Counterfire’s weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles

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With one week to go, support for the 5 August rally called by Amazon strikers in Coventry has snowballed. Organisations, trade union branches and trades councils are adding their name as backers – the latest include the Climate Justice Coalition and Open University UCU branch. Even celebs like Simon Pegg and Brian Cox have shown their support!

There are a number of coaches already coming in from London, Manchester, Bristol, Essex, Cambridge and Birmingham, and more being organised. If you haven’t already, find your nearest one and book your seat. If there isn’t one from where you are, fill out this form.

This last week is crucial to make the rally massive, so NFTF is urging our readers to keep spreading the word and getting delegations to the rally.

Unite at Trelleborg: internationalism always delivers

More than 100 workers at Trelleborg’s Leicester plant are celebrating a two-fold win over their employer. The members of Unite struck for two weeks, rejecting the employer’s attempt to dress up a pay cut as a pay rise.

Two weeks on the stones got them the same deal as their brothers and sisters at Trelleborg’s Tewkesbury and Bridgewater sites, who struck earlier this month. Unite thanked members of their sister union IF Metall in Sweden, whose reps met with their UK counterparts and agreed a joint strategy.

There is no doubt that the Leicester workers were encouraged by the victories won in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Three lessons to be drawn:

1. we are stronger together than apart; the 3 sites should stay in contact and work together;
2. we are stronger together than apart; IF Metall proved workers have more in common whatever country they are from, and solidarity brings results; and
3. we are stronger together than apart, so it would be good to see a delegation from Trelleborg show solidarity with their brothers and sister at Amazon Coventry and attend the solidarity rally on Saturday August 5.

Junior doctors declare new strike dates as radiographers take to the picket lines

On Wednesday 26 July BMA announced a further four-day strike would take place in England from Friday 11 August to Tuesday 15 August.

This announcement coincided with two days of strike action by key health workers, the radiographers. Radiographers are responsible for x-ray provision within the health service, an old technology that is still essential to the day-to-day running of hospitals.

It is no wonder that the NHS are still at the forefront of the present industrial struggle. No-one bore the brunt of the pandemic more these workers. Their struggle can only be seen politically.

As RMT’s Mick Lynch said in a speech to the BMA recently:

“I hope the BMA is determined to get a deal for their people, and sees this dispute through to the bitter end if necessary and fights for the future of our people and fights for our society because that change is coming and part of that change is getting rid of this corrupt, rotten government, they need to go as quickly as possible.”

The radiographers ran picket lines up and down the country. Every time a new layer of strikers emerges, the arguments for greater coordination become sharper.

NUJ ballots 300 at National World

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is balloting 300 of its members working at news publisher National World. The journalists have rejected management’s 4.5% offer as real terms pay cut and want a deal that at least matches inflation.

The company’s attitude to its workforce can best be illustrated by its attempt to bludgeon staff, saying that the offer of back pay would be withdrawn if the offer was not accepted by June 30. When that didn’t work, they then proceeded to tell 50 staff they are at risk of redundancy, in an attempt to sow despondency.

A National World (NW) chapel rep (shop steward) said ”National World’s pay proposal is not just proposing a pay cut, it is divisive in that it will increase the divisions between the lowest paid members and those on better pay. It actually makes things worse, not better.” But NW seem more interested in boosting the dividend pay outs to shareholders than rewarding those workers who actually make the profits.

Keeping the anti-war momentum going

Stop the War’s concerted effort to consolidate the fight for peace with the working-class organisation persists with next week’s (Tuesday 1 August at 6.30pm via Zoom) Trade Union Network Meeting.   

The coalition’s recent presence at the Durham Miners’ Gala highlighted the deep roots between the labour movement and ant-imperialism.

These links need to be deepened and broadened as we head toward a Labour government as committed to the war machine as the Tories, and there are plenty of fights ahead with the TUC as well. 

Book now and make sure your branch and trade council is represented.