The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) has called a lobby of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on 10 September. The NSSN says: “The Tories have sneaked their new attack on the right to strike, the Minimum Service Level Act (MSL), into law before the parliamentary summer recess. The NSSN agrees with fighting unions that are calling for action to ensure that no union is left isolated. The NSSN believes that if workers take action together, the crisis-ridden Tories and their anti-union offensive can be defeated.

“The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called for ‘mass opposition’ and for unions to ‘act together to build a movement to defy and defeat this law.’ At its AGM, the RMT rail union passed a motion calling for a national demonstration against the MSL and coordinated strike action. And Unite the Union’s policy conference passed a motion to ‘call on the TUC to coordinate action, in the form of a 24-hour general strike’.

“The annual NSSN Conference on 24 June agreed a model motion (see latest NSSN bulletin at shopstewards.net), including supporting a rally and lobby of TUC Congress in Liverpool on Sunday 10 September. We encourage all union branches and trades councils to discuss the motion and agree it.”

Cardiff trades council: ‘About time!’

Cardiff trades council voted unanimously to support the NSSN motion for trade union action against the Tory Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Act and to support the lobby of the TUC in September.

So the officers decided to see if we could organise a coach to Liverpool and appeal for funding from union branches.

So far we have had promises from two Unite branches and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), with positive responses from other unions as well. So we have booked the bus and are starting to fill the seats.

It’s striking how much support there is this year for the lobby. A Unite worker in the chemical industry said: “About time!” when he heard about the lobby. There really is a mood to push the TUC into fighting the act.

Dave Reid, assistant secretary, Cardiff County Trades Union Council

London

Hundreds of pounds has been donated to assist transport to Liverpool from London. These donations have come from Unite branches in both health and local government, RMT and Unison branches, and several trades councils.

South West NSSN launched

Following a year of picket lines, with trade unionists and socialists supporting each other’s action, a founding meeting of the NSSN in the South West took place in Plymouth.

We assembled on the RMT picket at the train station, and met afterwards in the local Railway Club.

Key speakers included Robbie Woodland, president of the bakers’ union BFAWU Kernow, who appealed for support for its campaign for better pay and conditions, and union recognition at Ginsters and all Samworth Brothers sites nationwide. See ‘Appeal from Robbie Woodland, President BFAWU Kernow’ at socialistparty.org.uk.

Robert Kitley, Aslef Exeter branch chair, spoke in a personal capacity on the continuing overtime ban being held by train drivers to bring the Train Operation Companies to the negotiating table. Dave Goard from the RMT executive committee praised his members for launching the widest strike wave for 50 years, and their determination to continue their year-long campaign on pay and conditions.

Dave Roberts, regional secretary of the FBU, drove from Weston Super Mare, and will encourage more local FBU reps to participate in future South West NSSN events. The meeting was chaired by Alex Moore, National Education Union Plymouth secretary (in a personal capacity) and Socialist Party member.

Participation in the meeting and subsequently has included Jill Narin, vice chair of Napo in the south west, University and College Union members, and striking reps from the National Union of Journalists at the BBC and the Society of Radiographers.

We unanimously agreed to set up a steering committee, endorse the NSSN model motion on fighting the anti-union laws, and to campaign to get local union branches to affiliate to the NSSN. We are now looking into booking transport to the lobby of the TUC in Liverpool.

Plymouth Socialist Party