Proud Of Our Past & Fighting For A Better Future

 

Reinstate Karen Reissman

In November Manchester psychiatric nurse of 25 years and UNISON activist Karen Reissman was sacked for 'gross misconduct' after criticising cuts to her NHS services Trust in the media. This was described by the NHS service when suspending her as "engaging in activities which have seriously affected the reputation of the Trust" and "...no longer having confidence in her as an employee". Unison, have acted in protest with strikes at what they see as an unjustified dismissal and a point of principle about the gagging of a hard working and respected public servant.

 

Click here for more information

 

 

Colchester and District Trades Union Council believes that every one should have the right to free speech without fear of persecution. To this end we ask you to support this campaign to reinstate Karen Reissman by signing the below petition.

click on Hand to Sign Petition

 


 
Demand equal rights for agency workers



British employment law fails to protect the country's 1.4 million agency workers. The Temporary and Agency Workers bill would outlaw discrimination against agency workers and is backed by Unite, other unions and the TUC. On 22nd February, 157 MPs backed the bill, a momentous vote to end undercutting and abuse. But with government yet to back the bill, the fight for workplace justice has not yet been won. Keep pledging your support. Find out more on how you can get involved in the campaign

Click for information

 

 

 


 

Campaign for trains to be

built in the UK

Campaign is seeking to save the one remaining train builder left in the UK, Bombardier's - "Litchurch Lane" facility Derby by securing a change in government's rolling stock procurement policy, without such changes train building in the UK faces an uncertain future.

Unite has already secured a commitment from government to conduct a review of public procurement policy and specifically rolling stock procurement. with your added support we can together win the changes required, If we don't fight for our jobs no one else will.

Click here for more information

 

 

Ckick on the hands below to register your support for "Trains to be built in the UK" campaign and in so doing call on government to support UK train building to the same level as do French, German, Japanese and other governments.

click on Hand to Sign Petition

 


Sign up to protest against huntingWhales

Japan are out hunting whales again (apparently for research, however they do not deny the whales end up on dinner plates after the so called research) and this year have gone even further stating they will be hunting humpbacks and the beloved Migaloo (the only pure white whale in the world). Enough is enough please go to the link and sign the petition it takes 2 seconds.

Also please forward to everyone you know!!

click on Hand to Sign Petition

 

We are trying to get a million people to sign a petition to stop whaling.

 


Sign up to protest against Cadbury’s

factory closure

Keep Keynsham Cadbury’s


Cadbury’s recently announced its intention to close it’s factory at Keynsham, which is between Bristol and Bath, with the loss of 500 jobs. It intends to move some production to Bournville in Birmingham with the further loss of 200 jobs. That’s 700 jobs – British manufacturing jobs – at risk of being lost as this iconic British company also switches some production to Poland.

A campaign has been launched to “Keep Keynsham Cadbury’s” attracting immediate support from the local community, solidarity support from all the other Cadbury plants in the UK as well as the key local papers in Bristol. Now you can add your support by signing the online petition

click on Hand to Sign Petition

 

against this outrageous and wholly unjustified decision by Cadbury.

But you can do more and pass the link on as far and wide as you can to encourage others to sign up.


Call for urgent protests
AUSTRALIA: COCHLEAR DISPUTE
HEATS UP


Cochlear, the manufacturer of bionic ear implants that help hearing-impaired people around the world, is simply not listening. Twice its workers have voted to reject management offers -- and now management is saying it will impose individual contracts in a bid to smash the union.
A strike now looms and your support is needed more than ever. Thousands of you from all over the world have been flooding Cochlear with messages urging the company to negotiate with the union. We need thousands more messages to be sent.


