Archive for November 2007

1 November 2007

Respect in crisis - what lessons for socialists?

The transformation of Labour into a thoroughgoing party of big-business has left the working class effectively disenfranchised...

1 November 2007

Countering the race to the bottom

Comment: Having been born (1958) and brought up in one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Britain, Crumpsall/Cheetham in Manchester, I have known from an early age never to judge a person by the colour of their skin, religion, spelling... By Colin Trousdale

1 November 2007

Targets take their toll on cleaners

A domestic team supervisor at an East Midlands hospital told the socialist what lies behind the headlines in today's NHS....

1 November 2007

Feature: NHS - Time to fight for a national strike

The health service is being attacked in a piecemeal way - one hospital forced to close wards here, community services cut there - but these attacks are part of the government's national policies, which need to be challenged ...

1 November 2007

Editorial: NHS campaigning - national strategy needed

There have been protests all over the country to defend the NHS. The latest, in Haywards Heath and Chichester, were both over 10,000 strong. This shows...

1 November 2007

CWU executive member calls for a 'no' vote

Royal Mail deal: Jane James interviewed Dave Warren, a member of the CWU's postal executive. Dave is the only member of the executive to speak out against the deal.

1 November 2007

Unison local government ballot result ignored

Unison's national joint committee voted by 24-3 on 29 October, not to go for industrial action over local government pay... By Bill Mullins

1 November 2007

System change to stop climate change

Demonstration against climate change in 2005, photo Paul Mattsson

HARDLY A day passes without a new report on global warming and environmental destruction publicised in the media. ... By Dave Carr

1 November 2007

Countering the race to the bottom

comment: Having been born (1958) and brought up in one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Britain, Crumpsall/Cheetham in Manchester, I have known from an early age never to judge a person by the colour of their skin, religion, spelling... By Colin Trousdale, Manchester trade unionist

1 November 2007

The socialist interview

Neil Cafferky spoke to Sadiq Abakar, an asylum seeker from Darfur, after a Save Sadiq protest against his deportation outside the UK Home Office.

1 November 2007

Nigeria: Day of action protest march in Osogbo

AS PART of the ongoing international campaign to free the detained student leaders from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and Education Rights Campaign (ERC) organised a protes... By a correspondent in Nigeria

1 November 2007

Switzerland: Racism dominates election campaign

THE RESULTS of the recent general election in Switzerland reflect a highly polarised society, with the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) securing a 29% vote and 62 seats in the 200 seat assembly and the left-leaning Green... By Simon Carter

1 November 2007

Poland: Right-wing populist government defeated

'Terrible twins' suffer election defeat: POLAND'S RIGHT-wing populist government headed by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, twin brother of the Polish President, has been ousted following last Sunday's snap parliamentary elections... By Paul Newbery, CWI Poland

1 November 2007

Wales shop stewards' network conference

About 50 shop stewards and union reps from all over Wales gathered in Cardiff for the founding conference of the Wales Shop Stewards' Network... By Dave Reid

1 November 2007

London and South East regional conference

Over 70 trade unionists and activists gathered in London on 21 October to further build upon the recent successful national launch of the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN)... By Annoesjka Valent, steering committee NSSN

1 November 2007

Bolton care workers' dispute: Workers' determination yields first signs of success

Since the beginning of October care workers in Bolton have been involved in industrial action to defend terms and conditions of employment which had supposedly been agreed on a national level.... By Robert Mitchell

1 November 2007

Vote Martin Powell-Davies for NUT vice president

Socialist Party member Martin Powell-Davies is standing for election as the teachers' union NUT vice-president....

1 November 2007

Journalists: Fight low pay and long hours

"Press freedom is the freedom of 200 rich people to express their opinion" one German conservative newspaper owner commented decades ago... By Christian Bunke

1 November 2007

Socialism 2007

17–18 November 2007: Socialism 2007 is only two weeks away now so make sure you have got your tickets booked up so you do not miss out... By Greg Maughan

1 November 2007

NHS: Kick big business out!

