Tuesday 19 July 2016

Reading Trades Union Council: Two Shows of Solidarity!

Supporting Unite the Union in their dispute with Capita

On 18 and 19 July, Unite members staged further strike action against Capita in their dispute over pay. In Reading, the dispute centred on Capita’s Reading Bridge House office, though this was part of a national action involving members in Bournemouth, Bristol, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Stirling. As with the earlier strike of 16 June, Reading Trades Union Council delegates fraternised with the strikers – some of whom are delegates to RTUC themselves – and took photos of the picket line.
Below are a selection of photographs showing Unite members from the RTUC in their dispute.
 

Graeme Hoskin (4th left), Sarah Hacker (5th left)
and Jan Bastable (6th left) of RTUC & Unite
 
Graeme Hoskin and Jan Bastable of RTUC & Unite
 
Jan Bastable and Graeme Hoskin of RTUC & Unite
 
Sarah Hacker (left) of RTUC & Unite
 
Sarah Hacker (foreground) of RTUC & Unite


Joining the anti-cuts rally outside Reading Civic Offices

On 18 July 2016 RTUC joined Unison, RMT and other unions in protesting Reading Borough Council’s cuts to services in its budget. The Council’s Policy Committee has agreed £19.84 million in cuts to help bridge a £36.7 million deficit in Council spending. The Conservative Government’s funding allocation to local authorities is starving councils of money for essential services and the trade union movement assembled at the Civic Offices to say – ‘Enough is Enough!’ Cllr Jo Lovelock, Reading Borough Council Leader, said she would be writing to Prime Minister Theresa May to point out the devastating affects spending cuts are having on services.
Billie Reynolds, Branch Secretary for Unison, and Chris Reilly, RTUC Vice-President and RMT Branch Secretary, joined the protest on behalf of the Reading Trades Union Council. The protest was covered by GetReading on 19 July here: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-council-leader-write-prime-11633620#ICID=sharebar_facebook.

Billie Reynolds (8th left) of RTUC and Unison and Chris Reilly (right)
of RTUC and RMT [Photo courtesy of Lynda Bowyer Photography]
Reading Chronicle, 21 July 2016, p. 4.