Hundreds of workers protest against Italians/Foreigners 'taking jobs'...

[Nigel]

People aren't allowed to move to other countries because of some bizzare mythological concept of localisation.

Do you not think that other cultures and people do not enrich, not only as far as selling their skills and labour but also culturally and intellectually. This should be held back by people who are afraid of change and have romantic and reactionary idealised concept of how things were in the past?

 

[dennisr]

Hypothetically,
If all these workers did follow a Chauvanistic Line, and say all joined P+t H@rrigt *ns' S O L I D A R iTY how would we/you deal with it!

I would suggest that we don't deal with the hypothetical at the moment but with the reality.

If we don't interviene NOW to cut across the BJ4BW arguments and put across a clear class position then the 'hypothetical' problem could become a real one longer term. And one does not interviene by condemning workers moving to defend tu rights and conditions as racist.

 

[dennisr]

Following on from Milford Haven... (See post 1989 / 1790)

Strike success at Lindsey Oil Refinery and Conoco

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/latest/7317

"A bit of France came to North Lincolnshire last week when around 1,000 construction workers walked off the job at Conoco and Lindsey Oil Refinery near Immingham.

At LOR, the shop stewards were all in a PJC (Project Joint Council) meeting with the management when news came through about South Hook. Hundreds immediately walked off site and then management walked out of the meeting!

The next day, a mass meeting voted to stay out until South Hook was sorted. Then a spontaneous march down the industrial site road took place picking up pickets at the adjacent Conoco gates leading to around 800 workers blocking the road and intersection with the main arterial road into Immingham.

The police were caught completely unawares with traffic blockaded back to the Docks one way and backing up to the M180 the other. When a police van eventually arrived, two nervous coppers got out and asked "Who's in charge?" which drew the response "We are!"

One spark commented "Great result today on the two Humber refineries getting to the main crossroads and disrupting the traffic for an hour and half, felt a little French for a time especially when plod turned up and did nothing!!" Even the sun came out!

Mobiles kept going off bringing news from other plants joining the sympathy strike. Plans were made to send pickets the next morning to those sites that still needed a push. No need, by evening the bosses had caved in at South Hook. That's two rounds to the workers, now for the knock-out!"

 

[dennisr]

Is it me or has no one else here noticed these rolling disputes going on?

 

[nightbreed]

Is it me or has no one else here noticed these rolling disputes going on?

Not exactly being pushed in the press. I saw it mentioned on the BBC site but other than that............

 

[tbaldwin]

People aren't allowed to move to other countries because of some bizzare mythological concept of localisation.

Do you not think that other cultures and people do not enrich, not only as far as selling their skills and labour but also culturally and intellectually. This should be held back by people who are afraid of change and have romantic and reactionary idealised concept of how things were in the past?

So should we all be pleased when migrants leave families and friends behind cos there enriching our culture?
Should we all be pleased when poorer nations lose skilled workers they need, cos there enriching our culture?

 

[durruti02]

Is it me or has no one else here noticed these rolling disputes going on?

yep and no one is being sacked for walking off the job nor arrested for picketing nor sequesrated (?? spelling??) for secondary action ..

the power of closed shop ( and labour shortage) and mass action .. a simple message we need to heed

 

[JHE]

Is it me or has no one else here noticed these rolling disputes going on?

yep and no one is being sacked for walking off the job nor arrested for picketing nor sequesrated (?? spelling??) for secondary action ..

Sometimes, I think, the major media under-report disputes lest they 'give people ideas'.

In this case, though, I think it's more that for a while the disputes had a novelty value and were of interest to the commentariat, but now the news agenda has moved on and the interest of the commentators is elsewhere, mainly with the MPs' snouts-in-trough stuff.

 

[dennisr]

An action plan for all sites
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/latest/7337

Some snips:
Despite the recession, there is predicted to be significant growth in the engineering construction industry over the next decade due to the decommissioning of power stations and the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations.

Union leaders are currently in negotiations with the employers' organisation about reviewing the NAECI for 2010. A fourth meeting takes place on 3 June which will be followed by a long awaited NAECI stewards' national meeting in Manchester on 5 June. This will hear a report back on negotiations and decide what action to take.

So far the trade union officials have dragged their feet but after the latest unofficial strikes they fear losing control. "It shocked me," Alun Rappell, GMB Wales regional organiser told the Financial Times (22 May) "I asked them to hold fire until Friday to allow this company [time], but overnight word of mouth got from site to site to site."

 

[Nigel]

So should we all be pleased when migrants leave families and friends behind cos there enriching our culture?
Should we all be pleased when poorer nations lose skilled workers they need, cos there enriching our culture?

I don't think life, the world, people; are as simplistic as that

 

[glenquagmire]

According to the Guardian website they've walked out again at Lindsey. Any more news?