The PUSH NHS demonstration in 2006 called for a national demonstration, photo Sarah Sachs-Eldridge

A dizzying array of cuts and privatisation, in the name of modernisation and reform, has been thrust upon the NHS since New Labour came to power in 1997... By Dr Jackie Grunsell, Save Huddersfield NHS councillor

8 November 2007

Build the left in the public-sector trade unions

Editorial: The situation in the public sector over pay has many lessons for the left in the trade unions...

8 November 2007

Martial law imposed in Pakistan

ON SATURDAY 3 November, General Musharraf imposed martial law across Pakistan... By Khalid Bhatti, Socialist Movement Pakistan (SMP), Lahore

8 November 2007

PCS backs further strike action

PCS on strike 1 May 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

Civil service ballot: Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union members have voted in favour of further national strike action to defend their jobs, pay and conditions which are under attack... By Mark Baker, PCS NEC, personal capacity

8 November 2007

Education, Education, Education

Education for the rich: TONY BLAIR'S rallying cry of the 1997 general election was for "education, education, education", a call that chimed with the aspirations of ordinary people to have the opportunity to learn, develop ideas and understanding...

8 November 2007

Corporate crime: Sign of an out-of-control economy

Comment: THE CAPITALIST press expressed shock and condemnation recently as three businessmen, directors of Independent Insurance which collapsed in 2001, were facing prison sentences for conspiracy to defraud... By Iain Dalton

8 November 2007

New schools but not enough rooms

ON THE same day that a Financial Times article complained about Private Finance Initiative-funded schools being built as "unimpressive brick boxes with tiny windows and mean corridors" I was called by a Lewisham NUT school ... By Martin Powell-Davies, Lewisham National Union of Teachers

8 November 2007

NUT elections: "What are we waiting for?"

Socialist Party member Martin Powell-Davies is standing for election as vice-president of the National Union of Teachers (NUT)...

8 November 2007

Yarl's Wood camp protests

AT THE Yarl's Wood detention centre near Milton Keynes 22 female asylum seekers have signed a letter calling for an independent investigation into detainees' treatment at the centre.... By Bob Severn

8 November 2007

Israel: Café waiters' strike victory

THIRTY-SIX employees of the Coffee To Go Café in Ramat Aviv have won a strike for union recognition and against the violation of their labour rights... By Amnon Cohen, CWI

8 November 2007

'Competition' dominated by a few giants

Supermarkets report: THE 'BIG four' supermarkets and their so-called 'competition' are making the headlines again... By Sean Figg

8 November 2007

Jean Charles de Menezes: Unanswered questions after court case

AT LAST, the grieving family of Brazilian migrant worker, Jean Charles de Menezes, have received partial justice of a sort after the successful prosecution of the Metropolitan Police under health and safety laws... By Rob McDonald and Steve Nally

8 November 2007

Why Prince of mortgages resigned

CHARLES PRINCE, chairman and chief executive of the world's biggest bank, Citigroup, has resigned... By Dave Carr

8 November 2007

Stop and search failure

ONLY ONE in every 400 'stop and searches' leads to arrest, official figures reveal... By Sarah Sachs-Eldridge

8 November 2007

Free detained Nigerian students

Protest at the UK Nigerian embassy, photo Marc Vallee

THE INTERNATIONAL campaign to free the detained student leaders from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and Education Rights Campaign (ERC) is growing.

8 November 2007

Don't just 'celebrate' the NHS - fight back

NHS demonstration 3 November: OVER 7,000 people took to London's streets on 3 November for the long-awaited trade union-called national NHS demonstration... By Liz Cowell, district nurse

8 November 2007

Staff shortages cause stress and anger

Hospital domestic workers: "A SUPERVISOR on a ward, serving meals to 36 patients, got bleeped. 'Can you come to Suite 1? We've got a flood.' She said: 'Do you want me to serve... By A domestic worker at a Midlands hospital spoke to the socialist

8 November 2007

Support strikers at Northern General Hospital

ELEVEN BULK stores staff at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital (NGH), all Unison members, have now taken ten days of strike action against management plans to impose 20% wage cuts through axing their bonus scheme....

