This newsletter should really have been April’s, if you know what we mean. Unfortunately like many anarchist groups the network runs on a shoe string (two people, the work’s PC and photocopier and donations). Quite simply the two of us who put together the web site and newsletter have been a bit overwhelmed recently which is one reason for the lateness of the newsletter. Fret not though normal service has been resumed!

So what are we planning? Well:

• Anarchists in Unison are now linking up. If you want to get involved contact Bill via the network address.[email protected]
• We are trying to organise a visible anarchist presence at this year’s Tolpuddle Martyrs rally. For the TUC leaflet giving details of the event click here There's also some info on the Tolpuddle museum webpage If you can go (particularly on Saturday) please do.
• We will have a stand and organise a meeting again at October’s Book fair. This will give subscribers a chance to feed back views and suggest ways the network can develop.

This is from Ronnie, network subscriber and CWU member:

I was interested to read Martin's suggestion (in last issue's piece on Unison's general secretary election eventually won by full timer Dave Prentis) that the political levy be used to fight privatisation and I hope that both the rank and file and leadership of Unison take up his suggestion. As for my own union, the Communication Workers Union, we successfully fought off privatisation under the Tories and were supported by Labour at the time. However once in government Labour privatised the catering arm of Royal Mail with hardly a word of protest from the CWU leadership. No one really thinks that we will see out a second Blair term of office without being privatised. In my delivery office we had ten members of the Labour Party before the 1997 election and one member now. Almost half the staff have opted out of paying the political levy and members are at last beginning to realise that no government will represent the interests of the working class. Whatever happened to that general secretary who led the campaign against privatisation in 1994? He is now a Labour MP in a safe seat in Hull and now supports privatisation of the postal services.

Cases like Simon Jones highlight how lightly employers take their health and safety responsibilities. The average fine employers received for breaching health and safety law was just £3,442 last year. Less than 2,000 employers were prosecuted even though trade unions alone pursued 125,000 cases of personal injury. Even when companies are prosecuted they can still get away scott free. The government has written off debts worth £1million on two Swedish companies for safety lapses at Ramsgate in Kent that led to the death of six people when a ferry walk way collapsed. £500,000 is still owed by Geoconsult, an Austrian firm, following the collapse of a tunnel under Heathrow airport in 1994. It is a shame the government doesn't pursue employers with the same vigour it does people on benefit or so-called aggressive beggars.

• Simon Jones Memorial Campaign: PO Box 26000 Brighton, BN2 2DX

• The second week of May saw the start of four separate inquiries in London into the deaths of construction workers. The Construction Safety Campaign (020 7358 03222) is planning protests.

Did you know that Britain now has more managers than the US or any other European country? No neither did we but it’s true. Actually this might just explain another interesting statistic we’ve come across. Apparently British workers are the most pissed off in Europe. British workers don’t like the way their work is organised, how satisfying and secure it is or the level of efficiency in their workplace. They rate the quality of management less favourably than any other European workers. Wonder if there is a link here?

This side of the revolution we might as well use the law to our advantage where ever possible. Recent employment legislation has set down some basic rights for working time. Pathetic as they are they do at least represent a minimum bosses must follow – if yours doesn’t contact your union.

• Four weeks paid holiday
• A break when the working day is more than six hours (4.5 hours if under 18)
• A rest period of 11 hours every working day (12 hours if under 18)
• A rest period of 24 hours once every seven days (48 hours if under 18)
• A ceiling of 48 hours on the maximum average week.
• A ceiling of 48 an average eight hours night work in every 24.
• Free health assessment for all night workers

Unions also now have the right to recognition for collective bargaining as long as enough workers support it in a ballot.

For years now it has been illegal to pay women less than men, but on average women earn just 81 pence for every £1 a man does. Women in non unionised workplaces fare even worse earning just 67% of what men do. The lesson of this ?(other than that discrimination is sadly alive and well) - it is only through local organisation and bargaining that real improvements can be made for working people.

Talking of discrimination what do you think would happen if a worker was found guilty of sexually harassing a female member of staff ? Well we don’t think that you’d expect them to receive a £600,000 pay off, full benefits, bonus and a pension, but this is what happened to Jim Hodkinson ex-chair’man’ of retailers New Look after he groped one of his employees. We’re sure New Look’s 8,000 women employees, who we suspect may earn somewhat less than £600,000, would have liked to see him treated somewhat differently!