The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 6th December 2024
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 6th December 2024
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
The UK Strike Calendar for December has very little in it; however, there are a number of industrial disputes bubbling away.
One group of workers who have actually taken strike action are the 2,000 members of the main teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), who missed out in the latest pay award because they work for sixth form colleges that are NOT run by academy trusts, a form of privatisation which is heavily subsidised by the Government.
A 97 per cent vote for industrial action resulted in strikes at 32 colleges on 28th November, and last Tuesday and Wednesday.
The NEU says their efforts to settle the dispute fell through simply because the Secretary of State for Education failed to provide clarification over the question of whether or not non-academised sixth form colleges could utilise the additional funding allocated to the sector in the budget for staff pay. The academy trust colleges have previously received funding to implement the same 5.5 per cent pay award as announced for other school teachers.
The NEU’s General Secretary, Daniel Kebede, said on the first strike day: “We are in dispute due to the baffling decision by the government to offer an above-inflation pay award to some sixth form colleges and not others. This choice fundamentally undermines our existing national collective bargaining arrangement within the sixth form college sector and risks the creation of a two-tier workforce.
“Today’s strong turnout shows the strength of feeling amongst our members at this clearly farcical situation. We stand willing to find a resolution to our dispute, but our members will not hesitate to fight on if Government continue to avoid responsibility for the situation. There is no pay justice without the same pay deal applying to all.”
At present the Sixth Form Colleges Association is seeking judicial review to allow additional funding for staff pay, highlighting government pay award disparities.
Meanwhile journalists…
…at the Guardian and at the Observer are taking action in protest at the proposed sale of the latter title.
Readers may be aware that these are two of the most pretentious newspapers in the country. The Guardian was founded as the Manchester Guardian in 1821 to represent the interests of the brutal cotton masters of that city and was an eager supporter of the slave-owners’ Confederate States during the American Civil War. Today it fills much of its space publishing Yellow Peril racism about China and even tried to tell its readers Joe Biden was not senile.
The dispute is over its Sunday sister paper The Observer, which was founded in 1791. The Guardian, or rather the Scott Trust that has owned it since 1993, now plans to sell it off. The Observer once provided useful covers for the Secret Intelligence Service that is also known as MI6. Spies posing as journalists is an old trick but it can be overplayed. One of them was the double-agent Kim Philby who had been working for the Soviets since the Thirties.
An overwhelming number of the journalists belonging to the National Union of Journalists on both papers, over 93 per cent, voted for industrial action.
They fear the potential buyer, the recently formed Tortoise Media, is not up to the task of looking after the declining Observer that has become a burden to its current owner. No fewer than six former editors or editors-in-chief have protested against the sale. About 70 journalists employed by the Observer would transfer to the new owner.
Their union, the NUJ, says: “The Guardian & Observer chapel believes the Scott Trust has betrayed its principles and prior commitments in agreeing to talks with a third party about the sale of the Observer newspaper.”
In response, Tortoise said: “We want to save the Observer. Everyone can see it is heading down a path to irrelevance and, probably sooner rather than later, closure. In the last 15 years, sales on a Sunday are down 70 per cent, the staff has shrunk by more than 60 per cent, the paper no longer has foreign, business or sports coverage of its own; home news is likely to be next.”
The NUJ complains that the Guardian has deceived it and journalists about the sale, resulting in the NUJ chapel passing a vote of no confidence in the Scott Trust.
Michelle Stanistreet, the outgoing NUJ general secretary, said: “Journalists have delivered a clear message to the Guardian Media Group and Scott Trust over their resolve in this dispute. Industrial action is always a last resort, but deeply disappointed members have been left with no choice than to take action in their defence of the Observer’s heritage and public interest journalism.”
On Monday Guardian management made a last ditch offer of continued access to Guardian job openings and that “enhanced redundancy terms would be maintained post-transfer” for those who do not wish to transfer.
In addition…
…to RMT striking on News Years Eve on London’s Elizabeth Line, another seasonal transport dispute is brewing at Edinburgh Airport amongst tanker drivers employed by North Air workers who fuel domestic and international flights.
Workers who provide refuelling services for domestic and international airlines have rejected a 4.5 per cent pay offer by the company, which follows year of below inflation pay increases.
The strike threat comes after unsuccessful talks at conciliation service ACAS failed to secure an improved offer. Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said: “North Air is a profitable company and there is no excuse for not making an improved pay offer to our tanker drivers.”
The union notes that S&JD Robertson North Air Ltd havreported an increase in pre-tax profits up from £1.1 million in 2022 to £1.9 million in 2023.
This is just one of Unite’s ‘Runway To Success’ campaigns, which have won substantial rises for airport workers including a 26.7 per cent pay package for Loganair cabin crew, 12.8 per cent for Aberdeen and Glasgow airport ICTS workers, 12 per cent basic increase in pay for Edinburgh Airport Services workers, 11.9 per cent basic increase for over 100 OCS workers based at Edinburgh airport and 10 per cent pay rise for ABM workers at Glasgow airport.
Unite’s industrial officer, Carrie Binnie, warned that: “Unite’s tanker drivers employed by North Air deserve a fair pay rise. They are highly-skilled workers who provide a key service at Edinburgh Airport. Pay at North Air has not kept up with inflation despite the company being profitable.
“If strike action happens, which would cause widespread disruption over the festive season, then it’s on North Air’s heads. Unless the company quickly comes to its senses, we will have no option but to issue strike dates in the coming days.”