Members of BECTU and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have voted by more than 90% in favour of strike action to defend their pensions. Management have been attempting to push the retirement age from 60 to 65, increase the contributions to pensions from 4% to 7%, pensions increments to be limited to 2.5% or the Consumer Price Index, and scrap the final salary pension element. The announcement of strike dates on 5 and 6 October forced management to table a slightly improved offer. Unfortunately, BECTU and Unite have accepted this revised attack on pensions, but NUJ have rejected it. BBC director general Mark Thompson who last year was paid £834,000 has written to workers urging people to cross the picket lines – activists on the ground across all the unions in the BBC should ensure Thompson does not get his way.
Following approaches from friends and family of Mr Brendan Lillis, a prisoner in Maghaberry prison, who is close to death, Socialist Party MEP for Dublin, Paul Murphy, is appealing to Northern Ireland Justice Minister, Mr David Ford, to intervene with a view to allowing Mr Lillis to spend his last weeks at home on humanitarian grounds.
Young people have had enough of the Tories, Lib Dems and all the other right-wing parties who are lining up to carry out cuts, increase university tuition fees and cut the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Tens of thousands of young people across Ireland and Britain have taken to the streets to fight cuts while greedy bankers continue to receive millions in bonuses.
Austerity programmes across EU provoke mass struggles and general strikes