job losses
Archive of articles on job losses and working class struggles against them.
French auto workers threaten to blow up factory
Workers at collapsed French car parts maker New Fabris threatened on Sunday to blow up their factory if they did not receive payouts by July 31 from auto groups Renault and Peugeot to compensate for their lost jobs.
New Fabris was declared to be in liquidation in April, so the 366 workers stand to get no redundancy money, although they are entitled to draw state unemployment benefit.
Total and unions reach deal on oil refinery wildcats
Early reports indicate a deal to end the bitter jobs dispute at the Total-run Lindsey oil refinery, which has led to unofficial walkouts by thousands of workers across the country.
The agreement follows talks between union leaders and employers of contract staff at the North Lincolnshire site. Unions said the deal involved the reinstatement of 647 workers sacked for taking unofficial strike action and would be put to the workers on Monday.
Striking oil workers burn dismissal letters
In a show of defiance, fired workers burn dismissal letters and continue their wildcat stoppage. Includes a timeline of events.
Oil workers burn their dismissal letters in protest
Thousands of workers across England and Wales have walked out in support of 647 Lindsey oil refinery construction staff sacked for staging unofficial strikes.
It comes as Lindsey workers burned dozens of dismissal letters in protest.
Pyeongtaek strike continues in South Korea
A strike now completing its fourth week at Ssangyong Motors in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, remains a standoff as of this writing. The strike echoes in many ways the dynamic seen in the recent Visteon struggle in the UK and in battles over auto industry restructuring around the world. Involving, on the other hand, an outright factory seizure and occupation, and preparation for violent defense of the plant if necessary, it is the first struggle of its kind in South Korea for years.
Loren Goldner
(June 19)
Energy wildcat strikes spread across UK
The oil refinery wildcat strike over redundancies has escalated as workers from several power stations and oil terminals across the UK took unofficial industrial action.
The dispute flared a week ago at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire when a contractor laid off 51 workers while another employer on the site was hiring staff.
Around 1,200 contract workers at the terminal, which is owned by Total, have been taking unofficial action all week as efforts were made to convene talks.
Oil refinery wildcat enters third day
Strikes at the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolshire entered their third day today as talks between business leaders and employees broke down.
The unofficial strike action began at Lindsey Oil Refinery on Saturday as in protest over the loss of 51 jobs, cut by a sub-contractor while another employer on the site was hiring workers.
Over 1,000 workers in unofficial strike at Lindsey Oil Refinery
French oil company Total said on Friday that 1,200 contractors have walked out on unofficial strike over planned redundancies at its British Lindsey refinery.
Total said in a statement that 600 workers were protesting outside the refinery, but also claimed that production was not affected by walkout of over 1,000 of its workers.
The dispute centres around plans to reduce the number of contractors who have been working on an expansion project at the refinery.
Queens University pushing for 150 redundancies
News emerged today of plans by Queens University in Belfast to make 150 members of academic staff redundant.
Just over a year after Queens University attempted to pursue compulsory redundancies for the first time in its history, plans are afoot to axe 150 academic jobs at the university.
Tube strike goes ahead as lawyers scrap deal
Thousands of London Underground workers have launched a 48 hour strike against pay and job cuts.
Talks took place today, Tuesday 9 June, to avert industrial action but a proposed deal was withdrawn:
Over half of UK workers experience attacks on pay or conditions
According to the Keep Britain Working website, set up to promote the “innovative ways” that “employers keep people working” (and which enjoys the support of the likes of Boris Johnson and BP) more than half of UK workers have experienced a cut in pay, a decrease in hours or an attack on working conditions since the beginning of the recession.
27% of workers in the UK have taken a pay cut, 24% have seen a cut in hours, and 24% have “lost benefits”. 37% of workers have experienced one of these attacks, whereas 27% have experienced two and 5% have experienced all three.
