Appledore shipyard workers end dispute

Workers at Appledore shipyard have accepted an offer from Babcock Marine management, ending the industrial action they have participated in. Among other grievances, the strike action was concerned with pay, which was £60-80 less per week than Devonport workers in the same company doing equivalent jobs.

The deal sees a 12% wage increase over two years, and the majority of other demands put forward by the unions (GMB and Unite) accepted by management.

Throughout the dispute, Babcock Marine had attempted to bully and threaten the workforce into submission, with threats of closure and downsizing. An annoucement of job cuts at the company's Devonport operation was made, and middle managers were threatened with the sack if they joined in the action. Unfortunately for Babcock, the news of their record profits had to be released at this important time also!

Despite all that the company threw at the workers, they held firm, with large numbers on picket lines and 100% of engineering staff out. Although they did not achieve parity with their Plymouth counterparts, they did achieve a significant above inflation pay increase at a time of insecurity and increasing redundancies and hours cuts. They showed that unity in action, even in the current climate, will get results, even with only a few days strike action. Both unions on site worked together, and they received the support and solidarity of their fellow workers at other shipyards, through the Confederation of Ship Building and Engineering Unions (CSEU), as well as North Devon Socialist Party.

North Devon Socialist Party branch meeting report 25th November

The main focus of the latest North Devon branch meeting was the housing crisis.

Introducing the discussion, JL noted the dramatic increase in housing repossessions, which seem to be particularly acute in North Devon. He gave background about the cause of the crisis which has resulted in soaring private sector rents and mortgages, and the decimation of social housing.

He outlined the importance of the neo-liberal measures brought in by the Tory government of 1979-1997, most notably the Right to Buy scheme, the attacks on the unions and the restructuring of the economy away from manufacturing and mining and towards financial services.

The move towards financial services and the increasing lack of social housing resulted in a house price bubble, where house prices rose to ridiculous levels. These prices are now declining due to the banks being much stricter in their lending since the so-called sub prime mortgages came to light and paralysed the financial 'industry' with fright. This, combined with rapidly increasing unemployment is resulting in the elevated repossessions. As GS noted in the discussion afterwards, the situation for people repossessed now is worse than it was 40 years ago, when there was more of a social safety net and more council housing.

It was agreed that as socialists we need to put the political arguments forward for nationalisation of the banks and construction industry under democratic workers and for a house building programme to be initiated and for repossessions to stop.

It was also agreed that practical support needed to be offered, and pressure put on the council to improve its provision of housing benefit and help for those threatened with, or victims of, repossession. A housing campaign will be established, and contact made to other organisations and interested individuals to help kick-start and build that.

In the discussion on organisational matters, a new branch programme was agreed, and the forthcoming regional conference debated. In industrial reports, DL outlined the 12% pay rise over two years the Appledore shipyard workers had achieved, and looked forward to Robbie Segal's forthcoming election campaign in the USDAW union.

Appledore strike update

Industrial action at Appledore shipyard is currently suspended pending negotiations currently taking place between the unions and Babcock Marine.

The suspension has come at the same time as an announcement by the company of record profits of £50 million in the first half of the year, up 30%! This is the same company that continues to make threats of closure and losing contracts in response to the reasonable request by Appledore workers that they earn the same as other Babcock workers in equivalent jobs. At the moment, they earn around £60-80 per week less than their counterparts at Devonport dockyard. They tried to claim that this was due to the higher cost of living in Plymouth, something easily contradicted by a worker who had previously lived in Plymouth!

In reality, they have tried to take advantage of the fact that North Devon is a low wage area. They, and the company that preceded them, have made no investment at the site, the consequence of which is that a site previously used as a model for overseas fact finders now has grass growing all over the roof. In addition to the pay insult, picketers have been unhappy about a number of issues at the site. There is widespread bullying by management (including threatening middle managers with the sack if they went on strike), and unilateral decisions taken, such as to change shifts and deploy workers to other sites. The petty attitude of management is exemplified by a previous round of negotiations, in Hatherleigh, when in response to an unofficial overtime ban, managers refused to meet with and speak to shop stewards situated in another room. The union officials had to act as messengers and go-betweens!

