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
Tag: strike
Construction rank and file to protest at Atomic Weapons Establishment in de-skilling dispute
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
All seven London Ratp bus depots now backing strikes
With drivers at Stamford Brook and Hounslow Heath voting to join industrial action against a real-terms pay cut, the company is facing serious trouble in South and West London. The row has been rumbling on since 2019, when London United, a subsidiary of transport giant Ratp which is contracted to TfL for routes across large parts of
Construction rank and file blockades Hinkley Point against de-skilling
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
Deliveroo workers to strike over exploitative practices and low pay
Hundreds of Deliveroo riders from across the UK are expected to strike in an action to coincide with the company’s IPO valuation, taking place on the 7th of April. An investor briefing produced by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), Share Action and The Private Equity Stakeholder Project has highlighted some of the
Rank-and-file electricians preparing for major showdown in construction
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
Spain: striking field workers call for solidarity
On 14th January, the workers of the British company Fresh Tom Export in Almería (South Spain), a vegetable grower and trading company specialising in tomato crops, decided by almost unanimous vote to go on indefinite strike. On Tuesday 19th January, the workers started the strike officially and it has been massively followed since then. The
Outsourced University of Greenwich workers vote to strike for equality
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Universities of London Branch voted for industrial action at the University of Greenwich today. Outsourced cleaners, porters and security officers are demanding trade union recognition for the IWGB, a commitment to end outsourcing and equal terms and conditions. 69 percent of workers voted in favour of strike
Deliveroo and Uber riders in Sheffield strike for a living wage and due process
Members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Couriers & Logistics Branch in Sheffield are going on strike today against app-based ‘gig economy’ corporations including Deliveroo, Uber and Stuart. These key workers face unfair, automated terminations, precarious conditions and declining pay. They are demanding a living wage, a freeze on recruitments which drive
Germany: Seasonal workers force farm bosses to pay up
Creditors who had taken over the Spargel Ritter asparagus farm in Bornheim, Bonn, thought they could get away without paying what they owed to low-waged workers, but a solid campaign organised with the FAU syndicalist union soon disabused them of that notion. The trouble with Spargel Ritter started two months before picking season was due