'Assaults on women must be tackled'

Louise Nousratpour
Friday September 14, 2007
The Morning Star

THE TUC Congress called for a coherent national strategy across government departments to tackle violence against women on Thursday.

Congress condemned the government for avoiding its UN obligation to develop a national policy at a time when two women a week are being murdered by a past or present partner.

Britain has also become the destination for trafficked women, who often suffer sexual and other violence and forced into prostitution.

Delegates celebrated the trade union movement's recent successes through workplace policies that address violence against women, but they stressed that more was needed.

Finance union Accord delegate Tom Harrison argued that further action could be taken through workplace bargaining as well as by mobilising international solidarity to tackle trafficking.

PCS delegate Rachel Edwards demanded improvement on the "woefully inadequate" funding resources for government equality offices.

She condemned planned job cuts in public services and so-called back-office staff, who she said were the very people responsible for developing strategies to address the problem.

Congress noted that a coalition launched last year between the TUC, Amnesty International UK and End Violence Against Women had raised awareness about so-called honour killings.

An estimated 13 women a year are slain in Britain for refusing arranged marriages, having relations outside wedlock or even for being raped.

The latest case involved Kurdish woman Banaz Mahmod, whose mutilated body was found in a suitcase buried in a garden in Birmingham last year.

Her father and uncle were convicted of murder in June after vigorous campaigning by the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation and Amnesty.

Musicians Union delegate Barbara White condemned the "patriarchal" act, adding: "Violence in the name of culture must not be tolerated. Murder in the name of honour must be punished."

According to Home Office figures, domestic violence accounts for 16 per cent of all violent crime in England and Wales and has more repeat victims than any other crime.

On average, there will be 35 assaults before a victim calls the police.

It claims the lives of two women a week and 30 men a year and will affect one in four women and one in six men in their lifetime.

TUC weighs in to prison pay fight

Louise Nousratpour
Friday September 14, 2007
The Morning Star

THE TUC Congress expressed its “disgust and dismay” at the government’s treatment of prison officers yesterday after 20,000 of them walked out last month in anger over unfair pay and conditions.

Congress heard that prison officers faced court action and were threatened with jail and huge fines if they took further action over pay.

Prison Officers Association president Colin Moses, who has been in the Prison Service for over 22 years, said: “I’ve been threatened with imprisonment more than twice in the last two years.

“And, last week, we were told that we would face fines of up to £500,000 if they take us to court.”

He argued that the threats of imprisonment were a “conspiracy to get the our executives sacked and destroy our union.”

He explained that any member who spent even one hour in a cell would get the sack, as the law requires prison officers to have no criminal record.

Mr Moses went on to thank Congress’s united support for POA members’ struggle for fair pay and full trade union rights, which were stolen from them by the Tories in 1993.

GMB delegate Andy Worth slammed ministers for refusing to pay prison officers properly.

“It costs just £3 million to implement the pay review body’s recommendation of a 2.5 per cent increase,” he pointed out.

“If just one private equity boss was taxed in the same way as prison officers are, it would pay for the wage increases in full.”

Congress unanimously agreed to press the government to recognise the POA as a free and independent trade union and to demand that the 2.5 per cent recommendation be implemented for all public-sector workers.

Civil servants, health workers, school staff and council employees could stage simultaneous strike action this year unless the government scraps plans to impose a 2 per cent pay cap.

On Tuesday, Congress overwhelmingly backed calls for coordinated action, including industrial action, to defend public-sector workers’ pay.

And POA leader Brian Caton warned on Wednesday that prison officers were ready to strike again if the government continued to ignore their demands.

Mr Caton said he could not understand why a Labour government was refusing to give the POA the right to take legitimate strike action.

“We are not saying we want to go on strike, but we want the right to do that if we are being abused.

“We want mutual understanding, respect and trust,” he told delegates.

The unions maintain that public-sector workers are the victims rather than — as the government claims — the cause of inflation.

Their position has now been backed by a report from independent pay experts IDS.

Saying no to US militarism

LOUISE NOUSRATPOUR looks at a major international initiative against US plans for new missiles in Europe.

Sunday September 2, 2007
The Morning Star

PEACE campaigners from Poland and the Czech Republic gave an inspiring account of the growing resistance to US foreign policy in eastern Europe at a CND conference in London on Saturday.

They declared solidarity with their British counterparts in an international campaign to stop plans to site US military bases in Czech Republic, Poland and Britain as part of the Pentagon's so-called National Missile Defence system.

