Workplace news in brief

Tube strike for justice

Transport union RMT members working as drivers in London Underground began a series of strikes on 19 June. This action is in defence of driver and union rep Arwyn Thomas, who has been victimised by London Underground (LU). He has already won an interim tribunal hearing but LU have so far refused to reinstate him. Arwyn spoke at the recent National Shop Stewards Network conference. The second strike begins on 27 June.

Please send protests to London Mayor Boris Johnson: mayor@london.gov.uk and LU personnel director: gerry.duffy@tube.tfl.gov.uk and urge them to reinstate Arwyn immediately.

Newsquest strike

The latest dispute in the struggle to defend local journalism led to a very lively picket for the two-day strike at Newsquest in south west London on 15-16 June. Pickets were out in force dressed as cowboys. Newsquest, which runs a series of local newspapers, has placed the entire sport and leisure department on notice of redundancy which would leave 12 reporters writing seven newspapers.

Please send messages of support via ylgstrike.blogspot.com

Save Baron House

Customer services for the East Coast Main rail line are operated by National Express call centre workers at Baron House, Newcastle. However the publicly owned East Coast Main Line company has made the decision to franchise jobs to Intelenet Global Services, which will result in most of the work being transferred to India.

Craig Johnson, RMT executive member, attended an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the issue. Craig commented that Theresa Villiers, transport minister: "Couldn't have cared less about the loss of jobs, claiming it was a commercial decision by East Coast, a government-run company, that the government couldn't interfere in! She also defended the company, implying these decisions had to be taken to prepare East Coast for re-privatisation!"

The loss of these 180 jobs would be a further blow to the economy in the North East.

There will be a protest against the job losses at Baron House, Newcastle Central station at 8am on 24 June.

Elaine Brunskill

Strike at Sussex Downs College

Workplace news in brief

Come to the 6th annual NSSN conference!

Second strike by Tilbury dockers over attack on contracts

M10: Angry workers walk out across the country

10 May sees united strike - but teacher unions shirk their responsibilities

London:

National TUC demonstration: 'A future that works'

National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) 6th annual national conference

Hackney Socialist Party: Perspectives for the USA

West London Socialist Party: The February 1917 Russian revolution

Jobs:

UN reports rise in global youth unemployment

Back to work? How the system fails the unemployed

Con-Dems' hypocrisy over children's care

RMT:

Public meetings against cuts in the rail industry

RMT calls Budget Day of Action

Trade unions must build mass party

Newcastle:

Newcastle Socialist Party: Prepare for future struggles

'Slutwalk' protests

Newcastle: Socialists won't be intimidated by racists

London underground:

Tube Lines: Another fine mess

Tube strike called off after winning concessions

Tangled web at Metronet

National Express:

National Express goes off the rails