Massey Workers to Vote on Action over Redundancies

Workers' Daily Internet Edition : Article Index :

Massey Workers to Vote on Action over Redundancies

First Wave of Redundancies at Perkins

West Midlands Workers Strike against Paycuts

Campaign Video:
Highlighting the Human Cost of Casualisation

Britain's Poor Record on Job Security

Steel Workers Fight Pension Downgrading

Trade Union Councils' National Conference

ILO Annual Conference Adopts New Measures against Globalisation

A total of up to 1,000 jobs are to be lost with the final closure of Massey Ferguson's Banner Lane tractor plant in Coventry.

Workers at tractor factory are to ballot over industrial action as finally the foundry is set to close. The US-based multinational agricultural company, Agco, now owns the famous site. The plant will close by the end of the year, and the plan is to move to Europe.

The factory has struggled against intense international competition and has been the focus of hundreds of redundancies in recent years.

Coventry South MP, Jim Cunningham said, "This is devastating news, Coventry cannot afford to lose this many jobs." He is going to appeal to Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt to keep the factory open.

The closure signals the end of an era of large-scale tractor production as it is destined to be wound down in the West Midlands. The finality of these decisions is a sure sign of the end of the kind of manufacturing that has characterised the industrial backdrop of the region in the past.

The decisions of the transnational corporations in the era of globalisation do not give a second thought to the interests of the workers or of the national economies. The international financial oligarchy uproots from traditional areas of production and restructures to ensure maximum profits by competing in the global market. At the same time, these finance capitalists also export capital to where they envisage a greater return on their investment, increasingly using the state as their channel, as well as speculating parasitically on stock exchanges and money markets.

The workers are considered expendable and their livelihoods remain of no concern in this global capitalist age. The interest of the working class has to be in the alternative to this route.

There can and must be another way!

The Perkins engine plant in Shrewsbury has just made 33 workers redundant, and a second wave is expected shortly. Perkins announced 520 jobs were to go late last year.

Workers have expressed their gross dissatisfaction with the plans of management at a Black Country factory by waging strike action.

Staff at Grady, in Tipton, are picketing for the second time in two weeks over plans to cut wages by up to 40%. Their militant action shows that they are in no mood to accept the capitalist motivation to maximise profits by making the workers pay. They are demanding an alternative strategy be adopted and have called on their unions to step up industrial action. The unions have agreed to carry out the workers' demands and have said that they will indeed organise to do just that.

Union leaders point out that workers' pay has already been frozen and the Transport and General Workers Union says that the firm has made no attempt to sort the problem out. The union is now demanding that management return to the negotiating table.

Following the recent premiere of the film Not this time - the story of the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign a wide variety of groups from across the country have got together to organise showings of this 25 minute film - with speakers - across the country.

This unique film tour highlights the dangers of increasing casualisation in the workplace. The film chronicles the death of Simon Jones on his first day as a casual worker - and the fightback, involving direct action against government agencies and departments, that forced a prosecution of those responsible for Simon's death.

The 20-date film tour has its first British date at the Glastonbury festival on June 29. Unions, safety campaigners, friends, direct action groups and many others responded to the call by the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign to show the film by setting up showings in halls, churches, cinemas and community centres across the country.

Sixth form students in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, contacted the campaign to see if they could organise a showing. Jessica Braithwaite, one of the students, said, "I heard about the campaign from the Mark Thomas TV show, went to the website to find out more then emailed the campaign. I think it's really important that people are aware of what happened to Simon because it could happen to anyone. Me and my friends are just leaving school and we think it's worrying that you can end up doing a really dangerous job so easily."

Colin Chalmers of the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign, says, "The unique thing about this film tour is that it's only happening because so many groups approached us wanting to show the film. There is a genuine concern in this country that the government isn't doing nearly enough to protect passengers and workers, especially casual workers, from profiteering companies who don't really care about anything but making a profit. Simon's death, and recent deaths of both passengers and casual workers on the railways, shows that casualisation kills. A lot of people are beginning to find that unacceptable".

