public and third sector
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.
Glasgow: Demolition plans for former council housing
Two-thirds of Maryhill’s former council houses are to be torn down.
Glasgow Housing Association is set to demolish most of its flats in Maryhill over the next nine years.
The demolition decision was rubber stamped at an 11th February meeting of the GHA’s Local Housing Organisation committee in Maryhill – a group of selected local tenants.
Most of the cleared land will be sold to developers to build private houses for sale.
To be demolished:
Glasgow: Botany betrayed
The new Maryhill plan – new back and front door houses for half of the current tenants – is exactly what Botany tenants were told in 2001.
Fears are that the same story will be repeated again.
Six years on, after being moved out of their homes to temporary decants, there is still no sign of any social rented housing in the Botany. And the Botany tenants have now been told that even if they ever are let back in, it will only be to 4 storey closes, rather than the back and front doors they were promised.
Gaza: public sector strike spreads
Since last week, 15,000 public sector workers across the Gaza Strip's five biggest towns have walked out in protest at unpaid wages.
The strike began on Saturday, when workers in Gaza City walked out over 6 months of unpaid wages, and since then this has grown to include 15,000 people.
The International Herald Tribune reported:
1995: The French pensions strikes
A short history of the massive strike movement against welfare reform in France in 1995.
During November and December of 1995 France was gripped by the largest strike movement the country had seen in recent years. After three weeks of strikes workers forced a government climbdown over the issue of changes to pensions of public sector workers.
1973: The Skylab 4 mutiny
A brief account of the 24-hour mutiny during the Skylab 4 mission in 1973/4 triggered by the astronauts' complaints of excessive workloads.
Class war in space - The Skylab 4 mutiny
Civil servants strike over pay
Over 20,000 civil servants are on strike or taking action short of strike today in a row over pay.
Thousands of workers at Ministry of Defence and Identity and Passports service are on strike due to a proposed wage increase of 2% below inflation.
Fiji: Military regime facing growing revolt from workers
Fiji's military regime is facing a growing revolt by the country's unions, with thousands more workers voting to support a strike in defiance of warnings they will be sacked.
The Public Employees Union (PEU), representing almost 5,000 blue collar public servants, has voted to back a strike planned by the country's largest union, the Public Service Association (PSA). The PSA voted overwhelmingly on Friday to strike after the military government slashed civil servants' wages under a plan to save the nation's economy from collapse.
Nurses & teachers ballot
Strikes across Israel
There have been strikes across Israel this week, including at Ashdod Port, the Bank of Israel and numerous schools and universities.
Workers at the Bank of Israel began an indefinite strike on Tuesday, however the strike ended at 3am this morning after a deal was struck between the Bank of Israel Governer and the Ministry of Finance Director of Wages Eli Cohen.
The Destruction of Toy Town UK - BM Blob
A collection of accounts and analysis of the Poll Tax riot, 1990, published by BM Blob.
This articles is available in PDF format, if you have a text version, please contact us
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.
