In this week's issue:

The Socialist 7 April 2010, issue Defend jobs and services - fight for a workers' alternative

Defend jobs and services - Fight for a workers' alternative - Vote TUSC

• No cuts in public services and jobs. For fully funded, publicly owned and democratically run public services.
• No to mass unemployment. For investment in socially useful job creation programmes, such as house building, youth facilities and other services.
• Stop all privatisation and take privatised services back in-house...

General Election 6 May: A Socialist Challenge

Mobilise to defend the right to strike

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, speaking to the press, photo Paul Mattsson

Editorial: Network Rail signallers and maintenance engineers in the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' union (RMT) had democratically agreed and planned an effective strike to take place during the four days after the Easter weekend, in defence of jobs, conditions and safety standards...

London Underground workers balloting

Stand up for the millions, not the millionaires!

ARE YOU suffering from this recession? If you're a low-paid worker, the answer is probably yes. If you're a fat-cat business executive, the answer is almost certainly no!, writes Roger Shrives.

Reject the parties of cuts and privatisation

Socialist Campaign launched in Coventry

New Labour meltdown in Stoke

Making an impact in Huddersfield

"IT'S A shame that they don't have a column on the voting paper that says 'none of the above' when you go to vote" was the comment of one voter who summed up the mood of hundreds of people we met on the Easter weekend of action in Huddersfield, writes Mike Forster.

Hazel Must Go! opposes cuts to Salford NHS

On 30 March, the Manchester Evening News announced 750 proposed job cuts at Salford Royal Hospital. There are also proposals to close Cleveland House community mental health team. The Hazel Must Go campaign...

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

TUSC aims to challenge the three big business establishment parties in the general election. These parties act in the interests of the billionaires rather than those of working or middle class people...

Cuts bite in north west

NHS demonstration, photo Paul Mattsson

Fighting the onslaught on public services: So much for New Labour's attachment to education and "no cuts" to the NHS. In the north west, private sector employment has been hit by the recession, in many cases even harder than the national average...

Tories reveal yet more anti-gay bias

'Free schools' or free-for-all?

News in brief

NUT conference again calls for action on workload

Merlin school teachers on their picket line in March 2008, photo Martin Powell-Davies

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) annual conference, which took place in Liverpool over the Easter weekend, showed that the conditions teachers now face are similar to those of workers across the public sector where pay and conditions are being eaten away, writes Jane James.

Ex-Visteon workers continue fight for pensions

Industrial news in brief

Mobilise students and workers to defeat cuts and tuition fees

NUS conference: THE NATIONAL Union of Students (NUS) conference will take place on 13-15 April in Gateshead. At a time when students face huge cuts in universities and the threat of higher fees it could be expected that...

Kazakhstan: "change the politicians - or they will change you!"

'Kazakhstan 2012 conference’ in opposition to Nazabayev regime

The economic crisis has hit Kazakhstan harder and faster than most other parts of the world, but this has been met by massive struggles of the workers and poor...

Mass protests and strikes continue to shake Algeria

Tekel workers brutally attacked by police

The real lessons of the poll tax

Readers' comment: The centre page article about the massive anti-poll tax demonstration of 1990 by Steve Glennon (issue 617) was excellent, mainly because as chief steward, Steve had a very good overview of events, writes Rob Windsor, Socialist Party councillor, Coventry.