The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign says that anyone interested in helping to arrange a showing should email: action@simonjones.org.uk. Anyone wanting a copy of the 25 minute film on VHS should send a cheque for £5, including postage, to Simon Jones Memorial Campaign, PO Box 2600, Brighton BN2 2DX. For more information go to www.simonjones.org.uk

TOUR DATES

AMSTERDAM 28TH JUNE
8pm, Nicolaas Beetsstraat 84
Film with discussion, organised by Vakbondscafe solidariteit

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL 29TH JUNE
Evening, Leftfield stage
Film with Billy Bragg and Mark Thomas

CENTRAL LONDON (LUNCHTIME) 3RD JULY (Steve and Colin)
1.30pm, National Probation Service, 71-73 Great Peter Street (nearest tube St James Park)
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Greater London national association of probation officers

BANBURY 3RD JULY
7.30pm, St John's Catholic Club, under St John's Church, South Bar
Film with campaign speaker, organised by friends of Simon from Banbury

BATTERSEA 8TH JULY
7.30pm, Lara Community Centre, St Paul's Church, 92c St John's Hill (nearest rail Clapham Junction)
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Battersea and Wandsworth trades council

EAST LONDON 9TH JULY
8pm, London action resource centre, 62 Fieldgate Street (nearest tube Aldgate East)
Film with campaign speaker, organised by London action resource centre

BRISTOL 10TH JULY
7.30pm, Easton Community Centre, Kuburn Street, Easton
Film with campaign speaker
organised by Bristol against casualisation

EARTH FIRST! SUMMER GATHERING 13TH JULY
* Ella
The west country. Further details at www.eco-action.org/gathering
Film with campaign speaker
organised by Earth First!

LONDON RMT MEETING 16TH JULY
5pm, Somerstown Coffee House, 60 Chalton Street (nearest tube Mornington Crescent)
Film with campaign speaker plus Steve Headley (RMT)
organised by the National union of rail, maritime and transport workers

SHEFFIELD 17TH JULY
7pm, The Red Dear, Titt Street, Sheffield
Film with campaign speaker plus No Sweat
organised by No Sweat

SOUTH LONDON 18TH JULY
7pm, Union Tavern, Camberwell new Road (nearest tube Oval, nearest rail Vauxhall)
Film with campaign speaker plus Steve Headley (RMT) and the Wombles. Followed by showing of Ken Loach's The Navigators, organised by the Wombles

READING 19TH JULY
7pm, Upstairs at the Global cafe-bar, RISC, London Street
Film with campaign speaker followed by roots dub dance with The Mighty Red Eye (Southend), Jambulu (Reading) and Jah Lion sound system. Licensed bar to 2am, £4 entrance (proceeds to Simon Jones Memorial Campaign)
organised by Fisheye

BRIGHTON 21ST JULY
7.30pm, Sussex Arts Club, Ship Street
Film with campaign speaker plus other films about casualisation and globalisation
organised by SchNEWS

STOKESLEY 22ND JULY
7pm, Stokesley Community Centre, Station Road
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Stokesley sixth form students

WORTHING 23RD JULY (Steve)
7.45pm, Upstairs at The Downview (opposite West Worthing railway station)
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Worthing eco-action

LEICESTER 23RD JULY
6.30pm, City Rooms, Hotel Street
NO FILM - campaign speaker plus Tony O'Brien (construction safety campaign) and Stefan Cholewka (national anti-PFI and privatisation campaign).
organised by Leicester district trades council as part of Union City 2002

MANCHESTER 24TH JULY
8.30pm, Hare & Hounds, Shude Hill
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Manchester solidarity federation

LEEDS 25TH JULY
7pm, Roger Stevens lecture theatre 15, Leeds University
Film with campaign speaker, organised by Leeds globalise resistance

HULL 26TH JULY
7.30pm, Kingston Social Club, Beverley Road
Film with campaign speaker plus local union representatives and safety campaigners, organised by the New Cleveland Street families fighting fund

LEICESTER 11TH AUGUST
5pm, Phoenix Theatre, Upper Brown Street, £3/£2
Film with campaign speaker plus Ken Loach's The Navigators, other speakers and stalls, organised by local safety campaigners

Britain ranks alongside Japan and South Korea at the bottom of the job security league, according to a new TUC report looking at the globalisation debate and published ahead of the G8 summit. The report shows that Britain comes second only to South Korea in terms of job insecurity among major industrialised countries.

Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that workers in Britain are some of the most concerned about their job security. The TUC cites factors like the economic cycle and the level of employment regulation in determining job security.

The unique insecurity felt by workers in Britain is underlined by the country's poor performance even after achieving a big increase in job security from the previous survey in 1996 when 53% of workers said they were unsure of their job, the TUC report says.

Workers in the steel industry are initiating an overtime ban against the downgrading of their pension scheme.

