Wales

Civil servants back industrial action over pay

A prolonged programme of industrial action, hitting civil and public services across the UK moved a step closer today, as PCS members backed strike action in a dispute over the government's 2% public sector pay cap.

80% of those balloted supported action short of strike, and 54% of those taking part in the ballot backed union plans for industrial action, which includes national civil service wide strikes, targeted strike action and overtime bans.

Local government pay: unions cave in

Following a sham "consultation" exercise UNISON negotiators, backed by Unite and the GMB, have called in government arbitrators ACAS to make a binding agreement which members will be unable to vote on.

Following one of the UK's biggest strikes in years, when half a million council workers walked out for two days against a sub inflationary 2.45% pay offer, unions have blocked further action.

Scottish councils back on strike alone

Local authority staff in Scotland are set to return to picket lines for another day after the employers refused to up their pay offer.

The strike will take place across Scotland on Wednesday 24 September. The move follows the earlier action on 20 August, which came after 150,000 members rejected an offer of 2.5%.

Youth workers say no to pay cuts

Youth and community workers for local councils have rejected the employers offer of a below inflation pay "rise" of 2.45%.

The offer is for employees on JNC pay and conditions, which includes workers in youth clubs and Connexions advisers, and was rejected by both UNISON and the youth workers' branch of Unite, the CYWU.

UNISON has launched a campaign for fair pay for youth and community workers, while the CYWU is to ballot its members for industrial action, asking:

Half a million council workers strike

Local government workers across England, Northern Ireland and Wales struck for two days alongside civil servants against sub inflationary pay rises.

More than 500,000 workers were on strike on July 16 and 17, bringing disruption to schools, town halls, refuse collections and libraries throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"This has been a fantastic response from our members," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis. "Local government workers have shown their anger and resentment towards this pay offer.

Cardiff landfill site workers walkout

Rubbish lorries were unable to dump their waste at Cardiff’s biggest tip this morning, following a walkout by workers.

The lorries were turning up at the site at Lamby Way only to find the weigh bridge blocked by workers. The workers took the action in support of two members of staff who had been disciplined. One of the men has now been moved to another job by management, amounting to a demotion, and it is this move which sparked the walk out.

Wales: Paramedics in unofficial overtime ban

Ambulance crews covering south east Wales are refusing to work any overtime for four weeks to highlight staff shortages in the service.

The BBC reported that paramedics say they are worried that patient safety is being compromised because the service is dependant on their willingness to work extra hours.

It is understood hundreds of staff in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan will take part in the unofficial action.

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said it was trying to address concerns.

300-strong wildcat in Milford Haven ends

300 workers walked out in support of Omar Mohamed (pictured)

Workers at South Hook LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) have gone back to work following a 26-hour stoppage in support of a colleague who claims to have suffered from racial abuse on site.

The Western Telegraph reports:

Three hundred men working for Shaw stopped working at 10 am on Thursday, and marched on the offices of main contractors Chicago Bridge and Iron. The men came out in support of fellow worker, Omar Mohamed, who alleges that he has suffered racial harassment from workers from another company sub contracting to CB&I.

1831: Merthyr Tydfil uprising

In 1831, Merthyr Tydfil, iron workers struck against redundancies, rising prices and bailiffs, leading to several thousand workers involved in riots that led to bloody suppression by troops and mass arrests.

Two articles on the riots are included, by local historian Bob Saunders, and an excerpt from the Newgate Calendar:

THE MERTHYR RISING 1831
Bob Saunders
BACKGROUND

John, Augustus, 1878-1961

Augustus John on the cover of Time magazine, 1928 - from time.com

A biography of British artist and Bohemian Augustus John, with particular focus on his connection with the anarchist movement.

Augustus John and the Anarchists
Augustus John has often been cited as one of a few from the British artistic and intellectual milieu to have identified themselves with the anarchist movement. But Augustus John’s relationship with that movement was as ambivalent as his own life.