Archive for September 2017
1 September 2017
Fawley refinery canteen strikers tell their employer: "pay up"
Women working for caterers Baxter Stanley in the canteen at the Fawley refinery (near Southampton) voted unanimously to strike over their derisory 12p pay rise
1 September 2017
Merseyrail strike over safety: Labour mayor and councillors must reverse their decision
Another rock-solid strike marked the first of three more days' action on Merseyrail
1 September 2017
RMT fighting for passenger safety, accessibility and security
The government and Northern Rail are trying to impose DOO
5 September 2017
Historic McStrike: if we don't get it, shut it down!
'Historic' is a fitting description of the action organised by the BFAWU
6 September 2017
Huddersfield A&E closure goes to judicial review
Anger at the malicious cuts in health care proposed by the CCG which puts the local community at risk, writes Huddersfield HRI campaign.
6 September 2017
It was during a BBC Question Time election special that the public was first informed of the fact that a "magic money tree" did not exist by Theresa May
6 September 2017
Warts-and-all account of class war and the struggle for LGBT+ rights
Non-fiction review: Pride: 'Pride' tells the story of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). The group struggled alongside miners and their families in south Wales during the 1984-85 strike
6 September 2017
'Let the producers of wealth unite - and what can withstand them?'
Non-fiction review: Six for the Tolpuddle Martyrs: Every year thousands of trade unionists descend upon the small village of Tolpuddle in Dorset to commemorate the struggle in 1832 of farm workers to form a union
6 September 2017
Argos workers, members of Unite the Union, have finished a three week period of strikes over issues around relocation and redundancies
6 September 2017
College workers ballot for action in Nottingham
Unison and UCU further education union branches at newly merged Nottingham college are in dispute with management over redundancy and reorganisation
6 September 2017
It's one world for the super-rich, and another one for the rest of us including landlords and slums, billionaire profits for rail bosses and fare rises for us and student debt.
6 September 2017
Tories and Blairites behind 'light touch' industry regulation: The old adage "there's a sucker born every minute" should be updated to every 20 seconds - after Britain's gambling industry was again revealed to be exploiting vulnerable people in order to increase profits
6 September 2017
UN slams Tories for disabled rights ruin
Reverse all the cuts now!: A damning UN report has criticised the government's attacks on disabled people in Britain. It states legislation has "failed to recognise living independently and being included in the community as a human right."
6 September 2017
Bristol's Labour mayor calls anti-austerity march - now stop making cuts!
The Labour mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, has called an 'anti-austerity march & rally' in conjunction with Bristol People's Assembly and Bristol Labour Party on Saturday 9 September
6 September 2017
Three thousand attend Burston strike commemoration rally
The annual Burston School strike rally on 3 September drew well over three thousand trade unionists and their supporters
6 September 2017
Demonstrators see off far-right in Keighley
"Get out of our town and take your racism with you," was one of the messages hurled by shoppers at the small contingent of English Defence League (EDL) members trying to stage a demonstration in Keighley, Yorkshire
6 September 2017
Anti-fracking campaigners' legal fight
Ineos, the largest shale gas exploration company in the UK was granted an interim injunction against anti-fracking protesters on 31 July
6 September 2017
Strike together for better pay
NSSN lobby of TUC 10 September: This summer has seen a wave of strikes. Now we need determined coordinated action across the public sector to smash the pay cap and fight for a £10 an hour minimum wage for all
6 September 2017
Hurricane Harvey: A tragedy made far worse by capitalism
In the following article Socialist Alternative members (US co-thinkers of the Socialist Party) report on the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey and the failure of establishment politicians and capitalism to prepare for such increasing extreme weather events
6 September 2017
Young people are searching for an alternative - find it at Socialism 2017
Millennials, loosely defined as those born between the 1980s and early 2000s, are significantly more anxious than the generations before us
6 September 2017
How the Single Market blocks socialist policies
The European Single Market is a major barrier to any incoming socialist or anti-austerity government
6 September 2017
Pensions are back in the headlines with the news that FTSE 350 companies' pension deficits are equivalent to 70% of their annual profits
6 September 2017
Tories weak: time for the TUC to act
Trade unions will converge on Brighton this week for this year's annual TUC Congress at the end of a summer which has seen a wave of strikes
6 September 2017
Schools and teaching: A perfect storm of cuts, underfunding, excessive workloads and low pay
Schools return this week for a new academic year with the usual mix of emotions but with the prospect of budget cuts lingering in the background
6 September 2017
Extreme weather events and global warming
Is global warming worsening events such as the monsoon floods in Northern India and Bangladesh and Hurricane Harvey in the Gulf of Mexico?
