UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Friday 1 April 2011

1st of May - a stay at home day?

The fight back for union rights in the US, triggered by the attack on collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin, is generating new forms of struggle. Given the constraints and hurdles presented by UK anti-union laws, it is always worth taking on board more flexible options for mass action which can impact on employers.

Across the US, May 1st will be designated 'imagine no workers day' and union members will be encouraged to stay away from work: http://stoptheattack.twu.org/post/4124217440/save-the-date-may-1-imagine-no-workers

The Transport Workers Union says:  'TWU members will wear buttons that read, “Imagine no Workers!” Imagine a classroom of kids with no teacher, a plane full of passengers with no pilot or flight attendants, planes in the air with no controllers, a burning building with no firefighters, a bus or a train with no operator!! Imagine No Workers! It’s a scary picture. Without us, Not a single wheel can turn.

'May 1 will be the first in a series of days of creative actions designed to fight back against the cutbacks and attacks by getting people to really imagine life without the workers they rely on every day. This day is also part of the Workers’ Rights=Human Rights campaign because it builds our movement by connecting us to a broader coalition, in this case immigrant workers fighting to stop racial profiling and unjust deportation, who have designated May 1 as “A Day Without a Worker.”'