Jannies strike
Glasgow school janitors have walked off the job for five days in an escalation of their dispute with Cordia, an arm’s length company of Glasgow City Council. The jannies’ trade union, Unison, says that Cordia, and their political masters at Glasgow City Council, are still refusing to talk. The janitors began a five-day strike on 16 May. Sam Macartney, Unison branch officer, said: “Our jannies deserve justice. Glasgow City Council is treating them with contempt. We will be asking Glasgow’s newly elected MSPs to support the Justice4Jannies campaign”. Unison estimates that Cordia is spending £3,000 per day in an attempt to cover the janitors duties and break the industrial action.
- For more see: socialistpartyscotland.org.uk
Topshop protest
Protesters in central London shut down Oxford Circus on 14 May in a demonstration against Topshop and Sir Phillip Green, boss of the Arcadia group that owns the store. Starting outside the company’s flagship store in Oxford Circus, around 150 protesters including the National Shop Stewards Network blocked the road chanting, “Topshop, shame on you”. The demonstration was part of a national day of action organised by the United Voices of the World trade union as part of a living wage campaign for cleaners and in support of two victimised cleaners. Teresa Grey, of United Voices of the World, said: “Two Topshop cleaners joined our union. For that, one was sacked, the other suspended.” Green is also at the centre of the collapse of BHS. Green has taken what the Financial Times calls “substantial dividends” over a number of years. He avoided tax on these by paying them to his wife, who lives in Monaco. Additionally, he used BHS assets to back loans for other businesses within his group. Green recently bought a third superyacht.
