Search | Workers' Liberty

Unions in the pandemic

01 Jun 2020 |

Ollie Moore

Workplace activists in Workers' Liberty met via Zoom on Saturday 30 May 2020, for a joint meeting of Workers' Liberty's industrial “fractions”, groups of members in particular industries and sectors. Workers' Liberty currently has four industrial fractions – school workers; civil servants; higher...

Beijing clamps down on Hong Kong

01 Jun 2020 |

Chen Ying

China's National People’s Congress decided on 28 May to introduce a National Security Law in Hong Kong. It represents the most direct change of governance on Hong Kong, imposed by the People’s Republic of China, without any discussion with Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

TfL announces risk assessments for BAME staff

01 Jun 2020 | Tubeworker

Mayor Khan has announced that TfL will now be conducted "personal risk assessments" for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) workers, in response to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on black people and other people of colour. It's not clear exactly what the assessments will consist of or...

Driving us to despair

01 Jun 2020 | Tubeworker

Numerous local managers, particularly on stations, are now blocking request for the reimbursement of mileage expenses, and telling staff they're expected to use public transport to get to and from work. Public health advice remains to avoid public transport if at all possible. For staff who have the...

Resisting the gig economy in LU service control

01 Jun 2020 | Tubeworker

We've previously reported on LU's scandalous use of agency labour in service control, bringing back retired workers on agency contracts - in fact earning more than directly-employed staff. Thanks to a firm response by RMT reps in service control, LU have now said they're suspending their use of the...

George Floyd: we need a new movement

01 Jun 2020 |

Jane Edwards

On 25 May, George Floyd, 46, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Service Control reps say: if it's not safe, don't work!

01 Jun 2020 | Tubeworker

Hats off to RMT reps in LU Service Control, who've published a new article on the RMT Service Control website stating that they'll support colleagues in stations and trains who refuse to work on safety grounds. The article says: "With very limited guidance being provided for controllers and...

USA: the partisan pandemic

01 Jun 2020 |

Barrie Hardy

The Covid-19 death toll across the USA is now into six figures. Major cities are in flames in protest against the casual killing of black men by police officers and white racist vigilantes.

Don't leave Night Tube workers in the dark

31 May 2020 | Tubeworker

London Underground has told a meeting of the Trains Functional Council, the negotiating body for drivers, comprised of senior bosses plus reps from Aslef and RMT, that it plans to mothball Night Tube, which has been suspended for months, until March 2021. There's every reason to continue the...

Tubeworker — 27/05/2020: Stand Firm Against Threatened Cuts

28 May 2020 |

Tubeworker

The latest edition of Tubeworker , a socialist industrial bulletin for London Underground workers, by London Underground workers. Click here to download the PDF.

Video: Crime and policing

27 May 2020

"Crime and policing" is the intro by a Workers' Liberty activist in the second of a five-part series of meetings "The state, crime, prisons and the police". Upcoming meetings in this series and beyond can be found here . Part one here . Video: */ See Workers' Liberty's channel for other videos and...

What is the state? An intro by Matt Cooper

Video: What is the state?

27 May 2020 |

Matt Cooper

"What is the state?" an introduction by Matt Cooper. This is part of "The ABCs of Marxism" series of meetings, and also the first in "The state, crime, prisons and the police" series of meetings ( part two in the latter series here ). Upcoming meetings in both series and beyond can be found here ....

Videos: Socialist commentary on the Covid-19 crisis

27 May 2020

Watch videos giving socialist commentary on the Covid-19 crisis below. Many are subtitled. Click in the top right of the video, for the contents of the playlist, and to watch other ones. See Workers' Liberty's channel for other playlists and videos. */ See upcoming meetings here . Many of the videos...

Migrant labour, racism and class struggle in Singapore

27 May 2020 |

Sara Lee

With migrant workers making up the vast majority of recent Covid-19 cases in Singapore, there are renewed calls for the government to reduce Singapore's dependence on migrant labour. On the surface, this appears to be a progressive proposal, given that it is being made in response to the cramped and...

Make the schools safe!

26 May 2020 |

Editorial

The government’s aspiration to partially open schools on 1 June is likely to be largely unrealised. While we all want children back in schools, as soon as safe enough, that is good. Success in resisting unsafe reopening is dependent on union strength on the ground. We must fight for rank-and-file...

Push Johnson backwards

26 May 2020 |

Ben Tausz

The Conservatives’ Immigration Bill passed its second reading in parliament on 18 May. It will proceed to committee scrutiny, expected to run until 25 June. The Bill would end free movement with the EU and write a blank cheque for the Home Secretary, who will be able to create a new immigration...

Labour: restore accountability

26 May 2020 |

Sacha Ismail

Labour’s National Executive Committee has agreed to cancel the party’s annual conference, which was scheduled to take place in September. Labour NEC member Alice Perry says that “a policy conference can take place online instead”, but with no details of what this means. The mainstream media has...

Fight coming council cuts

26 May 2020

Without an urgent cash injection, sweeping cuts of 20% could be seen in local authorities right across England. So the Local Government Association has reported. In real terms, the net funding shortfall from the pandemic emergency is estimated at £10 billion. Labour-held Stevenage Borough Council...

Cancel rent!

26 May 2020

A new group, Labour Tenants United, is supporting calls for rent cancellation already made by groups like the London Renters’ Union and the New Economics Foundation. The government has legislated for a “holiday” on mortgage payments during the emergency, and looks likely to extend it. • For more on...

Call for action on social care

26 May 2020 |

Mohan Sen

Late May has seen significant developments in the fight around social care. After months of refusing to even address the issue of sick pay and isolation pay for care workers, the Tories have announced a £600m “infection control fund”. Guidance for the fund states that part of its purpose is to...