Remploy
Workers at the Remploy factories fighting closure called off their 6 August strike in favour of workplace meetings to discuss further action including demonstrations in London and other cities.
The government has announced the closure of 27 of the factories by the end of the year and the future of another nine is uncertain. 18 sites are being sold off next year. 1,700 disabled workers are in imminent danger of losing their jobs.
The government has made the situation even worse by announcing that any company taking over Remploy plants will not have to provide a pension of a similar value to what the workers get at Remploy.
This comes at a time when Remploy management has announced that Remploy sales have increased by 12.2%. This bears out the workers’ argument that, with proper management, the plants could be developed as viable businesses.
Atos strike
Staff working for Atos, one of the Olympics sponsors, have voted to strike over poverty pay. The admin staff are members of PCS and work for Atos healthcare, who run the work capability assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions, and Atos IT services.
Strikes are likely later this month.
Pompey dockers’ victory
Quay assistants at Portsmouth International Port have voted to accept a deal which protects their existing contracts and means that overtime after midnight will be worked on a voluntary basis.
This deal was hammered out after the workers voted unanimously for strike action.
