The Socialist 6 January 2016

Fight the flood of cuts

2016: Crisis-ridden capitalism will meet with bitter mood of resistance

No retreat on resisting council cuts!

Fight the flood of cuts

Support junior doctors' and student nurses' action

Another black man shot dead by the police

UK's private rail fares six times public rates

Birmingham Labour to axe at least 1,200 jobs in £165m cuts onslaught

UK wage growth will be lowest since 1920s

NHS England chiefs block hospitals from publicising emergencies

What we saw: Sadiq Khan's promises on London transport

Them & Us

Floods, climate change and capitalism

Carlisle Socialist Party's action plan on floods

Profit system exacerbates flooding

Tories' hypocritical green policies pledge

Renationalise the water industry

No government majority as Podemos partially recovers

Union action needed to defeat attack on student nurses

Nationalise rail now! Rail workers strike around the country

Steel: public ownership needed as private buyers threaten pay and pensions

Condescending Tories savage Yorkshire fire service

Workplace news in brief

Dark comic book fantasy throws light on abusive relationships

"I chose to be involved in politics, Michael Crick"

Letters

A 'People's Budget' to defeat cruel cuts

Stop the closure of Calderstones hospital!

2015 marks best fighting fund total this century!

Eleanor Marx: celebrate a life of struggle for socialism

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Nationalise rail now! Rail workers strike around the country

Socialist Party reporters

Aslef and RMT union members at Arriva Trains Wales walked out for 24 hours on 4 January with all its services cancelled, over terms and conditions. Some services on the morning of 5 January were also disrupted, with the strike causing chaos as many returned to work after the Christmas break.

The pay demands of the dispute have been accepted, but Aslef has said Arriva is trying to "railroad through" changes to terms and conditions.

Arriva has threatened that staff would be expected to work beyond an agreed maximum nine and a half hours working day except for "special circumstances".

Aslef is concerned that staff could be required to regularly work over that time due to the frequency of such circumstances including engineering works and special events like ferrying fans to big sporting events.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT salutes our driver members on Arriva Trains Wales who are standing rock solid, shoulder to shoulder with Aslef colleagues. This strike is about basic workplace justice and decent working conditions and it is down to the company to recognise the anger amongst the workforce."

An indefinite train driver overtime ban is also currently in force which exposed the reliance on drivers working overtime and low staffing levels on Christmas Eve when a staff shortage led to cancel lations and delays.

Meanwhile, RMT members took further strike action on 4 January against the downgrading of the roles of Northern Rail customer relations staff based in Leeds. By dropping two bandings, new starters will earn a staggering £5,000 a year less.

Franchise

Local RMT activists had also asked the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) to bring a stall with our petition over the wider cuts planned in the new Northern Rail franchise.

Another rail union, TSSA, recently highlighted that millions of pounds in profit from Britain's foreign-run railways is being sent to help run transport systems overseas - including German-owned Arriva Trains Wales and Northern Rail which is 50% owned by the Dutch state railway company.

The strike action coincided with an Action for Rail day of protest against the latest fare rises. 58% of the public want rail renationalisation and the Socialist Party fights to make the public sentiment for nationalised transport a reality - with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need.

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2016: Crisis-ridden capitalism will meet with bitter mood of resistance