maxwell at Shakespeare's Globe

 
 
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Socialist Party Policy statements
Socialist Party contemporary Marxist analysis

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Workplace news in brief

Swansea train strike

Swansea train cleaners employed by ISS and contracted to clean First Great Western (FGW) trains have staged a second 24-hour strike over poor pay and conditions.
Alec Thraves spoke to RMT pickets at Swansea's High Street station.

"We were initially offered 0% by ISS who are blaming FGW for not paying them enough. There is now a small offer on the table but given the current cost of living it is still a huge pay cut in real terms. Our members are stuck in the middle of these two huge 'cash rich' companies and are being treated abysmally. Most of our members are on the minimum wage with no shift pay, no sick pay, no enhancement for overtime and some cannot even get uniforms and safety footwear. ISS staff at Swansea are getting at least 40% less wages than FGW pay their own staff for doing the same work".

Send messages of support to: - b.kelly@rmt.org.uk

NSSN - North West

The North West regional committee of the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) met on 27 September in Manchester.

The committee, which was elected in April this year, discussed the looming industrial action in the public sector against the government's 2% pay cap. The regional network will give full and active support to this action. It was also agreed to arrange meetings in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston around the issue of low pay and the cost of living.

It was agreed that the regional network will have speakers on the platform of a Public Service Not Private Profit Meeting in Manchester and at the launch of the Merseyside Public Sector Alliance. Both meetings will take place on 9 October.

It was further agreed that the regional network should set up a Facebook page, which may be an effective way of raising the profile of the network amongst young workers. The committee will next meet on 15 November in Liverpool.

Dave Lunn, assistant secretary, NSSN North West regional committee, personal capacity

Shop Stewards Network - Shropshire

On 25 September, Shropshire NSSN held its first public meeting on justice in the workplace and trade union freedom.

The meeting was addressed by Pete McNally, an Aslef steward and Mike Abbott, a representative of the Justice for Shrewsbury 24 Campaign.

Young workers at the meeting asked how they could organise trade unions in their own workplace. The trades council and Shropshire NSSN will sponsor a course on this. The meeting also agreed to organise a much bigger meeting with Shropshire trades council on Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets.

The representatives from the trades council also suggested that they may stand a candidate in a general election in the future.

Peter Grue, Telford UCU chair, personal capacity

In this issue


Socialist Party editorial

Market madness!


Credit crunch

Bradford & Bingley: We need real nationalisation

The bishop and the 'bank robbers'

Russia: economic crisis looms

What is short-selling and will the ban have any effect?

Short-sellers back Tories

Another nail in New Labour's coffin


Socialist Students

Student debt soaring

Lots of new recruits for Socialist Students


Global Warming

Climate change calamities: Socialist planning needed

Cuts and privatisation threaten new floods


Socialist Party workplace news

Local government pay dispute in Scotland: solid support for strike

Unison goes to arbitration - a strategy or surrender?

Union calls ballot over health pay

Unions must fight to defend Ford jobs

Lincoln - fight council cuts plan

Workplace news in brief


Socialist Party campaigns

Jean Charles de Menezes


Comment

Conditions in China


Socialist Party review

Liberty by Glyn Maxwell at Shakespeare's Globe


 

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Related links:

Pay:

triangleNational Shop Stewards Network

triangleCome to the 6th annual NSSN conference!

triangleCouncil workers in Cheshire strike against attacks on pay

triangleVictory for Greenwich Unite library campaign

triangleThem & Us

triangleThe battle to defend pensions continues

NSSN:

triangleSalford Socialist Party: Europe against austerity

triangleCome to the NSSN conference!

triangleConstruction workers' struggle victorious

triangleEast London Socialist Party: Our unions must fight for us!

Swansea:

triangleSwansea Socialist Party: 'What's next' after the elections and May 10 strike?

triangleSwansea trades council May Day march and rally

triangleSwansea Trades Council May Day demo and rally

Shropshire:

triangleOpposing all cuts: Thousands march across England and Wales

triangleShropshire Socialist Party: Lessons from Liverpool

triangleShropshire: showing socialist alternative gets results