February 2009
Extreme weather or extreme capitalist shortsightedness?
Public transport in London, that kept going throughout the blitz, pathetically
came to a halt on Monday February 2nd because of a few inches of
snow – or rather because of cost-cutting by private firms keener to make a fast
buck than to provide a decent service to Londoners. The whole public transport
system, rail and buses alike, is privately owned and run for profit. Staff did
their best to keep the service going, but they weren’t helped by management
cheese-paring. As far as they are concerned, workers are just a cost that needs
cutting back.
Wildcat strikes sweep Britain
In the last week of January 2009,
industrial action began at the Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire. Swiftly the
strikes spread to Grangemouth in Scotland, Wilton in Cleveland and all over the
country. By Friday January 30th 3,000 skilled workers were out from
11 plants. On Monday February 2nd thousands more joined the action. Sellafield
workers at the nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria, Didcot power station,
Longannet, Staythorpe, Milford Haven, Selby, Warrington and Aberthaw have all
walked out. The Times headlined it as the “Dawn of new age of industrial
unrest.” This is a well-organised, co-ordinated movement, which is unofficial
and completely illegal under UK anti trade union laws.