8 November 2007

Health workers strike against sacking

Manchester Community and Mental Health Trust bosses sacked Unison rep Karen Reissman on 5 November... By Hugh Caffrey, Manchester

8 November 2007

Fight Royal Mail victimisation

In the "deal" reached by Royal Mail and the CWU Postal Executive there is no mention of suspended or sacked workers.

8 November 2007

Sick of the profit system?

Socialism 2007

Come to socialism 2007! Rally/one day only £10 waged, £5 unwaged/low paid....

14 November 2007

Editorial: Shattering confidence in world economy

Earlier this year, capitalist leaders were boasting of record growth in the world economy, around 5% a year for over five years...

14 November 2007

Pakistan martial law

PAKISTAN'S GENERAL Musharraf has defended the imposition of martial law saying it would continue indefinitely, although in a bid to keep the US and British governments on board he indicated that parliamentary elections will ... By Dave Carr

14 November 2007

German train drivers strike

Taking their fight to a new level German train drivers are this week holding the biggest strike in their history, stopping all freight traffic for two and a half days and all passenger trains for 48 hours.

14 November 2007

Release Nigerian students now!

Three Nigerian student activists from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, are still in jail on made up charges.

14 November 2007

Anger on the building sites

Ucatt members demonstrate against deaths on building sites

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS are facing an increasing number of problems. On the construction sites, anger is reaching levels similar to those before the national strike five years ago.

14 November 2007

NHS: Step up the struggle against privatisation

Marching through Swansea to save NHS services, photo M Kamish

Another year of struggle and fightback lies ahead for NHS workers and campaigners... By Lois Austin Socialist Party health spokesperson

14 November 2007

Tales from the council chamber

COVENTRY'S SOCIALIST councillors nearly got a motion passed through Coventry's Tory majority council... By Rob Windsor, Coventry Socialist Party councillor

14 November 2007

USA: Enthusiastic response to socialist policies

ON 6 November over 6.5% of those who voted in Boston's city (USA) council election cast their ballots for Matt Geary, the candidate of Socialist Alternative [the Socialist Party's US counterpart].... By Bryan Koulouris, Socialist Alternative (CWI, USA), Boston

14 November 2007

Egypt's workers flex their industrial muscle

AFTER A one-week strike and occupation in September 2007, 27,000 workers at Ghazl al-Mahalla textile mill in northern Egypt scored a spectacular victory... By Jon Dale

14 November 2007

Belgium: Fighting attacks on education

As Socialist Students national organiser I spent a week working with Linkse Socialistiche Partij (LSP) / Mouvement pour une Alternative Socialiste (MAS), the Belgian section of the Committee for a Workers International (CWI),... By Matt Dobson

14 November 2007

Review: Handsworth Revolution - Steel Pulse (1978)

Socialism 2007 will feature a session on the politics of reggae. To coincide with the event Dave Gorton reviews this important album and describes the...

14 November 2007

Royal Mail's deal: Not good enough - Vote NO!

Postal workers on strike in 2007

Postal workers around the country have led a heroic struggle against Royal Mail's attacks on their terms and conditions, wages and jobs. Royal Mail are clearly aiming to prepare the postal service for privatisation. ... By Chris Moore, Gloucestershire Socialist Party

14 November 2007

Why you should read, write for and sell the socialist

Fighting for the low-paid: The successful strike action of Unison Whipps Cross Hospital domestics, porters and switchboard staff against contractor Initial Hospital Services last year was a magnificent example of how determination and unity in action c... By Len Hockey, Joint Branch Secretary, Whipps Cross Hospital Unison (personal capacity)

14 November 2007

Manchester health workers

Manchester health workers: Over 150 mental health community nurses are continuing indefinite strike action, to win reinstatement of Unison activist Karen Reissman, sacked earlier this month... By Hugh Caffrey and Christian Bunke, Manchester

14 November 2007

Cadbury's closure: Workers vote for action

The fight to save 500 jobs at Cadbury's Keynsham plant near Bristol continues... By Domenico Hill and Robin Clapp, Bristol Socialist Party

14 November 2007

Trade union news in brief

In brief: Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) working in the Department for Work and pensions (DWP) are balloting for strike action over pay...

