UNISON members in Scotland will soon be balloted for industrial
action over their 2008 pay claim. Ballot papers will be sent out at the
beginning of July with votes due back by 31st July. This is an extremely tight time scale and will present a
challenge to activists. The decision to call a vote on industrial action was taken
at a delegate conference in Glasgow on 29th May following a period of informal
consultation.Some 20% of members took part in the consultation by
attending meetings or by voting through e-mail or ballot. Those that took part
were overwhelmingly for strike action.

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST rail union got rock-solid support from
12,000 Network Rail maintenance members from midday Saturday June 14th
as a two-day strike over harmonisation of terms and conditions got under way. After voting by a margin of nearly three to one for action,
RMT member did not book on for shifts that commenced between midday tomorrow
(Saturday June 14) and 17:59 on Sunday. Members also did not undertake any
overtime or ‘on-call’ work between 06:00 on Saturday June 14 and 06:00 on
Monday June 16.

In spite of all the main parties, big business, the media
and even most of the trade union leaders campaigning for a "yes" vote in
yesterday’s referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, the "No" won the day. This was a
slap in the face for the Irish government and the European Union bosses.

2008  was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth
International. The International was established by Leon Trotsky and
his supporters in September 1938. As part of the commemoration of this
event Rob Sewell
draws out some of the key lessons and methods on which the Trotskyist
movement was built during
the 1930s. He also explains that while the Fourth International no
longer exists in an
organisational form, it continues for Marxists today in our theory,
programme, method and approach.

PFI alert (part 1 million). The Audit Commission reveals that billions are wasted by the public sector on private contracts. It cost £4.26 to cut a key. Or then again it might cost £47.78. It costs £30.81 to change a lock in Halifax and £398.30 in Blackburn. An electrical socket costs £30.81 in Kirklees and £302.30 in Wirral. Ever got the idea you’re being had?

For those with more money than sense… Manchester firm F. Duerr has produced the world’s most expensive pot of marmalade. It contains whisky, champagne and gold (what for?) in a crystal jar. It costs just £5,000.

The ‘Guardian’ (February 2nd 2008) did a survey, asking, “Do you trust your boss to give you a proper pay rise.” 71% said ‘No.’ Who are the 29% who said ‘Yes’?

The Tories claim that the decision to nationalise Northern Rock (after endless dithering) adds £3,000 in national debt for every family in Britain. We prefer the example of Tory hero Margaret Thatcher, who took over failed Johnson Matthey Bank for just £1.