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2022 Saw Palestine Action’s Rise And Elbit’s Demise

December 31, 2022 Palestine Action. , , , ,
2022 started off with a bang, as January saw the publication of news of Elbit’s permanent closure of their Oldham factory. The victory came after an 18 month direct action battle waged against Elbit’s Ferranti factory in Oldham, which saw 36 arrests and millions of pounds of cumulative damage caused. Despite round-the-clock police patrols and massively heightened security, the efforts of Israel’s largest arms firm to protect their beloved weapons factory failed. The win embodied the power of direct action and community mobilisation – a major validation of Palestine Action’s strategy.  Next up, we took aim at their remaining sites. With momentum ripe following our first long-term victory, people across the country geared up to tear down Elbit factories and premises.

Sutton Community Farm And The Politics Of Community Agriculture

December 30, 2022 Rohan Rice, Grassroots Economic Organizing. ,
The UK farming sector is in the middle of an existential crisis. As a consequence of leaving the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, the Conservative government has had to draft a new agricultural support scheme to either match or replace the direct payments received by UK farmers from the EU. What will replace this scheme has been the subject of heated debate for years. Most probable is the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). ELMS would offer ‘public money for public good’, meaning that farmers would receive payments if they could prove their farm was engaging in beneficial environmental practice, such as rewilding a section of their land.

Health Workers In UK Intensify Their Fight For Fair Wages And Dignity

December 23, 2022 People's Dispatch. , , , , , ,
Health workers in the UK are intensifying their agitation, demanding a wage hike at par with soaring inflation. On Tuesday, December 20, nurses affiliated with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) went on strike in NHS hospitals across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Nurses are protesting the Tory government’s refusal to further discuss the demands of the nursing community for increased wages and to mitigate the ongoing and acute cost of living crisis. On Thursday, December 15, over 100,000 nurses went on strike, demanding the same. On Wednesday, December 21, ambulance drivers in England and Wales affiliated with unions Unite and GMB also went on strike, demanding wage hikes and more staff. The union, Unite, has pointed out that “ambulance staff have seen their wages collapse in value this year, down by £2,400 [2901.36 USD], with NHS pay having fallen by £6,000 [7253.40 USD] since 2010.”

Rail Workers Across The UK Begin Massive Strike Action

December 16, 2022 People's Dispatch. , , , ,
Rail workers across the UK, under the leadership of the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT), have begun striking again in protest against the insufficient pay offer proposed by rail authorities. The workers went on strike on December 13 and 14 and will continue action on December 16 and 17. Around 40,000 members of the RMT have joined the strike. Following a union vote in which 63.6% of its membership voted to reject Network Rail’s pay offer of a 5% retrospective rise for 2022 and a 4% pay rise in 2023. Workers at 14 train-operating companies are striking in the UK. More actions have been announced for the Christmas week as well. Workers will again step up action in the first week of January 2023.

The UK Is Mired In An Energy Crisis, But Not On Goldsmith Street

December 13, 2022 Olivia Rosane, EcoWatch. , , , ,
When the Goldsmith Street social housing development was completed in Norwich, UK, in 2019, it was the country’s largest residential complex built to energy efficient Passivhaus standards. At the time, it was dubbed a “modest masterpiece” and won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize. Now, as the UK braces for the first full winter of a cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is winning its residents something even more important: savings on their heating bills. “We don’t have to put the heating on so it’s cheaper,” resident Jayed Abdas Samad told The Guardian. “We feel very lucky.” Passivhaus standards were first developed in Germany and are the go-to standards for new construction there.

Leading ‘Sustainable’ Investment Funds Backing Fossil Fuels, Research Finds

December 5, 2022 Christopher Deane, DeSmog. , , ,
Major investment funds available to UK consumers are marketing themselves as “sustainable” and “ethical” while financing fossil fuel companies, research has found. Numerous asset managers are using “green” terms in their branding despite investing in oil giants, with the worst performer being a fund managed by BlackRock, a report by the Ethical Consumer magazine shows. The news comes amid growing scrutiny of “greenwashing” in the investment world, with the Financial Conduct Authority currently consulting on new rules to tackle the issue and HSBC recently having a series of adverts banned for misleading customers about the bank’s environmental efforts. Edward Lander, the report’s lead author, said: “We are in an absurd situation in which asset managers can label funds as “sustainable” while still investing in the world’s largest fossil fuel companies."

Elbit Systems UK Fired From £280 Million Worth Of Defence Contracts

December 1, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Minister of State for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk has confirmed that Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms company Elbit Systems LTD, has been forced out of lucrative contracts to deliver training for Dreadnought submarine and Royal Navy crews [1, 2]. The Ministry of Defence has ejected Elbit from a contract worth £160m to deliver Dreadnought crew training, and is ‘negotiating the departure’ of Elbit from a £123m contract for ‘Project Selborne’ Royal Navy training, stating that Elbit now falls short of ‘operational sovereignty standards for the UK’s highest priority capabilities’. These submissions were made by Chalk in Parliament in responses to questions by Labour MPs Chris Evans, and Kevan Jones – both associated with the ‘Labour Friends of Israel’ group – and by Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey.

