local government
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in the public and charity sectors. It includes housing, but does not include most nationalised industries like health, transport or security forces.
Edinburgh council workers to strike
Council services across Edinburgh are set to grind to a halt after workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a one-day strike.
The industrial action is set to take place next Thursday, and union leaders said today it will affect services "right across the board". About 8000 Unison members have voted by more than two-to-one in favour of the walk-out in protest at cuts and possible redundancies.
UK: Local government workers reject pay cut
The threat of strikes across England, Northern Ireland and Wales has moved closer with Unison's local government workers voting overwhelmingly to reject a below-inflation pay offer of 2%.
In a branch consultation covering all relevant regions, 81% voted to reject the offer, giving a major thumbs-down to the suggested 'pay cut' that a below-inflation 2% pay "increase" would represent.
Social care workers in Glasgow on indefinite strike
600 social care workers at Glasgow Council are about to enter their second week of strike action.
A pay review by Glasgow City Council could lead to workers losing up to £1,000 per year. The workers were originally balloted for work to rule, but following threats of legal challenges by GCC they began all out indefinite strike action last week (23 July).
Argentina: Rubber bullets and tear gas against municipal workers
Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina, May 9th
Municipal workers in Río Gallegos, capital city of Santa Cruz province and home of Argentine president Néstor Kirchner, were attacked by state police while marching to demand payment of a promised wage increase
The march on May 9th was entirely non-violent and was attempting to go to the provincal center of government to register their demands when they were attacked with tear gas, rubber bullets and according to some reports lead shot.
Town hall 'riot' over cuts in Camden
Workers and residents angry at service and job cuts last night stormed a council meeting in the London Borough of Camden.
Following a demonstration of approximately 200 people against the cutbacks, 100 attempted to enter the "open" council meeting. They were refused entry, being told there was insufficient room in the chamber.
Israeli bosses demand legal action against general strike
An almost total shutdown of Israeli industry following a general strike has been threatened with legal action after The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce have asked the National Labour Court to end the strike.
The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) appealed to the National Labor Court Wednesday morning to order an end to the general strike in the public sector called by the Histadrut and to invite all relevant parties to an urgent discussion on the matter. The Association estimated that the strike would cost the economy NIS 500m.
Pensions agreement torn up - unions slammed
Predictions that a compromise agreement used by union chiefs to stand down strike actions over government pensions would fuel futher attacks are to be dramatically fulfilled.
Leaked documents from Downing Street have proposed that Whitehall officials pay for at least half the cost of increases to pensions in the future. State contributions would be capped at 20%.
UK: 1 million workers strike to defend pensions
Tuesday 28th March 2006 saw over a million workers take part in the largest one day strike in Britain since the general strike of 1926.
Every town, borough and city in the country saw workers set up multiple picket lines to defend their pension rights.
1.5million set to strike today over pensions
Workers across more than nine different unions are set to strike today over an attack on the local government pension scheme, with the Labour government planning to increase the age workers can retire at.
You can read the background to the strike here on libcom.org news:
http://libcom.org/news/article.php/uk-pensions-strike-170306
You can also check out our new in-depth feature on the pensions crisis, currently under construction here:
http://libcom.org/pensions
libcom.org news
UK workers vote for mass strike over pensions crisis
Tuesday 28th March could see strike action by one and a half million workers across more than nine different unions. The strike has been provoked by an attack on the local government pension scheme, with the labour government planning to increase the age workers can retire at.
With this attack workers will lose the right to retire at 60 – a right that had been established for those with more than 25 years service. Many of these are low paid workers who statistically die earlier.
