Solidarity with EIS FELA striking to force colleges to RATIFY THE DEAL

 
#CollegesNeedLecturers ATUC sends support and solidarity to members of EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association (FELA) in their strike action in colleges across Scotland.

The action was called after Colleges Scotland failed to ratify an agreement negotiated with the union and agreed by the union.

The EIS-FELA twitter account states: "The facts of our dispute are clear. Negotiations ended when an agreement was made by both sides. EIS-FELA ratified that agreement. The Employers’ Association did not and then tasked Colleges Scotland to unpick the agreement that they themselves had made."

ATUC stands with the STUC and the whole of the trade union movement and calls on Colleges Scotland to ratify the deal now to avoid further disruption to the sector.

Unions can send messages of support to @EISFela on Twitter and to jgkellyeis@live.co.uk

Use hashtag #CollegesNeedLecturers

 

Follow their pages for solidarity alerts and announcements about upcoming events and what you can do to help:

https://www.facebook.com/honourthedeal/

and Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/eisfela

Join the STUC Equality Hustings 2021 Tuesday, 6 April at 6pm

What are Scotland’s Political Parties commitments to Equality and Workers in Scotland?

Ahead of the 2021 Holyrood Election, join the STUC Equality Committees as they quiz representatives from all of Scotland’s political parties on a range of Equality related issues; and political parties outline their plans and promises to tackling inequality and injustice and building a fairer and more inclusive society and world of work.

The event will take place on Tuesday 6th April at 6pm.

Register for the event here where you can submit any questions you have about equality issues for the political parties to answer.

Justice at last for the Shrewsbury pickets - but the truth is still not out

 Aberdeen Trades Union Council sends congratulations and solidarity to the Shrewsbury pickets who have had their convictions quashed after 48 years.

The Court of Appeal has overturned the convictions of 14 men sentenced for their involvement in pickets during the national builders' strike in 1972.

They were charged with offences including unlawful assembly and conspiracy to intimidate. The men have argued for the last 48 years that they should never have been convicted and denied all the charges. Many were then blacklisted and found it extrememly difficult to get work.

Please join this Morning Star meeting on 16th March and hear ATUC's Tommy Campbell speak

Please join the Morning Star, "Our class, our culture" Zoom event on Tuesday 16th March at 7pm on "Belfast 1920-22: Class Solidarity and Sectarianism".

The event is part of Edinburgh Irish Week and the ATUC's Tommy Campbell is the speaker. 

This promises to be a really interesting event. You can join by clicking on this zoom link. 

Launch Meeting - Zoom

The UCS Work-In: Clydebank TUC Online Public Meeting

Aberdeen Trades Union Council is encouraging all our delegates and associates to join the Clydebank Trade Union Council online public meeting on the UCS work-in on Wednesday 10th March at 7.00pm

Register here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ucs-work-in-clydebank-tuc-online-public-meeting-tickets-141935339421

This meeting commemorates a remarkable working class victory which offers lessons for today's labour movement. 

The strategy of the shop stewards leading the work - in succeeded in stopping the government, which was the ultimate owner of the four yards, from orchestrating their closure. They did so by seeing off attempts by the right wing in the trade union movement to take over the leadership of the workers' campaign and building a wider regional alliance around the demand for the ‘right to work’. 

They inflicted a major defeat on the Government of the day, ensured their original demand of keeping the four yards open was met in full, and forced a wider U-Turn in government policy.

ATUC supports International Women’s Day 2021 – “Choose to Challenge”

 
Aberdeen TUC proudly supports the struggle for peace, justice and equality by and for all women on International Women's Day and sends solidarity to all women in struggle.

The trades council is backing the local International Women’s Day events jointly arranged by Aberdeen Women’s Alliance, Aberdeen City Council and Grampian Regional Equality Council (GREC).

ATUC is one of the co-hosts of an online event organised by Aberdeen Women's Alliance and GREC on Period Poverty, Technology and Activism on International Women's Day, 8th March from 11-12 noon. Please join us.  Click here to find out more on Facebook.

Click here to find out about the other events being held locally to celebrate International Women's Day.

Donna Clark, ATUC vice president said, “Trade Unions proudly celebrate the achievements of women on International Women's Day, especially as it grew out of the campaign for better pay and improved conditions at work, in addition to the campaign for all women to have the right to vote.

“These campaigns, led by women active in the Trade Union and Labour Movement were instrumental in having International Women's Day recognised as an annual event by the United Nations." 

Solidarity with GMB British Gas workers - sign the petition in support

Aberdeen Trades Union Council sends solidarity and support to GMB members in British Gas (Centrica) who are taking strike action over the company’s plan to sack them all and rehire them on worse terms and conditions.  

We are calling on our members to sign the petition calling on British Gas to think again.

Preliminary results for the year ending December 2020 shows that Centrica recorded £699 million in adjusted operating profits, and a £52 million statutory profit compared to an £849 million loss in the previous 12 months. 

Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary, said: "Last summer, when British Gas decided on fire and rehire pay cuts for gas engineers, it was already a profitable company - as these results confirm. 

“So there is no need to hurt workers, customers and shareholders. Refusing to take fire and rehire off the table is the main obstacle to a settlement at ACAS."

Graeme Farquhar, ATUC President said: "Fire and rehire is a disgraceful tactic and we stand four square behind our GMB colleagues who are taking strike action across the UK.

"We stand in solidarity with these workers and we condemn unreservedly the behaviour of British Gas who have made such huge profits on the backs of these same workers.

"Time for British Gas to think again. This is not how a reputable company should treat its workforce. It’s disgraceful."