Next month, ballots open for the general secretary election in Unison, Britain’s largest trade union. Scandalously, the so-called ‘Communist’ Party of Britain is supporting right-wing incumbent and arch-bureaucrat Christina McAnea against left candidate Andrea Egan.
RMT Tube strikes are due to start 5 September. The bosses clearly feel threatened, predicting an Autumn of Discontent as ballot victories multiply. Let’s give them something to tremble about! Victory to the RMT, for joint action across the public sector!
In the first online instalment of ‘Bastard Boss of the Week’, a worker in the “best airport bar in the world” exposes his bosses’ profit-hungry practices; while a coffee shop worker in London tells us about his successes organising in the workplace.
Several unions representing NHS workers have come out emphatically against Labour’s poor pay offer. The next step is to unite strike action across the unions, with a mass campaign against austerity and privatisation, and for bold socialist policies.
The Palestine movement is yearning for solutions. The mood in Britain is charged with anger – against the genocide, austerity, and general insecurity about the future. The unions could provide a lightning rod for this energy, but for this a bold programme is required.
After years of rumours and hearsay, an interim report commissioned by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has revealed a “pervasive fraud environment”. Corruption, bureaucracy, and shady backroom deals disarm the workers. Clear out the bureaucrats!
Resident doctors are on the march again, after winning a strike ballot to resounding support. Strike dates are set for 25-30 July. This is a battle for the heart and soul of the NHS – to win, the BMA will need to pose a radical, socialist alternative to austerity.
Sheffield revolutionary communists recently joined a mass picket in support of Sheffield’s bin workers, on indefinite strike for nearly a year. The mood is militant – but union-busting Veolia will stop at nothing to keep its superprofits. To win, the strike must be broadened out against the anti-union laws!
After suspending Angela Rayner with huge support from the rank-and-file, Unite is moving further onto the war footing against Starmer’s Labour. To complete the break, Unite must ramp up the fightback: join up the struggles against austerity, and fight for a socialist programme!
With the recent rise of artificial intelligence, the capitalist press has gone into overdrive, peddling wild fantasies about the future of work. But are the bots coming for white-collar jobs? And what does this all mean for the class struggle?
The UK’s largest fibreglass factory is set to close imminently. At the same time Starmer is launching an industrial strategy. The farce of the situation illustrates the bankruptcy of British capitalism.
The Birmingham bin strikers remain resolute in their desire to fight Labour’s pay onslaught – but the council has thrown down the gauntlet with their picket line policing. To win, Unite’s leaders must broaden out the struggle: down with the anti-union laws!