Wales

Wales: Paramedics in unofficial overtime ban

Ambulance crews covering south east Wales are refusing to work any overtime for four weeks to highlight staff shortages in the service.

The BBC reported that paramedics say they are worried that patient safety is being compromised because the service is dependant on their willingness to work extra hours.

It is understood hundreds of staff in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan will take part in the unofficial action.

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said it was trying to address concerns.

300-strong wildcat in Milford Haven ends

300 workers walked out in support of Omar Mohamed (pictured)

Workers at South Hook LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) have gone back to work following a 26-hour stoppage in support of a colleague who claims to have suffered from racial abuse on site.

The Western Telegraph reports:

Three hundred men working for Shaw stopped working at 10 am on Thursday, and marched on the offices of main contractors Chicago Bridge and Iron. The men came out in support of fellow worker, Omar Mohamed, who alleges that he has suffered racial harassment from workers from another company sub contracting to CB&I.

1831: Merthyr Tydfil uprising

Merthyr Tydfil riots

In 1831, Merthyr Tydfil, iron workers struck against redundancies, rising prices and bailiffs, leading to several thousand workers involved in riots that led to bloody suppression by troops and mass arrests.

Two articles on the riots are included, by local historian Bob Saunders, and an excerpt from the Newgate Calendar:

THE MERTHYR RISING 1831
Bob Saunders
BACKGROUND

John, Augustus, 1878-1961

Augustus John on the cover of Time magazine, 1928 - from time.com

A biography of British artist and Bohemian Augustus John, with particular focus on his connection with the anarchist movement.

Augustus John and the Anarchists
Augustus John has often been cited as one of a few from the British artistic and intellectual milieu to have identified themselves with the anarchist movement. But Augustus John’s relationship with that movement was as ambivalent as his own life.

Selectron workers sit-in

Workers at the Selectron Cwmcarn factory in South Wales staged a sit-in yesterday upon the arrival of the company's European Vice President.

The company announced at the end of March that it would close the factory in South Wales, making 150 people redundant, many having worked there for more than 25 years.Selectron has already reduced the workforce from 700 in the past five years, and sent many contracts overseas including one last year to Singapore.

Hospital cleaners stage walk out

Cleaners and catering staff at a hospital in Neath, Wales, staged a 24-hour strike in protest yesterday at what they say is a decrease in working hours.

Staff at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, contracted by OCS Ltd, say they have been told their hours are to be cut. Officials from trade union Unison said the 140 staff affected are angry and added an independent report recommended hours should in fact be increased. But a spokesperson for OCS denied there had been a cut in working hours.

Airbus wildcat strike wave reaches UK

Broughton Airbus plant

The unofficial walkouts at Airbus which swept Europe following the announcement of job cuts hit Wales on Friday.

Hundreds of staff at the Airbus UK factory in north Wales (pictured) downed tools on Friday 23 March, while their union Amicus attempted to get strikers back to work.

The BBC reported:
It is thought many of the 7,000 workers in Broughton, Flintshire, which makes wings for Airbus' flagship A380 passenger jet, are involved.

Colton, James, 1860-1936

james-colton.jpg

Short history of South Wales anarchist mine worker James Colton, who, as well as being a key figure in Welsh anarchist history, also married Emma Goldman.

James Colton
Born Scotland 1860. Died, Aman Valleys, Wales 1936.

[i]

Mainwaring, Sam, 1841-1907

Sam Mainwaring, centre, with the white beard, Ted Leggatt to his right

A biography of Welsh engineer and anarchist orator Sam Mainwaring, who was among the first active anarchists in the UK.

Sam Mainwaring 1841-1907
Born 14 December 1841 – Wales, UK, died 29 September 1907 - UK

1910: Cambrian Combine miners strike and Tonypandy Riot

The view down De Winton street in Tonypandy after the two days unrest. Damage to shop windows is clearly visible.

A short history of a strike by miners in South Wales in 1910 which led to a series of confrontations between workers and police, culminating in what became popularly known as the Tonypandy Riot.

The strike marked one of the few occasions in British history that troops have been deployed against striking workers.

Welsh factory workers on strike for better pay

The workers have threatened further strike action

Two north Wales food plants launched a 24 hour strike on Monday, following a company "pay freeze".

The workers at the Grampian Country Food Group are demanding a pay increase in line with other Grampian employees across the country. The strikes have been held in Sandycroft, Flintshire and Llangefni, Anglesey.

Unions call off school strike

NASUWT called off the strike after negotiations

NASUWT have called off strike threats in Pontllanfraith Comprehensive, Caerphilly.

Teachers at Pontllanfraith Comprehensive in Caerphilly county were unhappy about a new system for extra responsibility payments. In a statement, governors, the NASUWT union and council said they had reached "a joint resolution to the problems".

The dispute centred on new payments which are worth up to £11,000 a year.

Where Next for the fight Against the G8? Meeting, 16 Aug 2006, Cardiff

Eyewitness reports and images from St. Petersburg 2006:
This July, activists from Cardiff and Newport took part in protests against the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. They will be talking about their experiences whilst there, giving eyewitness report and showing images from the protests. see: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2006/g8/

BPP organiser arrested

The South Wales Organiser for fascist group the British People's Party has been arrested and charged with 'incitement to racial hatred'.

The charge relates to a BPP leaflet.

According to the BPP website, their organiser was arrested "for nothing." This isn't the first time the fledgling Nazi organisation have been in hot-water over their leaflets. Police in Manchester are still investigating an anti-semitic BPP leaflet attacking a local Jewish school.

1912: The Miners' Next Step

Miners in 1912

A document produced in 1912 by the South Wales Miners Federation, which was one of the high points of syndicalist organising in the UK.

Being a suggested scheme for the Reorganisation of the Federation.
Issued by the Unofficial Reform Committee, Tonypandy, 1912

Biography of Sam Mainwaring, 1841-1907

A brief biography of Welsh engineer and anarchist orator Sam Mainwaring.

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