#Industrial action

[kropotkindersurprise]

July 8, 2024 - Thousands of Samsung workers have declared an indefinite strike in South Korea, demanding better pay and benefits. [video]

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

BuT tHe PuBlIc DoNt SuPpOrT tHe StRiKeS

[generalelectionmusings]

[damnesdelamer]

On the picket line the other day, I saw a former lecturer of mine, and we got talking. Part of the whole dispute we in UCU are involved in is around the fact that Higher Education as a sector has over £40 billion in reserves nationwide, and many universities have chosen to dump that into vanity projects like shiny new buildings (many of which are both exorbitantly expensive and also not fit-for-purpose), rather than invest in staff during the biggest cost of living crisis in living memory.

My former lecturer, a staunch liberal, intimated that £40 billion seems like a lot, so who knows if that money even exists. So I told him, here’s what I do know: three years ago, my managers, who were responsible for allocating a £5 million bid of government funding, ignored the advice of me and another expert on practical teaching equipment, and chose instead to spend more on products from existing contracts. This could be seen as corruption, but technically I think it’s just laziness. But it also amounts to a mutual agreement among university management and external contractors and suppliers to continue to profit off government funds, rather than invest in staff.

Over the last ten years, workers across Higher Education are being paid 25% less in real terms, due to stagnating wages, due to inflation, due to increased cost of living. This is to say nothing of the fallout from covid, or the arguably substantial decline in education standards new students receive (in spite of all the money dumped into new buildings and equipment).

Meanwhile, my institution’s student intake has nearly doubled in the past five years, which both means greater workload and, in theory, greater revenue. But who sees that money? Not me, nor even the lecturers who make twice as much as me, but you can bet that money is going somewhere.

Initially we had no offer of increased pay, then we went on strike and got an offer of 3% (again, in the face of a loss of 25% over the last decade in real terms), and then 5%. These ‘offers’ have been overwhelmingly rejected by UCU members, in part because they prove that that money does exist, and is available for our employers to give us our due. But more importantly, this is not just about pay, and the problems of workloads, pensions, mismanagement, and discrimination, which sparked the current strikes, won’t be solved by throwing money at them.

Nevertheless, slowly but surely, we are making advances. Industrial action works. Support the Unions and support the strikes!

Solidarity forever.

[leomonae]

I think strikes should be something they do in every job, for a short period and on a regular basis. Just to stop employers from getting too complacent.

"We will be striking for one week every year. You find out which week at 8 am on the Monday"

[bleistiftung]

[toakley]

I’d rather be at work, but here we are instead.

[georgefairbrother]

On February 18th, 1981, a BBC headline announced something that would be unthinkable three years later, 'Thatcher Gives in to Miners'.

"…Mrs Thatcher's Conservative Government has withdrawn plans to close 23 pits in its first major u-turn since coming to power two years ago. President of the National Union of Mineworkers Joe Gormley is confident the government's intervention will avert the threatened national miners' strikes…"

After crisis talks in Whitehall between union leaders and Energy Secretary, David Howell, the government agreed to reduce coal imports from eight million to 5.5 million tons and to reinstate higher operating subsidies.

NUM President Joe Gormley stated that as a result of commitments given, he would not be recommending a strike despite overwhelming support for industrial action from within the union membership.

Not everyone was happy;

"…The next day the NUM told all miners to return to work after the executive voted to accept the concessions made by the government and coal board by 15 to 8, with one abstention. Some left-wing pits maintained unofficial stoppages and there were pickets outside the NUM headquarters in London…"

When the government confirmed an injection of 300 million pounds in industry support, the unofficial action was called off and rebel pits were operating again by 20th February. Just over a year later, Joe Gormley secured a 9.3 % pay rise for miners, and was replaced by Arthur Scargill as NUM President.

In a 2002 BBC documentary, a former Special Branch officer claimed that Joe Gormley was a security services informant during the 1970s, having become concerned over the increasing influence within the NUM of left-wing militants.

Arthur Scargill opined,

"…The history of our movement is littered with people in leadership positions who were either connected with Special Branch or connected with the State..."

