All Around the UK subcategories:
UK Towns and cities keywords:
Manchester
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: Unions - Strike - University - UCU - Pay - London - School - Colleges - Birmingham - Cardiff - College - Cambridge - Belfast - Bristol - Edinburgh - Manchester - Education - Gateshead - Greenwich - Lecturers - Trade unions - Milton Keynes - Nottingham - Oxford - Leeds
Workplace news in brief
Fight goes further
There were picket lines at colleges up and down the country on 10 November as further education lecturers in the University and College Union (UCU) took strike action over pay. Staff are angry that the employers' representatives, the Association of Colleges, recommended a pay freeze, despite staff suffering a real-terms pay cut of 17.1% in the last five years. Three-quarters (74%) of UCU members who voted, backed strike action after the employers rejected the joint trade unions' pay claim of £1 an hour extra for staff. There were large rallies in Birmingham and London.
Open Uni walkout
Open University (OU) staff have voted to strike for the first time ever over up to 500 job losses and the closure of seven offices. Regional centres in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Gateshead, Leeds, London and Oxford are to shut and members will also strike at OU offices in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Manchester and Nottingham. UCU said managers were alone in thinking the plans were a good idea. Pauline Collins, of the UCU, said: "The only people who still seem to think that axing 500 jobs and closing down seven regional Open University centres is a good idea are the senior managers. The academic body at the university rejected the plans at its senate meeting and now the staff have given an overwhelming mandate for strike action for the first time in its history."
Academy action
Teachers at the John Roan academy school in Greenwich, South London, took strike action on 10 November over unsustainable workloads. The majority of the school's 53 staff members of the National Union of Teachers voted for strike action and formed a lively picket line of the morning of the strike. See more in next week's issue.
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
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.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999