Friday, June 15, 2007

We Have Moved

We have moved to http://solidaritymagazine.wordpress.com

posted by Martin Wicks @ Friday, June 15, 2007 0 comments

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Postal Workers Back Strike Action

Results announced at our annual conference in Bournemouth:

Royal Mail Pay:Yes: 66,064 (77.5%)No: 19,199
Post Office Ltd (Counters):Yes: 2740 (73%)No: 993
Cash In Transit:Yes: 545 (66%)No: 283

Postal workers have voted strongly in favour of taking industrial action over pay, in what would be the first national postal strike since 1996.

The CWU is in dispute with the Royal Mail over its 2.5% pay offer. A series of walkouts will now be held by about 130,000 CWU members unless new talks can lead to a breakthrough in the dispute.

Deputy General Secretary, Dave Ward, said:"This yes vote shows absolutely clearly that Royal Mail workers have rejected the compeny's business plan, the company's leadership amd the unacceptable pay offer. Royal Mail leaders say they listen to people; this is the clearest message they have ever had. Royal Mail has to listem and return to serious negotiations."

posted by Martin Wicks @ Thursday, June 07, 2007 0 comments

Migrant Workers To Vote On Strike Action At Roadchef Services On M3 At Winchester Over Withdrawal Of Essential Transport To Work

Roadchef’s withdraws five times a day staff transport costing £150,000 per annum to M3 service station with motorway only access and no public transport links
7 Jun 2007

Roadchef's withdraws five times a day staff transport costing £150,000 per annum to M3 service station with motorway only access and no public transport links

GMB Southern Region has given permission for an industrial action ballot to be held for GMB members employed by Roadchef on the service station between junctions 8 and 9 north of Winchester. The dispute is over the withdrawal of coach transport to and from the site for staff from June 9th 2007.

The coach travels from Southampton and picks up at Eastleigh and Winchester to the service station north and the service station south and then back to Southampton. It takes an hour to travel from Southampton to the service station south. There is no interchange between the service station north and the service station south and the only access to these two service stations is from the motorway and there is no public transport links whatsoever. The service operates five times a day at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 10.p.m. from Southampton and 7 p.m.from service station north back to Southampton. The service is used by over 90% of the 80 staff who are mainly migrant workforce who are mainly from Polandand Portugal. The overwhelming majority of these staff are GMB members. The company has had difficulty recruiting staff to work at this remote service station and had to lay on transport to attract a workforce.

The employers have been threatening to withdraw the service on the grounds that it is costing them too much since February of this year. The staffs have been in a state of uncertainty for almost five months. On the 17th May 2007 the company have given formal notice that the transport service will be withdrawn as of the 9th June 2007. After that date staff will have to make their own arrangements to get to work. Management have offered staff £5.80 a day towards the cost of travelling over 70 miles round trip each day on the motorway. The only way staff can get to work is by road transport and 90% of the staff do not own cars and could not afford to buy and run them since they are low paid workers.

Negotiations between the company and GMB at local level have failed to reach agreement and the union faced with the unilateral withdrawal of the service on 9th June are now proceeding to an industrial action ballot to secure the reinstatement of the essential staff transport. This is because members who are unable to get to work will be deemed to have dismissed themselves.

Gary Cook, GMB Organiser said, "This is a cowardly attack by an already profitable company on some of the most vulnerable workers in the UK on the grounds of reducing the cost of an essential transport service just to boost profits. GMB will defend our members and we will respond to this attack. GMB will get overwhelming support from our members for action to solve their problem of getting to and from work.

GMB want to meet the owners Delek to sort out this problem. We want them to maintain the transport service until we arrive at a solution."

posted by Martin Wicks @ Thursday, June 07, 2007 0 comments

Friday, June 01, 2007

Save Gloucester Mail Centre - Demo
March & Rally
Saturday 23rd June 2007

Preparations are well underway to hold a March and Rally through Gloucester on Saturday 23rd June. This will be along the lines of The Coventry rally, that some members attended recently.

The route and meeting place are still under discussion with the Police and Highways Authority.
The start time is most likely to be around 1pm, allowing as many people to attend as possible.

A list of speakers are being contacted to speak at the Rally, which is likely to be in Gloucester Docks.

All of the details will be made available here as they are confirmed. - http://www.savegloucestermailcentre.co.uk/

LATEST - Confirmed speakers -Billy Hayes CWU General Secretary
Kevin Beazer - CWU South West Regional SecretaryParmjit Dhanda MP (Gloucester)David Drew MP (Stroud)Trevor Hall TGWU (Unite) Industrial Organiser.

posted by Martin Wicks @ Friday, June 01, 2007 0 comments