Minimum Service News Today

Labour Party leaders have been repeating Keir Starmer’s claim that they have changed Labour “from a party of protest to a party of public service”. “Party of government” is another favourite. They want to be, not representatives of the working class, the class which protests against exploitation and lack of social provision, but alternative managers of the private-profit capitalist system.

The New Year has not stopped old strikes. From today, the Aslef union representing train drivers is staging a rolling series of strikes between now and February 5, with a nine-day ban on overtime. Sixteen train operators will be affected, with most facing a single day of total shut-down. Because these will vary across the country, they will result in maximum disruption to travellers with a minimum of loss to the strikers.

Fresh walkouts are planned for January and February as the dispute enters its third calendar year.

A Conservative MP says legislation for minimum service levels during strikes should be introduced.

None of the issues which led to the strike vote have been resolved. This includes pay freezes for those near the top pay band, the axing of travel allowances for London Underground staff, and above all the gutting of tube workers’ pensions.

Teachers will be forced to work on strike days to stop disruption for pupils on the verge of taking exams.

The “final” National Policy Forum report going to Labour Party conference in Liverpool, 8-11 October 2023, is mostly 112 pages of warm words evading clear commitments.

Britains opposition Labour Party would repeal recently-introduced legislation that limits workers rights to strike if it wins an election expected next year, deputy leader Angela Rayner said on... -Today at 08:21 am- MarketScreener

The working-class movement is on an uphill journey. The latest official (Certification Officer) statistics on union membership, published 6 July, are thankfully out of date, but sobering. Between December 2019 and December 2020, union membership rose a bit. Between December 2020 and December 2021, it fell a bit, despite lockdowns and work-from-home beginning to fade.

Teachers in the National Education Union (NEU) struck again in England on 5 and 7 July,