Lambeth council workers prepare for strikes

Council workers are ramping up the action to stop cuts to jobs and services. Jeremy Drinkall, a Lambeth Unison shop steward reports

• Unison branch meeting largest for a decade
• Indicative ballot for strikes called
• Branch unanimously calls for general strike

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Lambeth fights cuts

The Con-Dem cuts coalition was quick off the mark to announce big reductions in council services: £537 million from grants to local authorities, £311 million from funding for schools, £309 million from transport budgets. If you want to see how this billion pound bomb could impact on your town, take a look at Lambeth in south London.

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Cameron and Brown clash over National Insurance

Predictably David Cameron focused on Labour’s proposed rise in National Insurance in the last parliamentary question time. But despite the rise of indignation from businessmen (yes, check it out, all of the Telegraph business leaders who called for the NI rise to be reversed are men, except Anya Hindmarch), this measure would hit workers, not bosses.

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BA cabin crew strike to defend jobs and wages

The BA cabin crew strike has become a key political issue in the forthcoming general election. The Tories are clamouring against workers’ right to strike over terms and conditions, while Gordon Brown has disgracefully denounced Unite for striking.

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Stockwell Job Centre walks out to defend jobs

The Public and Commercial Services union took two days of strike action last week. I attended the picket line at Stockwell Job Centre, where the strike seemed fairly strong: only 14 scabs crossed the picket line out of a workforce of 70, i.e. 80% solid.

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Lambeth College plans £3.5 million cuts

I’ve learnt that up to 100 workers, many of them support staff, low-paid women and men, could lose their jobs. The University and Colleges Union (UCU) wants to ballot for strike action.

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