Welcome to the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Bulletin No. 2 - 22 November 2010

 

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The TUSC Steering Committee met on 19 November. It mainly discussed the election campaign conference. The next meeting is on 9 December.

TUSC calls election campaign conference for Saturday, 22 January 2011 in London - 3.30pm to 6.00pm

 

TUSC will be standing candidates in the May 2011 local council elections that are taking place in every area of England except London. TUSC is also involved in discussions to organise an election challenge for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections. The TUSC draft policy platform starts from the basis that councillors can refuse to pass on the cuts. Local groups, trade unionists and anti-cuts campaigns who want to stand candidates under the TUSC banner are invited to a conference on 22 January 2011 to discuss and finalise the platform. You can read it here http://bit.ly/b5fkZI� Furthers details about venue and registration will follow.

 

The conference is scheduled to follow the NSSN conference against the cuts also being held on 22 January 2011: http://www.shopstewards.net/

 

What you can do to support the TUSC campaign:

If you want to do any of the above then let us know by emailing electioncoalition@btinternet.com

 

TUSC election campaign in Scotland:�

For more details e-mail graememciver@btinternet.com or call 07738 615 562.

 

Local TUSC News

If you have a local report of what TUSC campaigners have been up to in your area then please send it to TUSCbulletin@yahoo.co.uk

 

Brighton rocks

Brighton TUSC had a strong presence on the recent local 2,000 strong anti-cuts demonstration and has announced that it will be standing candidates in the May 2011 elections.  You can find Brighton TUSC on Facebook and at http://brightontusc.blogspot.com/ Contact them at: brighton.tusc@gmail.com. TUSC supporters also supported journalists at the Brighton Argus newspapers who took 48-hour strike action on 18 November against job losses: http://bit.ly/cQ8oda.

 

Send messages of support to the Brighton Argus journalists:http://brightonargus.blogspot.com/

 

Salford is raring to go in May

Paul Gerrard of Salford TUSC reports: �Salford TUSC grew out of the �Hazel Blears Must Go� campaign and last October agreed to affiliate to TUSC. While fighting Hazel we also stood Andy Behan, a signalman and RMT member, in the Ordsall ward, a solid Labour ward, getting a good result of over 400 votes. We have met regularly since the election and have had some successes including working with supporters on the Trades Council to build a significant lunch-time protest at the Civic Centre. We are now gearing up for a major anti-cuts meeting called by the Trades Council and other unions on 29 November. We have already decided that Andy Behan will again represent us in Ordsall ward in May and Andy is raring to go.  We are looking at standing in one or two other wards where we had a good response in the general election last year.�� If you want to get in touch with Salford TUSC then email pgerrard2001@yahoo.co.uk

 

West Cheshire against the cuts

TUSC supporters have been involved in building the first Chester anti-cuts meeting for 2 December 2010 called by the West Cheshire TUC. It will take place at 7.30 at the Guildhall, Watergate Street, Chester, CH1 2LA.

Join the TUSC communications team� - your communication skills are needed.

If you know about web based information systems, leaflet design, can edit copy, help with media work or can help TUSC with its presence at national events then contact Nick Wrack at nickwrack@tooks.co.uk or Will McMahon at wsmcmahon@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks to Jon from Northwich for offering to help with leaflet design and Vicky from Tower Hamlets for helping on bulletin distribution. Want to get involved? Then get in touch � a national political project needs a big national communications team.

 

From the unions

 

Over 2,000 firefighters lobby parliament to oppose cuts on Wednesday 17 November

�Public sector workers should campaign together and strike together� said Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary at the lobby. Arguing that previous generations had fought for public services he said workers �should not accept the race to the bottom�. John McDonnell MP and Mark Serwotka PCS general secretary, were among those who addressed the lobby.� A recent You Gov poll shows 85% of the public are against ConDem plans to cuts funding in the Fire and Rescue Service. 95% said that, despite the economic crisis, we need to keep the same number or employ even more firefighters. Lobby report here http://bit.ly/d0sc3L and dispute updates here: http://fbu.org.uk/

 

RMT exposes management lies and launches safety campaign in Scotland

Transport for London has been caught red-handed telling pork pies over staffing levels on the Tube. The RMT has leaked an internal management document that states: �There are a number of stations across the network which is [sic] left unstaffed from time to time.� As the RMT piles on the pressure for a halt to job losses Bob Crow said: �The management claim that they have no plans for unstaffed stations as a result of the cuts is a total lie.� More here: http://bit.ly/beMmRX

 

Scottish ferries are threatened by a privatisation that would decimate services to isolated island communities. RMT is hosting a series of public meetings to campaign on the issue. All are welcome. Meeting days and times are here: http://bit.ly/cDFJcW

 

Serwotka attacks recruitment freeze

Government hiring of agency workers to cover for the civil servant recruitment freeze means the bill for agency staff has risen by 65%. Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary said, �Clearly the work is there to be done, so rather than taking on vulnerable low-paid workers the government should retain civil servants on permanent, secure contract�It's effectively a dodge to reduce the official headcount but it's highly questionable whether it saves any money, and if not it blows a hole in the civil service cuts programme.� For newspaper coverage: http://bit.ly/9ICxTL

 

Information burst

 

Tory Lord Young forced to resign for letting the mask slip

Lord Young says �you have never had it so good� and people �will wonder what all the fuss was about� when the cuts have gone through. If you have the stomach, you can hear the full drivel here http://bit.ly/9BWG8o� Young had the job of attacking health and safety at work legislation: http://bit.ly/cq0BY4,

 

RMTV� you can watch all the latest RMT and anti-cuts action on RMTV. This clip has coverage of the anti-cuts rally in October: http://bit.ly/cSXQnC

Thousands of school students to take part in national fees walkout on 24 November.

Over 16,000 young people have signed up to take part in the �day of action� against plans to raise tuition fees and scrap the education maintenance allowance. Student leaders are predicting sit-ins, demonstrations and occupations: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/19/students-school-pupils-protest

�http://bit.ly/9WKMm9

Drug companies �exploiting law for profit�.

Drug companies are setting exorbitant prices for drugs needed for rare diseases according to a letter in the British Medical Journal.� The consultants writing are deeply concerned about European Union regulations on �orphan drugs� which have led to prices on the drugs being raised by over 40 times from �800 and �1,250 per patient per year to between �40,000 and �70,000.The Channel 4 report can be seen here http://bit.ly/9PdChV

 

Cartoon cut: Ireland's bailout: http://bit.ly/coeRpw

 

Send us a donation and we will help you to do the job

Thanks to the supporter from Bognor Regis who sent us �50 after getting the first issue of the TUSC bulletin. Between now and the May 2011 elections we will be organizing to ensure that the voice of trade unionists and socialists is heard loud and clear. Send your donation to TUSC, 17 Colebert House, Colebert Avenue, London E1 4JP. Make cheques payable to TUSC.

 

Have you got news for us?

Then let us have it by e-mailing: TUSCbulletin@yahoo.co.uk Send us any local or national campaign and trade union news that you want others to see.

 

Diary

 

March on Parliament for a Zero Carbon Britain National Climate March 2010 on Saturday 4 December

 

Better late than never: TUC national demo against the cuts is on Saturday 26 March 2011 http://bit.ly/d716ir

 

TUSC aims to bring trade unionists, socialists and anti-cuts campaigners together to stand candidates at elections who are committed to representing working-class interests. Resistance to the cuts is vital, but we also need a political alternative to the policies of cuts and privatisation. TUSC believes that a new working-class party is needed that campaigns for a democratic socialist society run in the interests of the millions not the millionaires.

 

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