Delegates heard that whole towns and villages in the Czech Republic were up in arms against government plans to allow a US radar base in the Trokavec village, with just 87 inhabitants.

Trokavec mayor Jan Neoral has led a strong grass-roots campaign, which has seen 85 mayors joining his Association Againt Radar.

"The government is lying to people about the dangers of radiation and playing dirty politics to win over town authorities," he told the meeting.

"Despite all this, nearly 70 per cent of the Czech population are now against the base. But the government has ignored public opinion."

The Czech Communist Party is the only party in that country opposing the US radar construction.

Ivona Novomestska of the Czech No Bases campaign noted: "This is the first time since the so-called 1989 revolution that so many people have been- politically active.

"Before, they thought anything Western was great. Today we are organising thousands-strong demonstrations against US foreign policy."

Poland's No Wars Initiative representative Filip Ilkowski said that, even in his traditionally pro-US and anti-communist country, people were questioning US conduct.

"Despite huge government and media propaganda, some 56 per cent of Poles are against US bases being sited in Poland and 80 per cent want all Polish troops withdrawn from Iraq," he reported.

CND chairwoman Kate Hudson welcomed the growing grass-roots movements in both countries as a boost to British opposition to US radar bases at Menwith Hill and Flyingdales in Yorkshire.

She said that the system was "provocative" and would enable the US to launch first-strike attacks without fear of retaliation.

"This will lead to a new cold war and ensuing arms race, which will threaten world peace," she warned.

"Britain's increasing involvement in the US military expansion will put the UK on the front line in future wars. It has already increased tensions with Russia."

The Bush administration has insisted that its missile defence is aimed at Iran, but speakers contended that it was part of a strategy to maintain the crumbling US hegemonic status in the face of emerging powers in Russia, India and China.

Campaign Iran speaker Dr Elaheh Rostami-Povey warned conference against complacency over US plans to attack Iran.

"There is talk of US President George Bush's determination to attack Iran before leaving office. The possibility of Israel attacking Iran is also very real," he warned.

Other speakers representing Sweden, Germany, Belgium and Austrialia also shared their experiences and vowed to stand up and be counted.

But there was a strong consensus about a lack of democratic process on the crucial issue of US militarisation and an arrogant disregard for public opinion by politicians.

Stop the War Coalition chairman Andrew Murray urged Britain not to "surrender to any sense of complacency because we have a new Prime Minister.

"Gordon Brown is under pressure from US to play second fiddle and we must match that pressure to force a change in foreign policy," he argued.

Barber sends election warning to Labour

Louise Nousratpour
Thursday September 6, 2007
The Morning Star

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber warned the government on Thursday that it could lose the next general election because of "real tensions" over the way that it has treated millions of public-sector workers.

Mr Barber warned that the government was "paying a political as well as an industrial price" for trying to force through "unjustified" pay limits well below inflation.

Speaking before next week's TUC conference in Brighton, he insisted that there had been a "new tone" in the government's relations with unions since Mr Brown became Prime Minister.

But Mr Barber stressed that the improved relations should not disguise the areas where there are real tensions.

He warned that millions of public-sector workers felt "real anger and resentment" over their pay this year.

"I have pressed Prime Minister Gordon Brown very strongly that his absolute rigid position on pay is neither acceptable nor economically viable," Mr Barber said.

He warned that constant reforms, coupled with below-inflation pay deals, had a "negative" impact on workers, who passed their concerns on to family and public service users.

"I hope the government reflects very carefully on the political consequences as well as the industrial consequences," said the TUC leader.

Mr Brown has cited inflation as a reason for his decision to stage a 2.5 per cent public-sector pay award recommended by independent review bodies, which reduces the value to a mere 1.9 per cent.

The measure has led to a growing desire for action among public-sector unions.

Last week, over 20,000 prison officers walked out in anger.

"We don't know anyone who thinks that cutting the take-home pay of vital workers such as nurses and prison officers will make much of an impact on inflation - especially when no action is taken on billions of pounds worth of City bonuses and boardroom excess that do feed straight into house prices," Mr Barber said.

He went on to outline the agenda for what will be his fifth conference as TUC leader.

There will be an emphasis on improving pay and conditions for migrant workers and agency staff, he revealed.

"Ministers accept that too many people at work - particularly migrant workers - face real exploitation.

"I even detect a growing recognition that agency working has become a byword for abuse."

He expressed hope that "this is the beginning of real change, with genuine opportunities for unions to be properly consulted rather than being dictated at from above."