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From The Socialist newspaper, 17 October 2018
Newham finance staff fight pay and grading insult
Newham payables officers protesting outside council offices, 15.10.18, photo by James Ivens (Click to enlarge)
Workers for Newham's Labour-led council who are responsible for processing payments to suppliers are hacked off at bosses for grading their important jobs in a way that gets them less pay.
All seven 'payables officers' held a protest outside the east London borough's office, Building 1000, on 15 October.
General union Unite has balloted the entire team for industrial action. If their reasonable demands aren't met, they're going to strike on 26 and 29 October, and 2 and 5 November.
Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: "Our members have four days of strike action planned and this could mean that suppliers of goods and services to the council won't be paid on time - the process will grind to a snail's pace.
"We are calling for the council to do the right thing and revert to the agreed process for this particular job evaluation. If the council gets away with not paying this group of staff what they are rightly owed, council management will feel able to get away with it with other sections of the workforce."
Ian Pattison, East London Socialist Party
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
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In The Socialist 17 October 2018:
What we think
Tories' Brexit bust-up - general election now
News
Universal credit = universal misery
New anti-poll tax type revolt needed today
Toxic fracking gets the go-ahead while protesters jailed
No to fat-cat top judges' £59k pay hike - fight for decent pay for criminal justice workers
Tory and Trump hypocrisy over murder of Saudi Arabian journalist
Mental health
Fully fund mental health services now
Workplace news
PCS union: nominate Chris Baugh as Left Unity candidate for assistant general secretary
Striking Brum home carers reject 'final' pay cut offer
South Western rail workers launch five-day safety strike to save guards
Uber drivers strike against unfair 'deactivation' and low pay
Bolton hospital workers strike
Grimethorpe dinner ladies stage all-out strike against redundancy
Cable makers' pay strike bites as production falls 33%
Newham finance staff fight pay and grading insult
International socialist news and analysis
Libres y Combativas: striking for women's rights in the Spanish state
Engels
The renewed relevance of Engels' classic Socialism: Utopian and Scientific
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Socialism - the podcast offering Marxist analysis for the movement against capitalism
'Corbyn-council' faces a choice: Implement or fight the cuts
Devon foster carers fight 30% cut in allowances
Opinion
Peterloo film exposes bloody nature of capitalism
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