Organising to speak up for public services

UNISON Scotland: Organising to speak up for public services: Over 100 activists, paid officials and community activists from across Scotland are taking part in UNISON Scotland’s ‘Mobilise’ campaigning festival this weekend at the STUC in Glasgow. http://unison-scotland.blogspot.com/

Ultra left out of touch with central dynamics of unions‏

An insightful Morning Star article by Gregor Gall looks at industrial action strategies in response to job cuts and austerity measures in Britain: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/97779

One Day in the Headlines, One Ongoing Tale of Misery

(From Nov 18th 2010)
-Page 3 No Busty Blondes, but “ Extreme Violence when Troops leave Afghanistan”
Even the strongest supporter of the British presence in Afghanistan must wonder what is really going on when they see headlines like this. The justification is security, but security for whom? Not for the Afghans

Forget the services so long as profits are ok

The Guardian reports that Capita, Britain's largest public sector outsourcing group, has insisted that its recent talks with Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude will lead to ‘dilution in the quality of public services rather than denting the company's profit margins’. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/18/capita-francis-maude-public-sector-cuts

Apocalypse by Alfred de Zayas‏

Nocturnal darkness overcomes receding Earth,
enveloping the silent hemisphere in black.
The velvet air of night a perfumed mist brings back,
while starry skies glow softly on renewing birth.

Political rights of union members under attack‏

Back in May the Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement included a reference to pursuing ‘a detailed agreement on limiting donations and reforming party funding in order to remove big money from politics’. This was widely seen as a veiled reference to curtailing union funding for the Labour Party. Subsequently the Committee on Standards in Public Life has commenced a new inquiry into political party finance http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2010/11/political-party-funding-under.html

Huge swing to Labour in by elections

Labour won a stunning by-election victory last night in Wednesbury North, in Sandwell, polling 1320 to the Tories' 643 votes, with the Tories losing a seat they held for 36 years. A whopping 45.2% swing to Labour since 2008. Labour also won both seats at the Croxteth by-election in Liverpool with the Tories coming last out of eight candidates. Turnouts remain low however, showing there is much work to be done to engage people in the democratic process.

Russell Tribunal on Palestine - watch it live this weekend‏

This weekend the London session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine is taking place 20 – 22 November and can be watched live on line at the following link:  http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/live The Tribunal will examine International corporate complicity in Israel’s Violations of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, and War Crimes. For more on the programme go to:
http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/
Frank Barat

The downward spiral of council redundancy costs‏

Kenny Bell, UNISON Northern deputy regional convenor, is quoted in the FT on the impact of redundancy costs on Councils struggling to cope with unprecedented spending cuts: ‘it means that there will be further cuts to meet the cost of the redundancies; it’s going to be very much cut and burn” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4b38b444-f0e8-11df-bf4b-00144feab49a.html#axzz15excvNip

UNISON responds to Scotland budget

"John Swinney spoke about choices today - and he made the wrong ones", says UNISON Scotland convener Mike Kirby. "His pay freeze amounts to a real terms wage cut for many modestly paid people in Scotland. Public Service workers in Scotland face a double whammy, as workers many will see a pay cut. And as service users they will find they are paying more for services that will become ever more threadbare". See the full initial response at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2010/novdec/1711.htm