The Socialist 20 October 2009

Postalworkers must win

Postal workers must win

Post - a battle that mass strike action can win

Afghanistan: Troops out!

Afghanistan - end the bloody occupation

Protests at the BBC: No to the far-right, racist BNP

WDL racists chased out of town

Sri Lanka protest: Shut down the prison camps!

Chinaworker.info journalist refused entry into China

Tommy Sheridan - a socialist fighter on a worker's wage

Laughing all the way to the bank

Fast news

FBU strike to defend fire service

Leeds bin workers fight on

Giant energy company hounds unemployed electrician

First bus drivers give bosses a 'fright'

400 jobs under threat at Leeds

Striking at London Metropolitan

Primary education: Report slams government policy

Union activists discuss pulling the plug on Labour

Conference on political representation

The Greatest Show on Earth: The evidence for Evolution

Hard Times by Charles Dickens, reviewed by Linda Taaffe

When Britain's spies backed Mussolini

Previous issues, etc

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First bus drivers give bosses a 'fright'

South Yorkshire First bus drivers, members of Unite, held a one day strike back in July against the company's national pay-freeze. Further action was suspended on union legal advice after a court ruling.

Alistair Tice

However, even more drivers voted for strike action in the re-ballot, in fact in three ballots for industrial action. 82% voted to strike over pay and 91% of drivers at the Sheffield Olive Grove garage voted to strike against bullying management. Strike dates were set which forced management into new talks and into making supposedly 'new offers' (which still involve a pay freeze this year despite £130 million profit last year).

Despite a negotiating committee recommendation to accept the pay offer, it was rejected in a workplace ballot by 514-379. Olive Grove drivers supported their committee's recommendation to reject the offer on disciplinary issues by 437-39.

So new South Yorkshire strike dates have been set over pay for 23 and 26 October, plus in Sheffield on 25 and 31 October. This has incensed First bosses who sponsor the city's Fright Night in the run-up to Halloween, both of which will be hit by strikes.

Strike action is being co-ordinated with First drivers in Bury, Bolton and Wigan. With Essex drivers voting 95% for action, and ballots in London and West Yorkshire at an advanced stage, around 8,000 First workers could soon be taking simultaneous strike action against the company pay-freeze.

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Postal workers must win