On the very same day (19 May) a new report on Scotland’s care homes described the crisis in care for older people as “the greatest failure of devolved government since the creation of the Scottish parliament”, SNP and Tory MSPs combined forces to defeat calls for collective bargaining rights for workers in the private care home sector. […]
by Richie Venton, SSP trade union organiser In an outrageous act of repression, the bosses of the University of Stirling have suspended 13 students who staged an entirely peaceful occupation of C-block in solidarity with striking UCU members last November/December. The young students (including several SSP members) have been suspended from the campus for 8 […]
Richie Venton, SSP Workplace Organiser Well done UNISON! At the Scottish Council of branch delegates in Scotland’s biggest trade union, an overwhelming majority voted in support of a second independence referendum at the time of the Scottish parliament’s choosing. This is a momentous breakthrough for democracy, from the biggest component member of the biggest civic […]
Richie Venton, SSP National Workplace Organiser Nobody likes to strike, nobody likes to lose 8 days’ salary, nobody likes to cancel classes. But honestly, I’m exhausted. That one comment from a striking UCU member encapsulates the conditions that have driven over 40,000 staff in 61 universities—twelve of them in Scotland—to take eight days’ strike action […]
SSP National Workplace Organiser Richie Venton comments on the recent ballot for strike action from Royal Mail workers, sending solidarity from the Scottish Socialist Party: Royal Mail Group workers have delivered a record breaking majority for strike action in defence of jobs, working conditions and the public service they proudly deliver. In the Communication Workers […]
Colleges Scotland’s national pay bargaining dispute has reached a new head. Yesterday, thousands of Further Education lecturers across Scotland were on the fourth week of strikes and these continue today. This is due to Colleges Scotland’s refusal to honour the equal pay and national bargaining deal that was agreed, balloted and signed off one year […]
Today’s meeting of the Scottish Socialist Party national executive committee unanimously agreed the following statement on the issue of CalMac ferries. “This meeting of the SSP national executive committee – on behalf of the entire SSP membership – demands that the new Scottish Government reject Serco’s bid to take over CalMac ferries, and instead keep […]
by Richie Venton Caledonian Macbrayne (CalMac) ferry workers – members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) – are taking industrial action in defence of their pensions, jobs, conditions of work – and against privatisation by the Scottish government, who seem set to hand the publicly-owned CalMac ferries over to the private, profiteering […]