Workplace inbrief



Supporting N30

Steve Hedley, London regional organiser, RMT explained how the RMT is supporting N30: “We’re organising a march from the RMT HQ to support everyone who’s on strike. Except for the Tyne and Wear Metro and ferry services and of course the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, who are striking, the bosses are not coming for our pensions just yet, but they will do if they get this through – so maximum solidarity is required to support this action.

We support coordinating action. When everyone’s under attack we can’t allow sectors to be picked off. We’ve got to coordinate action for everybody’s good and we will support not only our union members but everyone fighting on 30 November.”


Joining N30

TV licensing workers, employed by Capita, are joining in the strike on 30 November. That will be the fourth day of strike action that CWU members has taken in their pay dispute. Capita has only offered a 2.6% pay rise, in spite of the fact that the company makes over £1 million in profit every day.

Workers will be mounting picket lines in Bristol and Darwen and joining in local public sector union demos.


Victory at Honda

Paddy Brennan, Unite convenor at the Swindon Honda factory, has had his suspension lifted by management.

Paddy was suspended by Honda on 28 July. The suspension came at a time when Honda management was attempting to have Unite derecognised in the workplace. Paddy was one of the keynote speakers at the National Shop Stewards Network rally on the 11 September lobby of the TUC calling for coordinated strike action in the public sector.


Victory for union organisation

Facing a united and determined campaign from Transport for London (TfL) and cabbies’ unions, management have dramatically withdrawn their outsourcing proposals for London Taxi and Private Hire (Compliance and Licensing). We now have 18 months to prepare to block the likely attempt to outsource TfL call centres.

More immediately we need to stop the threatened introduction of a new low-pay “Band 0.5” assistant grade at the London Transport Museum.

TfL reps are currently meeting weekly as a 40-strong joint shop stewards committee and are naturally feeling buoyed and empowered by this victory, which means keeping 94 colleagues in-house and saving 68 of those from a probable move to private firms in Coventry or Northampton to keep their jobs.

Paul Stevens, TfL RMT

Wightlink

Transport union RMT members working for Wightlink on the Portsmouth routes are balloting for industrial action in support of their rep, Paul Kelly. Paul has been victimised on trumped-up charges after organising opposition to the imposition of new rosters.

The ballot started on 30 November.