Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
Latest editorial
‘We’ve reached a turning point – it is time for unions to win and build’
CWU leader DAVE WARD speaks to Ben Chacko about turning a summer of discontent into a new settlement for Britain
CHALLENGES AHEAD: Dave Ward
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
A STRIKE wave is hitting Britain — and the Communications Workers Union is at the heart of it.
Overwhelming votes for action at BT and its subsidiary Openreach were posted last month. Workers at another BT Group company, EE, also voted to strike but the union was just eight votes short of the participation threshold. It’s now balloting for action at Royal Mail.
“These companies need to recognise that they are losing the support of the workers in a big way by prioritising shareholder value over the needs of their workers,” CWU general secretary Dave Ward says.
Similar stories
CWU leader DAVE WARD tells Ben Chacko a strategy to unite workers on class lines is needed – and sectoral collective bargaining must be at its heart
MATT WRACK issues a clarion call for a rejuvenation of public services for the sake of our communities and our young people
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
Incoming Usdaw general secretary JOANNE THOMAS talks to Ben Chacko about workers’ rights, Labour and how to arrest the decline of the high street