Joe Gormley was awarded a Life Peerage in 1982, and passed away in 1993.

[thecrownnet]

Equity Updates Strike Advice Due To “Panic & Confusion” Among UK Publicists Over Actors’ Press Duties

Jake Kanter, July 25, 2023

DEADLINE

[Photo: Actors Andy Serkis, David Oyelowo, Hayley Atwell, Rob Delaney, Brian Cox, Simon Pegg, Jim Carter, and Imelda Staunton, attend a rally by UK performers' group Equity, in solidarity with striking US actor collective SAG-AFTRA, in London, UK, on Friday, July 21, 2023. They hold a large purple banner that says "Equity stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA."]

EXCLUSIVE: British actors union Equity will today update strike guidance for publicity agents amid confusion over how stars should manage their promotional duties during the SAG-AFTRA walkout.

The union, which has said it will enthusiastically support industrial action within UK laws, is expected to update its strike FAQs after getting calls from publicists requesting clarity.

Multiple publicists have told Deadline that there is uncertainty over how they should be preparing for press campaigns over the coming months.

“Everybody’s in a state of panic and downing tools because they don’t want to put their clients in a difficult position,” said one publicist. Another added: “It’s difficult to see where actors stand and there is a lot of confusion.”

Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming encouraged publicists to check the contracts of their clients and plan campaigns accordingly.

He said actors on a SAG-AFTRA deal are likely to be told by the U.S. union that they are forbidden from doing promotional work. Those on an Equity agreement are not on strike and should fulfill their contractual duties.

“The contract is in dispute, not the union itself,” Fleming said. “American actors are still recording TV commercials. Americans are still recording audiobooks, including for struck companies … because the agreements that they’re recording on are not subject to the dispute.”

Deadline hears that British actors have voiced reservations about doing interviews and other publicity work during the strike, even when they are on Equity deals. 

One publicist said contracts often include a vague provision for “reasonable publicity,” which could be open to interpretation in terms of the volume of promotional work an actor undertakes.

Fleming said members are welcome to contact Equity for specific advice if they are concerned that they are undermining a strike by going “above and beyond” their contractual duties.

“Do you have to carry on doing press and publicity as specified in your contract if you’re on an Equity agreement? Yes. If you’re contractually bound to do ‘reasonable press and publicity,’ what does that now mean? Well, that will depend on the circumstances,” Fleming said.

“What are you objecting to, in particular? Going on a chat show in these circumstances, for instance, maybe a more reasonable thing to object to, as opposed to having a photograph taken.”

The union would never actively advise members to renege on press duties to support the strikes because it could be seen as an inducement to take illegal industrial action.

[kropotkindersurprise]

July 25, 2023 - Striking stuntman Mike Massa walks in the SAG-AFTRA picket line while on fire. [video]

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

Up the workers.

[ukprotestnetwork]

Laws: Industrial Action

Uh, so the laws on Industrial Action in the UK are kind of complicated. We do not actually have the right to go on strike in this country. If we do, we have to jump through a million hoops to show that we have reason to.

Essentially, the law makes it as hard as possible to strike and heavily favours the employers over the workers.

Basic important things to remember if you are in a union/ want to take industrial action:

You are not protected if you participate in a 'wildcat strike'

If you do not vote when your union sends out a ballot, it counts as a vote against the strike

You must only participate in a dispute related to your own employer, therefore you are NOT allowed to strike in solidarity with other trades. You will not be protected from dismissal if you do so.

Non-union members who take part in legal industrial action have the same rights are union members not to be dismissed (A/N: I didn't know this!)

Other things to remember:

Unions in the UK essentially have to be approved by the gov, so they have to follow these rules or they are not allowed to operate. Hence why the International Workers of the World is not a recognised union here

Relevant Laws:

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992

Employment Rights Act 1996

Links to useful pages:

Government Website on Industrial Action

The Trade Union Congress' Guide to Industrial Action

[damnesdelamer]

My boss: [the manager of our client/partner] emailed me to tell you they don't want you mentioning unions to their employees.