Broadening Of Strike Movements In Britain

November 29, 2022 Thierry Labica, International Viewpoint. , ,
Far from what we might have feared — “running out of steam”, weariness and discouragement, loss of visibility, cumbersome organization of new voting procedures (compulsory when the last strike dates back more than six months) — the struggles of the working class have not only resumed, but have spread and increased. The organizations that have been at the forefront for several months remain combative. This is the case of the postal workers’ union (CWU), whose members voted, by more than 91 per cent, to organize new strikes at the Post Office (a mandate that is valid for the next six months, therefore). In addition, six days of strikes are already planned for December (including the 23rd and 24th) at Royal Mail (which employs 115,000 postal workers ).

Over 100,000 Education Workers Strike In The United Kingdom

November 27, 2022 WSWS. , , ,
Tens of thousands of university workers at 150 universities began three days of strikes on Thursday against low pay, intolerable workloads, insecure contacts and pensions cuts. A 48-hour strike by the University and College Union (UCU) members finished Friday, to be followed by a 24-hour strike and day of action on November 30. The strikes are the largest in history of higher education, with workers out at every UK institution. Also striking are support staff, members of the Unison and Unite unions, demanding better pay and conditions. Thursday’s strike was held the same day that up to 50,000 teachers in Scotland walked out in their first national strike since the 1980s against pay restraint by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Scottish National Party devolved government. Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) members rejected—with inflation now running at 14.2 percent—an initial 5 percent pay offer and a revised offer of 6.85 percent for the lowest-paid teachers.

Why Shelter Workers Are Going On Strike

November 26, 2022 Taj Ali, Tribune Magazine. , , ,
When it comes to understanding the homelessness crisis in Britain, few know it better than those who’ve experienced it first-hand. Mark found himself in that very situation ten years ago, and today, he still hasn’t escaped housing insecurity entirely. ‘To get out of my situation, I had to get private rented accommodation as opposed to the hostel system provided by the council,’ he tells Tribune. ‘My private rented flat was already massively expensive. And today it’s even worse.’ In those days he went on to volunteer for homelessness charity Shelter, and today he works there full-time. But the cost of living crisis is biting. Mark relies on a foodbank twice a month, and his general quality of life has rapidly deteriorated in the past year. ‘Every day’s a challenge,’ he tells Tribune.

UK Strike Wave Escalates As Over 200,000 Walk Out This Week

November 26, 2022 Robert Stevens, WSWS. , , ,
Britain’s strike wave is growing despite all attempts by the trade union bureaucracy to bring it under control. Thursday and Friday both saw strike action by over 200,000 workers. A two-day strike Thursday and Friday by 115,000 postal workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at Royal Mail coincided with a 48-hour walkout by 70,000 university staff at all 150 higher education institutions in Britain and a strike by up to 50,000 teachers in Scotland. All three groups of workers have additional days of strikes planned, including next week by university staff and postal workers on November 30 and December 1. On Friday, the Educational Institute of Scotland announced another 16 consecutive days of strikes for January and February.

Repression In The Courts Is Failing To Silence Palestine Campaigners

November 23, 2022 Tom Anderson, The Canary. , , , ,
Palestine campaigners have been dragged through the UK courts over the last few months because of their intense direct action campaign against Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit is Israel’s largest private drone manufacturer, and manufactures the majority of the drones that the Israeli military uses to attack Gaza. It also manufactures small-caliber ammunition for the Israeli army. Campaigners have been have been taking action against Elbit for more than a decade. However, the direct action campaign gathered momentum after the formation of Palestine Action in 2020. Campaigners have vowed to push Elbit out of the UK. This week, three campaigners are standing trial in Southwark Crown Court, for an action in which they drenched the London HQ of Elbit Systems in red paint.

Extinction Rebellion Takes Action At Offices Of Fossil Fuel Enablers

November 21, 2022 Extinction Rebellion. , , , , , ,
From 11am on Monday November 21st, Extinction Rebellion and other aligned groups took nonviolent action at thirteen sites across central London, targeting the offices of companies and organisations which have links to the fossil fuel industry. The groups sent a universal message that it’s time to ‘cut the ties’ with fossil fuels. Actions took place at BP, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, BAE Systems, Church House, Ineos, Eversheds Sutherland, Schlumberger, the International Maritime Organisation, the Institute of Economic Affairs, JP Morgan, Arch Insurance, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The actions follow the conclusion of COP27 in Egypt, which was widely critisised for the heavy presence of representatives of oil and gas companies.

Post Office Staff Have Just Voted For More Strike Action

November 20, 2022 Steve Topple, The Canary. , , ,
The CWU and its Post Office workers have been in an ongoing dispute with bosses for most of 2022. It’s over dire pay offers from the company. The dispute centres around workers rejecting a pay freeze for 2021/22. They also dismissed a pay offer of 5% with effect from 1 April 2022, plus a £500 one-off lump sum. The first strike was in May, followed by more actions over the summer. The last strike was at the end of September.

UK’s NHS Workers Gear Up For Massive Action Demanding Fair Wages

November 16, 2022 People's Dispatch. , , ,
Health workers’ unions in the UK are gearing up for massive protests, including strike action, to assert the demand for decent wages and more recruitment and resources for the National Health Service (NHS). The UNISON union is currently balloting its members in England, Wales and Northern Island to determine if industrial action should be taken. Meanwhile, on November 9, the nurses’ union of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced plans to initiate strike action before Christmas at many big hospitals and several other NHS care facilities. The RCN union decided to go on strike after the Tory government refused to meet their demand for a pay rise between 4.5% to 5% to meet the soaring inflation, which currently stands at 10.1%. Junior doctors affiliated to the British Medical Association (BMA) are also gearing up for a strike ballot in January to protest overwork and underpayment.
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