Tata announcement
As we go to press, steelworkers – particularly in the UK’s biggest plant Port Talbot – are waiting to see the outcome of meetings of owner Tata on the future of steelmaking in this country. Thousands of jobs have been lost in the steel industry over the last 12 months, including 750 at Port Talbot – nearly a fifth of the plant’s workforce. Socialist Party Wales members have been campaigning in the town against threats to the works and further job cuts, arguing that the Labour-led Welsh Assembly government should be nationalising Port Talbot. In addition, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell should be calling on all Tata’s UK operations to be taken into public ownership to save jobs and defend communities.
Save BIS Sheffield
Thousands of people are expected to join a PCS march through Sheffield on 9 April to protest against the loss of hundreds of jobs in the city. At the end of January the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced plans to close its Sheffield site by January 2018, losing 250 jobs. Taken together with other closures, including HMRC (Revenue and Customs)Sheffield, the overall loss of jobs to the city is 500.
Dalston Rio strike
Bectu members at Dalston’s Rio cinema are preparing to vote in a ballot for industrial action after talks at Acas failed to resolve their long-running pay dispute. Management and Bectu representatives met at Acas on 7 March but the talks ended without any movement on management’s part. 83% of members voted in a consultative ballot, 94% of them wanted the chance to decide whether to strike.
Losing £3,500
Electricians and plumbers working at two NHS trusts in the north west are working to rule and banning overtime in long-running disputes which have resulted in them losing about £3,500 a year.