ACT NOW- Send a Message of support

 

The campaign has led to almost 4000 emails being sent the Cochlear CEO Dr Chris Roberts. This campaign has been a massive inspiration to Cochlear workers. Unfortunately Cochlear management are still refusing to negotiate with the AMWU (the Union for Cochlear workers).Last month Cochlear used Australia ’s unfair workplace laws to force their employees onto individual contracts. Under these new contracts Cochlear workers will have their pay tied to monthly production targets. Some workers stand to lose up to $80 each week. These new contacts come into effect on the 6th of November 2007.
Cochlear workers are fighting not only for a fair deal at work but to change Australia ’s workplace laws. They have made a video message to the Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Mr Howard is currently spending millions of Australian tax payer dollars to promote his unfair workplace laws.


Please support the Cochlear workers by taking two actions


Watch the Youtube video
Please forward this video to all of your contacts

 


Push to watch the Youtube video

 


Please take the time to sign this road safety petition


We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to improve road Safety by introducing strict liability for motorists in collisions Youngsters are being asked to walk or cycle to school to be green and reduce jams. Walking and cycling are generally safe but parents will worry - if they are brave enough to let youngsters be independent. The perception of safety has to be improved. Lower speeds and extra road education will play a part but this petition is calling for a change to strict liability laws on drivers' insurance policies. At present, in a car - bike/pedestrian collision, the cyclist or pedestrian (probably the worst injured) has to prove the motorist was reckless. We want that burden of proof switched so the motorist -choosing to use a ton of metal at speed - has to prove the cyclist or pedestrian was at fault. This only applies to insurance claims. In criminal law, drivers in collisions remain innocent until proven guilty. This rule exists in many EU countries with more walking and cycling, and a better child road safety record, Let's raise driving standards and create better road user attitudes.

If cares about road safety click on Hand to Sign Petition


Thousands of disabled workers redundant as Remploy close factories

Colchester & District Trade Union Council, is disgusted by Remploy's announcement on Tuesday, 22nd May 2007 that it is planning to close 43 of its factories nationwide, over half the total sites, with the loss of over 3000 jobs. We support the call for national official strike ballot in all 83 Remploy sites.

The following Remploy factories will close under the plans:

Aberdare, Aberdeen, Abertillery, Aintree, Ashington, Bradford, Bridgend, Brixton (London), Halifax, Hartlepool, Hillington (Glasgow), Hull, Leatherhead, Leicester, Lydney (Forest of Dean), Manchester, Mansfield, Medway, Pinxton (Derbyshire), Plymouth, Poole, St Helens, Southend, Spennymoor, Stockton, Treforest, Wigan, Wisbech, Wishaw (Lanarkshire), Worksop, Wrexham and York.

The following factories will merge with another site

Barnsley, Birkenhead, Brynamman, Jarrow, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Pontefract, Redruth, Southampton, Stockport, Woolwich (London) and Ystradgynlais.

 


Click for GMB WORKERS WEBSITE

 

 


ClickFor UNITE the Union

 


Petition to Save Seahorses in Malaysia

The seahorses and the Pulai River Estuary need your help. We would be Grateful if you could take a couple of minutes of your busy schedule to Log on

 


Click for more information.

 


Sign the petition

 

 


Against Child Labour

Over 132 million children aged 5 to 14 work in agriculture - up to 70 per cent of all working children. In recognition of the fact that little or no progress has been made in eliminating child labour in agriculture.

The IUF has established a special website with news, editorials and updates on union activities. There you can also download the publication Bitter Harvest in English, French and Spanish:

The website is being updated daily. Articles can be translated into many languages by clicking on the "FreeTranslation" icon on the right hand side of the home page.


Click for more information.

 


UCU - University and College Union
(facing derecognition)

Management at London Metropolitan University are attempting to de-recognise UCU and make them seek inferior statutory recognition. This is an attack on the fundamentals of the trade union movement and if they are successful does not bode well for any trade union going through a merger who wish to
inherit the recognition arrangements of the predecessor unions. Over the past few months lecturers at London Metropolitan University have been fighting university management over union recognition-in May they voted unanimously to enter into a formal dispute over the issue. Since the creation of the UCU union from the merger of the AUT and Natfhe, management have said that the pre-merger recognition agreement with Natfhe no longer stands.Management has also set up a staff association in an attempt to bypass the union. This follows the 18-month dispute over new contracts that management attempted to impose on lecturers at the university. Now they are planning to cut 60 posts at the university, including compulsory redundancies. It is clear that they have been planning these redundancies for months. The timing is planned to make it difficult for the union to fight back.Saturday they advertised lecturing posts in the business school-posts that members who will be facing redundancy could fill. With the closing dates for these posts being the10 July how can they say that they have consulted lecturers.

