Hundreds of people show solidarity with Sudan

News

Protesters denounce the counter-revolutionary military groups that plunged Sudan into a murderous civil war

Protesters at the Sudan solidarity protest in London last Saturday (Image: Charlie Kimber)

Hundreds of Sudanese protesters and their supporters marched in London last Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the massacre of pro-democracy protesters by state forces.

They denounced the counter-revolutionary military groups that plunged Sudan into a murderous civil war.

“I refuse to choose between the RSF militia and the regular state army led by General Burhan,” protester Jamila said.

“The revolution that toppled dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 showed the way forward.”

Marchers chanted: “No militia or Burhan, peace and justice for Sudan.” In Cardiff, supporters of the Sudanese revolution joined a pro-Palestinian march.

One protester said: “Up to 1,000 people took part – with a lot of energy, which ended in the student camp.”

Tractor factory workers are ready to expand their action

Around 500 workers at the CNH Industrial tractor factory in Basildon, Essex, are continuing their strike over pay.

Workers walked out nine days over three weeks and now plan to walk out again in June.

The plan is for all the strikers to walk out together on Tuesday and some of the workers to be called in on Wednesday and Thursday. This happened in the last round of action.

For most meetings, the union only pulls in a few departments at a time because production is still shut down and bosses are “laying off” other workers.

The factory produces New Holland agricultural equipment. Discussions on the 2024 payment began last October.

Management offered a 4% increase based on the CPI inflation rate in January 2024, rather than as an average for the entire previous year.

Bosses want the 2025 pay rise to be based only on December 2024. Management and the workforce union, Unite, agreed in 2022 to increase pay calculated by the average rate of inflation for the year.

Workers estimate they produce 73 tractors a day, which can cost, on average, between £100,000 and £200,000 each.

That means the company could lose up to £10m a day when workers strike.

Unite should step up pressure on the multibillion-pound company – and that means indefinite strikes until workers win.

Strike is solid in Barnet

Mental health social workers in Barnet hit 52 days of strike action this week on Monday.

They are fighting their strike-breaking authority in north London for adequate retention and recruitment pay.

Currently, workers are leaving and the service is declining due to low wages.

On the pickets, the strikers chanted: “What is disgusting? Broken unison.” They were gone for 27 days between last September and February.

This was followed by two weeks of action from 15 April. They also left for three weeks on May 13.

The strikers have been out continuously since then and plan to stay out until July 12.

The Labour-led council had previously tried to break the strike with agency workers, until pressure from union branch Unison forced the agency company to back down.

But the council did not stop the strike breaking. He wants the agency Imperium Solutions to cover the strikers’ roles permanently.

Stepped up action by other council workers and continued pressure from Unison nationally to support the strikers is the way to win.

The strikes take Avanti suppliers out of their hands

Catering workers at the Avanti West Coast Railway were set to strike on Friday this week.

RMT union members are arguing over the imposition of tough new rosters, changes to shift patterns, job cuts and imposed overtime.

Eurostar rail contract workers were on strike from Wednesday to Friday last week. RMT union members working for Rail Gourmet have walked off the payroll.

Labor refuses to vote in Hampshire

Refuse workers at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils in Hampshire vote as bosses withhold information about their jobs.

The council has yet to tell workers what a further reassessment of their job role would mean.

Workers say they were expected to accept a proposal they knew nothing about.

The strike ballot opened on Wednesday last week. If workers vote to strike, they could take action as early as July.

Strike threat earns cleaners a pay rise

A strike threat has won a pay rise for cleaning workers in south London.

UVW union members at Blackheath Prep School have won a 15 per cent pay rise, full sick pay and improved working conditions after threatening to strike.

The cleaners are migrant workers from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Spain and Colombia. They voted unanimously to strike in March.

Nuclear workers on strike for pay

More than 500 Unite union members employed by Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (NRS) are set for a 24-hour strike on June 19. They also went out last Wednesday.

On Saturday last week, until June 18 and between June 20 and 30, the ban on overtime and the end of voluntary appointments began.

Unite says the NRS offer should be closer to 13.5% as that was the level of RPI inflation in March 2023.

Tanker fuel strikes this week

Oxalis tanker drivers who supply yards and aviation fuel in the North West of England and the Scottish Borders have been scheduled to strike from Thursday to Saturday this week.

Around 50 drivers in Stanlow are angry that their pay offer is far less than their colleagues.

Oxalis drivers in Thurrock and Birmingham were offered £2 an hour more than Stanlow drivers.

They are also going on strike from next Thursday until Saturday.