Private sector teachers fight back against fire & rehire
Over a thousand NEU members have voted to strike in an indicative ballot over an attack on pensions in 23 private schools.
The Difference is Striking in Higher Education
Thousands of UCU members took three days of strike action last week in a resumption of long-standing disputes with employers. Nick Cimini reports on what the other higher education trade unions are doing.
What is the rank and file strategy?
Transcript of a talk that a Unite rep and rs21 member gave on the rank and file strategy as part of a Notes from Below panel at The World Transformed in Brighton.
Strikes coming in Higher Education?
Grant Buttars discusses the UCU ballot results and prospects for action.
When is it right for a union to support dismissal?
Kathleen Stock has blamed UCU for her decision to resign from her position.
The power to change the system
With COP26 just around the corner, a wave of industrial action in Scotland is demonstrating the huge opportunity of linking workers’ struggle with climate organising.
Unite Policy Conference backs climate action
Unite’s Policy Conference backed the COP26 protests, workplace action and climate strikes, but remains attached to technical fixes.
Brighton bin workers out on strike
Drivers are angry because changing rounds arbitrarily means more stress and a worse service to local residents.
An injury to Paul is an injury to us all
Sam O’Brien reports from a solidarity protest for UNISON President Paul Holmes.
What a way to make a living | Working in care for 16 years
In the latest instalment of our What a Way to Make a Living series, rs21 member discusses their experience of working in care and how wider changes to the care sector have affected the pay, conditions and experience of care workers over time.
How can unions rebuild power?
Ian Allinson reviews Jane Holgate’s new book, Arise! Power, Strategy and Union Resurgence, an exploration of why unions have failed to revitalise themselves.
Sharon Graham wins stunning Unite victory
Graham recognises the need to focus on rebuilding workplace power to reverse union decline.
Outsourced Staff take strike action at the Royal Parks
Picketing Royal Parks staff are part of an industrial struggle backed by two trade unions, Tom Schofield reports.
Stop Cambo
Pete Cannell, an activist in Scottish environmental group Scot.E3, looks at the political significance of the growing campaign to prevent the development of new oil and gas fields in the North Sea
What’s at stake in the Unite election?
We have to develop a strategy that challenges the status quo in Unite, and that means taking a different road to the official left.
Voting opens for Unite’s General Secretary
Ballot papers for the Unite general secretary election are being delivered this week and voting will end on 23rd August. rs21 members in Unite explain why they are urging a vote for Sharon Graham.
The Great British fob off
The recent announcement of a new public sector body called ‘Great British Railways’ to co-ordinate all rail services has been hailed by many as a victory, but these plans in fact set the stage for increases in fares and job cuts for rail workers.
Back the sacked Goodlord strikers
The dispute in the referencing department of East London property services company Goodlord has entered a new phase after the firm sacked strikers in their 13th week of industrial action.
Video | Interviews with Go North West bus strikers
The day after ending their successful 12-week strike against #FireAndRehire, Manchester bus strikers spoke to Ian Allinson about the dispute and what comes next.
Unite elections: An interview with Howard Beckett
There are three candidates competing for the left vote in the Unite elections. rs21 interviewed Howard Beckett about his election platform.
Ongoing Manchester bus strike defeats fire and rehire
The longest bus strike in British history is poised to win after a campaign involving an indefinite strike, community solidarity and a leverage strategy.
Who should be Unite’s next General Secretary?
Campaigning for Unite’s general secretary election is underway. None of the candidates is ideal, but rs21 argues for critical support for Sharon Graham.
Justice over profit – organising in the legal sector
The law is often seen as a privileged arena, but the industry has staggering wage inequality. Two founding members of Legal Sector Workers United explain their strategy.
Indefinite bus strike in Manchester against #FireAndRehire
Around 400 Unite members at a bus garage in north Manchester have been on indefinite strike since 28 February against fire and rehire. Ian Allinson explains what is going on and the strike’s wider significance.
The Tories are robbing our pensions by stealth
The Tories have sneaked through an obscure change to the Retail Price Index (RPI) that means big reductions in many pensions and downward pressure on pay. Unite activist Ian Allinson explains.
Ten strikes that need your solidarity
As strike activity ramps up again, rs21 brings together ten strikes you should know about this month. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic there was a short period where no strikes happened anywhere in the UK, perhaps for the first time in decades. This was due to several factors: balloting companies were unavailable, there […]
Tactics of resistance: what’s the point of pickets?
In part two of a series looking at differing tactics for winning battles in the workplace, Derek Fraser looks at picketing, and how it can be used successfully in the current context.
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists revisited
Construction workers have been among the hardest-hit by Covid-19, with profit-hungry bosses keeping sites open throughout the pandemic.
Combatting unsafe workplaces: an interview with Janet Newsham
Every workplace is a Covid frontline, as employers try to force workers into unsafe situations. We interviewed Janet Newsham of the Hazards Campaign, which is fighting back.
NEU: preparing for the fight of our lives
Supporting teachers to refuse unsafe work is the NEU’s immediate and overwhelming priority, but we also need to learn the lessons from last June and ballot for strike action.