Me: I'm pretty sure it's illegal to explicitly forbid union members organising, but the national industrial action has been announced publicly anyway.

Boss: Well they just don't want you to mention it.

Me: Remember on my first day, when I had to walk in due to rail strikes, and you said I could work from home for as long as those strikes continued? This is just like that. All I did was ask [our client/partner] if they were aware of the ongoing industrial action in order to address possible delays.

Boss: But if you were a member of the rail union --

Me: Which I am.

Boss: 😐

[cassolotl]

UK petition against creation of anti-strike laws

I've started a UK petition against anti-strike laws. Click here to sign it. People in the UK and British citizens anywhere are eligible to sign.

Refrain from making laws that restrict strike action.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is working on "new tough laws" to protect people from strike disruption. [1]

We the undersigned fully support industrial action by NHS staff, public transport staff, teachers, etc. We oppose the creation of laws restricting industrial action in any way.

More details: [1] "PMQs: Rishi Sunak working on 'tough' new anti-strike laws", 2022-12-07: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63885549

[ Sign ]

Also you can track the signature graph here.

[fayrobertsuk]

It’s Striking

Here’s the thing: the mail strikes are going to inconvenience me this year (have already done so - I get my meds via post), but I can mitigate against that. The nursing strikes, thank goodness, did not affect me directly, but I can see how they might if the future ones are necessary. Rail strikes are less of a thing for me currently as I’m not risking exposing my knackered immune system to public transport. That’s not the point.

All these events are inconveniencing people, making some parts of their lives harder, but if you’re not thinking about how workers choosing to protest in the only way left available to them - by withdrawing their labour, and crucially, not getting paid - and how vital these services are just by how they impact you, I don’t know what to tell you.

Everyone. EVERYONE needs to have the means at their disposal to live well, cover their basic needs of food and water, shelter, warmth, stability, security, family. EVERYONE. I’m not talking about deserving, I’m talking about needing. Every person on this planet needs the access to sustainable, secure living. And yes, I include in that criminals and drug users and people who don’t want to work. Everyone has the right to survival. The people on strike don’t have that. Their pay and conditions are so bad that people are leaving their organisations in droves, and those left are not being supported (not least because it’s proving difficult to replace the colleagues they’ve lost). They’re struggling to feed and safely house themselves and their families. This CANNOT be happening in the 21st Century, where we have more obscenely wealthy people than ever.

Union members think long and very hard before striking; it’s a huge matter for debate and negotiation, and is voted on by everyone in the union before the action is taken. Striking is a last resort, which should tell you a LOT.

So if you’re feeling angry or inconvenienced about it, do not blame the strikers - they are making an incredibly courageous move, and it’s the fault of the people failing to give them the means for survival (crucially - people who are incredibly wealthy and secure) that your post and your non-urgent medical appointments are being delayed, and you’re having to find other ways to get to work and school, etc. It’s on those failing to negotiate meaningfully, the greedy people putting profit above the safety and security of people like you. Don’t be fooled by media manipulation - those on strike have far more in common with you than you have with those telling you that the strikers are wrong. Never forget that. And never forget the importance of collective bargaining and the fact that rich people need you, and that you have more power than you realise.

[t-jfh]

Anchuli Felicia King is a Thai-Australian playwright and multidisciplinary artist. (ABC Arts: Teresa Tan)

Playwright Anchuli Felicia King had to leave Australian theatre in order to conquer it.

By Dee Jefferson

ABC Arts - 31 October 2019

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David Koutsouridis is an award-winning Australian comedy writer based in Los Angeles. (Supplied)

Aussie writer on Hollywood picket lines says strike is pivotal for global entertainment industry.

By Mawunyo Gbogbo

ABC News - 7 June 2023

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Our local industry is being shaped and shaken up by the international streamers, including Netflix who produced the reboot of Heartbreak High. (Netflix)

As the US actors' and writers' strike continues, how does the Australian screen industry measure up?

By Hannah Reich for Stop Everything!

ABC Arts - 19 September 2023