False economies of outsourcing care workers

The US government should “drop one less bomb overseas and pay these guys’ salaries” says Walter Spallone, a 64-year-old war veteran who is leading a legal challenge to prevent outsourcing of care workers at his Michigan nursing home.

Raabid Tories call for more shackles on unions

UNISON's overwhelming mandate for public sector wide strike action in defence of pensions has prompted Tory calls for more anti union laws. Not enough that we're forced to use postal ballots using home addresses designed to suppress turnout, they now want to place unreachable (in national ballots) thresholds of support for action before a strike is lawful: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2011/11/raab-law-should-apply-to-all-public-services.html

Water, electricity and the political context in Arab countries 2011

A new report from the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) examines the electricity and water sectors in North African and Middle Eastern countries, including the record of privatisations, and the potential implications of the democracy movements, and the response of international institutions, as of September 2011: http://www.psiru.org/reports/water-electricity-and-political-context-arab-countries-2011

Alexander’s Gambit – bypass unions to undermine pensions strike

The announcement by Danny Alexander MP on today’s BBC1 Marr Show that he would be bypassing unions and writing direct to all public sector employees outlining the Government’s position on pensions should surprise nobody: http://www.independent.
co.uk/news/uk/politics/
union-chiefs-hell-bent-on-strikes-6258043.html

Today it is management consultants by Danielle Hope

Thursday afternoon. You sit
in a blue anorak among
twenty-five scarecrow allotments
puddled by weeds. Dogs and blackbirds
shower soil on winter paths.
Six mallards string across the sky
the colour of slugs.

Ballot: What’s good for the Lib Dem goose…

Danny Alexander has hailed a Lib Dem councillor’s election in Inverness on a 26.8% turnout, a 0.3% majority and less than a third of the electorate’s first preference. Will he now hail a UNISON pensions ballot majority of 73% in Scottish local government on a 32% turnout? Or indeed a 33% turnout in NHS Scotland with an 88% yes vote?

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine - live on-line today

Today the South Africa session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine can be watched live on line from 10am. If you want to view contributions from Desmond Tutu, Alice Walker, Stephane Hessel, John Dugard, Michael Mansfield, Vavi, Mairead Maguire, Jeff Halper, Jamal Juma'a, Haneen Zoabi and many others go to: http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/

Qantas shows there's nothing fair about Australia's Fair Work Act

The TUC reports on the response of Australian unions to last week's Qantas lock out through the ACTU trade union centre:
http://strongerunions.org/
2011/11/01/qantas-a-lesson-in-how-unions-should-hit-back/ Whilst it's necessary to expose the corporation's machinations it isn't the whole story. As in the UK, Australian trade unions operate under restrictive labour laws and what this case highlights is the legislated right of employers to lock out workers!

Honda's Right Hand Works Hard by Jennifer Cooke

sibilance for mascu-doric
shoulder blades dehiscing
over Threadneedle Street
the machines that make
dancing are stilled red
one journo in / one out
tick tick thrice-crossed by
anti-trade union ligature
tearing enough cerumen
from the kitchen DAB
greasing his column inch
remote in one-way windows
diamonds snagging skin
fall downstream this May
while pea soup is eternal
smeared sideways to seal
flies to the cheap metal pan

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ea/staff/Academic%20Staff/Jennifer%20Cooke.html

Pensions - the real story behind tabloid tosh

The hawks will now start to circle, regurgitating the bile to undermine the democratic right of all workers to withdraw their labour.