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SIMON JONES LATEST -
24-01-2002 |
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FIVE CHARGED OVER SHOREHAM DOCK ARRESTS
Five people from Brighton were charged today following a peaceful protest at Euromin's Shoreham docks on 3rd December 2001. The protest, organised by the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign, followed the aquittal of Euromin and its general manager, James Martell, on manslaughter charges the previous week.
The five were charge in Brighton Police Station under section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 for 'besetting'. They will appear at Worthing Magistrates Court, Christchurch Road, at 9am on Wednesday 23rd January. A picket is planned for the hearing at which all defendants will plead not guilty. |
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ROGER SYLVESTER CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT -
16-11-2001 |
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The campaign around the death in police custody of Tottenham resident, Roger Sylvester, has seen a new development. GLATUC, supporter of the vigil held in August this year, welcomes the news that Haringey Council has supported a call for a public inquiry into the death. |
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London Conference of Trade Unionists and Pensioners -
17-10-2001 |
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The Greater London Pensioners Association organizes an annual conference bringing together trade unionists and pensioners. Its main purpose is to keep the increasingly urgent issue of the state retirment pension on the trade union agenda and in the minds of workers. GLPA official Lionel Miller (a past member of the GLATUC Executive Committee) says, "Unless trade unionists help defend the non-means tested state retirement pension now it will be worth virtually nothing when the collect it in future decades."
The conference will be held from 11.00am on Saturday 27 October at TGWU, Transport House, 128 Theobalds Road, Holborn WC1.
We urge trade unionists of working age to attend. Help GLPA to defend ythe comfort and dignity of our old age! |
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Stop the War -
27-09-2001 |
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Saturday 13 October
The GLATUC Executive Committee calls for support for the march and rally against the projected military action against terrorism. This will assemble at Hyde Park and march to Trafalgar Square.
In the morning GLATUC meets at 10.00am in T&G Transport House, 128 Theobalds Road, Holborn. On the agenda, in addition to Rodney Bickerstaffe, the new Chair of the National Pensioners Convention, will be Dave Read, a leading trade unionist at Heathrow Airport, who will update us on the threat to jobs posed by the original attacks on America and the US and UK governments' reaction.
We warmly invite trade unionists to join our meeting and go with us to the march afterwards.
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ROGER SYLVESTER VIGIL -
16-08-2001 |
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REMEMBER ROGER SYLVESTER
17TH AUGUST 1968 - 18TH JANUARY 1999
VIGIL HELD AT THE NEW SCOTLAND YARD
17 AUGUST 2001 Friday 17th August 2001 would have been Roger's 33rd birthday. He died in
the hands of the Tottenham Police almost three years ago. His family and
friends held a vigil outside the New Scotland Yard on Friday,
between 2pm and 4pm, to remember Roger.
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GLATUC |
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Trades Councils Annual Conference -
23-07-2001 |
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Bob Tennant reports.
I was re-elected as the TUCJCC representative for London and South East England, running again after some hesitation. Really, the job is an impossible one because of the vastness of the geographical constituency and the fact that there are no financial resources available. The Regional TUC advises that resources are a matter for the national TUC and the latter does not make budgetary provision. But I will continue doing my best and will accept invitations to your meetings wherever possible. Thank you for your continuing support.
I can be contacted at 25 Vicarage Road, London E10 5EF (phone number 020-8558 6612, email address bob.tennant@virgin.net).
The TUCJCC has decided that the 2002 Conference will be in Wales (Cardiff), the 2003 Conference in South East England (venue to be arranged) and 2004/5 in the Midlands and Yorkshire (the order is not yet determined).
The TUCJCC has an annual task of drawing up a Programme of Work arising from the Conference. This year this will be an easy thing, because of the consensus that the two salient issues are the defence of public services and a campaign against fascism and racism. Public services became a sharp issue during the general election campaign, with the TUC making what may have been unprecedented criticism of the Labour Party for its apparent proposal to extend privatisation in education and health. Concerns about fascism and racism were increased by the success of the BNP in several constituencies and by a high level of activity by fascists in organizing civil disorder and fomenting racism.
