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King’s College London decides not to pay its staff!

Workers across all industries are feeling the squeeze as the bosses try to pass on the costs of the recession to them. Some workers are getting below-inflation pay-rises. Others are getting no pay rise at all. However, most would take for-granted that, if they remain in work, they will be paid something for their labour. But at King’s College London they are advertising a post which pays nothing at all.The post is voluntary! The college ‘generously’ offers to reimburse expenses!

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Does Work Work for You?

In one sense we welcome the TUC’s new pamphlet Does Work Work for you? A Young Worker’s Guide to their Rights and Trade Union Membership. A  key factor in favour of capitalists over workers is the fact that each new generation of workers often has the relearn the lessons of its ancestors, and as such each new worker generally enters the work place feeling isolated and overwhelmed. The employer can get away with a great deal that has already been made illegal as a result of previous worker’s struggles, without many workers realising. Therefore this pamphlet could be very useful, in that it explains the rights of workers in areas such as the minimum wage, working hours and breaks and agency work.

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Ireland: “The last roll of the dice for Government, Ibec and unions”

This is how the Irish Times summed up the forthcoming negotiations between ICTU (The Irish Confederation of Trade Unions), the Government and Ibec (the employers). The talks follow an invitation from the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to the ICTU leaders, who have deferred the strike action planned for Monday 30th pending the outcome of the negotiating. The decision to call off the action reflects the fact that the trade union leaders have been very keen to pull off a deal, and are confident that they have a big mandate from the members.

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The onslaught on the conditions of the European working class

Under capitalism there is a steady unremitting pressure on workers’ living standards from the capitalist class, particularly as they compete with one another, and with bosses all around the world, to cut costs – especially labour costs. This need for employers to attack the wages and conditions of European workers has been intensified by the onset of crisis. There are huge discrepancies between national rates of pay within the European Union. Naturally bosses would like to exploit these differences. And the European Court of Justice is trying hard to help them.

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Pure evil, or the logic of privatisation?

In Pennsylvania last month judge Mark Ciavarella, and the judge of the juvenile court  Michael Conahan, pleaded guilty to having accepted $2.6m (£1.8m) from the co-owner and builder of a private prison where children aged from 10 to 17 were locked up.The cases of up to 2,000 children put into custody by Ciavarella and Conahan over the past seven years are now being reviewed in a scandal called "kids for cash".

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Britain’s TV Industry in Crisis



Britain’s commercial television industry is in crisis. Channel 4 has announced plans to cut 150 jobs next year (from a total workforce of 1,000), and has reduced its programme budget by £25m, after already cutting £15m from last year’s budget. Britain’s newest Channel, Five, has announced 87 job cuts (nearly a third of its workforce). But one of the bleakest stories is that of Britain’s oldest commercial broadcaster, ITV. They have forecast the recent wave of job cuts to reach the 1,000 mark by the middle of this year, along with a £65m cut in their £1billion programming budget, putting an end to many popular programmes, including high-end costume dramas.

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Unite-Amicus election: Vote for Jerry Hicks scares right wing

The result of the election for General Secretary in the Amicus section of Unite the union vindicates the challenge that was mounted by Jerry Hicks against the attempt of Simpson to cling onto office without election. Although Simpson won with a vote of 60,048 Jerry Hicks was well placed in second position, polling 39,307 and easily beating the right wingers Kevin Coyne, who only gained 30,603 votes and Paul Reuter who came fourth with 28,283.

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Glasgow pickets the BNP



March 23rd saw the BNP once again make another ugly appearance on the streets of Glasgow, the second time they have done so in three days. On this occasion they could only muster two supporters, seemingly their hardcore in the west of Scotland. As usual this pair carried out their Laurel and Hardy style act with the big intimidating one, complete with scary red bobble hat, remaining silent as the smaller overly confident character spewed out a range of contradictory positions and bigoted lies.

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Waterford occupation ends: a bitter pill to swallow

After seven weeks of occupation UNITE, the union representing the Waterford Crystal workers, has done a deal with KPS, the American company that has bought out part of the company’s assets. The decision is a bitter blow to the workers, many of whom feel that the company was holding a gun to their heads -  the issue being the threat to withdraw €10 million of pension payments.

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Twenty years on – the lessons of the 1984-85 miners’ strike: Part Two

An essential lesson to draw from the miners’ strike is the vital role of leadership. The miners’ leaders stood head and shoulders above the majority of British trade union leaders at this time. Arthur Scargill in particular demonstrated an unbending will to struggle in the face of the most appalling personal abuse and character assassination. In this sense the leaders of the union were a source of inspiration for the miners in the areas. At the same time these leaders were inspired by the courage and determination of the rank and file miners, of their wives and their communities. Unfortunately courage alone is not enough to win such titanic battles.

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Audio File: Marxism and Darwinism’ at the ULU Marxist Society

At 6pm, on the 12th of March the Marxist society of the University of London Union met for a discussion on ‘Marxism and Darwinism’. The topic of this meeting was chosen in order to coincide with the recent exhibitions and publicity surrounding the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s masterwork, ‘Origin of the Species’ in November this year, and John Pickard, author of “150th anniversary of publication of Origin of the Species” led off for the first time (at a political meeting) for 15 years before a meeting of about fifteen people, comprising students, Socialist Appeal supporters and other interested people. Includes audio of the meeting.

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