14 November 2007

Save every Remploy job!

BEFORE THE election that never was, back in September, employment minister Peter Hain backed down on the closure of 43 Remploy factories... By Mariam Kamish

14 November 2007

Campaigners say: No Post Office closures!

NEXT YEAR 2,500 post offices face closure nationally. Opponents of this attack are organising a protest outside the national Post Office administrative...

14 November 2007

Green activists seek solutions

LAST WEEK 700 people, mainly environmental activists, met to build support for the 8 December Climate Change demonstration... By Pete Dickenson

14 November 2007

Aiming to be rich

THE STATED aim of Aim, the Alternative Investment Market, is to create a junior stock market for 'smaller, growing companies'...

14 November 2007

World economy: Bosses' crisis, workers pay

Bubbles: Socialism Today, May 2007, anticiapted the c rash. Cartoon by Suz

The global economy is in deep trouble. When the subprime mortgage crisis hit financial markets in August, it was dismissed by city pundits as a mere hiccup... By Lynn Walsh

14 November 2007

Birmingham council workers fight pay cuts

On 7 November Birmingham city council workers held a demonstration outside the council house in Birmingham city centre in protest against the council's plans to force through its gender pay equalisation plans which will mean... By Ted Smith, Birmingham Socialist Party

19 November 2007

800 attend rally to discuss 'Which way forward for the left in Britain?'

Press release: Left union General Secretaries give their views on defending their members and breaking the unions from Labour : 800 trade unionists, activists and Socialists gathered in central London on Saturday night to hear fighting speeches from general secretaries of Britain's most combatative trade unions...

21 November 2007

2007 manifesto

Election manifesto 2007: ...

22 November 2007

Nationalise Northern Rock permanently to safeguard workers' interests

Editorial: WHEN THE Northern Rock bank went into crisis in September, the socialist unequivocally called for its nationalisation...

22 November 2007

France: massive public sector workers' strike

MOBILISED TO defend public-sector jobs and pay, hundreds of thousands of workers went on strike in France on Tuesday 20 November. ... By Karl Debbaut, Committee for a Workers' International (CWI)

22 November 2007

SNP budget will not satisfy expectations

Glasgow Social Workers on strike , photo Duncan Brown

Scotland: The Scottish National Party government has delivered its first Scottish budget since forming a minority administration after the May 2007 elections... By Philip Stott

22 November 2007

Detention without trial: Defend civil rights

THE BIZARRE and scandalous auction over how long police should be allowed to detain terrorism suspects without charge continues... By Naomi Byron

22 November 2007

New attacks on incapacity benefits

WORKS AND Pensions (DWP) minister Peter Hain has announced new medical 'tests' from next October for people with disabilities to make it harder to qualify for incapacity benefit...

22 November 2007

Defend Karen Reissman: Defend free speech and trade union rights

Manchester mental health workers on strike, photo Christian Bunke

Manchester mental health workers have taken over two weeks' strike action to defend their sacked union rep Karen Reissman...

22 November 2007

'Cheap and nasty' Camden council to shut deaf school

On Wednesday 21 November staff, parents and pupils will be marching to stop Camden council deciding to close Frank Barnes primary school for deaf children... By Hugo Pierre, Camden Unison convener

22 November 2007

Support the Northern Ireland classroom assistants

CLASSROOM ASSISTANTS in Northern Ireland are continuing their strike action against attacks on their pay and conditions...