Union members at steel plants in Scunthorpe and South Wales will be taking part in the action.

Steelworkers are militantly opposing the arbitrary decisions by employers to close the scheme, which pays pensions as a proportion of final salary. The decision will seriously affect the lives of workers who retire now, as well as in the future.

Most schemes invest, and are indeed among the largest investors in the stock market. This will affect jobs throughout the world. Media commentators, speaking on behalf of employers, have said that the plans will only affect new entrants. Many employers are ready to jump on the bandwagon and eliminate or downgrade schemes. It is obvious that reducing contributors will affect all existing members of occupational schemes. The new scheme in the steel industry will be linked to the ups and downs of the stock market.

It is imperative that workers' solidarity is built in the movement against the downgrading and elimination of Final Pension Schemes. The steelworkers are some of the first to take direct action against the plans and should be supported.

The new arrangements put in place by capitalism to replace Final Pension Schemes are part of a Europe-wide strategy outlined by the EU. Plans have been condemned by the TUC, who have stated that industrial action will be supported by unions to oppose the new arrangements.

Capitalism sees the opportunity to boost profits by in effect putting forward what amounts to wage cuts. Pension schemes are part and parcel of the movement to ensure an important social programme of liveable incomes in old age.

The capitalists see an opportunity to foist the burdens of the economic crisis onto the backs of the workers by stating that society, despite the billions made by the rich, cannot maintain an ageing population throughout Western Europe. They are using the present falls on the Stock Market to propose the speeding up of their anti-pension programme.

by Robin Smith, NCP, in Cardiff – reprinted from The New Worker, June 21, 2002

Over 80 delegates representing trades' councils from across the country gathered in Cardiff last weekend for their national conference. The trades' councils are the trade union movements 'voice in the community' and their message of opposition to privatisation and anti-union laws was loud and clear.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, opened conference with a declaration that the fight to repeal all anti-union laws continues. He expressed his opposition to the proposed changes to employment tribunals, and said that 'when a tribunal states reinstatement that's what we want'. In particular he referred to the Docherty brothers, two victimised postal workers, who remain sacked despite a tribunal ordering their reappointment.

Referring to recent reports of alleged 'saboteurs' being responsible for the Potters Bar crash, Mr Crow retorted that 'it's true that saboteurs were involved. Jarvis, Railtrack and the government for failing to renationalise the railways.' He said that the RMT seeks corporate manslaughter charges on those responsible for failing to maintain the railways. He also described that threatened privatisation of London Underground as 'the biggest betrayal against workers and passengers'.

Conference discussed the trade union response to the increase in racism. It agreed that local trade union branches, and in particular trades councils, have a primary responsibility in creating a broad-based anti-racist campaign in each community.

Opposition to the patenting of life-saving drugs was expressed. This patenting ensures that many drugs remain unaffordable to those that desperately need them, and developing countries remain unable to produce medicines of their own.

The stand taken by local benefits and Jobcentre staff who took industrial action to defend their working environment was acknowledged. Several strikers spoke to conference, and said that the fight to hold management to the concessions gained through the dispute continues. If management withdraw from these concessions then civil service trade unions will return to conference asking for more support to continue their campaign.

Conference called on the Labour government to reverse the Tory attack on claimants who after being awarded financial payments following accidents at work, then see this sum clawed back from their benefits. This sees many claimants left with very little compensation for health damage that they have suffered. Conference also agreed that legislation should be introduced to charge bosses with manslaughter in the event of death or serious injury due to the failing of their organisations.

In the best traditions of the trade union movement, solidarity was given to Oliver Campbell who is fighting against his unjust imprisonment. Oliver, who has severe learning difficulties, has spent many years in prison following his conviction for shooting a shopkeeper. Oliver's 'confession' was made when his solicitor wasn't present and is inconsistent with many facts. Witnesses state that the murderer was about 5'10" tall, but Oliver is a 'gentle giant' of 6'4". Forensic evidence suggests that the murderer is right-handed, but Oliver is left-handed. The only evidence against Oliver is his 'confession'. Conference supported the call for immediate justice for Oliver, and accountability of the police.

The call for the repeal of all anti-trade union laws was clearly expressed by conference. It was agreed to demand that the TUC to urge all its affiliates to support the 'Restore Our Rights Campaign', and to make this a political priority over the next six months. It was also agreed to call on the TUC to lobby the Labour Party to improve employment rights. A particular call was made for the right of workers to take secondary or solidarity action during a dispute.

