Union campaigns

  • Frances O'Grady Frances O'Grady

    Save our NHS rally: 7 March

    The House of Lords are to start discussing proposed changes to the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill on 8 February. The seriousness of this Bill cannot be understated. It threatens the very principles on which the National Health Service was founded by turning it into a business where our taxes will pay for private companies to provide our healthcare. Profit will come before patient care. These reforms are being pushed through at a time when the government is asking the NHS to make unprecedented cuts. Despite Government assertions to the contrary, deep concerns about the Bill are held by practitioners and patients from across the health service.  They are also shared by many of the coalitions own supporters, including a number of MPs and Peers, who have criticised what Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary is trying to push through.

    Now we are asking anyone who cares about our NHS to join us in a Save our NHS rally in Westminster Central Hall, opposite the Houses of Parliament at 18:00 on 7 March. The rally has been organised by the All Together for the NHS Campaign and brings together a range of unions, professional bodies, patients and members of the public who are opposed to the Bill.

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    Posted on January 30th, 2012 by Frances O'Grady filed under: Union campaigns

  • Paul Nowak Paul Nowak

    David winning more often than we think

    I suppose it’s inevitable given the combination of a hostile government, flat-lining economy, rising unemployment and stagnating household incomes that some commentators are speculating on what all this means for the role and future of trade unions.

    Despite significant and ongoing job losses in the public sector, union action on pensions – coupled  with a generally raised profile as unions have shown a lead against the government’s damaging austerity programme – has meant that membership appears to be holding steady and in some cases growing. But this is just one one small silver lining in what looks like an increasingly gloomy outlook for our members and their families. Union membership is not just an end in itself. Workers don’t organise for the sake of holding a union card: they organise to help protect their jobs; to ensure they get paid decently; to have access to pensions; to work somewhere that’s safe and healthy; to get a voice on the job; and to develop new skills and build their careers. There’s no doubt that delivering on all these points and more has got harder and harder. Even successful, highly profitable employers appear to be using the current economic crisis as cover cutting back on jobs, pay and pensions (see here and here for current and obvious examples).

    It would be easy in this climate to seek solace in counsels of despair. But that’s not my style, and my guess is that if you are reading this blog, it’s not yours either. So I thought it was right to point out that despite all the difficulties, there is plenty of evidence that unions are still in there fighting, and most importantly winning for members. Here’s two very different private sector examples of what I mean.

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    Posted on January 27th, 2012 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union campaigns, Union organising

  • Richard Exell Richard Exell

    The massive turnout on 30 November

    Striking workers and supporters marching on 30 November. Photo: TUC

    We’ve always said that the November 30 strike was a tremendous success. Once you take into account the number of workers taking part, the range of unions and occupations – some of whom had never struck before – the level of support across the country was brilliant.

    Of course, some publications and commentators had decided even before the strike took place that it was a flop.

    Well, today’s monthly employment figures from the Office for National Statistics provide a definitive rebuttal. They include the first set of industrial dispute statistics covering November and they show that the number of working days “lost” to disputes (the ONS’s language, not mine) in November was the highest for 20 years:

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    Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Richard Exell filed under: Union campaigns

  • Carl Roper Carl Roper

    #N30 saw a movement find a voice that spoke for all workers

    I’m writing this post having just returned from the Liverpool TUC March and Rally for Pensions Justice so you may have to excuse some post march euphoria.  However it’s clear that in terms of the support the Day of Action has received from public sector workers, it has been an enormous success.

    My Twitter feed is filled with reports about attendance at afternoon marches and rallies all over the country.  We might have expected the huge turnouts at rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, London and Glasgow, but we also saw 5000 in Chester, 2000 in Cambridge, 2000 in Gloucester, 1200 in Lancaster.

    As well as a  reflection of the genuine anger felt by public sector workers about the almost daily attacks on their pay and conditions by the Coalition government, this is also a sign of a movement regaining its confidence and finding a voice to speak on behalf of all workers regardless of which sector they work in.

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    Posted on November 30th, 2011 by Carl Roper filed under: Union campaigns

  • John Wood John Wood

    Pensions Justice in charts and numbers

    UNISON have produced this great infographic for the Day of Action on public service pensions tomorrow. It shows the impact the government’s proposed changes to pensions will have on public service workers, especially women. Click the picture below to see the graphic…

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    Posted on November 29th, 2011 by John Wood filed under: Union campaigns

  • Paul Nowak Paul Nowak

    What will you be singing on November 30?

    On November 30 nurses on the other side of the Atlantic will be showing support for the TUC’s day of action. The National Nurses Union will be rallying outside British Consulates across the US in support of the 30 unions taking industrial action – an exciting and welcome development, but one which has provoked a question that I’m relying on readers of this blog to answer.

    Earlier today Ken Zinn, the NNU’s director of strategic campiagns, emailed me to ask what songs and chants people will be using on picket lines across the UK on November 30, and I have to admit I drew a bit of a blank. 

    I’ll guess there will be a fair few‘No if’s, no but’s etc etc’ and one or two renditions of ‘David Cameron, hear us shout…’ , but have any Stronger Unions readers got any better ideas? What are you planning to do to raise spirits and a few laughs on your picket line, march or rally this Wednesday?

    Suggestions in the comments box or via Twitter please…oh, and try to remember this is a ‘family friendly’ blog so please reflect that in your suggestions!

     

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    Posted on November 28th, 2011 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union campaigns

  • John Wood John Wood

    Let’s Work Together to get The Workers to No1


    As the Guardian said yesterday, the Village People never had a line up like this. Including a civil servant, teacher, firefighter, probation officer, nurse, physiotherapist and more, The Workers are a group of 14 public service union members from around the country, who’ve come together to record the rock standard ‘Let’s Work Together’.

    The idea is to help inject a bit of solidarity with the UK’s hard pressed public service workers into the charts and the media, ahead of the day of action on pensions justice planned for 30 November.

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    Posted on November 22nd, 2011 by John Wood filed under: Union campaigns