The Socialist 15 October 2014

829

Fight for mass action to end cuts and low pay

A socialist world is possible

Mark Serwotka: Building a strong, fighting union

Workers need a new party

How a mass campaign stopped the cuts

Challenging the austerity parties

Barking and Dagenham council at a crossroads

Tories and Labour in crisis after Ukip win

Them & Us

Ireland: Stunning byelection victory for Socialist Party

Obama's strategy to beat IS lies in tatters

First NHS pay strike for 30 years

Local government pay: reject offer, reinstate action!

Care UK workers mark 81st strike day

600 St Mungo's housing workers to strike for a week

Recycling workers strike over pay and conditions

Severfields engineers strike against bonus cut

Young workers say: decent jobs now

The myth of 'self-employment'

'Political awakening' continues in Scotland

On the road to higher wages

Coventry fans stung by Wasps

Johnson's housing crime scene

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Severfields engineers strike against bonus cut

Hugh Caffrey, Socialist Party

One hundred engineering workers at Severfields (formerly Watsons) factory in Bolton, Greater Manchester took their second day of rock-solid strike action on 9 October.

Management want to get rid of the £1,200 annual bonus received by workers for minimising sickness absence, and tried to push this through by making acceptance of that cut a condition for granting a pay rise. In other words, the employers would give with one hand and take with the other. Workers have refused to accept this and after months of talks, have taken two days strike action this month.

Colin Gidman told me: "It's gone very well this morning, 100% so very very good. This started earlier in the year, in May, and months later it's still going on! They've said they want to talk to us next Wednesday, so we'll see what comes of that."

Numerous employers are inventing new policies on sickness to bully and harass their employees into accepting worse pay and terms and conditions. There is bound to be a suspicion that Severfields has the same agenda, but GMB members at its Bolton plant are showing them that workers have had enough!

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 10 October 2014 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.

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£££ Britain needs a pay rise

Fight for mass action to end cuts and low pay