 

[danny la rouge]

According to the Guardian website they've walked out again at Lindsey. Any more news?

Just "hundreds out. More soon". Nothing on BBC yet.

 

[danny la rouge]

Ah, BBC now has a ticker, but no content.

 

[dennisr]

According to the Guardian website they've walked out again at Lindsey. Any more news?

To do with the results of the recent ballot, or even members not waiting for union action?
Engineering construction workers ballot: End 'race to the bottom'

"AROUND 25,000 engineering construction workers, who build and maintain Britain's power stations and petrochemical sites, members of Unite and GMB trade unions, are to be balloted for official strike action. This is in pursuit of union demands to improve job security, health and safety, and pay and conditions.

This was the unanimous decision of the national stewards meeting held in Manchester on 5 June after hearing reports from national officers that the employers' organisation has 'offered' a pay freeze and refused most other demands including a union-monitored register of unemployed workers, in the review of the national agreement (NAECI) for 2010.

The employers' real intent is to undermine the NAECI and turn it into little more than a 'voluntary' code of practice so that pay and conditions can be eroded to boost their profits."

continues...
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/7432

Edit - the SP view (and that means the leadership in a few areas):
"The unions will make every effort to make the ballot legally watertight but given the nature of the industry, it is almost inevitable that the employers will challenge it. In that case, armed with a big Yes vote, the unions should defy the anti-union laws and go ahead with strike action."

 

[butchersapron]

50 sacked apparently being the specific catalyst, on top of the stuff above

 

[dennisr]

50 sacked apparently being the specific catalyst, on top of the stuff above

- so the employers are trying to preempt then - lets see how they now try and deal with the results

 

[butchersapron]

Risky strategy for the bosses considering the national implications of an official all 20 000 workers out strike rather than only 3 or 4 out unoffically. It's going almost exactly as predicted after last time - they'd be straight back to undermining conditions asap - i wonder what plans they've been secretly putting place the last few months. But this time it looks like they're prepared to do it on a national basis - or at least risk it extending to the national level. Madness. They might well have ensured that the ballot gets a strike return.

 

[dennisr]

Risky strategy for the bosses considering the national implications of an official all 20 000 workers out strike rather than only 3 or 4 out unoffically. It's going almost exactly as predicted after last time - they'd be straight back to undermining conditions asap - i wonder what plans they've been secretly putting place the last few months. But this time it looks like they're prepared to do it on a national basis - or at least risk it extending to the national level. Madness. They might well have ensured that the ballot gets a strike return.

Absolutely - and add to that the additional kudos for the strike wave unwittingly initiated by the newspapers when they thought they had the construction workers on the same 'national' side - Here's hoping it bites all of them in the arse.

 

[butchersapron]

Reports of 900 sacked tonight - wildcats still spreading.

 

[butchersapron]

Confirmed - fucking hell, here we go.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

i wonder what plans they've been secretly putting place the last few months

They must think they've got something pretty bloody good; either that or they've entirely lost it.

 

[ExtraRefined]

Excellent, shouldn't be difficult to find some people who are actually prepared to work given the current unemployment levels.

 

[shagnasty]

It will be frustrating waiting for news about dispute but i wonder were these sackings will lead.

 

[tangentlama]

They must think they've got something pretty bloody good; either that or they've entirely lost it.

If you read the ACAS website, there's section on their training provision for employers which makes for very interesting reading.

 

[treelover]

Excellent, shouldn't be difficult to find some people who are actually prepared to work given the current unemployment levels.

Piss off knobhead,. those people have families, dependents, go to the Daily Mail and make your snide ignorant comments there

 

[danny la rouge]

Excellent, shouldn't be difficult to find some people who are actually prepared to work given the current unemployment levels.

Scum.

 

[ExtraRefined]

Scum.

Lol someone call the whaaaaaaambulance, capitalism has won yet again

 

[Fedayn]

Lol someone call the whaaaaaaambulance, capitalism has won yet again

Has it?

 

[dennisr]

Reports of 900 sacked tonight - wildcats still spreading.

Yep.

Yesterday the solidarity action spread in support of the over Shaw workers (sub-contractor at Lindsey) that had been laid off. Now Total, who run Lindsey, have gone on the offensive sacking 900 workers. It has now escalated dramatically!

We urgently need trade union branch etc solidarity messages of support sent to geminis@geminis.karoo.co.uk or texts sent to *********.

[edit - sorry tel number should read: 07706 710041]

Below are a list of those that came out yesterday, there will be more today:
Fiddlers Ferry, Drax, Eggborough, BP Saltend, South Hook, Aberthaw, Ratcliffe, Scunthorpe BOC, West Burton, Didcott, Staythorpe

Pickets going back to most in am - news of mass sackings and realisation of whats at stake is likely to lead to more widespread support.

 

[butchersapron]

Time to dig those lists of Total forecourts out.