Justice for Grenfell - event in Preston 14 June

March For A New Deal For Working People

Liverpool May Day 2018

Manchester May Day 2018

Guest Speaker: John McDonnell MP - see comment below.

Salford May Day 2018

Unite Against Fascism - oppose the EDL in Rochdale

This Saturday - 29 July

Meet at 12.30 pm on Saturday at Yorkshire Street near Poundworld, Rochdale OL16 1JW.

A week after the fascists of Britain First demonstrated in Rochdale, another group of Nazis - the EDL - will be making an incursion into the town this Saturday, 29th July.

Unite Against Fascism, trades unionists and others will be protesting for the second week running, to send a clear message to the EDL that they are not welcome in Rochdale.

The EDL is a fascist organisation. Their founder, who goes under the alias 'Tommy Robinson', was a member of the British National Party. Other leading EDL figures have also been members of the BNP.

Join us on Saturday 29 July at 12.30 pm in Rochdale town centre to show for the second time in a week that fascists are not welcome in Rochdale.

For more details, please contact northwest@uaf.org.uk.

Driving trains is so easy 'a woman could do it'

Pauline Cawood (left) with Ruth Kelly in
2008 (picture from ASLEF website)

During a government discussion about train strikes, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond asked why there aren't more women train drivers, seeing that the job is so simple that "even they can do it". Apparently even the prime minister took him to task over the comments.

Pauline Cawood, an ASLEF official who has been a train driver since 1998, said it was an "old-fashioned, sexist comment. He ought to be ashamed of himself. Women are just as capable as men at driving trains."

In 2008 Ruth Kelly, at the time Transport Secretary, accepted an offer by Pauline to ride in her cab to learn about trains first hand. Afterwards she commented: "I really enjoyed it. I was struck by the level of training involved and the concentration required."

Labour MP Jess Phillips said: "Philip Hammond has disgraced himself with this remark, as well as managing to insult half the country's population," adding later on Twitter: "People will say it's nothing, just a joke. Women were entirely missing from his industrial strategy & his budgets make poor women poorer. The two things are connected. It's not a joke when a women's worth and value changes our economics."

It is interesting that at a time when the RMT is campaigning for passenger safety, a senior Tory can happily indulge in cheap, sexist jibes to try to belittle the skills and professional abilities of people who routinely take responsibility for the lives and safety of hundreds of people.

The RMT is lobbying Merseytravel at Mann Island Pier Head on Monday 17 July over driver only trains. Assemble at 12.30pm. Send a message to Labour councillors that their first responsibility is to support the trade union and public demand for safety before profit. More details here.

News just received: RMT's meeting with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram over the Merseyrail guards' dispute, which was due to take place Monday 17 July, has been rescheduled for Monday 24 July‎. The lobby is also postponed, new details will published when known.

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Hammond's sole professional experience of transport was 17 months as Secretary of State for Transport under David Cameron. He is not known ever to have driven a train bigger than a Hornby Dublo.

Neville Grundy
ARMS

Oppose Driver-Only Trains, Tory/Council Cuts and sign RMT petition

TUSC (Trade Union & Socialist Coalition) news release:

Support the RMT's call to lobby Merseytravel at Mann Island on Monday 17 July at 1pm, gather at 12.30 p.m.

Late news (added 16.7.17): RMT's meeting with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram over the Merseyrail guards' dispute, which was due to take place Monday 17 July, has been rescheduled for Monday 24 July‎. The lobby is also postponed, new details will published when known.

The general election result reflected a popular surge in support for Jeremy Corbyn's anti-austerity alternative. It has sent out the clearest possible message that the British people have rejected the Tory programme of cuts, austerity, privatisation and division and there is no mandate for diluting safety on our transport services by imposing driver-only trains.

Labour's city region mayor and Labour Councillors on Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee should immediately lift the threat to guards on Merseyrail trains and stand firm in the face of any opposition they may incur from the Department of Transport.

TUSC decided not to stand candidates in the general election and to campaign for a Jeremy Corbyn-led government, but the Blairites have not gone away. They are preparing to mount another attack on JC and his supporters; they are especially strong amongst Labour councillors who continue to implement cuts.

TUSC will campaign for the Tories to be forced out of government before the next set of local elections in May 2018, and for Labour councils to stop implementing cuts even if the Tories are clinging on. TUSC calls on Labour Party members to deselect any Labour councillor who intend to continue making cuts, and to replace them with candidates willing to defend local public services.

P.S. Please sign the RMT letter to lobby your local MP about driver-only operation trains - link here.

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For further information contact: 

Daren Ireland on 07787128498 ~ Dave Walsh on 07969511796 ~ Tony Mulhearn on 07939098455

Unite Against Fascism on Merseyside

Provocatively - given the long and proud history of anti-fascism on Merseyside, especially recently - the EDL have announced that they are coming to Liverpool on 3 June.

This counter-demonstration is being supported by Liverpool city councillors, and the following unions: CWU, FBU, GMT, NUT, PCS, Unison and Unite. Other individuals, groups and organisations have also expressed support, including Michelle Hayward, Chair, Merseyside Jewish Representative Council, Steve Rotheram new Mayor of Liverpool City Region; Theresa Griffin MEP; George Howarth MP; and Howard Gayle. This list is very incomplete, and will become more so as more people sign up.

