Branch closures

The (much needed) branch reorganisation has been handled pretty badly in many cases, leaving members in limbo without a functioning branch.

Jerry Hicks' web site is reporting a decision by the London & Eastern Regional Committee to close large numbers of branches with effect from 15th May, without keeping members informed, much less consulting them, leaving them without access to the union's democratic structures until new branches are up and running.  If this is the case it would not appear to be in line with the Executive Council's decisions on branch reorganisation.

A meeting to discuss (and oppose) the closures has been organised in Chelmsford for 16th May.

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Support the Mitie strikers at Manchester airport

Cleaners at Manchester airport have been outsourced to Mitie for the last couple of years, and they haven't been easy years.

The workers say that at the time of the transfer, they were told there would be no redundancies, yet within a month about 10% of the workforce was cut, leaving the survivors with a heavier workload.  Too often, competition for contracts between bidders isn't about a better service, or organising the work better, but simply about delivering the lowest price by driving people to work longer and harder for less.  In this case the cleaners get just £6.95 an hour and have had no pay rises for four years.  At this rate they will soon be on the National Minimum Wage.

But even this isn't enough for Mitie.  They want to cut attendance bonuses and paid breaks, which would leave workers about £96 a month worse off.  They're also chiselling away at other terms - even cutting compassionate leave from 3 days to 1 (could you organise a funeral in a day?) and stopping workers swapping shifts.

On Friday, the Mitie workers went on strike in defence of their paid breaks.

Mitie is a giant company, with lots of subsidiaries, but a quick look at the records for just one of them, Mitie Cleaning & Environmental Services Ltd, gives you a clue as to the scale of the operation, built on the hard work of low-paid workers like those at Manchester Airport.

You can send messages of support to the workers via their UNITE officer, Dave Kennedy.

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UNITE National Industrial Sector Conferences 2013

The National Industrial Sector Conferences will take place in Brighton from 11 to 14 November this year, in accordance with the following schedule.

Monday

Docks, Rail, Ferries and Waterways

Civil Air Transport

Passenger Transport

Road Transport Commercial, Logistics and Retail Distribution

Graphical, Paper and Media

Tuesday

Food, Drink and Tobacco

Rural and Agricultural

IT and Communications

Motor Components

Electrical Engineering and Electronics

Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles

Wednesday

Vehicle Building and Automotive

Metals (including Foundry)

Servicing & General Industries

Finance and Legal

MOD and Government Departments

Aerospace and Shipbuilding

Energy and Utilities

Thursday

Community, Youth Workers and Not for Profit

Construction

Education

Health

Local Authorities

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