Derby vigil to protest against cuts to disabled people

The Derby Unemployed and Claimants group are organising a peaceful vigil to protest against  cuts to local and national benefits which will undermine the independence of disabled people and our ability to lead useful and enjoyable lives.

Please show your support by joining our protest outside Derby City Council meeting. 

Oppose the Cuts in Benefits to Disabled People

Join our Peaceful Vigil

Date: Monday 5^th March

Time: 4.00 p.m.  – 7.00 p.m.                                                      

Venue: Assembly Rooms, Market Place, Derby 

           

Accessible : Bring your friends; we will look after each other.

Organised by Derby Unemployed and Claimants Group c/o UnitetheUnion, Pride Park. Supported by Derby Area Trades Union Council, Hardest Hit Campaign, Derby Labour Party.

Coalition not off-the hook over Bombardier

Unite, Britain's biggest union, has welcomed reports that Bombardier's Derby site has been secured for three years but warns that the coalition government should not be let off the hook.

Britain's last train maker needs a significant contract for the company to have a long-term future.

The plant was under review after the Tory-led government controversially awarded a £1.6 billion order for the Thameslink route to a consortium led by Siemens.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "This is good news but it should not let the government off the hook. If the coalition had done the right thing and awarded Bombardier the Thameslink contract  the company  would have years of work, instead of being given a brief respite."

"Britain's last train-maker needs to win a significant contract for it to have the long-term future it deserves. The government must to everything possible to support this strategically important manufacturer. Unite will keep fighting for the future of British train manufacturing."

TUC comes to Derby to see the impact of spending cuts on the city

Frances O'Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady is today (Wednesday) visiting the Midlands as part of a nationwide tour to see at first hand the impact of government spending cuts upon jobs and services across the UK. Since May Frances and TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber have been travelling to various parts of England to meet workers and service providers whose lives and jobs have been affected as a direct result of government austerity measures.
Today’s visit to the Midlands kicks off at the Bombardier factory in Derby where Frances, accompanied by recently-appointed TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Rob Johnston, will meet managers and reps from the Unite and RMT unions. Whilst at the Litchurch Road site they will hear more about the ongoing campaign to save the 1,400 jobs now set to go at the factory because of the government’s decision not to award the Thameslink contract to the firm.
It’s then on to a lunchtime meeting of the region’s union leaders at Derby’s Hallmark Hotel on Midlands Road where Frances will learn more about the local impact of cuts and how plans for the TUC day of action for pensions justice on 30 November are progressing.
After lunch it’s off to JET, a charity based in Normanton Road in the south of the city, where Frances will meet with Mohammed Sharief the head of the charity. JET works closely with local unemployed residents to help them find work and access training opportunities.
The final stop of the day will be the city’s Silk Mill Industrial Museum which was mothballed earlier this year by Derby City Council. Here there will be a photo opportunity with some of the workers who lost their jobs in April when the museum closed its doors.
Commenting on the visit Frances O’Grady said: “Across the country, public sector workers are losing their jobs and vital services are being closed or cut back as the true impact of the government’s spending cuts starts to bite.
“Meanwhile the government’s fixation with deficit reduction is having a devastating impact on unemployment and job prospects, particularly for our young people, and the economy is struggling to get back on its feet. The UK desperately needs an economic plan B, one which puts growth and jobs at its heart. Without this the people of Derby and the rest of the UK will have little to look forward to.”
Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said: “Derby has been at the forefront of the government’s self-defeating austerity measures – from the closure of the Silk Mill Museum that houses much of the city’s industrial heritage, to the ill-thought out Bombardier factory decision. The people of Derby have not had a good time in recent months.
“While Frances is here she’ll spend the day talking to ordinary residents and businesses to find out more about the impact that the government’s spending cuts are having here and across the wider Midlands region.”


Details of the visit (all timings are approximate):
10.30am–12.30pm: Bombardier, Litchurch Lane, Derby DE24 8AD
1.00pm–2.30pm: Meeting with union regional secretaries from across the Midlands – Hallmark Hotel, Midlands Road DE1 2SQ
2.30pm–3.30pm: JET, 284 - 286 Normanton Road, Derby DE23 6WD
3.45pm–4.30pm: Silk Mill Industrial Museum, Silk Mill Lane, off Full Street, DE1 3AF


NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Interviews and photographs with Frances can be arranged through the Midlands TUC.
Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Johnston T: 0121 236 4454 M: 07879 497291 E: rjohnston@tuc.org.uk
Alan Weaver, Midlands TUC Press and Campaigns T: 0121 236 4454 M: 07771 778694 E: aweaver@tuc.org.uk

TUC condemns Thameslink decision as a huge blow to British manufacturing

The TUC has today (Thursday) condemned the government's failure to award the Thameslink train production contract to Bombardier as a missed opportunity to boost British-based manufacturing and jobs. The TUC fears the promised new jobs in train maintenance will be dwarfed by the potential job losses at the Bombadier plant and in its supply chain.
Losing out on the Thameslink contract puts the future of rail production at Bombardier, the UK's last remaining train manufacturer in serious doubt, and is a devastating blow to British industry says the TUC.
The TUC has campaigned for the government to adopt a more proactive approach in ensuring that UK businesses benefit from public contracts for goods and services. While recognising that the UK must maintain its commitment to open competition and EU regulations, the TUC has argued that more can be done by government to level the playing field and work with businesses to build their capacity to put in effective bids for contracts.
Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'This is a devastating blow for Bombardier and its workforce but also for Derby and the wider UK economy. It is vital that our economic recovery is based on high quality manufacturing jobs that companies like Bombardier supply.
'The Thameslink contract would have secured the future of train production in the UK, so it is astonishing that the government would turn its back on UK manufacturing in this way, at a time when growth is weak and unemployment remains high.
'The government has a key role to play in making sure that UK businesses can compete fairly and effectively for the goods and services that it procures. Once again, the government has acted in a short-sighted and disjointed way with severe consequences for workers around the country.'

Banner Theatre’s 1st of May Band is touring Fighting the Cuts!

Banner Theatre’s 1st of May Band is touring Fighting the Cuts!, a multimedia cabaret of songs, music, comedy and video. The Band delivers a punchy soundscape of reggae, rap, flamenco, folk and blues to lay bare the real story behind the crisis, and support the campaign to defend our welfare state.
See this exciting and hard-hitting new show on:
 
Friday 3 June 2011 at 7.30pm

Déda, Chapel Street, Derby DE1 3GU
Tickets £6.00 / £4.00 concessions
Box Office: 01332 370911 Website: www.deda.uk.com
Car parking available at Chapel Street Multistorey
Organised by Derby50KClub