In response to our comments on the picket line that the workers themselves should run the shipyard, pickets gave examples of management incompetance and short-term thinking. For instance, apprentices were not allowed to go on day release to college, the skills base is kept narrow, and civilian contracts have been turned down.

It is clear that private ownership cannot develop and safeguard the future of the shipyard in Appledore. We renew our call for the nationalisation of the yard and for its placement under democratic workers control.

We also reaffirm our complete support and solidarity for this action, which has remained solid, with as many as 50 on the picket line at times. Unanimous support has also come from the Confederation of Ship Building and Engineering Unions (CSEU).

We would like to make a solidarity appeal, for support and donations to the Appledore shipyard workers. If you would to express your support or to make a donation to the strike fund, please email North Devon Socialist Party at socialistpartydevon@gmail.com and we will give you the details of how to help, and pass on your messages.

Socialism 2008 report

On Saturday, members of the Socialist Party and Socialist Students from across Devon descended on London for the Socialist Party's annual weekend of debate and discussion, Socialism 2008.

The Devon delegation attended sessions on the two days covering topics as varied as the environment, how to build a revolutionary party, racism, China, the 1978/79 Iranian revolution, how to fight the BNP, how to build in the unions and many others.

As always, the level of discussion, both from the introducing speaker and those attending sessions, was very high. There were many matters to debate, and contributions made, all in a freindly and inclusive manner.

On the Saturday night, the rally saw speakers from Britain and all over the world share their experiences and analyses of the changing world situation. The theme was that 'Marx was right', as the economic crisis -and our prediction that it would occur - clearly shows. A worker from the Ford Transit plant in Southampton explained how he and his co-workers had acted, in the face of indifference from the official union structures, to organise what has become a prominent campaign to save the plant and their jobs.

In the wake of her excellent result in the USDAW general secretary elections, Robbie Segal explained the lessons of the campaign, which found real resonance with shop workers despite the attempts of the official pro-New Labour union bureaucracy to suppress her candidacy. She will soon be standing for the Presidency of the union, and shortly we will be carrying details of how you can help the campaign to democratise the union and improve the lot of some of Britain's most exploited and bullied workers.

The recently elected Deputy Youth Mayor for Lewisham, Natalie Powell-Davies, gave us an insight into how she won the support of so many young people with clarity and passion, demonstrating that young people can be won over with a clear, campaigning, practical programme and someone who is sure to provide a strong voice for them.

There was a real international flavour to the rally also, with speakers also from Greece, Germany, Italy and China. In Greece, mass protests and militancy have led to the development of a new left force, SYRIZA. Nikos Anastasiadis, from Xekinima, our sister organisation in that country, presented an inspiring video of the struggles that have taken place before outlining the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Fang Guoli from China, outlined the critical role that genuine revolutionaries and Trotskyists have to play in China, and cautioned against despondency that we 'are in winter' as one day 'it will be spring'.

As most years, there were rousing and often amusing contributions from Peter Taaffe, general secretary of the Socialist Party, and Tony Mulhearn of the Liverpool 47, who reminded us of what a genuine workers party could achieve, with the Liverpool struggle's legacy still standing 'in bricks and mortar'.

Janice Godrich brought solidarity greetings from the International Socialists in Scotland, and outlined the effects that a socialist leadership could have in a trade union, in this case the PCS (civil servants union), of which Janice is the President. The left wing leadership of the PCS has radically democratised the union and involved rank and file members in activity and campaigning like never before in that union. As a consequence, its membership is growing and it has achieved notable successes for its members which many predicted were 'impossible'.

In a similar vein, Onay Kasab, a Socialist Party member in UNISON, related the possibilities opened up when a principled branch leadership delivers for its members. Against a backdrop of many council workers receiving quite significant wage cuts, Greenwich UNISON, which Kas is the secretary of, secured a deal which meant that not a single worker had their pay reduced, while some had substantial increases. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Kas and three other Socialist Party members are currently facing disciplinary action at the hands of the union hierarchy, on trumped up charges as part of a witchhunt against left activists in the union. To find out more and offer your support, please visit the 'Defend the Four' website, located here.

