Editorial May 2023, No. 403

THE LATEST inflation figure of 10.1% surprised many economists. It won’t have surprised many workers —except that it wasn’t higher. The Mirror reported on the day of the announcement, ‘Struggling households are now faced with shocking food prices, with cheese 49% more expensive than a year ago, eggs up 28%, sugar 33% and a white […]

By Rebecca Anderson UNLIKE OTHER public sector workers, the government’s 2022/23 pay offer to civil servants has not been improved by the wave of industrial action. Despite double-digit inflation, the government has refused to negotiate anything above the 2–3% pay rise that has already been imposed, not even offering the derisory one-off payments recently rejected […]

By Jeremy Dewar STRIKES—ESPECIALLY a prolonged strike wave like the present—draw huge number of trade union members into activity, and expand the numbers of activists building for the action. There’s lots to do: organising workplace meetings to get out the message and identify new activists, phoning up members to check postal addresses and win the […]

AS WE go to press NHS managers and Health Minster Steve Barclay are dragging the largest NHS union, the Royal College of Nursing, before the High Court in a bid by to block nurses’ strike action due to start on the May Day weekend. They claimed that the strike mandate would be invalid from midnight […]

The manoeuvrings of the great powers will shape the prospects for peace

The outbreka of fighting has shattered illusions in the military-led 'democratic transition'

The GFA promised much but delivered little—except a breathing space for British imperialism

WHEN THE CWU postal union finally released the text of its deal with Royal Mail after months of negotiations, it immediately became clear union leaders had conceded to most of Royal Mail’s demands. The members’ response was overwhelmingly negative. Even as the union’s media team was uploading video after video trying to spin the deal […]

By Alex Rutherford and Rose Tedeschi THE RECENT Climate Change Committee (CCC) report to Parliament, demonstrates the UK’s abject failure to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change. This is the third report of its type. Each one is essentially a ‘five year plan’ for adaptation to climate change. Sadly, even its limited […]