On Wednesday May 26th, rank and file sparks (electricians) blockaded the Atomic Weapons Establishment site at Burghfield, near Reading. The action, which was advertised in a previous Freedom article, was the latest in a series of protests held by construction workers across the country under the slogan “No to ESO”. The protests started in response
Since early March, rank-and-file sparks (electricians) have been holding regular actions targeting construction companies Balfour Beatty and NG Bailey. The dispute started with those companies attempting to bring in workers without sufficient training to carry out electrical work on the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor, and it now looks set to spread to another part
Along with the ongoing protests against the Policing Bill, the past month has seen another, less high-profile struggle playing out across the UK, as electricians and other construction workers have mounted a campaign against employers trying to de-skill their trade. The dispute started after an attempt to introduce a new grade of ESO, which stands for
Construction is one of the few industries left today where there’s still a living tradition of self-organised rank-and-file militancy, especially among electricians. This spirit was shown in a major dispute at the start of the 2010s, when a huge wildcat by electricians defeated an attempt by construction companies to impose a new national agreement that
Looking back to two events that shaped the last decades’ radical history ~ Scott Harris ~ We can’t let this year pass without tributes for two big anniversaries in radical political history.
The anarchist’s recent arrest continues a long story: ten years ago today, his prison hunger strike brought the country to the edge of insurrection on the anniversary of the 2008 uprising ~ Neil Middleton ~ The recent arrest of Nikos Romanos, following the widely publicised explosion in an Athens apartment, took place in the run-up
Political artists Andrei Molodkin and Santiago Sierra, and Wikileaks ambassador Joseph Farrell, talk to A/POLITICAL about the sham of Western liberty, Julian Assange, and how art can still transform pain into defiance ~ Becky Haghpanah-Shirwan ~ The heightened tensions of international politics are reflected in the work of Andrei Molodkin (Russia, 1966) and Santiago Sierra
Van Gogh soup protest and M25 blockade among cases in January hearing ~ Andy Meinke ~ In July, when five Just Stop Oil activists were jailed for a total of 21 years for a plan to block the M25 motorway in London, it was part of a huge jump in sentencing for peaceful protesters.
Walkout over pay and conditions expected on 19 December as company refuses to engage with union ~ Cristina Sykes ~ Hundreds of workers across Harrods’ retail, restaurant, kitchen and cleaning departments have returned a resounding 95% yes vote to strike action in the Christmas season.
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