STOP
THE WAR - PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY
CENTRAL HALL - LONDON
TUESDAY MARCH 20TH 2007
Hear the speakers
from the above raby clicking on the below links
Sami
Ramadani - People's Assembly 20th March 2007
Tony
Benn - People's Assembly 20th March 2007
Rose
Gentle - People's Assembly 20th March 2007
John
McDonnell MP - People's Assembly 20th March 2007
Lynn
Featherstone MP- People's Assembly 20th March 2007
NHS TOGETHER UNIONS'
DAY OF ACTION,
EASTERN
REGION
CAMBRIDGE SATURDAY 3RD MARCH 2007
Petition Opposing
Current Cuts & Privatisation In The NHS
Over one thousand local people signed up to a petition
opposing current cuts and privatisation in the NHS. The petition,
organised by local NHS staff, was presented to Bob
Russell MP.The petition was collected in just few hour on Saturday
afternoon, and represents the first step in a local campaign opposed
to the current cuts.
It was presented to Bob Russell MP at a lobby of Parliament on Wednesday
1st November 2006, which was organised by NHS Together, a new alliance
of all the unions and organisations representing NHS staff. The
petition is the first step in a campaign, which aims to draw together
a broad alliance of people in defence of the NHS. Activists from
UNISON, AMICUS and TGWU trade unions and Colchester TUC, whose members
include thousands of local health service workers, took part.
Campaigners are concerned that key vacancies in Essex Rivers NHS
Healthcare Trust are being left unfilled - hitting patient care
for local people. This is part of a cash crisis, which has seen
20,000 jobs lost nationwide so far this year, and which has had
a devastating effect on patient care. Although the NHS has been
improving, large sums of money are being siphoned off by private
contractors and this has created a national funding crisis.
Mary Russell, secretary of health service trade union UNISON, said:"NHS
staff are proud of the real improvements in the health service in
recent years, but we are increasingly worried that progress is now
under threat. That is why all NHS staff - doctors, nurses, clinical,
technical, administrative and support staff - are joining together
to ring the alarm when we meet local MPs."Staff morale is at
an all time low. We support changes that improve patient care, but
there is too much top down change that has not won the support or
involvement of the staff who have to implement it. The slow down
in spending is being handled badly, with real cuts oground. And
we are very worried that the NHS is being fragmented with a rapid
dash to the private sector and the introduction of competition.
The government should do more to recognise the progress made by
their extra money and our hard work, and should make sure that change
and reform involves the staff who will have to deliver it."
PCS
CIVIL SERVICE STRIKE COLCHESTER - 31st JANUARY 2007
MEMBERS
OF COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT TRADES UNION COUNIL Supporting
the PCS Civil Service
Strike at Colchester Job Centre
Sign petition to stop job cuts in
civil and public services
REPORT
FROM
MAY DAY RALLY
1st
MAY 2006
.
Bro. Bob
Lambert , reported back to Trades Council on national demonstration
held in London, This year's May Day march was of real importance
as it is being used to promote the Trade
Union Freedom Bill. The bill is proposed to give effect to the
unanimous resolution of the TUC and the resolution passed by a substantial
majority by the Labour Party in September 2005. Up to 4000 people
marched peacefully from Clerkenwell Green to Trafalgar Square in
this year's traditional TUC march. The march had a real international
flavour with marchers coming from all over the world, despite the
early threat of rain, march set off from Green in glorious sunshine.
This year's march included an impressive array of trade union banners
and flags including those from the TGWU,
RMT, AMICUS,
GMB, CWU,
NASUWT, BECTU,
MU,
ASLEF, NAPO,
UNISON,
NUT, PROSPECT,
USDAW,
FBU, UCATT.
The march was so large that by the time our banner arrived in Trafalgar
square most of the speakers had finished. The speakers included
Derek Simpson, AMICUS General Secretary; TUC General Secretary Brendan
Barber and Tony Woodley, General Secretary of the TGWU; S Singh
Dillon, a Gate
Gourmet dispute activist; and
Tony Benn and many more.
