tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13590340052475038732024-03-16T18:49:56.551+00:00Aberdeen Trades Union Council A body for the coordination of all trade union work in the Aberdeen and Shire area. The Aberdeen Trades Council was founded in the 1860s at the behest of the local trade union and socialist groups.
Aberdeen Trades Union Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07486131756262527614noreply@blogger.comBlogger495125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-89295381645415152002024-02-04T13:23:00.001+00:002024-02-04T13:23:45.241+00:00"The Big Lie" screening on Tuesday 5 March at 7pm in Arts Centre - please come along<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb2XJYRcnfHmW9IlBqXIVcEZEsPUzx_ycGbMeyo96oGqW5YDrQYXLgxuYYahg64cuEN-1tiklhZ39Q8X2RoAOoQj0rz-Yjp3zFFmojD4C8ZfGWxOVLcRxVIm4rkGk2bWr76g0PSe-qNMCsrf2AvLt11Q4k3bCUviDY9Sz_IYphJrNJvIfAHjttLcixLM/s1485/Big%20lie%20poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb2XJYRcnfHmW9IlBqXIVcEZEsPUzx_ycGbMeyo96oGqW5YDrQYXLgxuYYahg64cuEN-1tiklhZ39Q8X2RoAOoQj0rz-Yjp3zFFmojD4C8ZfGWxOVLcRxVIm4rkGk2bWr76g0PSe-qNMCsrf2AvLt11Q4k3bCUviDY9Sz_IYphJrNJvIfAHjttLcixLM/s320/Big%20lie%20poster.jpg" width="267" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Aberdeen Trades Union Council, along with the Morning Star in Scotland has organised a screening of "Oh Jeremy Corbyn The Big Lie" on Tuesday 5 March at 7pm in the Cafe Bar, Arts Centre, Aberdeen with a Q&A to follow. </span><p></p><p><b>Sign up for tickets at<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oh-jeremy-corbyn-the-big-lie-tickets-814409680277" target="_blank"> Eventbrite</a></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">"The Big Lie" is a film about the grassroots movement that propelled Jeremy Corbyn to become leader of the Labour Party and took Britain to the threshold of huge political change. What happened and why did it all fall apart? Directed by Ken Loach, this film explores a dark and murky story of political deceit and outrageous antisemitic smears. It also uncovers the critical role played by current Labour leader, Keir Starmer and asks if the movement which backed Corbyn could rise again.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"><br />We will be joined after it by Matt Kerr and Keith Stoddart of the Morning Star in Scotland, who will lead a discussion and answer questions on the film.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;"><b><br />Free but donations welcome on the door</b>.</span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-68015041137240000982024-01-14T17:16:00.000+00:002024-01-14T17:16:02.380+00:00Save St Fittick's Park Protest 18 Jan at the Town House - please support the campaign<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyZUeP7yh1mTnrVkRwx3h92E5qKMGas3ChA3Gk6oIpKqv_18k9EG5fXgBf0q_wA9x0WJd3jweDOenMSo4ZdyQ-zSauwUsLiRqi3Q2f3uvOg0jDQLTAnH9QMTS-PGCc-a4nO8DvtWKM4Ujrpuh5lDekoWMKahCAPYAFu7kRXkYQb6RFAh9qGwjc2PBx40/s613/St%20Fittick's%20Park%20demo%20Jan%2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyZUeP7yh1mTnrVkRwx3h92E5qKMGas3ChA3Gk6oIpKqv_18k9EG5fXgBf0q_wA9x0WJd3jweDOenMSo4ZdyQ-zSauwUsLiRqi3Q2f3uvOg0jDQLTAnH9QMTS-PGCc-a4nO8DvtWKM4Ujrpuh5lDekoWMKahCAPYAFu7kRXkYQb6RFAh9qGwjc2PBx40/s320/St%20Fittick's%20Park%20demo%20Jan%2024.jpg" width="280" /></a></div> All Aberdeen Trades Union delegates and affiliates are urged to support our friends in the Save St Fittick's Park campaign. <p></p><p>Please get along if you can to Aberdeen Town House from 9.30 to 10.30am on Thursday 18 January, to protest the council's decision on St Fittick's Park and demand it is saved for the people of Torry and Aberdeen.</p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-24259327658362439722023-11-28T20:31:00.002+00:002023-11-28T20:34:18.865+00:00ATUC pays tribute to the life and activism of Gerry McCabe<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsC_qjvi09qloKjBHj239f81T5vT7148lxlwdqB8gkAi-Ib6GhDExnObsa8wxAfyFF2WKbaS5rPdt0qXT3PeCEYVtAw7v4ycvYTLmMhYRdqpv7AgfaVDLa2BUylyIY7QrAn7VKx4V2dkfJ0VxyT1FYw4pYu3M32aI4ls7orhv4GVCw6fiamqFhzomKaA/s704/Gerry%20McCabe.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="607" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsC_qjvi09qloKjBHj239f81T5vT7148lxlwdqB8gkAi-Ib6GhDExnObsa8wxAfyFF2WKbaS5rPdt0qXT3PeCEYVtAw7v4ycvYTLmMhYRdqpv7AgfaVDLa2BUylyIY7QrAn7VKx4V2dkfJ0VxyT1FYw4pYu3M32aI4ls7orhv4GVCw6fiamqFhzomKaA/s320/Gerry%20McCabe.jpg" width="276" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Aberdeen TUC is very saddened at the death of Gerry McCabe on 3<sup style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;">rd</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"> November
2023.</span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerry was a long serving UNISON delegate to the ATUC and all delegates
who knew him have very fond memories of campaigning alongside Gerry over many
years and especially when he was a UNISON representative at Aberdeen City
Council fighting back against Council cuts.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerry was an excellent Trade Union representative who spoke his mind and
clearly expressed his point of view on matters affecting the lives of UNISON
members working for Aberdeen City Council.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He would regularly challenge Council Officers and local Councillors,
especially when opposing job losses and cuts in Council services.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">Gerry’s involvement with Aberdeen TUC meant he could be found standing
on picket lines and marching down Union Street on the ATUC May Day and St.