22 November 2007

Cardiff schools: Parents march against closure threats

IN THE latest stage of Cardiff Liberal council's outrageous school closures programme, Lansdowne Primary School is threatened with closure... By Ross Saunders, Cardiff Socialist Party

22 November 2007

Socialism 2007: Inspired by past victories, preparing for future struggles

Socialism 2007 - Rally, photo Paul Mattsson

THE SOCIALISM 2007 weekend on 17-18 November was everything it was billed as and more... By Hannah Sell

22 November 2007

Rail transport: Overpriced, overcrowded, underinvested

THE NEW, fast, Eurostar rail service between St Pancras international station and Paris opened on 14 November...

22 November 2007

Labour's pensions - a social time-bomb

EX-PRIME Minister Tony Blair recently shored up his personal retirement plans by £250,000 or more, while the government he used to lead was undermining the future prospects of a secure retirement for millions.... By Ray Murphy

22 November 2007

Train drivers strike in Germany

LAST WEEK 10,300 train drivers of the rail union GDL took strike action for 62 hours... By Anne Engelhardt, Sozialistische Alternative (SAV), CWI Germany

22 November 2007

Denmark general election: Socialist People's Party doubles its MPs

THE RECENT Danish general election results confirmed a political trend in recent European elections ie a decline in support for the traditional conservative and social-democratic establishment parties and an increase in votes...

22 November 2007

2008 US presidential election

The twin parties of big business offer no solutions for working-class people: ELECTIONS CAN pose important questions in the minds of workers and youth. With a growing anti-war mood in the US, further signs of a looming recession... By James Kerr

22 November 2007

GM, Chrysler, and Ford's 'race to the bottom'

WITH THEIR industry caught in a deep crisis of overcapacity, the 'Big Three' auto companies demanded brutal concessions on all fronts, and the United Auto Workers' (UAW) union leadership delivered... By Ty Moore, Socialist Alternative, USA

22 November 2007

Postal workers campaign against "MacMail"

Western Counties branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have called for a 'no' vote in the ballot over the Royal Mail pay deal... By Sean Brogan, Devon Socialist Party

22 November 2007

Doncaster Hospital workers on strike for £9,000 back pay

Skilled maintenance workers at the Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals trust were on strike on 19 November in a row over pay....

22 November 2007

National Union of Journalists: Standing up against the robber barons

"I'd rather die." These were comments reportedly made by one newspaper employer outside his hotel in Manchester, when asked whether he wanted to take an National Union of Journalists (NUJ) leaflet about the NUJ "stand up ... By Christian Bunke

22 November 2007

News in brief

Unfair pack: THE GOVERNMENT has underwritten Northern Rock by billions of pounds. But up to 150,000 low income people who are owed money after last year's collapse...

22 November 2007

Profit system wrecks climate

Climate change cartoon

"WARMING OF the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level"

27 November 2007

SOLIDARITY APPEAL: Defend Tukwila Teachers Threatened with Termination for Antiwar Student Walkout

On November 16th, over 1,000 students in Washington State walked out to protest the war in Iraq and the presence of military recruiters in public schools. Students at Foster High School in Tukwila, Washington organized and 150 walked out, saying "Money for Schools, Not War."

28 November 2007

Our Programme: Socialist Women - Who We Are

Socialist Women - Who We Are: Socialist Women holds national, regional and local meetings to discuss issues of concern to women...Fighting for Women - Rights and Socialism

29 November 2007

Nigerian students detained

THE CAMPAIGN continues to defend the detained Nigerian student activists, Olatunde Dairo, Taiwo Hassan Soweto and Akinola Sakuri...

29 November 2007

Communication Workers Union ballot

STOP PRESS: The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced the result of the ballot on the Royal Mail pay and modernisation agreement 2007-8, which the CWU leadership recommended to end the postal workers' strikes...

29 November 2007

Stop the ruin of our planet

Climate change demo 2005, photo Paul Mattsson

WAITING FOR government action to end climate change is like waiting for the punch line in Eastenders... By Ben Robinson

29 November 2007

Mass scrutiny needed to protect our rights and privacy

What we think: "A MASS movement is needed to tackle the state's snoopers" read a headline in the Observer newspaper...

