After 10 weeks of strike action – two days each week – Axiom Rail workers in Stoke have decided to return to work and impose an overtime ban in their fight for a decent pay increase. Workers doing the same jobs at some other Axiom sites are paid £4 an hour more than workers at Stoke.
Socialist Party statement
British Airways:
Defend the right to strike!!!
On the decision of one judge and at the behest of British Airways bosses, the workers of Britain and their trade unions have been told that the democratic right to strike has been cancelled.
After four 24-hour strikes at Axiom in Stoke, the workforce, Unite members, has become even more determined to win this dispute for a decent pay increase.
Axiom Railworkers strike in Stoke remains solid
After four 24 hours strikes at Axiom in Stoke the mood of the workforce, Unite members, has become even more determined to win this dispute for a decent pay increase. The ninety workers at the Stoke site of Axiom, who provide rolling stock for rail companies, are angry because they are being paid less than at other Axiom sites and to add insult to injury have been ‘offered’ a pay freeze. There is also much anger about the way in which Axiom bosses are trying to bully workers over things like sick pay.
The head of the International Monetary Fund told a recent meeting of G20 finance ministers that the economic crisis has shifted from finance to a "third phase" of high unemployment. For young people, who are one in five of the population but two in five of the unemployed, this is not news. While some politicians talk about recovery, reality continues to fly in the face of their proclamations of false hope.
Vote 'YES' for National Action
CWU members in the post service are now balloting for a national strike against cuts, job losses and attacks on the union itself. This ballot for united national action is well due and activists in the union need to do all they can to help return a resounding "YES" vote for action!
For national action to defend jobs, pay, conditions & postal services!
Recent strikes by London postal workers, 160 other balloted workplaces and now the indefinite strike at Stoke are all a direct result of an undeclared war by Royal Mail management on postal workers and the CWU. Every part of the country is involved which shows that management are on the offensive against jobs, rights and conditions like never before.
Around 5,000 people marched in Redcar, Teesside on 18 July, in support of the Save our Steel campaign. This has been set up to defend the 2,000 Corus steel jobs at risk. Plants in Teesside, Scunthorpe and Rotherham are under threat, on top of thousands of job cuts in January. Corus is owned by the Tata Steel conglomerate which made a £2.8 billion profit in 2007-08.
Defend the Four: Protest at the Unison witch-hunt
Four Socialist Party members under attack from the Unison leadership have been found "guilty" of two charges.