The final rally on the Sunday afternoon saw the future of political representation for working class people discussed by Cllr. Dave Nellist (of the Socialist Party, and chair of the Campaign for a New Workers' Party), comedian and author Mark Steel (formerly of the Socialist Workers Party), Kevin Ovenden (of Respect) and Hannah Sell (deputy general secretary of the Socialist Party). There was a friendly atmosphere, and consensus that the need for an alternative to the pro-capitalist policies of the three main establishment parties was needed now, more than ever.

Socialism is always a fascinating, morale boosting, informative event. This year more than ever this was transfused by a spirit of defiance and fightback, that we will not pay for the crisis the bosses and the banks have created.

4th November North Devon Branch meeting report

Members and non-members of North Devon Socialist Party gathered last night in Barnstaple, and enjoyed extensive discussions about the American elections, building the left in the US and in Britain, and future activities of North Devon Socialist Party.

JL, introducing the discussion on the American elections, noted the importance of the grassroots movements built up by Barack Obama and Ralph Nader (the independent pro-worker candidate). He reiterated the political positions and likely acts of the incoming President Obama, including making the American working class pay for the economic crisis caused by the capitalists, as well as continuing with the substance of Bush's imperialist foreign policy, albeit with a different focus and Clinton-style charm and superficial multilateralism. He emphasised the need for the movement built by Nader to continue to organise on 'November 5th and beyond' to build an independent pro-worker force, preferably moving towards forming a workers party with other elements including peace campaigner Cindy Sheehan.

Those present agreed with the characterisation of the Democrat Party as just a wing of the capitalist party in the US, the Republicans being the other wing. The mass movement backing Obama were set for disappointment, and it would be the task of the left in America to engage with those people, and patiently explain the need for a break with the Democrats.

Concerns were raised about the scale of the task facing the American left, and certainly the challenges of organising and building on a continental scale are great, but there was consensus at the meeting that there was no alternative, and the best we could do in Britain and Europe would be to offer practical and political support to our American comrades. In addition, we need to work towards establishing our own workers party in Britain, emulating and learning the lessons of the tremendous efforts in Germany and France in this respect.

There then followed industrial and student reports, in which our support for the Appledore shipyard workers was reiterated, and an update was provided on the efforts to build the Shop Stewards Network in North Devon.

Support the Appledore shipyard workers

On Friday, workers at Appledore shipyard took part in the first of six days of strike action, which will continue tomorrow and every Friday and Monday after that up until the 17th November.

Every worker involved in shipbuilding was out, reflecting the anger at their treatment by owners Babcock Marine, and the strong union presence at the yard. Babcock Marine, who also own Devonport Dockyard, pay the workers much less at Appledore, and also do not provide them with a pensions representative or workplace nurse.

Wages in North Devon are lower than the average for Devon and nationally, and it seems Babcock Marine have been taking advantage of this to exploit the Appledore workers for years. Extensive negotiations by the GMB and Unite representatives brought no significant concessions from Babcock Marine, and there has been no comment from the company on the strike action. However, Appledore workers are not known to shirk from a fight - the shipyard has been constantly threatened over the past thirty years, being nationalised by the then Industry Minister Tony Benn in the 1970s, and being taken over by the workers in 2003 when it was temporarily closed by the then owners.

Babcock Marine have threatened workers with closure in response to the strike action, even though they only ask to be paid at the same rate as their counterparts in Plymouth.

North Devon Socialist Party has expressed its support and solidarity for the industrial action, and also point out that the best way to safeguard the future of the shipyard for the workers and their families is to nationalise the yard and place it under the control of the workers. They can develop a plan of production to meet the needs of producing ships for civilian use as well as safeguard their own livelihoods, as part of a democratically planned economy locally, nationally and internationally.