
The Socialist 13 January 2021
Our health and livelihoods before their profits

Our health and livelihoods before their profits
Londoners suffer and Khan piles on pressure
Bosses earn workers' annual wage in three days
NHS Emergency - Fight for a fully funded, publicly owned, socialist NHS
Dispatches from the front - health workers speak out
NHS pandemic warnings ignored - renationalise our NHS
Schools: Act together to oppose unsafe numbers and rising workload
Global capitalism at most dangerous conjuncture since the 1930s
Fully resource the vaccination programme now
Covid vaccine nationalism threatens pandemic response
How should socialists respond to the 6 January attacks on Capitol Hill?
Lockdown 3.0 - fight to make our shops safe!
Ryan Aldred: Why I'm standing for Usdaw's EC
Unison get sec election shows left can win NEC
Royal mail management forced to make concessions
British Gas workers strike against 'fire and rehire' plans
Get stuck in to build a fighting, democratic PCS union
Refund student rent and fees - fight for free education and make the 1% pay
Exams scrapped again - young people need a future with jobs and free education
Help us fund the fight for Socialism
TUSC to hold local elections conference in February
Book Review: Humankind - Dispelling the myth that humans are too selfish for socialism
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Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/1116/31830
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British Gas workers strike against 'fire and rehire' plans
British Gas engineers in the GMB union held a picket line on Aylestone Road, Leicester on 11 January and received tremendous support from passers-by, both on foot, and in cars hooting their horns.
They have been out on strike for five days so far against massive attacks on their pay and terms and conditions. These include an increase in working hours for no extra pay. This is in addition to driving time to customers' homes at the start of the day, and back at the end, being excluded from working hours, plus attacks on holidays and rota systems, and more.
Leicester Socialist Party members have been on the picket line on Aylestone Road showing solidarity.
Paul Carvell, the local shop steward and a regional GMB rep, who is a technical engineer and has worked for the company for 38 years, spoke to the Socialist:
"We are out on strike because our terms and conditions are under threat.
"To force this through they've used the tactic of fire and rehire. The union has successfully negotiated with the management for years, but, now a new CEO (Chris O'Shea) has decided the only way forward is to use bully-boy tactics. These terms, and conditions will make a massive difference to my work-life balance.
"Over 95% of the engineers are on strike, we are a heavily unionised industry. We don't want to take this action; this is the time of year when our customers need us most to keep them warm. But this is the last chance to stop these disgusting attacks.
"The next step is five more days of, strike spread across three weeks.
"We want a settlement, but fire and rehire is an absolute disgrace and should be illegal."
The holding company for British Gas, Centrica, made £901 million in profits last year. The Socialist Party campaigns for renationalisation of the industry, with democratic workers' control, so that this kind of profiteering management can be removed.
GMB regional organiser based in Leicester, Colin Wyatt, said "this action is a result of bullying tactics. We've said 'No way O'Shea' and enough is enough!"
- GMB have announced five new dates, for 24 hours each day, on 20, 22, 25, 29 January and 1 February
In this issue
News
Our health and livelihoods before their profits
Londoners suffer and Khan piles on pressure
Bosses earn workers' annual wage in three days
NHS
NHS Emergency - Fight for a fully funded, publicly owned, socialist NHS
Dispatches from the front - health workers speak out
NHS pandemic warnings ignored - renationalise our NHS
Schools
Schools: Act together to oppose unsafe numbers and rising workload
Economy
Global capitalism at most dangerous conjuncture since the 1930s
Vaccines
Fully resource the vaccination programme now
Covid vaccine nationalism threatens pandemic response
International news
How should socialists respond to the 6 January attacks on Capitol Hill?
Retail
Lockdown 3.0 - fight to make our shops safe!
Ryan Aldred: Why I'm standing for Usdaw's EC
Workplace news
Unison get sec election shows left can win NEC
Royal mail management forced to make concessions
British Gas workers strike against 'fire and rehire' plans
Get stuck in to build a fighting, democratic PCS union
Youth and students
Refund student rent and fees - fight for free education and make the 1% pay
Exams scrapped again - young people need a future with jobs and free education
Campaigns and party news
Help us fund the fight for Socialism
TUSC to hold local elections conference in February
Review
Book Review: Humankind - Dispelling the myth that humans are too selfish for socialism
Home | The Socialist 13 January 2021 | Join the Socialist Party
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NHS Emergency - Fight for a fully funded, publicly owned, socialist NHS