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Industrial News - North
 Socialist Party campaign wins victory for Polish workers
A Fermanagh Socialist Party member

The Socialist Party has scored a victory in securing the rights of Polish workers who had been employed at the GT Exhausts factory. We were approached by some of these workers who told us that their wages had been cut to less than £4 per hour.

When we exposed this issue, the company were forced into a U-turn but there were still outstanding issues of back money owed to workers.

In December the party organised a protest at the factory gates in support of one of the Polish workers Franciszek Genzel.

He had given notice at GT Exhausts and was adamant he was due holiday pay, wages and rent that had been deducted from his wages. As with many migrant workers, accommodation at inflated rent seems to be part of the job offers they receive.

Socialist Party members

Local trade unionists joined Socialist Party members for the lunchtime protest at the firm who are renowned across Fermanagh for their treatment of workers.

We were actually joined by the PSNI at one point – called in by the nervous management – but they only confirmed our right to protest and moved on.

The action got great coverage in the local press – the lead story in one of the local papers and a main story in the other main paper. Following a request to communicate with an Employment Labour Advisory Service in Manchester of all places, we entered into correspondence and Franciszek received £670 soon after. The local Socialist Party members are convinced he is due more but this will do in the interim - a good example of prompt direct action getting a result.

Probably the most remarkable effect has been the interest garnered by this protest. A public meeting soon after heard testimony from former workers of poor working conditions for many years in the factory.

Workers continue to approach Socialist Party members with their own experiences of life at GT Exhausts. Most don’t stay long in a factory that was de-unionised years ago after a bitter strike. One worker even related how he was told by the local Dole office it’s the only factory in Northern Ireland that you can refuse to work in and you won’t lose your benefits. The reputation of GT is well known!
Industrial News - North
 Fire Service 'rocked' by cuts campaign!
Jim Barbour, FBU Executive member

Fire Brigades Union members across Northern Ireland have reacted vociferously to proposals from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, under its Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2007/08, to slash 12 fire appliances in twelve medium sized towns in Northern Ireland.

Activists have embarked on a high intensity campaign aimed at raising community and political awareness of the consequences of the proposed cuts.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board have been rocked by the weight and scale of the opposition generated by the campaign. It would appear that senior NIFRS managers, assuming that the FBU would not have the stomach for a fight on the proposed cuts, believed that they could make the uncosted cuts without resistance. They now are cowering behind spurious arguments such as climate change, for initiating cuts that will inevitably result in reduced community and firefighter safety.

The proposal is to “review the usage” of the second fire engine from fire stations at Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Castlederg, Clougher, Holywood, Kilkeel, Lisnaskea, Maghera, Newtownhamilion, Rathfriland, Ballyclare and Portstewart. In addition it is intended to review the location of fire stations and resources across the Belfast area.

The danger posed by the cuts is that if the fire engines are removed or replaced by “specialist fire appliances”, it will no longer be possible to have the two fire engines necessary to deal with a dwelling fire in attendance within the time limits stipulated to ensure safe and efficient firefighting operations, thereby maximising the chances of saving the lives of persons trapped by fire.

NIFRS management are now claiming that the Integrated Risk Management Plan consultation is no more than a “consultation about a consultation”. FBU activists will remain sceptical of the proposals and will continue to oppose any moves that will reduce the level of community or firefighter safety.

The citizens of Northern Ireland should take note of this consultation as the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service management have been rumbled whilst attempting to make cuts by stealth. The consultation period will run until 31 January 2007, after which the NIFRS Board will come to a decision on the proposals. Support at any of the 12 locations listed above would be very welcome.
Industrial News - North
 Visteon - Industrial action forces concession on pay parity
Peter Hadden

Workers at Visteon have won an important victory in their battle to stay on Ford contracts. The company, which was spun off from Ford, has been trying to break an agreement that Visteon conditions would mirror those of Ford.

Fifteen months ago they gave an ultimatum that workers would have to accept a pay freeze, a loss of holidays and other cuts in conditions or else face the prospect of closure.

The workers in the five Visteon UK plants, including Belfast, refused to be intimidated by these threats. In a ballot, 99% rejected the company proposals. A campaign of industrial action was begun with a ban on overtime which was solid in all plants.

Now Visteon have partially backed off and conceded the 4.25% pay rise that other Ford workers have got.

Workers in the Belfast Visteon plant and members of the AMICUS trade union told The Socialist: “This is an important concession but the battle is not over. There is still an outstanding issue of pensions where increases in contributions and other changes proposed by Visteon would mean a break with Ford conditions.

“We have forced them back on pay because of solidarity at plant level – not because of the role of our national union officials in England who were no help – and we can do the same on pensions.
“The closure threat is still there so the long running battle to save jobs and decent wages and conditions at Visteon is set to continue.”
Industrial News - North
 College lecturers prepare to escalate action
The Socialist

Further education colleges could be closed by strike action again at the end of January if there is no movement on their longstanding claim for pay parity with teachers.

So far there have been five days of strike action called by the University and College Union (formerly NATFHE). A work to rule and “withdrawal of goodwill” is also ongoing in all 16 Further Education colleges in Northern Ireland.

The action has had an impact. The college employers have accepted the case for pay parity, with backdating to 1 September 2005. What is standing in the way of a settlement is the refusal, so far, of the government to implement this outline agreement.

The union is meeting with Peter Hain in January to demand that the government gives way. If the government refuses to implement the agreement, there will be little option but to go ahead with a two day strike as part of an escalating programme of further action.

So long as the lecturers continue to stand firm, this dispute can end in an important victory.
Industrial News - North
 NIPSA elections - Vote Time for Change
The Socialist

Elections for the General Council (Executive) of NIPSA are taking place this month. The following members of the Socialist Party are running in the election as part of a broader Time For Change slate.

Brian Booth, Paul Dale, Carmel Gates, Tanya Killen, Kevin Lawrenson, Billy Lynn, Padraig Mulholland. Time For Change is campaigning to transform NIPSA into a fighting democratic union. We urge NIPSA members to vote for these and all other Time for Change candidates.