I will issue further bulletins in due course. However, items will be posted, where appropriate, on this page of the GLATUC Website. And despite its London orientation, trades councils might consider subscribing to GLATUC NEWS, which I edit and which regularly contains TUCJCC-type information. I think it can be assumed that increasing at least someone in each trades council will have access to the Internet and email. |
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Waltham Forest unions strike against education privatisation -
23-07-2001 |
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On Thursday 20 July the three major unions in LB Waltham Forest—TGWU, UNISON and NUT—all went on strike together. We were uniting against the proposed privatisation of the central services provided for the borough’s 90 schools. In the event the Council meeting that evening went ahead with the decision, so that EduAction, a company formed by private schools provider Nord Anglia and land management company Amey Construction, will get the contract. Amey in particular must be rubbing their hands because EduAction will undoubtedly recommend that many schools are rebuilt under PPP, at which point Amey will step forward to claim the prize. The battle has been lost—as expected—but the war continues. The main aim of the strike was to unite the workforce. In this it was very successful. Only one trade union member crossed a picket line, and only for a (to her) special reason. The vast majority of the strikers came to the pickets, leafleted various public places and turned up to the evening’s rally at the Town Hall. We therefore go into privatisation from a position of industrial strength—especially since the local union Secretaries have a mandate for further strikes in their pockets if necessary. A dialogue will now begin with a company that is set to be an aggressive employer with no understanding of racism and little prospect—even if we co-operate—of improving standards. All this because central government is so crazed ideologically that it cannot look reality in the face. I hadn’t organized an official strike in LB Waltham Forest for 12 years (unofficial ones are a different matter) and I was struck by the anti-union attitudes of the younger generation of managers. A picket was enticed (briefly) into a building on the pretence of a crisis personal phone call. Some workers in another Department crossed the picket in tears after being told they would be dismissed if they didn’t. My own impending redundancy was turned into what looked like summary dismissal. Management tricks are a sign of fear, and as such to be welcomed. But local authority workers will have to toughen up as the campaign progresses.
Bob Tennant
Secretary, TGWU 1/1228 |
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Close racist detention centres! -
23-07-2001 |
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The national protest on Saturday 30 June was very successful and continued the campaign of driving home the fact that the asylum seekers regime is a stain on Britain’s social policy. The new Harmondsworth Detention Centre will have 500 beds and will be the biggest in Britain. It was due to open on 29 June but isn’t yet fully operational. As a gesture towards political correctness it will even have the facilities to detain people with disabilities, as well as families with children. Detainees can’t even get out if they are ill or due for a court bail hearing. There are “enhanced health care units” provided and a special bail court inside the Centre. To supplement the special isolation block for trouble-makers there is full-time work available at the rate of £12 per week. If your trades council, trade union branch or other group isn’t yet committed to the Close Down Harmondsworth Campaign, you can phone it on 07960-309 457 (Eve Turner of Ealing TUC).
The 2001 Trades Councils conference adopted anti-fascism and anti-racism as one of its two priorities (the other being the defence of public services). Practical activity against detention centres is a very good way of grappling with the issue of institutionalised racism, as “family-friendly” detention centres can sound a humane innovation. But it disguises the larger question of the values built into a policy which regards asylum seekers as criminals, alien threats to our way of life or, at best, a source of cheap labour if and when allowed to stay here.
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Oldham United Against Racism -
25-06-2001 |
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Oldham United Against Racism were given a warm reception when they addressed the Annual Conference of Trade Union Councils in Congress House on Monday 25 June. Conference gave strong indications that it wishes the campaign against fascism and racism a high priority in the trades councils movement's programme of work for 2001-2.
Oldham United will be pleased to send a speaker to a meeting of your organization. Please contact them c/o Oldham Law Centre, Archway House, 3 Bridge Street, Oldham OL1 1ED. Tel: 0161-627 0925; fax: 0161-620 3411; email: lc-oldham@mcr1.poptel.org.uk.
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