6 September 2017
Determined protest against Chatsworth Ward closure
As marchers assembled outside Mansfield Community Hospital many passing drivers hooted in support
6 September 2017
Birmingham's bin workers once again have had to strike to stop job losses and pay cuts, after the Labour council - which has over £100 million in its 'unallocated' useable reserves - reneged on a previously agreed deal
8 September 2017
Sports Direct's broken promises
Mike Ashley, promised last year "to ensure that all staff are treated with dignity and respect".
8 September 2017
Union victory at the Bank of England
Unite members have won a historic victory at the prestigious Threadneedle Street site
10 September 2017
Nurses express fury at the holding down of pay
Nurses set on Parliament Square to demand the end of the 1% pay cap
11 September 2017
New leaflet for Socialism 2017
Click here for a four-page leaflet advertising the Socialist Party's Socialism 2017 event taking place on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th November
11 September 2017
NSSN lobby of the TUC 2017: rank-and-file solidarity to smash the pay cap
The National Shop Stewards Network rally in Brighton on 10 September was the most inspiring yet
11 September 2017
Barts strike - 'Up the ante' if necessary
24 days of strike action have brought greedy profiteering company Serco to the table
12 September 2017
TUC supports Birmingham bin workers
TUC Congress has today voted unanimously for a Unite emergency motion supporting the Birmingham bin workers and condemning Birmingham council for reneging on the deal agreed at ACAS
12 September 2017
It's 'pay-back' time! Coordinate the strikes.
The government has caved in. It has agreed to lift the 1% public sector pay cap from next year, reflecting the pressure the Tories are under.
13 September 2017
TUC congress 2017: time for action on pay
Workers' anger at the seven-year pay cap was reflected at the annual TUC conference - now set out a coordinated strategy to fight back!
13 September 2017
Young Socialists launched in Greater Manchester
We held a Young Socialists rally on 2 September in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester. It was to encourage young people to get more political and to sign up to Young Socialists, writes Seraphina Jones, school student, Salford.
13 September 2017
"I've been placed in charge of wards without defibrillators"
40,000 unfilled nursing vacancies: Nurses must vote to strike
13 September 2017
Rate of black imprisonment worse than US
Fighting racism means fighting capitalism: David Lammy's report highlights the oppression faced by black and Asian people without addressing its key causes
13 September 2017
Tories 'flouting duty' on poison air, says UN
Public ownership of energy and transport is fundamental if we're to sort this out
13 September 2017
Bus safety: we won't be distracted from public ownership
Twenty-five deaths and nearly 12,000 injuries have been caused by buses on the capital's streets in just two years
13 September 2017
CWU members prepare for industrial action at Royal Mail
After months of unsatisfactory talks, the union leadership has decided to ballot for strikes over the company's attacks
13 September 2017
McStriker addresses Greenwich trade unionists
Staff have suffered years of low pay, bullying and abuse from managers
13 September 2017
Kick out the Tories, fight for free education!
Students who supported Corbyn have witnessed the chaos and turmoil within the Tory party, and glimpsed the collective blow we could strike
13 September 2017
Interview with leader of students' union in the Spanish state: "When we fight, we win!"
Class struggle is understood in such a natural way. We have no choice. If we don't fight there is no future for us.
13 September 2017
Korean peninsula: is nuclear war likely?
Only international working class opposition can halt aggression: The North Korean regime is a particularly grotesque form of Stalinism influenced by decades of military threat from US imperialism
13 September 2017
Readmit the socialists - for a federal Labour Party
The Socialist replies to a letter from a reader in the Labour Party questioning our application to work with Labour as part of an inclusive federation
13 September 2017
Boost to Chatsworth NHS campaign
Campaigners fighting to save Chatsworth neuro-rehabilitation ward in Mansfield have growing public support and the backing of Jeremy Corbyn
13 September 2017
Intimate insight into a revolutionary icon
Memoir: Che, My Brother: "The world has not become a better place from when Che was alive. It has become worse. We must fight to make things better."
13 September 2017
Trotsky's "insightful and frank examination" of revolution out soon
New reprint - Lessons of October: "We met with success in the October revolution, but the October revolution has met with little success in our press."
