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From The Socialist newspaper, 26 May 2021
Cadent Gas plans 200 job losses
Cadent gas worker's van Photo: Philafrenzy (Click to enlarge)
John Merrell, Leicester Socialist Party
Cadent Gas has announced 200 redundancies, the closure of its Hinckley site, and the transfer of the remaining staff to a new site at Ansty, Coventry.
Cadent acquired five gas distribution regions from National Grid in 2017. Previously, Unison's national leadership had allowed the National Grid to create a two-tier workforce (permanent and temporary) at the lowest grades, on the assurance that the temporary staff would act as a 'buffer' against future redundancies. Cadent has rendered that assurance to dust by getting rid of most if not all the temporary staff,.
As many staff live locally and do not have their own means of transport, both announcements threaten their livelihoods. Cadent claims it will be seeking voluntary redundancies but the scale of dismissal will make compulsory redundancies inevitable.
Unison's long-standing policy of opposing compulsory redundancies is about to be severely tested. The local leadership must urgently convene a members' meeting to put forward a winning strategy to defend jobs and to facilitate all members transferring to the new site.
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In The Socialist 26 May 2021:
What we think
Palestinians need a new socialist intifada
News
Our lives, our jobs, our future - Not safe in Tory hands
Fight for the right to protest
Great British Railways shake-up offers no end to profiteering
Organise to oppose Tory academisation plans
Lancaster Greens do deal with Tories
NHS
Organise for 3 July NHS pay protests
Scottish Independence
Where now for the Scottish independence movement?
Workplace
Metroline London bus workers win huge victory
Goodlord sacks strikers - fight the penny-pinching, bullying bosses!
Thurrock refuse workers beat council and bin pay cut
RMT: Support Alan Pottage for assistant general secretary
NUJ leadership pushes through subs increase but left lands blows at conference
CWU elections: Vote for a fighting, campaigning, socialist EC member
'Fire and rehire' attempts spread - coordinated fightback needed
Cadent Gas plans 200 job losses
International
Mexico City subway train collapse - negligence, corruption and capitalism
US right to abortion under threat: Mass campaign to support the right to choose must be built
Campaigns
Stop Israeli state terror against Palestinians
Leicester protest against arms supplies to Israel
Palestine protesters donate to fund socialist material
Cladding anger builds - protest on 5 June
Readers' Opinion
Get up, stand up - don't give up the fight!
TV review: Three Families is excellent. But protest movement is missing
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2021