October 2009

On 17 May 1649, three soldiers were executed on Oliver Cromwell’s orders in Burford churchyard, Oxfordshire, England. They were the leaders of 300 men who belonged to the movement known as the Levellers. They had decided to fight against Cromwell who they considered was betraying the ideals of what the “Civil War”, i.e. the English Revolution, had been about.

Matt Wells reports on the formation of an LRC group in Cambridge, in the build up to the annual conference of LRC in London in November

First there were three, the sun having not yet shown its face, in the
pitch black darkness of the autumn morning it was only the neon of the street
lights that reflected off the red high visibility jackets of the picketing
Royal Mail workers. Eddie Kacar reports on the mood at EDO in Whitechapel in the heart of the East End of London

IMPACT
members have voted 86% to 14% for strike action on a 69% ballot. This
is a huge change from the position in March where a similar vote
resulted in a 65% Yes vote on a 53% turnout. The vote in March fell
just short of the 2/3 barrier that union rules lay down as the minimum
threshold for official action to be sanctioned. 

This
marks a dramatic shift over the past 7 months. But that’s hardly a
surprise given the imposition of the levy, the slash and burn budget
and the threats of cuts and redundancies and the general economic chaos
and political crisis that threatens public sector workers.

As previously reported, on 21^st October Steve Acheson
appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, central London. He was there because Scottish and
Southern Energy, the owners of Fiddlers Ferry power station, were seeking an
injunction against him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act!

Here are some more reports and interviews from CWU picket lines around the country as the strike enters the second day. More action has been announced for next week – things are hotting up!

It might have started out as a strategy, but the ICTU leadership’s
profound belief that they can wrest some concessions out of Cowen and
Lenihan would be better described as an illusion or perhaps a death
wish. We’ve pointed out many times that in a slump social partnership
is like the partnership between a cat and a mouse. But at least in Tom
and Jerry the mouse was a master of tactics.

As the first wave of the national post strike action enters its second day,
those on the picket lines around the country  remain determined to win
their fight. Here is a first of a series of reports and interviews from various picket lines.