TUC's Brendan Barber a Disgrace

[Geezer]

So much for the CWU putting their faith in the TUC,
With friends like Brendan Barber is it any Wonder Royal Mail aren't sticking to the 2010 Beyond Agreement !



Please see email below.

Is there anyone out there who is not surprised by this ?


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From: "info@shopstewards.net" <info@shopstewards.net>
To: shopstewardsnet@lists.riseup.net
Sent: Friday, 16 December 2011, 17:02
Subject: [shopstewardsnet] NSSN Bulletin No. 70

No sell-out on pensions - Fight until we win!
Name the day for the next coordinated strike in January

Yesterday the TUC's Public Sector Liaison Group (PSLG) met for the first time
since the magnificent 30 November public sector strike.

Disgracefully, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, argued that all of
the trade unions should sign up to the government's latest 'heads of agreement'
on pensions, which would then allow Francis Maude to announce before Christmas
that the dispute has been settled. This was met with outrage by many of the
public sector trade unions present.

Not one of the central demands of public sector workers has been met. All
public sector workers are still being told to work longer, pay more and get
less.

The teaching unions NUT and NASUWT reported that they had been offered no
serious concessions by the government, as did the civil servants' union PCS,
the Fire Brigades Union and representatives of workers in the NHS.

In local government the only concession is to delay the attacks on pensions
until 2014, provided that local government unions promise to accept the pain
without a fight when it comes.

Yet Dave Prentis - general secretary for Unison - the biggest union in health
and local government - argued for accepting this rotten deal. Hundreds of
thousands of Unison members who struck on 30 November will not agree.

30 November showed the potential power of the working class in Britain. We can
force this weak, divided government to retreat, but only if the action is
stepped up.

The leadership of the TUC and Unison were only forced to support N30 because of
the pressure of rank and file trade unionists - now we need to do the same
again.

At the PSLG, PCS demanded that the meeting name the day for the next day of
national coordinated strike action.

In Scotland, Unison delegates have already unanimously proposed 25 January as
the day of the next strike.

National Shop Stewards Network supporters need to pile on the pressure for the
date of the next strike to be set before Christmas, and to take place in
January.

We immediately need to:

Flood the TUC and Unison leaderships with letters, resolutions and petitions of
protest demanding that they do not sell out the pensions struggle and
immediately set the date for a strike in January in coordination with the other
public sector unions.


Members of all other public sector unions to send letters, resolutions and
petitions to their National Executives demanding that they set the date for a
strike in January in coordination with the other unions.


Organise a mass lobby of the next meeting of the TUC

Please urgently sign the NSSN e-petition below and get as many other trade
unionists as possible to sign it. There is a recall TUC Public Sector Liaison
Group on Monday afternoon, we will let you know about a lobby of it later
today, but it is crucial that as many people as possible sign the petition
BEFORE THAT MEETING. THAT MEANS ACTING TODAY!

Please put any union positions in the comment box

Kevin Parslow (NSSN Assistant Secretary) would like you to visit the following
online campaign, by iPetitions:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pens ... o%2BFriend" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We will post more information as soon as possible.

http://www.shopstewards.net/news.217.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.218.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.219.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Updates

Wednesday December 14th - National day of action in construction industry to
defend JIB & stop NAECI pay freeze - Action by construction workers escalates
in the 17th week of protests

The fact that yesterday's talks at ACAS took place, should give construction
workers confidence that action works. We welcome the negotiating team's
implacable oppostion to BESNA. Unite has to send the employers the message: 'If
you don't rip up BESNA, there'll be more action in the New Year'. We support
blacklisted member of the Rank & File National Committee Steve Acheson being
included on the Unite negotiating team yesterday. We also believe that any
future talks need to be transparent and in front of the members. Any offer from
the employers should be put to a national meeting open to all electricians with
their travel expenses covered by Unite.

The deadlock at ACAS means that further action is necessary. We believe that it
needs to continue to be linked up with the NAECI/Blue Book sites that are
fighting a pay freeze.

We support the call to make 9th January the next national stoppage throughout
the building trade. This call has to go out to all those in dispute to see if
strikes can be co-ordinated, such as with the Unilever workers who went on
strike across the country last week to defend their pensions. Other private
sector employers are seizing the chance to attack hard-fought final salary /
defined benefit (DB) pensions. These include Ford, BMW, CEMEX and GE. We also
support co-ordinating action with any future action by public sector workers in
defence of their pensions

For reports from around the country on December 14th
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.220.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Unilever strike: "This is their answer today"

Reports from picket lines at Port Sunlight, Warrington and Gwent
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.211.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Add in reports of other proposed attacks on private sector pensions in Ford,
BMW, CEMEX, GE etc and why they should co-ordinate action with Unilever and
public sector workers

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Cuts target trade unionists: Defend Nancy Taaffe

15 December Below is a model letter for anti-cuts and trade union activists to
send to Chris Robbins, leader of Labour-led Waltham Forest council. 17 rounds
of vicious cuts have been voted through. The latest round has included trade
union activist and anti-cuts campaigner Nancy Taaffe.
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.216.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Unite members at Steria strike today over pay dispute
Below is Unite press statement at
http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__even ... trike.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Thousands of Revenue & Customs staff stage lunchtime walk-outs against
privatisation http://www.shopstewards.net/news.212.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Christmas walkout to defend victimised RMT activist Paul Kelly
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.215.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and
http://www.shopstewards.net/news.214.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fishtank]

Brendan Barber has spent his entire "career" at the TUC.....some 35 odd years.
That's a great deal of experience in doing the TUC "thing" but not really much experience in anything else.

[pants123]

Brendan Barber is a disgrace the human is only looking to line his pockets with money, its a human being thing......... but a total disgrace to us all..........

[Glenno]

Brendan Barber

[DirtyHarry]

I got that e-mail too, and no, I'm not surprised in the slightest.

Brendan Barber would have to leave Britain for reasons of health, if I had my way.