Sign the petition

 

 


We support the ETUC campaign for high-quality public services, accessible to all

European Trade Unions set for coordinated push for a framework law (30 November) The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has launched a Europe-wide petition calling on the European Commission to take action to protect and strengthen public services that are vital to the wellbeing of all European citizens.

 


Sign the petition

 

 



Battersea crane campaigners launch petition

Local residents and trades unionists in Battersea, where two men were killed when a tower crane collapsed, have launched a petition demanding properinspection and regulation of cranes working in construction.
The Battersea Crane Disaster Action Group have launched a petition to the Prime Minister to Stop Crane Deaths. The group's aim is to get 2000 online signatures, hopefully well before the 31 May 2008 deadline. You can sign up at the link below

In detail the petition is asking that all cranes:


1) be independently inspected and certified fit for use
2) stop being used beyond a certain age
3) be registered on a central register
4) have safety records readily available for all to seeand that
5) all construction companies have a duty to consult with residents in
the local area on crane usage

Please sign up now and pass to all your contacts.

 


Sign the petition

 

 


Click for more information.






Sign Fourth Option e-petition - and encourage others to sign too to: "provide the 'Fourth Option' of direct investment in council housing… bring all homes up to at least the government's Decent Homes Standard by 2010 and also build a new generation of decent, affordable and secure council homes for rent".

Gordon Brown told the UNITE (Amicus) conference "I cannot promise to implement the fourth option on council housing today [a demand from the Defend Council Housing group for the last six years] but what I will tell you is that councils will be allowed to build homes again" (Guardian Unlimited, 18 June).
800 delegates welcomed Brown waving the new DCH "Hands Up for the Fourth Option". DCH supporters are saying 'If not today then when Gordon?' - and in the meantime there must be a moratorium on all transfers and ALMOs. Councils cannot be allowed to continue to bully tenants on the basis that government policy won't change when it clearly is! Help turn sound bites into concrete proposals with a clear timescale for implementing the 'Fourth Option' to:

 


Close the Prison at Guantanamo Bay
A new campaign to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, where President Bush is holding nearly 400 detainees without criminal charges or trials. For the first time, some of his top advisors have called for closing this affront to international law, including his own Secretary of Defense. This split inside the Administration gives us a real chance close Guantanamo forever.

This new group called Avaaz is putting together a global petition to close Guantanamo.thay will run the petition in key US newspapers as soon as thay have signatures from every country.

Sign The Petition

 

 


 

A DVD was shown at the April meeting Colchester Trades Council, on the issue of the campaign to Boycott Coca-Cola for allegedly hiring right-wing death squads to terrorise workers at its Colombian bottling plant. It alleges that Coca-Cola and Pan-American Beverages (its principal bottler in Latin America ) waged what union leaders describe as a campaign of terror, using paramilitaries to kill, torture and kidnap union leaders in Colombia. They also alleges that Coca-Cola bears indirect responsibility for the killing of Isidro Segundo Gil, a union leader shot dead on 5 December 1996. More than 50 union leaders have been killed in Colombia this year, 128 last year and more than 1,500 in the past 10 years."Coca-Cola denies any connection to any human-rights violation of this type," company spokesman Rafael Fernandez Quiros said from the company's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. "We do not own or operate the plants," added Mr Quiros. Colombia has been locked in a bloody, 37-year civil war between leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries and the armed forces in which hundreds of unionists have died.












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Disclaimer
: The opinions expressed on this website are not neccesarily those of The Colchester & District T. U. C.