[IER] Unions to march with sacked GCHQ workers on 27th January

Fri Jan 5 15:06:50 GMT 2024

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Cheltenham rally: Unions to march with sacked GCHQ workers on January 27th

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Hundreds of trade unionists are to march at a rally in Cheltenham marking the 40th anniversary of the GCHQ trade union ban.

Organised jointly by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, the march, to be held on Saturday 27th January, will commemorate a significant event in the movement’s struggle against a hostile, anti-union political climate – whilst drawing parallels to the current struggle for workers’ rights.

In 1984 Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government banned trade unions at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), citing security concerns. Staff were forced to quit their union, however fourteen refused and, as a result, were sacked.

Trade unions entered a relentless campaign to reinstate them, with speakers attending more than 350 events and organising annual marches through the town centre for 13 years so the issue was kept in the public consciousness.

Via Hannah Davenport, Left Foot Forward

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/news/trade-union-history-unions-to-march-with-sacked-gchq-workers-in-january-heres-why/> More details 

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Protect the right to strike 

National march & rally in Cheltenham, Sat 27 Jan. The government’s draconian Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act was forced through parliament by the government. But the campaign to protect the right to strike continues. 

 <https://www.tuc.org.uk/protectrighttostrike> More details 

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Ten Times Workers Won in 2023

Tribune's Taj Ali looks back at ten landmark trade union victories — showing how organised workers are fighting back against greed and exploitation. 

 <https://tribunemag.co.uk/2023/12/ten-times-workers-won-in-2023> Read here 

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What does the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act mean for members?

Neil Todd, partner at Thompsons Solicitors, explains in the FBU's Firefighter magazine. 

 <https://www.fbu.org.uk/magazine/december-2023-january-2024/what-does-strikes-minimum-service-levels-act-mean-members> More details 

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Workers to rally behind anyone sacked under minimum service level law

The head of the TUC has warned that the entire trade union movement will rally behind any worker who is sacked under a controversial new law which ensures a minimum level of services during strike action (via the National)

 <https://www.thenational.scot/news/24015630.workers-rally-behind-anyone-sacked-minimum-service-level-law/> More details 

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Fiona Mercer: The care worker at the heart of UNISON’s Supreme Court challenge

Mercer is at the heart of a case being heard in the Supreme Court which could define the future of workers’ rights to strike 

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/news/fiona-mercer-the-care-worker-at-the-heart-of-unisons-supreme-court-challenge/> More details 

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Judicial Backpedalling on Trade Union Rights in the Gig Economy:

Deliveroo in the United Kingdom Supreme Court. Our President, Professor Keith Ewing writes for the IER on the latest developments in the Supreme Court.  

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/comments/judicial-backpedalling-on-trade-union-rights-in-the-gig-economy/> Read here 

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Soaring CEO pay shows “obscene levels of pay inequality” say TUC

The High Pay Centre release details of 'High Pay Hour 2024' 

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/news/soaring-ceo-pay-shows-obscene-levels-of-pay-inequality-say-tuc/> More details 

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RMT responds to Just Transition Report

The Just Transition Commission has released their Annual Report for 2023 claiming that Scotland is not on track to deliver a just transition in energy, and “significant” further action and support is needed for the workforce. 

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/news/rmt-responds-to-just-transition-report/> More details 

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Industrial Policy Isn’t a Panacea for Rebuilding Organized Labor

Faced with China’s rise, Western states are turning from free trade dogmas to active industrial policies. This turn may offer opportunities for labor — but as the electric auto industry shows, it is also producing a harmful logic of national rivalries. By David Karas in Jacobin.

 <https://jacobin.com/2023/12/industrial-policy-isnt-a-panacea-for-rebuilding-organized-labor> Read here 

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Migration and work in post-Brexit UK

Dr Manoj Dias-Abey and Dr Katie Bales make the case for a regulatory regime that respects the humanity and contribution of all workers.

 <https://www.ier.org.uk/product/migration-and-work-in-post-brexit-uk/> Download here 

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