The Socialist

The Socialist 4 November 2008

Striking against low pay

Striking against low pay


Obama wins, neo-cons routed in US presidential elections

George Bush's toxic legacy

If Obama wins - Looking beyond the hope bubble


Labour bashes lone parents

Canary Wharf: Low paid workers welcome socialist campaigners

Sri Lanka: Acting out oppression

What recession?

Fast news


1918 revolution: When German workers entered the stage of history


New Labour retreats on promises to students

Victory over Tory school closure plan

Austria: Socialist players suspended from football club for anti-fascist activities

Year 9 SATs abolished: Now get rid of the rest!

Republic of Ireland: Student fightback


Liverpool City Council: Housing maintenance workers fight for jobs

Fighting for a socialist solution to the crisis in the car industry

Shipyard strike for fair wage

Striking for trade union rights

Turkish dockers fight workplace 'massacres'

 
 
Socialist Party logo Socialist Party on the climate change demo December 2007, pic Paul Mattsson Socialist Party News
Socialist Party Policy statements
Socialist Party contemporary Marxist analysis

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Fast news

Ford protest

National and local leaders of the trade unions in Ford have called a lobby of Southampton council on 26 November. Union leaders will be meeting with the Tory-run council. The lobby has been called to increase the pressure to raise the £100 million needed to re-tool the Southampton plant and keep the Transit commercial vehicle production there.

Ford workers and supporters are being asked to attend the lobby at 9am at Southampton Civic Centre, Civic Centre Road.

Job un-creation

Lloyds have announced that 30,000 jobs will be axed in the wake of its merger with failed bank HBOS, despite a £17 billion bailout by the government - paid for by workers' taxes. The merger is part of chancellor Alistair Darling's rescue package, giving a 40% government stake in the new bank. In addition to the job losses, Lloyds said that it would close branches and call centres.

HBOS nosedived after losing £2.7 billion in write-offs on corporate and residential loans, and hits relating to the fall of Lehman Brothers. It will also be affected by the collapse of Iceland's three banks.

RBS bank, which has been bailed out by the government to the tune of £20 billion, also intends to slash jobs.

Yes, but no

David Hodgkinson, chief operating officer at HSBC bank warned that it may not pass on the full effect of a Bank of England interest rate cut to customers.

Hodgkinson, who was part of a business delegation accompanying Gordon Brown on his recent tour of the Gulf, said: "Clearly if interest rates are down significantly the rates for borrowing will go down but I am not going to say it is absolutely linear, because it depends on the particular (situation) and the risk." That's a no!

Bowler hat

Michael Gove, the neo-con Tory MP, has accused workers who dig up roads of starting late, clocking off early and of a "criminal" lack of activity. Something which MPs can never be accused of!

Some may wish Gove has the same fate as the busybody posh bloke in Bernard Cribbins song, Hole in the ground: "Well there we were, discussing this 'ole'. Ole in the ground, so big and sort o' round.

"It's not there now, the ground's all flat. And beneath it is the bloke in the bowler hat. And that's that!"

Environment Trumped

US tycoon Donald Trump's plans for a £1 billion golf resort near Aberdeen, Scotland, have been approved by the SNP government.

The proposals were rejected by Aberdeenshire council last year because part of the resort will encroach on protected sand dunes near Balmedie.

But their decision was overturned by Scottish government and finance secretary John Swinney who said there was "a significant economic and social benefit" in granting the application.

Mr Trump welcomed the decision.


In this issue

Striking against low pay


US election

Obama wins, neo-cons routed in US presidential elections

George Bush's toxic legacy

If Obama wins - Looking beyond the hope bubble


Socialist Party campaigns

Labour bashes lone parents

Canary Wharf: Low paid workers welcome socialist campaigners

Sri Lanka: Acting out oppression

What recession?

Fast news


Marxist analysis: history

1918 revolution: When German workers entered the stage of history


Socialist Students

New Labour retreats on promises to students

Victory over Tory school closure plan

Austria: Socialist players suspended from football club for anti-fascist activities

Year 9 SATs abolished: Now get rid of the rest!

Republic of Ireland: Student fightback


Socialist Party workplace news

Liverpool City Council: Housing maintenance workers fight for jobs

Fighting for a socialist solution to the crisis in the car industry

Shipyard strike for fair wage

Striking for trade union rights

Turkish dockers fight workplace 'massacres'


 

Home   |   The Socialist 4 November 2008   |   Join the Socialist Party

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Related links:

Ford:

triangleAngry workers protest outside Ford's UK headquarters

triangle45 years since the Ford Dagenham strike: women workers still fighting for decent pay

triangleWorkplace News in brief

triangleUnited action to save all Ford jobs!

triangleVisteon pensioners take solidarity to Fords workers

Southampton:

triangleCapitalist parties rejected: Time for a new mass workers' party

triangleSouthampton TUSC: Woolston byelection rally

triangleSaying no to blacklisting in Southampton

triangleLabour council leader quits under anti-cuts pressure

Protest:

triangleThe battle goes on at Thera

triangleThera care workers prepare for action

Council:

triangleProtesters demand councils reject blacklisting companies

triangleBrighton bin workers fight pay cuts - this time from the Greens