13 September 2017
Do you have something to say? Letters to the Socialist's editors
13 September 2017
New documentary asks women how their bodies are sexualised and policed
'Tits' is a series of interviews filmed with people discussing body image, personal experiences and their feelings around their top halves
13 September 2017
Thousands march - mayor needs real anti-cuts strategy
6,000-8,000 people marched in Bristol in an anti-cuts protest
15 September 2017
The nurses, midwives, medical assistants and operating department practitioners of Charité hospital in Berlin have announced a strike starting on Monday 18th September
19 September 2017
Bin workers vote to continue action following rally
The bin workers have voted overwhelmingly to continue with strike action
19 September 2017
Deal concludes Barts health strike - "We have raised our heads high"
Cleaners, porters and catering staff in Barts NHS Trust have voted to accept the offer made by employer Serco
20 September 2017
Refreshing, anticapitalist - but little pointing a way forward
Non-fiction - Bitch Doctrine: Laurie Penny's latest work is clearly anticapitalist, but reflects the defeatism of much of the left in Britain and the US today
20 September 2017
Safety campaigners, taxi drivers and cyclists came to support the London bus drivers' rally outside City Hall on Thursday 14 September 2017 at 09.30 in response to the Driven to Distraction report, writes Moe, Unite branch secretary and bus worker.
20 September 2017
Tories in retreat - kick them out: Tory chancellor Philip Hammond's recommendation for a reduction in university tuition fees shows how desperate the Tories have become to maintain power.
20 September 2017
Labour conference: Corbyn's support must be used to defeat Blairites
Labour Party conference 2017: Corbyn supporters need to organise more extensively and efficiently than the right wing, adopting a pro-working class, socialist approach and ideology
20 September 2017
Solidarity with Catalonia in the Spanish state
The Spanish PP government has taken extremely repressive measures, including the arrest of Catalan government officials, in an attempt to prevent the referendum called for 1st October from taking place
20 September 2017
Grenfell inquiry begins: not sufficient, not trusted
Jail the killers! For an independent workers' movement inquiry!
20 September 2017
Tories retreat on pay cap - nurses demand more: Colleagues of mine who once would never have considered industrial action now ask me when we are going on strike. That time should be now!
20 September 2017
Fight expansion of disastrous 'Universal Credit' welfare system
Nearly half of claimants in rent arrears: We campaign for an end to in-work poverty, a living wage for all workers, and living benefits without compulsion
20 September 2017
Defuse the consumer debt time bomb: nationalise the banks!
Still recovering from the last crisis? Hold on to your wallet, Britain's bankers are storing up another one - £200 billion of consumer debt
20 September 2017
CWU strike ballot - why I'm voting Yes
We are demanding pay, terms and conditions which reflect the service we provide
20 September 2017
Why do young people need socialism?
The future for young people in Britain today can look very bleak - but there is a way to fight back!
20 September 2017
Fight university's 'sackers' charter'
Socialist Students is appalled at Leeds University management's plans to worsen protections for staff
20 September 2017
A speaker system boomed down Woolwich High Street calling for the scrapping of zero-hours, for a £10 an hour minimum wage and for workers to get organised and join trade unions
20 September 2017
Angry London bus drivers in Unite the Union demonstrated outside City Hall demanding a 'bill of rights' to improve unsafe working conditions
20 September 2017
Brutal repression of Rohingya people sparks massive humanitarian crisis
Celebrated dissident Aung San Suu Kyi collaborates with military junta: She has long danced to the tune of western capitalism's interests, but may now be more influenced by the rise of China
20 September 2017
Interview: the "socialist John Le Carré"
"What better whodunnit than how the ruling class came to power?"
20 September 2017
Do you have something to say? Letters to the Socialist's editors
20 September 2017
Protest to pressure Labour to scrap Haringey redevelopment plans
Stop the Labour council's massive redevelopment and privatisation plan!
20 September 2017
Fight for an alternative to the misery of capitalism
Join the Socialist Party: The Socialist Party brings together people who want to fight back against this unequal system: a socialist society is possible
20 September 2017
Tragic death highlights Chatsworth ward closure risk
This shows how essential it is to have both strong community support and rehabilitation services for disabled people
20 September 2017
East London summit fails to address housing crisis
The purpose was not genuine dialogue, but to give an aura of legitimacy to the tiny group of property developers who operate under the more appealing name "housing associations"
20 September 2017
Interest at Nottingham Green festival
With a leaflet about the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, the Socialist Party held our regular campaign stall at the large, annual Nottingham Green Festival
22 September 2017
Ledbury tenants fight for decent homes
Bill Mullins interviews tenant Danielle Gregory
25 September 2017
Catalonia: Student strike called
Mass action has been called for 28 September and 3-4 October
27 September 2017
Lessons of October new edition out now!