The rights of workers in bankrupt companies to receive the same priority as creditors in securing redundancy packages were agreed. And the proposed changes to the Employment Tribunal system was opposed, particularly the suggestion that the employers' preparation time for a tribunal is included against possible costs.

The continuing threats of increased privatisation were condemned. It was agreed to support the campaign to oppose the privatisation of the Merseyside Tunnel, where workers who use the facility daily are already charged £780 per year. The trades' councils' were urged to launch a campaign against privatisation, and to lobby local Labour Parties and MPs. A call was made to renationalise Railtrack, and to ensure proper funding for public transport.

Conference agreed to call on the government to adopt a subsidised job creation programme, and condemned the events of September 11 being used as an excuse to cut jobs.

After an interesting debate it was agreed following a vote that conference supported Birmingham as being the location of any national football stadium. It also called upon the TUC to ensure that new national projects are sited outside of London.

The continuing health effects of asbestos were discussed, and delegates called on MPs to campaign for legislation to ensure that victims could pursue claims against negligent employers. Conference also called on the TUC to demand that widowers receive equal treatment in claims for bereavement benefits, and to oppose any discrimination in the current system.

An emergency motion was unanimously passed supporting the Fire Brigades Union in their campaign for a fair wage for fire fighters and control staff. It called on local trades' councils to lobby MPs and councillors to help achieve this objective.

Conference received a report from the 87 Friction Dynamics strikers, who were dismissed for taking strike action. Calls to provide active solidarity for their campaign were made, and conference collected almost £400 for their strike fund.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) concluded its 90th annual Conference on June 20 after adopting a series of measures designed to promote a more rigorous approach to tackling the challenges of globalisation and create an "anchor" for personal security through poverty reduction, job creation and improved workplace health and safety.

Created in 1919, the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers of 175 member States in common action to improve social protection and conditions of life and work through the world. The International Labour Office, in Geneva, is the permanent Secretariat of the Organisation. The role of the International Labour Conference is to adopt and oversee compliance with international labour standards.

The ILO's annual International Labour Conference was marked by what ILO Director-General Juan Somavia called an "exceptionally rich" discussion surrounding globalisation, child labour and other issues and saw a "broad and steadily deepening consensus over the goal of decent work for all".

"Until we see a globalisation that prioritises the creation of employment and the reduction of poverty, the whole concept is going to remain dogged by controversy," Juan Somavia said. "Decent work for all ... is the surest route out of poverty and an anchor for family security essential to peaceful communities. We need to do more and do it better."

The Conference also examined the implementation report of activities 2000-2001, the first years under a "strategic budgeting" mechanism. In his conclusion, the Director-General noted that delegates had urged the ILO to "set increasingly rigorous performance indicators that relate to the needs of constituents and be more aggressive in evaluating how our intervention can best help to redress decent work deficits in a globalising world."

The Conference also debated the situation in the occupied Arab territories and heard pledges in support of enhancing ILO efforts to create jobs in the area and promote dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. Mr. Somavia said the ILO would allocate resources immediately with a view to establishing a Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection.

The Organisation launched the World Day Against Child Labour, which saw events in countries around the world aimed at reinforcing the global movement to abolish child labour.

Two guests of honour, Dato' Sei Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Owen Arthur, Prime Minister of Barbados, addressed the issue of globalisation during the Conference. Prime Minister Mahathir said that globalisation in its actual form cannot be "the remedy for the social ills of the world" and called for "globalisation with a social dimension". Prime Minister Arthur condemned the linkage of labour standards and trade as "immoral and counterproductive" and said the ILO "must have more clout in the formulating of global, financial and trade policy and not just an advisory role".

In an effort to address the issue of making decent work a reality for the hundreds of millions of people struggling to earn a living in the informal economy, the Conference held lengthy and often intense discussions. The Conference adopted a call for a new ILO programme of work that would focus on the issues of employment generation, social protection and poverty reduction for those in the informal economy. The new programme should provide a roadmap for future ILO activities aimed at extending rights to those who need them and access to the benefits of labour standards and the global economy.

Director-General Juan Somavia said that 347 speakers addressed the plenary sessions, but noted with "disappointment" that only 45, or 13 per cent, were women. He urged governments, workers and employers to consider ways of ensuring "a stronger participation of women" at the annual Conference, and suggested the ILO might consider "setting a target in the coming years" for addressing gender imbalance among the speakers.