PCS has a long proud record of anti-racism

Events in the North West around May Day

North East Lancashire May Day event

Assemble at the Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley, at 11:30am on Monday 1st May for a march through the town to a rally in Towneley Park.

The Manchester May Day Festival

We're live on Eventbrite now for two great evenings of entertainment at the Manchester Mechanics Institute. Tickets are free or donation for unwaged and £5 for waged. Booking is essential as places are limited.

On Saturday 29th April from 19.30 we've got our music night. We start straight after the May Day rally so make sure you stick around.

09.30 Tony Harper - Tony is a local singer songwriter with an Americana/ Folk feel focussing on contemporary and traditional songs of resistance.

20.00 Claire Mooney - A favourite of the Manchester May Day Festival and sponsored by the Musician's Union, Claire’s music is defined by her passion and her politics. She writes of protest, peace, justice, love and life in an enthralling blend of passionate, playful and political songs.
21.00 Quiet Loner – Songwriter in residence at the People's History Museum Matt Hill is an understated yet powerful solo performer delivering a live show that is emotional, political, occasionally angry but nearly always gentle and human

22.00 Honeyfeet Duo - Ríoghnach Connolly & Ellis Davies – We are very pleased to announce that Honeyfeet Duo are joining us at the Manchester May Day Festival this year. Ríoghnach Connolly is a force of nature, a singer of great versatility and soul. Her style is her own, and you can hear this as she wraps her vocal chords around a jazz take on a folk tune, or when leading an electro-hip-hop group onstage. Here, she'll be joined by Ellis Davies, as they sing the music of Honeyfeet in a stripped back format, along with the traditional Irish music and sean nós with which she grew up.

Book your tickets here now!

On Sunday 30th April from 19.00, we've got an evening of comedy, poetry and fun and we're pleased to announce a great line-up.

19.00 Annette Fagan. If you saw her at Unison's Mental Health and Community Branch celebration, you'll want to see her again. If you missed her make sure you see her this time! Annette will present a unique celebration of African-Caribbean Comedy at this years festival in a bold and innovative way using both theatre-style shows and street theatre

20.00 Gerry Potter. Manchester based Poet, director, actor, author of the hit play Miracle, and both creator and destroyer of the infamous gingham diva, Chloe Poems. A favourite son of both Manchester and his home town Liverpool, he has a reputation for putting his Scouse voice on the line and is strong on poetry and strong on the causes of poetryism.

20.30 Keri Leigh. Also based in Manchester, Kerry Leigh is FUNNY. She writes all her own comedy material and does all her own washing. She has hosted Laughing Cows Comedy since 2004 through several pregnancies, one marriage, and two anaphylactic shocks.

Get your tickets here. Our line up isn’t complete yet: see our Facebook page here for more info.

Annette Wright
Organiser, Manchester TUC
07773790782

International Workers Memorial Day, Liverpool

The Bob Tressell Festival - Friday 28th April 2017.

This year our commemoration will take place at 11:30am on the South Piazza of Georges Dock Building, Pier Head, Liverpool L3 1DD (corner of Mann Island and the Strand).

Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their employees' safety just wasn't that important a priority. International Workers' Memorial Day (IWMD) commemorates these workers. Speakers to include representatives from local Trade Unions, LTUC and Asbestos Campaigners.

For more information, please contact Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group, 0151 236 1895.

Festival details here.

Salford May Day 2017

150 years of unity in the community. Parade from 1pm to 3pm.

May Day is a day where Communities come together to celebrate their diversity all around the world. Here in Salford, the role for organising May Day has been traditionally done by Salford Trades Union Council (est. 1866) and this year we want to spread the message of Unity in the Community.

We'd like to invite all community groups to join us on the annual May Day parade on Monday 1st May. Please bring banners and flags to make it as colourful as possible.

Guest Speakers Bishop of Manchester; Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett; Rebecca Long Bailey MP and Republic of Swing samba band leading the parade.

Assemble: 1pm at The Sacred Trinity Church, Chapel Street, M3 5BZ.

End rally: Bexley Square, Chapel Street, 2.30pm.

Corbyn providing an inspiration

To paraphrase a well-known old class fighter: ‘Let the ruling class and their Labour shadows in parliament tremble at the developing movement which will recreate a new mass party of the working class. We have nothing to lose but a fossilised right wing bureaucracy which has stripped working people of political representation for the last thirty years. All forces on the left are uniting to ensure the success of Jeremy Corbyn.’

St George’s plateau [in Liverpool] the scene of magnificent demos in 1911, 1926, 1983-87, last night witnessed the re-emergence of the spirit of workers who, given leadership, displayed magnificent energy in their quest for a just socialist society and see Corbyn as the leader that can achieve that objective. The ban on CLPs meeting should be lifted and the re-selection procedures be started immediately.

Tony Mulhearn

ARMS NW committee

ARMS North West banner

Our brand new ARMS NW banner on its first ever outing 

on the May Day march and rally in Liverpool.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.