SSP Trade Unionists

"WHOSE SIDE are you on? That’s the point blank question posed to all political parties every time workers are forced to strike, picket or demonstrate in defence of their pay, jobs, pensions and workplace rights.
Whilst others squirm in opportunist twists and turns, the Scottish Socialist Party is unreservedly on the side of working people against exploitation by their employers.
For the SSP, solidarity is not reserved for eloquent speeches on May Day.We have a track record of physical, financial, moral and political solidarity - on the picket lines, in our workplaces, on the streets, in the media, in the parliament."

SSP trade union organiser Richie Venton

Read 'Supporting workers in struggle' by Peter Murray, Vice President, National Union of Journalists (personal capacity) here>>

Glasgow CSG workers resisting cuts

The SSP offers 100% support to the Glasgow CSG workers forced to strike against horrendous attacks on holiday entitlements, wages and services.
Why should workers lose up to £2,000 in wages and 6 days’ public holidays to pay for a crisis not of their making?

Read CSG workers voice 27th May 2010 (PDF)...

Read CSG workers voice 29th April 2010 (PDF)...

Civil Service strikes against last budget of the Labour government, April 2010

SSP backs budget day strikes, Richie Venton, 22nd March 2010>>

Read PCS Voice bulletins distributed to striking Civil Servants.

PCS Voice, 23rd March (PDF file)...

PCS Voice, 8th March 2010 (PDF file)...

PCS Voice, 8th February 2010 (PDF file)...

British Airways strikes, March 2010

Noble Lord wields knife paid for by victim...

Court ban on BA strike action is outrageous...

Read Andy Bowden on the SSY blog here...

Striking for safety on the railways, 2010

Video by TrishMaryHill

Tartan profiteers caught red-handed !

Read SSP national workplace organiser Richie Venton on the RMT strike against Scotrail's attempts to impose Driver Only trains.

Postal workers: Industrial strength needed to defend jobs and conditions

The unfinished war over postal service, Richie Venton, 8th November 2009>>

SSP leaflet, 4th November 2009 (PDF file)...

SSP leaflet, 28th October 2009 (PDF file)...

SSP leaflet for strike, 20th October 2009 (PDF file)...

Postal workers fight for survival. Richie Venton, 19th October 2009>>

Fighting for the survival of the postal service>>
Willie Marshall, CWU Scotland no 2 branch secretary

Royal Mail managment have systematically broken their promises>>
by Tam Dewar - CWU Area Delivery Rep, Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway (in a personal capacity)

Landslide for national postal strikes, Richie Venton, 8th October 2009>>

SSP leaflet for strike ballot (PDF file)...

Vote 'Yes' in national strike ballot against Royal Mail bully-boys, Richie Venton 21st September 2009>>

SSP supports postal workers strike, Richie Venton, 15th July 2009>>

Tam Dewar, CWU Area Delivery Rep for Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway (personal capacity)>>

Colin Fox and Willie Marshall, CWU Scotland No2 branch, 20th June 2009>>

Community Service Workers strike, January 2009

Media Workers Voice, December 2008

PDF file here>>

PCS strike for a living wage, November 2008

Read Richie Venton here>>

Signal workers strike, 8th October 2008

Read Richie Venton here>>

United Public Sector Strikes, August / September 2008

Report of 24th September strike>>

Council Workers Voice 23rd September 2008 (PDF file)>>

A bit of working class history was made in Scotland on Wednesday 20th August. For the first time ever, all three trade unions in all 32 Scottish local authorities took united strike action.

Read Richie Venton on the build up to the strike>>

Council Workers Voice 13th August 2008 (PDF file)>>

Post strike assesment by Richie Venton>>

UNISON Members Voice

Distributed at UNISON conference in Bournemouth, 15-16th June 2008, PDF file>

EIS Annual General Meeting 2008

The Scottish Socialist Party extends warmest solidarity to EIS AGM delegates and observers.
We are proud to be Scotland’s trade union party, with members in every sector of education, trade unionists across the public and private sector, and a track record of supporting every group of workers in struggle since our formation 10 years ago.
SSP members in EIS wish to unite with other trade unionists in decisive campaigns – including coordinated industrial action – to defend jobs, pay, educational expenditure, and national action to enforce maximum class sizes of 20 across the board, as a pre-requisite to improved education and better conditions of work.

