Stand Up and Take Action Against Global Poverty‏

As part of Stand Up and Take Action, a global mobilisation, the TUC is urging people concerned about global poverty to assemble in Westminster to ‘Make a Noise for the Millennium Development Goals' from 1pm today (Saturday 18 September) in Old Palace Yard, opposite the Palace of Westminster.

Keep The Post Public‏

The UK postal service is under threat for the third time in a decade and the CWU is building a broad based keep The Post Public Coalition http://www.cwu.org/keep-the-post-public.html Throughout its long history, Royal Mail has provided a vital public service to isolated rural and urban communities alike across the length and breadth of the country, providing a unique one-price-goes-anywhere daily service.

Lib Dems could lose Sheffield as Clegg says no future as a left party

As the Lib Dem Conference starts in Liverpool, the party risks of losing control of Sheffield City Council, the city of leader Nick Clegg's constituency. Lib Dem councillor Ben Curran's defection to Labour follows Sharron Brook in Barnsley, Ian Jobling in Liverpool and three Lib Dem resignations in Cheshire. Top that with Clegg’s announcement that the Lib Dems have no future as a left party, and we could be in for an interesting few days.

Red Ellen by Andy Croft‏

‘Middlesbrough is a book of illustrations to Karl Marx’
Ellen Wilkinson, 1924

She stares out from the pages of New Dawn
As though the future needs to be out-faced,

European Trade Union Day of Action on 29 September 2010: 100,000 workers to demonstrate in Brussels‏

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), in reaction to the austerity measures in force in a number of European countries, is sponsoring a major European mobilisation on 29 September, with support from all its member organisations. Around 100,000 people are expected to take to the streets in Brussels and protest actions will also be held in different European countries.

Public sector cuts - let the battle of ideas commence‏

As usual, the Economist magazine has a fairly objective assessment of this week’s TUC Congress, albeit from a business/right wing perspective:
http://www.economist.com/node/17043870/print

Bankers Break the American Dream‏

The fall out from the banking collapse and subsequent recession continues apace and the American ideal lies in tatters. The idea of the American Dream maintains a strong grip on the imagination of many Americans and would-be citizens, but a detailed breakdown of the figures reveals a grim reality. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/16/four-million-americans-poverty-one-year

Council control update

Labour has retaken control of Blackburn with Darwen Council from a coalition of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and For Darwen Party: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/8390789.Labour_back_in_control_of_Blackburn_with_Darwen/

One in five UK workers earning less than living wage, says report

The Government and employers have been urged to do more to address wage inequality after a report revealed that more than one in five UK employees earns less than a "living wage", reports Daniel Thomas in Personnel Today
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2010/09/15/56544/one-in-five-uk-workers-earning-less-than-living-wage-says-report.html

Northern region gears up for 29 September ETUC Day of Action

ETUC Day of Action: Wednesday 29 September. The Northern Public Services Alliance have organised two events in support of the ETUC Day of Action on Wednesday 29 September 2010.
Rally at Grey's Monument, Newcastle from 12:00 - 14.00
Rally at The Bottle of Notes, Centre Square, Middlesbrough at 17:00
For a PDF of the Newcastle Rally leaflet, click here: https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4mGMLu_gab8MTIzOTA0ZDctOWFkYS00ZWJjLWEwZTMtYmNhODQxM2JmZDYx&hl=en&authkey=CJWsr50C
or go to http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/regions_info_northern.cfm?regional=3