Land Registry workers shocked by secret filming

WEYMOUTH Land Registry has been secretly filming staff at home, in shops and at the gym after they made compensation claims for personal injury at work.

A total of six employees were put under surveillance after making claims they suffered from repetitive strain injury.

One Weymouth woman, Jane Brooke, was fired after being filmed alongside members of the public at the fitness centre at Weymouth Swimming Pool.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) held a rally outside the Land Registry in Cumberland Drive yesterday in support of Mrs Brooke and vowed to fight her sacking as unfair dismissal.

PCS to launch legal action and hold strike ballot

PCS decided today to launch legal action with other unions against the government over unilateral changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and hold a strike ballot amongst 270,000 PCS members working for the civil service and its related bodies.

The move follows a meeting of the union’s National Executive Committee who have written to the Cabinet Office minister, Tessa Jowell MP. The letter urges ministers to avoid legal and industrial action by ensuring officials honour ministerial promises to find a negotiated agreement.

‘Take Back Our Union’ Slate Wins New York Bus & Subway Local

Chalk up another win for union reformers in New York. After victories by reform slates in two Teamster locals, 814 (movers and auction houses) and 804 (UPS), reformers in the Take Back Our Union slate won control of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union on December 7. TWU 100 represents 38,000 bus and subway workers in New York City and Westchester County.

TBOU, headed by track worker John Samuelsen, defeated the incumbent United Invincible slate headed by Curtis Tate and backed by incumbent president Roger Toussaint. Toussaint did not run for reelection after accepting a job on the TWU International staff. Samuelsen carried six of the local’s seven divisions and TBOU won 8 of 11 positions on the executive committee.

Re Proposed Dismissal of elected Trade Union Facilitator by Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

UNISON Press Release

Zena Dodgson, elected Trade Union Facilitator at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust lodged an appeal against her dismissal on grounds of redundancy by the Trust.

Zena was represented by her Union, UNISON, at the appeal which was heard on 8^th December by a panel comprising Trust Board members and an external HR advisor.

The panel’s decision was conveyed to Zena and her representative this afternoon, 9^th December.

UNISON are very pleased that the panel has agreed with our assertion that Zena’s elected role of Trade Union Facilitator is a secondment, and not her substantive post as asserted by the Trust, and therefore Zena cannot be made redundant from it; the panel have therefore upheld that part of the appeal.

UNISON has asked for clarification from the Trust regarding Zena’s proposed dismissal date of 31^st December 2009, and other aspects of the judgement. We hope to receive this very quickly and will pass on this information when we have it.

UNISON would like to thank everyone who has written to the Trust and/or sent Zena messages of support; this is much appreciated.

Ends.

Anna Berry

UNISON Regional Organiser, Surrey Team.

9^th December 2009

Outrage That New Regulations Will Fail to End Blacklisting

Construction union UCATT fears that new regulations designed to outlaw blacklisting contain so many loopholes they will not deter the practice. In fact the Government’s consultation document appears to give the green light to employers to blacklist in certain circumstances.

Last Wednesday (December 2) the Government published its response to the consultation on blacklisting and committed itself to produce the necessary regulations.

In Ruined Lives UCATT’s submission to the blacklisting consultation, the union argued that the regulations should not just make it illegal to blacklist for “trade union activities” but should prevent blacklisting for “activities associated with trade unions”. The Government has totally ignored this key concern.

Where now for postal workers?

An update on the postal dispute by a London postal worker

When the postal strikes due for Friday 6 and Monday 9 November were called off late on the preceding Thursday afternoon there was much boasting in the media of a “period of calm” and a “strike-free Christmas”.

This contrasted sharply with the reaction of most postal workers returning to work on the Thursday evening or Friday morning, asking what they had got in return for suspending the strikes, because amid the fanfare nothing concrete was announced other than an agreement by Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to continue talking.

Six day strike by South Wales signallers

RAIL UNION RMT today announced six days of strike action by a group of signalling staff in the Wales and the Marches Operations area over the imposition of rosters at the new South Wales Control Centre due to open in January 2010.

A ballot for action delivered a two-to-one majority in support of a strike which will run from 00.01 hrs on Monday December 14 through to 23.59 hrs on Saturday December 19.

The action will involve RMT signalling grades members at the following NR signalling locations in the Wales and Marches Operations Area; the new South Wales Control Centre, Newport panel, Vale of Glamorgan (Barry Box, Barry Relief, Aberthaw Box, Cowbridge Road Box), Rhymney Valley (Heath Junction, Ystrad Mynach, Bargoed), Cardiff panel and Port Talbot panel.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“Our members are furious at the attempt to bulldoze through rosters at the new South Wales Control Centre which we believe are all about saving money and which unilaterally rip up existing agreements. Their support for strike action in this ballot shows just how determined they are to force a management rethink.

“RMT maintains that the existing 12 hour roster is tried and tested and that the 8 hour roster that Network Rail are trying to impose at the new South Wales Control Centre when it opens in January will have damaging consequences.

“We remain available for talks and would urge Network Rail to get back around the table to negotiate a settlement to this dispute.”

WAC – Maan Has Established a “Truck Drivers’ Parliament” on its Way to Founding a New Union

An initiative for a start a new truck drivers’ Union was launched by the WAC – Maan association on Saturday 14 November 2009 at a conference in its offices in Tel Aviv. The goal of the conference was defined as the initiation of debate and voicing of ideas for the establishment of a new drivers’ union. Around forty drivers and WAC – Maan members attended the conference. The event was organized following last month’s campaign in which tens of WAC – Maan members went around the Ashdod and Haifa ports, and other freight centers, handing out pamphlets and listening to drivers speak of their deplorable working conditions.

Israel – Diggers Wages

By Jonathan Ben Efrat, in Yedioth Aharanot

They earn NIS 2000 per month, are dismissed every nine months, and have few rights: meet the manual laborers of the Israel Antiquities Authority, employed via the personnel agency Brick.

“When you take away a man’s livelihood, why not mock him too and trample him underfoot?” The Antiquities Authority: “We don’t have the resources to employ them directly.”

The dismissal notice came as a surprise to Yafa Miara. After nine months of intensive physical labor which earned her praise from the archeologists with whom she worked, she was compelled to leave behind the archeological digs.

Superdrug strikers march back to work

At 5.30am on Tuesday 24 November Superdrug strikers assembled by the Barnsley Oak pub in South Elmsall to march back to work at the Superdrug depot. The day before they had voted by 185 votes to 59 to accept the deal thrashed out after eight hours of talks at ACAS the previous Friday.

Twenty days before the 261 union members, after an 86% vote in favour of strike action, walked out on indefinite strike at exactly the same time, 5.30am, following months of futile negotiation with management.

Management wanted to drive through changes in shift pay and overtime payments which would have left some workers out of pocket by more than £2000. They wanted the power to change and schedule shifts with only seven days’ notice and the workforce to opt out of the 48-hour European Working Time Directive. They also wanted to cut sick pay and change pension entitlements.