Unite general secretary election: support Len McCluskey

Written by Kevin Parslow, Branch Secretary LE/1228 (personal capacity) Friday, 30 July 2010 10:58

The general secretary election in Unite will take place between 25 October and 19 November this year.

Nomination papers have now been sent to branch secretaries and shop stewards can order forms for workplace nominations, all of which have to be in by 6 September.

Socialist Party members in Unite are supporting Len McCluskey, the candidate of the left organisation, United Left.

Linamar announces closure in Swansea: Union prepares challenge

Written by Alec Thraves, Swansea Socialist Party Friday, 09 July 2010 16:34

208 workers at the Linamar plant in Swansea, and their families, face the dole as the Canadian car parts company announced the closure of the Swansea plant by the end of this year on Wednesday 7 July.

The company had told the union that it would come to the talks with an 'option A' - confirmed product sourcing and a future, or 'option B' - a closure.

Mistaken occupation of British Airways talks

Written by Socialist Party England & Wales Tuesday, 25 May 2010 08:35

The defeat of Willie Walsh and the brutish British Airways (BA) management is the most important aspect to this dispute.

It is therefore unfortunate that the reported decision of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) members at the end of the Right to Work Conference to invade talks between British Airways management and Unite has partially obscured this issue.

BA strike - An industrial dictatorship

Written by airSTRIKE blog Thursday, 20 May 2010 13:10

“The strictest law often causes the most serious wrong.”
Cicero

Earlier this evening British Airways was granted an injunction against a proposed 20 day strike by cabin crew. The decision was based on a technicality regarding the method UNITE used to inform cabin crew of the result of the ballot. This judgement has enormous implications for the whole of the trade union movement. For all practical purpose effective strike action that seriously damages the financial interests of the employer is now illegal. It was Tony Blair who once boasted that Britain had the most restrictive anti-trade union laws in the Western World. This judgement now relegates Britain below many neo-colonial countries in terms of trade union rights.

Visit airSTRIKE for up to date reports of the strike

BA strike - An industrial dictatorship

Written by airSTRIKE blog Thursday, 20 May 2010 12:32

“The strictest law often causes the most serious wrong.”
Cicero

Earlier this evening British Airways was granted an injunction against a proposed 20 day strike by cabin crew. The decision was based on a technicality regarding the method UNITE used to inform cabin crew of the result of the ballot. This judgement has enormous implications for the whole of the trade union movement. For all practical purpose effective strike action that seriously damages the financial interests of the employer is now illegal. It was Tony Blair who once boasted that Britain had the most restrictive anti-trade union laws in the Western World. This judgement now relegates Britain below many neo-colonial countries in terms of trade union rights.

Visit airSTRIKE for up to date reports of the strike

Support grows for cabin crew

Written by Neil Cafferky, Socialist Party England & Wales Friday, 26 March 2010 17:00

Strikers can beat BA bosses

"We've been forced into going on strike because the terms and conditions have changed on board the aircraft. It's not so much about pay. In fact we've offered a pay cut but Mr Walsh [BA boss] is obviously trying to break the union" said one BA striker.

Visit airstrikes - the Socialist Party Blog for BA workers and trade union activists

Report from the BA Cabin Crew Strike

Written by airStrike Blog Wednesday, 24 March 2010 10:29

The first round of strike action by British Airways cabin crew came to an end today. Many pickets pointed out that this was the most important of the three days of strike action. Whereas the previous two days action over the weekend had mostly affected leisure travellers, Monday’s strike would hit business travellers, one of BA’s most lucrative markets. Not to mention the knock on effects to the national and indeed international economy as one of the world’s largest airlines was largely put out of action at the beginning of a working week.

For the rest of this report and more news from the BA Cabin Crew Strike visit the Socialist Party Blog: