by Richie Venton When is a radical new package of workers’ rights nothing of the kind? When it’s announced by a besieged Tory government, increasingly bombarded by public anger at the horrendous insecurity of jobs and workplace rights in Britain. Theresa May is today trumpeting a package of measures that her spin doctors describe as […]
by Ken Ferguson The news that tyre company Michelin are to close their Dundee plant with the loss of 850 jobs is a tremendous blow offsetting much of the optimistic economic talk around the recent opening of the V and A in the city Commenting on the announcement STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith said: ‘This […]
SSP National spokesperson Colin Fox today backed criticism of Scottish Transport Minister Michael Matheson for remarks in which he said a publicly owned ScotRail cannot happen until 2025 – at least. Mr Matheson’s predecessor – Humza Yousaf – stated that Scottish Ministers have already set up a company to step in and take over the […]
by Richie Venton, SSP national trade union organiser Main photo: Max McKay – Richie Venton, USDAW NEC member addresses 200-strong trade union solidarity rally at Strathclyde University. “No capitulation!” “Reject the deal and sustain the strike!” That was the angry message from the ranks of striking university staff to their own UCU union leadership after […]
By Ken Ferguson Union activist, shop steward and workplace convenor Richie Venton has won a resounding victory in a hard fought contest for two Scottish seats on the UK executive of the retail and distribution union USDAW. Richie fought the contest on a platform of progressive left demands including an immediate wage of £10 an […]
by Richie Venton In an important victory for all workers fighting austerity, the High Court has ruled (on 20 September) in favour of Unite the union and ordered Birmingham Labour city council to withdraw the compulsory redundancy notices they’d issued to 113 safety critical refuse collection workers. As part of the legal ruling, the union […]
Our workplace organiser, Richie Venton wrote a letter appealing for a united approach from trade unions – the published letter, printed in the Morning Star – is reproduced below. Unison’s John Stevenson is spot-on: union activists have a critical role to play, provided we reach out to the broader membership, connecting workers real life experiences […]
by Richie Venton, SSP national workplace organiser Victories for workers, their unions and their rights at work are all too rare in recent years. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court (the top legal institution in the UK) that the government’s Employment Tribunal fees are illegal, is a precious rarity. It ends the criminal policy […]