FBU rep attacks SWP "Wrecker of the Week" Minitrue

The journal of (un)Democratic Centralism (my latest Wrecker of the Week) has been forced to publish the following attacks by a very angry FBU rep over their coverage of the recent strikes.

The Socialist (minitrue) Worker is accused by this rep as follows "your coverage of the London firefighters’ dispute has  angered FBU activists".... "Your reports of the first strike on 23 October were outlandish"...attacking the FBU General Secretary; "fantasising that you were witnessing the French revolution" ...publishing a video that was "used to discredit the union"...wanting to "Have some people die on bonfire night to ‘prove’ the scabs are rubbish?"..using the media to attack the union and not bothering to contact the union beforehand...and "disparage the democratic structures of the FBU".

Well, this is no great surprise to me. Check out report in Solidarity magazine and even the modern day Socialist Minitrue itself.  Hat-tip Col. Roi.

Something very odd is happening with Socialist Minitrue and their contributors.  Is their parallel universe crashing down upon them under the weight of truth?

Check out this bizarre story here in the West Yorkshire News where the SWP Chair of a Unison branch wrote a "misleading, inaccurate and unhelpful” on Minitrue of a "successful" outcome of a meeting before the branch and the employer had finalised negotiations.  What is going on? Hmmm. 

Hat-tip thingy Tynesider

Tory Toad Plans to Slash & Burn London Fire Brigade.

It is now clear that the Fire Brigade Union fear that that the proposed changes to their terms and conditions by Tory London Fire authority Chair, Brian Coleman, was actually all about reducing the number of fire engines and firefighters - was pretty accurate.

Let us check out Tory blogger Iain Dale here 1 November 2010 where he said "the FBU have used it to put about scare stories about future reductions in night cover or a possible reduction in fire appliances. Coleman has said publicly on several occasions he will guarantee that neither of those will happen. But the union pretends not to hear".

Now check out the notorious toad of London City Hall late amendment to the London Fire budget here that

"officers [should] explore, as part of the budget process, and report back to the Committee... on whether the Brigade needs all 27 of the fire appliances removed from stations during the current industrial action to be returned or whether there is an over-supply of appliances".

This would result in 500 Job losses and a 16% reduction in the number of fire engines. Now it could be Coleman is just being his usual petty minded and vindictive self or the FBU fears were legitimate from get go. You can guess my view.

Et tu, Red Tel? (in joke).  Hat tip thingy Col. Roi.

London Fire Brigade Union Strike

Picture is from Euston Fire Station.  London fire-fighters have taken their 2^nd day of strike action against the attempt by Boris Johnson to change their shift patterns by threatening to dismiss them all and “re-engage” on inferior terms and conditions. 

Fire-fighters to not take strike action at all lightly and have been forced into action by the provocation of their employers.  An overwhelming majority of fire-fighters voted in a secret ballot and an overwhelming majority voted in favour of strike action.  If the threat to dismiss is called off then the strikes would be suspended.

The next strike will take place on November 5-7^th. Check out this leaflet being distributed to members of the public.

SERTUC Council meeting

This morning I went off to the Southern and Eastern Region TUC Council (SERTUC) meeting at Congress House.  Firstly there was a UNISON pre-meeting for delegates.  Then up to the 5th floor for Council. 

Normally we are in the basement conference area but this was being prepared for today’s “anti-cuts” Rally.  The meeting finished at 11.45 so that delegates can get to the Rally for 12 noon. 

SERTUC President Martin Gould gave his usual straight talking and no nonsense feisty opening report on the battles ahead.

We then moved directly to motions.  We passed unanimously a CWU motion “Keep the Post Public Coalition”.  UNISON delegate Brian Walters (and son of a postie) seconded this motion in fluent French to honour the protests taking place across the channel!  There was also an Unite motion “Attack on Public Services”.  I spoke on this 2^nd motion. 

I reminded Council that we must talk to our members and not just ourselves.  Some polls show that even a majority of union members think the cuts are necessary.  We need to challenge this and one way is to let our members know how sheer “nasty” they are – as a working front line secretary of the UNISON Housing Association branch we have to deal with a 50%  or £4 billion in cuts in housing; the ending of security of tenure which will mean that my members will be expected to evict Grannies whose kids have left home; in London there will be no more new public housing starts in 2011; who will house the expected extra 82,000 private tenants who will be evicted in London due to restrictions in Housing benefit?; London Councils report that some authorities are planning to block book B&B’s in south coast resorts; future rents in public housing will be 80% of “market rents” which in London could mean an average  2 bed flat rental will rise from £90 per week to £250.  Who can afford that?

Never the economics theory but surely it is madness that my members who develop homes are being made redundant at the same time as construction workers are being laid off resulting in less income tax and more claims for benefit at the same time that we have 4 million in housing need! 

SERTUC secretary Megan Dobney reminded us that the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) were on strike in London from 10am this morning (there is a SERTUC solidarity meeting for the FBU on Thursday evening at Congress House).   There is another one day strike due on 1 November 2010.  

There were a few contributions around the secretary’s report but we eventually finished early enough to even have extra items of AOB!

Off to main SERTUC rally 11.40.