The Socialist 9 August 2016

Stand firm for socialism

#KeepCorbyn: stand firm for socialism

Liverpool: Corbyn slams "politics of the elite"

Wallasey Labour meet in resistance to the Blairites

Mood for unity but not with right-wing Labour infiltrators

Thousands attend Corbyn rally in Cornwall

Bristol: Jeremy Corbyn wins support from young people

Hull: Jeremy Corbyn rally the biggest for 20 years

Jeremy Corbyn attracts 1,000 in York

Fresh bank crash looms

No to new grammars

Fight to defend HIV drug victory

UK wage drop as bad as Greece

Privatised medical record chaos

Them & Us

Grunwick strike 40 years on - lessons of an epic battle

Fawley strike defeats 'race to bottom' exploitation of migrant workers

Low paid cleaners declare victory after 58 days on strike

Samworth Brothers step up bullying and intimidation of workers

Communication Workers Union backs Jeremy Corbyn

HMY Radford shopfitters strike against penny-pinching company

South Wales NUM supports Jeremy Corbyn

Paul Reilly for RMT EC

2011 riots: An outpouring of anger at the system

Axe the Housing Act: 'We can't pay, we'll organise and we'll stay'

Great reception in Hackney for Chicago 'Black Lives Matter' socialist

South London #BlackLivesMatter protest marches on Downing Street

Leeds Pride 2016: Pride must be political!

Sanctioned - a victim of government callousness

Food waste - the logic of capitalism

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Fawley strikers, photo by Nick Chaffey (Click to enlarge)

Fawley strike defeats 'race to bottom' exploitation of migrant workers

Declan Clune, secretary of Southampton & South West Hampshire Trade Union Council (personal capacity)

Striking Unite members working for contractors NICO at the massive Fawley refinery in Hampshire have won an important victory for trade unionists against the bosses' race to the bottom.

This strike was against contractors paying migrant workers from Bulgaria and Italy £48 for a 10-hour shift instead of the £125 union-agreed rate paid to British workers.

This attack by the employers on trade union terms and conditions has been at the heart of the austerity drive to boost profits at the expense of workers across Europe. The attempt to drive down wages fuelled anger against the Tory government and the European Union, reflected in the Leave vote in the EU referendum and the enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn and his stand against cuts and defence of trade union rights.

This attack on the unions at Fawley has developed over recent years, coming to a head with the first official strike on Thursday 14 July for over 30 years. Pickets received strong support, with refinery workers joining the picket on their way to work and others offering to come out on unofficial strike.

This action shows the enormous potential to cut across the bosses' attempts to cut wages and the racist attacks of right-wing politicians on migrant workers. Like similar strikes elsewhere it is workers' unity in struggle that gets results and on this stand further victories must be organised to end the race to the bottom and start the climb to the top. As striking pickets told the Socialist: 'There is no future for the next generation of young workers on £48 a day!'.

Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett said:

"All the workers at Nico will now be paid the same rate for the job. The 'pay parity' deal is backdated to September last year. Unite will also be recognised for collective bargaining purposes by the employer. This is a victory for fairness in the workplace and pay parity. A combination of the solidarity of our members, support from other workers on the Fawley site and the media attention on this dispute all contributed to breaking the logjam with management."

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 3 August 2016 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.

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