Interview with two picketers on 21st June at Leytonstone station

It was a great picket at Leytonstone on the first day of the RMT strike. They welcomed us from the Waltham Forest Trade Union Council, and helped to fix up our banner, took photos and liked our All Strike Together placard.

The following is an interview with two of the picketers.

Question 1: Getting to this stage of a national strike across 13 companies has been a huge effort by RMT, and you have raised the hopes of many workers too. What do you think the union should do next?
Answer: I think we need a general strike. 100%. Every union. The whole lot.
The Tories got a clear agenda to bust the unions. No doubt about that. They don’t want to negotiate. TUC should call action.

Question 2: The Tories are threatening to introduce legislation to allow agency workers to replace strikers.… Read on ...

THE DEADLY & COSTLY STORY OF LBWF’S FAILURE TO LISTEN TO LOCAL UNION REPS WHO TRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO GET THEM TO MANAGE ASBESTOS SAFELY

Recent investigations show the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) has paid £588,120.65 in total for four separate asbestos injury compensation claims against the authority since 2011, with one outstanding claim yet to be settled and one extra but not detailed settled claim at some time in the period from 1965 – 2011. Because of the nature of the main asbestos diseases most of the claimants above will have died because of their exposure or at the very best one or two might be living with a death sentence hanging over them.

One of those compensated worked in a school and the four others were for persons working or based in council premises.

The latest settlements were for £271,523.70 on 2020/1 and £184,550.42 in 2017/8 and these were far higher than the previous settlements.… Read on ...