'Fairness At Work' White Paper, the TUC held up the workers of Noon Products as the prime example of the need to change the law on union recognition.
Noon Products is a very profitable company, the biggest supplier of curry products to supermarkets Sainsbury and Waitrose ard also supplies France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Conflict has been building up for 10 years at its Southall base which employs 350 workers. Management is abusive and intimidatory.
In September 1997 the whole workforce joined the GMB. Management refused union recognition and told them they should make their own union' and forget the GMB.
They even offered 50p increments on pay if they left the union, which was rejected. Management created new posts of floor manager which they persuaded some shop stewards to Take on.
Despite a big demonstration of support through Southall, a lot of publicity, the support of several local MPs, and a petition with 15,000 signatures delivered to 10 Downing St, management refused to budge.
Management declared one of the stewards, Rana, medically unfit for work despite his doctor saying he was fit. He was taken back after a big demonstration. but was sacked in May of this year. His case is going to an Industrial Tribunal.
Noon's are adamant they will not recognise a union until the law forces them to, and that could be another 18 months.
Noon workers have been told by drivers at Waitrose, that they would have their support if they struck. Why has the GMB passively waited for a change in law rather than organise strike action to win recognition?
RMT staff ballot on Elkie Dee AS WE GO to press, Islington Unison awaits the results of a branch ballot for strike action in support of the 12 Housing Needs Officers sacked for going on strike in protest at job losses.
While there is sympathy for the strikers in the branch, confidence has been lowered by a period of restructuring and job dosses.
Many other workers are being moved to new offices and subjected to a reselection process in New Labour or which some will Liberal Democrat, lose their jobs, and be told they seek to break the are "unap- will of the pointable" to their unions own jobs. Islington plans £60 million cuts over the next 4 years as the council, now Labour-led by a tiny margin, falls into line with government spending controls. The council has stated that a "much smaller staff group" will run it and that pay Increases will be limited to 2 per cent, unless funded by "additional savings". Many more services face privatisation in the guise of Best Value and joint venture PFI partnerships with the private sector.
For the councillors, New Labour or Liberal Democrat, breaking the will of the unions in the borough to resist is essential to drive through these plans. DealWing with those who Councillors, fight back with unprecedented severity is an intentional part of this process for management and for elected councillors. Council trade unionists in the borough will need courage and determination, and a clear strategy of resistance, in response. This will involve * linking the struggles of different sections of workers against cuts and privatisation together * putting pressure on local politicians and Labour Party activists Glenn Voris, UCATT member (Secretary of St Helen's TUC, personal capacity) A CAMPAIGN has started to resist attempts by St Helen's Council to privatise 800 council houses this September.
Next year they plan to extend this to over 4,000 Council houses.
Socialist Outlook took the lead in fighting back, by getting motion passed within the joiners' UCATT branch calling for a joint campaign between unions, tenants, and community groups.
The first mceung was to be held on 22 July. Already at time of writing, it looks likely to be well attended. However, the Communist Party led branch has evaded the campaign so far.
A vigorous involving flyposting, leafletting and public meetings on council estates is required.
It is vital that this round of council house sell-offs is defeated to give confidence to the camInfrastructure workers on the rail network have now taken 11 days of industrial action. The maintenance companies have lost millions of pounds in delayed contracts and lost work.
A successful conference of infrastructure workers with over 250 delegates has now decided to continue the action with a mixture of weekday overtime bans and weekend strikes.
Despite attacks on key activists morale remains high. Support committees should be set up to organise pickets and assist the strikers financially. or service that can be sold, if not defeated by campaigns involving tenants, workers and other service users.
This move of privatising the DLOs has stepped up a gear with Labour's plans to orivalse all DLOs in Scotland, which has already begun in North Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire, which hasbeen met with mass DLO trade union meetings.
The response of tenants and trade unionists to fight council house privatisation is now gaining ground. UCATT has said in its national journal that "members and tenants can unite to resist transfer (privatisation) of council houses". Tenants are also getting organised. A national conference was held on 18 July with representatives from all the 70 local tenant campaigns attending - this is a big step forward. However, UCATT and the other DLO trade unions need to unite with this organisation to resist wholesale privatisation and
tenants unite to defeat Council house sell-offs
Rail: vote to fight on