A new edition of Lessons of October, by Leon Trotsky, is out now from Socialist Books!
27 September 2017
Thousands demonstrated in Paris, France, on 23 September in opposition to the labour reforms of President Macron
27 September 2017
CWU strike ballot to win 'Four Pillars'
On 6 September, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) served notice to Royal Mail for a strike ballot
27 September 2017
One in four teenage girls depressed - crisis made worse by cuts
We are more familiar with depression than ever. What was considered uncommon 20 years ago is now increasingly prevalent, particularly among young people, with new studies indicating that one in four girls have depression by age 14
27 September 2017
Stop the cuts - save our vital services
"They cut, we bleed - Save Women's Aid" was chanted outside Doncaster council chamber by approximately 30 trade unionists, socialists and community activists, on 21 September.
27 September 2017
Food processing workers vote for action against miserly bosses
Leicester Socialist Party and the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) attended an emergency branch meeting for workers from Tulip, a food processing plant in Coalville. The members present on 24 September voted unanimously to ballot for industrial action due to a series of abuses by their employers.
27 September 2017
Usdaw elections announced - fight for a left leadership, vote for Amy Murphy
Usdaw general secretary John Hannett's retirement, announced at the shop workers' union's annual summer school, has been a long time in the offing
27 September 2017
Surrey County Council staff on collision course over pay freeze
Surrey County Council employees in public sector union Unison are being balloted over an offer from the local authority which has been described by lead Unison negotiator Paul Couchman as a 'slap in the face' for long-standing members of staff.
27 September 2017
Scrap tuition fees: Tuition fees can be beaten. Chancellor Phillip Hammond's announcement that he will consider lowering them in the next Tory budget is an indication of his government's enormous weakness
27 September 2017
Freshers week campaigning reports
Short reports of freshers week campaigning by Socialist Students around the country
27 September 2017
Gig economy exploiter Uber loses London licence
Transport unions Unite, RMT and GMB are celebrating a victory against 'gig economy' taxi company Uber after forcing London Mayor Sadiq Khan to refuse to renew its operating licence
27 September 2017
Travel chaos for Ryanair customers as airline cancels thousands of flights
There has recently been controversy among the clouds, or rather down on the ground, for Europe's largest airline, Ryanair, amid cancellations and a major staffing crisis
27 September 2017
German elections: rise of the far right and right-wing government will provoke resistance
For the first time in decades a racist, right nationalist party, AfD (Alternative for Germany), has entered the German parliament.
27 September 2017
Anti-austerity opposition needed to seize on Tories' weakness
Many will have been pleased to see some of the policy announcements coming out of Labour Party conference - eg plans to tackle credit card debt and bring PFI contracts back in-house
27 September 2017
Escalate summer strike wave into coordinated action to defeat the pay cap
The demonstration outside Tory party conference in Manchester on 1 October is the first main mobilisation since the TUC congress
27 September 2017
Strike against Madrid's 'state of emergency'!
The Spanish state's minority government has ruthlessly enforced a ban on the Catalan independence referendum due to be held on 1 October
27 September 2017
Demand for no-cuts budget grows
Bristol Labour Mayor Marvin Rees travelled to London to seek an audience with the Tories
27 September 2017
Germany: Election results in political earthquake
In the end, a somewhat boring election campaign that ignored many of the issues ended in a political earthquake
27 September 2017
Bin strike: council humiliated in court battle - but war isn't over yet
It's another round won
27 September 2017
Women's football - Sampson allegations
At the start of the summer women's football was riding high. In the build up to the European Championships, England, for the first time in a very long time (in men's or women's football), were one of the favourites.
27 September 2017
27 September 2017
Labour mayor needs to stop all cuts
Salford mayor Paul Dennett was seen as a change
28 September 2017
28 September 2017
ThyssenKrupp - Tata steel merger
There is still massive uncertainty over the future of the Port Talbot plant and others
29 September 2017
Labour Party conference: Action against establishment sabotage still needed
The mood of confidence and unity at the 2017 Labour Party conference - attended by around 8,000 people - has been widely reported.
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