Local Government
Pensions Strike Colchester 28th March 2006
The picket line at the Waste Depot
in Shrub End, with the workers from refuse lorries and the site,
The Lady in blue is the local Unison branch secretary. before going
to the meeting organised by Colchester TUC at the Friends Meeting
House.
The picket line at Colchester town Hall, to protest at unfair and
unjust cuts to local government pensions,
PEACE
VIGIL
HELD AT
COLCHESTER WAR MEMORIAL
1st FEBRUARY 2006
Together with peace campaigners Colchester
Trades Council marked the death of the 100th British soldier to
die in Iraq, gathered at the war memorial and read out the names
of all the British soldiers who have been Killed and also the names
of 100 Iraqi
civilians who have been killed as a result of this conflict.
Together with Colchester Peace Campaign we are calling for an end
to the occupation of Iraq.
STEPHEN
TIMMS MP DWP
Pensions
Minister
Bro. Steve Adshead,
Trades Council delegate from Colchester TULO
and UNISON Steward gave a report on meeting with Stephen
Timms MP, DWP Minister for Pensions Reforms, spoke at Essex
University on the 3rd November 2005, The event was attended by trades
unionists and students from all over the region with notable demonstrations
from 'Defend Public Pensions' and 'Respect' protestors who were
all well behaved. Prior to the event an email had been circulated
saying Stephen would not attend. Although this was attributed to
Labour 'spin' by the protestors, the real reason was the cancellation
of an earlier meeting planned by Stephen's civil servants with the
University. The government had held its majority by only one vote
the previous day and so Stephen was needed at Westminster until
7.00 pm. Stephen spoke on the advances that had been made through
pensions credits and winter fuel payments lifting pensioners out
of poverty since 1997. He promised a better deal for workers who
were not necessarily permanent members of the workforce, such as
mothers and those suffering from mental illness through various
means. He also advocated the option of working after the 60/65-age
limit. He pointed out the advantages that had been secured through
stakeholder pensions for all sorts of workers. But he had little
comfort for those who had lost out through the failure of some private
sector pensions and missed out on the government's current rescue
packages. Other technical questions were asked by trade unionists
and messages of support were recorded for David Blunkett MP who
had resigned from the DWP that day. The event was sponsored by Amicus
(Colchester Central Branch) and Unison (North Essex Mental Health)
in response to Colchester Trades Council's initiatives on public
sector negotiations in fraternal co-operation with Colchester
CLP and University of Essex Labour Students.
PENSION
JUSTICE MARCH LONDON
7th
May 2005
Writer and broadcaster Melvin Bragg,
marches in front of our Colchester Amicus banner. Demonstrating
with hundreds of workers in London for pensions justice. Representatives
of Amicus and TGWU met with David Blunkett, newly appointed Secretary
of State for Work and Pensions after the march. Urging him to make
it compulsory for employers and employees to contribute to workers'
pensions called for more money to help those who had already lost
out from the collapse of company schemes. Also called for the government
to Implement in full the Warwick
Agreement, which sets out in detail the way forward for a third
term of Labour.
INTERNATIONAL
WORKER'S MEMORIAL DAY 28th April 2005
Info
On Next Workers' Memorial Day ( 28th April 2007)
Members of Trades Council met by
the memorial tree, to commemorate the annual International
Worker's Memorial Day at the bottom of Colchester Park, in King's
Meadow.
To commemorate the two million workers who are killed by there jobs
every year.
PCS
Members On Strike
Outside Colchester High Street Jobcentre,
Over Cuts In Public Services
Friday November
5th 2004
First
East Anglia Social Forum on Saturday 8th
May 2004
CPSA
Members Leafleting
in Colchester Town Centre,
Over Public Service
Saturday 12th
February 1994
In
September 2002 a meeting
was hosted by Colchester Trades Council. to mobilise for the ESF
Click
here for information from Colchester CW