EIS members Voice here (PDF file)>

Council Workers Voice

Unite Against Pay Cuts

3 unions representing 220,000 Scottish workers have rejected a 3-year pay deal from COSLA and have now agreed a campaign of publicity in the lead up to a strike ballot, to be held in July - with the aim of action in August. SSP members welcome the joint plan of campaign and ballots for strike action being proposed by the unions.
We call for a resounding YES vote in the ballots.
A one-day strike by every single council worker in Scotland would shake the COSLA chiefs. But it should not be just a token one-off. It would need to be followed up by other action, such as a rolling programme of action by selected groups of workers in every council, each week – then followed up with further one-day strikes by everyone together.
Funding of strike action by the national unions will be critical to the success of the action, so that for example it is NOT selective action by one council at a time – but action in EVERY council EACH WEEK by selected groups, as well as the all-embracing days of united strikes by all 220,000 Scottish council workers.

Latest issue of Council Workers Voice (PDF file)>>

Shelter strike

Read Andy Locke on the start of the strike>>

Read Shelter Workers Voice 5th March 2008 (PDF file)>>

Read Andy Locke on the resumption of the industrial action>>

Read Shelter Workers Voice 24th April 2008 (PDF file)>>

Labour's war on public sector workers

New Labour Ministers have declared war on the wages of 5.5 million public sector workers, invoking the spectre of the 1978-9 Winter of Discontent, when millions went on strike against crucifying wage cuts from the Labour government of Jim Callaghan.

Read Richie Venton on opposition to 3 year pay deals>>

Grangemouth dispute

Richie Venton on the Grangemouth dispute>>

Ken Ferguson: Grangemouth workers blow away myth of powerless trade unions>>

STUC 2008

Report by John Miller>>

SSP trade unionists leaflet for STUC 2008 (PDF file)>>

Build a united, democratic shop stewards network

The Scottish Socialist Party welcomes the formation of the National Shop Stewards Network, an initiative from the RMT at UK level in 2006, which could make a very positive contribution to workers' struggles.
As the one party which since our formation in 1998 has consistently taken the side of the working class and their unions against the employers and their savage attacks, the SSP is committed to uniting with fellow-trade unionists in the battles for workplace rights, decent jobs, wages and conditions, and the broader struggle against cuts, privatisation and capitalist exploitation.

Unions such as PCS and RMT, led by fighting socialists, have grown in membership through determined struggle, producing as a result many new stewards/reps, who in turn are being trained by the union.
The simple lesson of these experiences – and others such as the many localised council workers’ strikes - is that militant action in defence of workers' conditions boosts morale and confidence, whereas the 'service union' model of selling cheaper insurance schemes, holidays, credit cards, etc is a recipe for the demobilisation of members, the loss of collective consciousness, and the decline of union strength in the face of belligerent employers and the antiunion New Labour government.

Read the SSP leaflet distributed at the NSSN meeting in Glasgow (PDF file)>>

Read Jimmy Scott on the second NSSN meeting in Glasgow>>

Civil Service Workers

PCS Voice 31st July 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 24th April 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 13th March 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 28th February 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 27th January 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 7th January 2008 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 5th December 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 26th October 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 1st May 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 13th April 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 3oth March 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 31st January 2007 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 21st November 2006 (PDF file)>>

PCS Voice 16th October 2006 (PDF file)>>

Glasgow Day Service Workers Strike

The Scottish Socialist Party applauds the magnificent unity in action of 260 Day Service strikers, plus the many carers, parents and service users who demonstrated their solidarity on the picket lines, at meetings, on the streets.

Read our full report on the Day Care workers settlement>>

Throughout the strike the SSP published Council Workers Voice

Council Workers Voice 15th November 2007 (PDF file)>>

Council Workers Voice 8th November 2007 (PDF file)>>

Council Workers Voice 31st October 2007 (PDF file)>>

Council Workers Voice 26th October 2007 (PDF file)>>

Council Workers Voice 20th October 2007 (PDF file)>>

Council Workers Voice 16th October 2007 (PDF file)>>

Royal Mail vote for settlement

Royal Mail workers have voted to accept the deal negotiated by their national leadership.
In a turnout of 64 per cent, a majority of 64 per cent voted to accept. But this is no ringing endorsement of the settlement reached, which falls miles short of the demands of the 130,000 strikers who braved management intimidation and carried out eight powerful days of strike action over the past six months.

SSP workplace organiser Richie Venton on the Postal Workers settlement>>

Leaflet for campaigning work in support of the posties (PDF file)>>

Postal Workers Voice 30th October 2007 (PDF file)>>

Postal Workers Voice June 2007 (PDF file)>>

Postal Workers Voice 12th July 2007 (PDF file)>>

Postal Workers Voice 27th July 2007 (PDF file)>>

Glasgow Care Workers Victory

"On Friday 10 August, Glasgow City Council caved in and acceded to the demands of Glasgow’s Social Care Workers, following three weeks of solid and determined strike action."

Read John Lawson on a famous victory>>

Council Workers Voice 27th July 2007>>

Council Workers Voice 10th July 2007>>