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