29 November 2007

Data loss - no surprise to HMRC staff

ON 18 October, two discs containing the personal details of 25 million people were lost by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)... By A PCS union member in HMRC

29 November 2007

Brazil: An explosive brew in land of contrasts

DURING OCTOBER PETER TAAFFE visited Brazil for discussions with Marxists and socialists, along with LINDA TAAFFE, who visited schools and also discussed with teacher union activists in the struggle...

29 November 2007

NHS - new 'surplus' but problems continue

On the 3 November Save the NHS march, photo Paul Mattsson

THE NHS's chief executive David Nicholson has admitted that overall, the service will have underspent by £1.8 billion by the end of this financial year... By Keith Carter

29 November 2007

QinetiQ sell-off

QinetiQ sell-off: THE TEN most senior managers of QinetiQ, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) research firm, made an almost 20,000 per cent return at the taxpayer's expense out of the firm's part-privatisation... By Roger Shrives

29 November 2007

Students protest at Griffin and Irving

OXFORD UNION, the upper-crust student debating society, invited Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right, racist BNP and holocaust denier David Irving to a debate on free speech on 26 November...

29 November 2007

Exeter students gain anti-fascist victory

A victory for the forces of anti-fascism took place on 23 November when 200 students, union representatives and staff of Exeter University at a guild (students union) general meeting voted overwhelmingly for a policy of 'no ... By Robert Edwards, Exeter Socialist Students

29 November 2007

Kick the BNP out of Northumbria

The national leader of the BNP's youth section, Joseph Finnon, is a student at Northumbria University...By Paul Phillips

29 November 2007

Fight to save the NUS!

Students demonstrating in 2006, photo Dave Carr

The National Union of Students (NUS) leadership has, over the last few months, launched two major attacks on the idea of NUS as a union that represents and fights for students...

29 November 2007

Defend students from victimisation

Paul Murphy has written the following appeal asking for emails and phone calls of protest:...

29 November 2007

Che Guevara meetings

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara, the Brighton branch of the Socialist Party held a public meeting.... By Katt Jayawant

29 November 2007

Preparing a revolution and its party

Lenin making a speech

NINETY YEARS ago the Russian workers removed capitalism and began building the world's first workers' government... By Hugh Caffrey

29 November 2007

Australia: Howard disappears under a Labor party landslide

THE SOCIALIST Party [Australia] is delighted to see the back of John Howard and the federal Coalition government led by the Liberals... By Socialist Party reporters

29 November 2007

France: Transport strikes suspended

AFTER TAKING nine days of strike action, the longest for 12 years, French national SNCF rail and Paris urban transport workers called off their action on 23 November... By Judy Beishon

29 November 2007

Scotland: Solidarity conference

SOLIDARITY'S NATIONAL conference took place on 10-11 November in Glasgow. Attended by around 120 members on Saturday and 70 on Sunday, the conference...

29 November 2007

Demo shows support for victimised nurse

They call it the city of rain and Manchester did itself proud on 24 November... By Christian Bunke

29 November 2007

Teachers need a fighting union leadership

Thank you to everyone who supported my campaign in the election for a vice president of the National Union of Teachers (NUT)... By Martin Powell-Davies

29 November 2007

Construction bosses found guilty

Trainee scaffolder Steven Burke was 17 years old when he died working on unsafe scaffolding at Davyhulme waste-water treatment plant... By Hugh Caffrey, Manchester

29 November 2007

In brief

Defend Eddie Fleming: On 22 November, Eddie Fleming was sacked on trumped-up charges. Eddie is the branch chair of the PCS branch at the Child Support Agency (CSA) in Hastings....

29 November 2007

In brief: Who safeguards safety?

THE COURTS disqualify company directors who risk cash hundreds of times more often than directors who risk people's health and safety, says the Health and Safety Executive...

29 November 2007

Northern Rock scandal: Nationalise the banks!

NORTHERN ROCK, the UK's fifth biggest mortgage lender, went into financial meltdown when it was forced to call on emergency funding from the Bank of England in September... By Elaine Brunskill, Newcastle Socialist Party