Andrew’s Day marches. He could also be very regularly seen in St Nicholas
Square at the</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">Socialist Workers Party
stall with his Socialist</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">Worker paper on sale.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">Given Gerry’s support for the Palestinian people there was a warm
salute of gratitude and respect recorded in his honour by all those in
attendance at the Palestine Solidarity rally at Union Terrace Gardens on Saturday
18</span><sup style="color: #222222;">th</sup><span style="color: #222222;"> November.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerry is a good example of a principled socialist and a true
working-class hero who supported the working-class in their struggle for a
better life in a world of peace, free from hatred and war.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In his honour and memory the Aberdeen TUC will continue to organise to
improve the lives of working-class people and their families whether
at the workplace or within the wider community here in Aberdeen and elsewhere
around our world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we are
on picket lines or demonstrating on our streets we will always remember Gerry, as
we follow in his footsteps, honouring his memory and lifetime commitment to
Trade Unionism, International Solidarity and Socialism.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Our deepest condolences go to Gerry's wife and family and his many, many </span><span style="color: #222222;">friends.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-68074603373538474352023-11-19T18:50:00.005+00:002023-11-19T18:50:21.923+00:00Come along to the St Andrew's Day rally on 25 November and join the fight against racism and fascism<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFahRbQ5QJE9Nlbp-dOEC_BHHdzg1x1qkFdF4XHc4K13-wT8TOTGN_ZaW6pHEpI8O-Lfa1_YgFO7TfASPSQ9JtdzvjgYuei_tmMop7baXhkPUrhBD8dChkYm7zd_joCw0O5TEIfMpJo6RwH_EEG19tPQfbMPhc1BuIIzmHDlSXoAFxWPznN9tK5XRl-po/s2339/St%20Andrews%20day%202023%20Jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFahRbQ5QJE9Nlbp-dOEC_BHHdzg1x1qkFdF4XHc4K13-wT8TOTGN_ZaW6pHEpI8O-Lfa1_YgFO7TfASPSQ9JtdzvjgYuei_tmMop7baXhkPUrhBD8dChkYm7zd_joCw0O5TEIfMpJo6RwH_EEG19tPQfbMPhc1BuIIzmHDlSXoAFxWPznN9tK5XRl-po/s320/St%20Andrews%20day%202023%20Jpeg.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please join us at our St Andrew's Day rally against racism and fascism on Saturday 25 November from 12 noon.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Organised by Aberdeen Trades Union Council, i</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">t will begin in the Castlegate before moving into the Anatomy Rooms, depending on the weather. The rally will hear from a packed line up of speakers, along with music and poetry.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is another crucial year in the fight against racism and fascism. The racist UK Government immigration policy and rhetoric is going from bad to worse. On top of that we face a cost of living crisis and attacks on pay that disproportionately affect equalities groups including Black workers and disabled people. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We also stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza, with the massacre of over 11,000 civilians, including almost 5,000 children. Alongside Israel's denial of food, water, fuel and medicines, this collective punishment constitutes a war crime and Israel must be held to account.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Please join us and be part of the fight against racism and fascism and for a more just, more equal world.</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-64767025296437666712023-11-04T12:26:00.010+00:002023-11-06T10:12:27.603+00:00Report from STUC Women’s Conference 2023<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Kathleen Kennedy, Vice president and Kate Ramsden were the
ATUC delegates to the 96</span><sup>th</sup><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> Annual STUC Women’s Conference in
Glasgow, on 30 and 31 October 2023.</span></span></div><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXqFFZ70-WPQVOlsfRkPKT5-pcPEt4OcEZVGN6esMnPdzRTgx5Hwnn-tfbahL_WB-52AIE-K40h8-28BLDc0KBP6YBAhc2AD51Z2BR8E16_RKffYOJ9n9bOWDDLFq2WcivZJw5I40kPw7NecTdmoPdopauj8vcASMSB5xx-5W0FEwLN_paIhNkhDavwA/s313/Kate%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="313" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXqFFZ70-WPQVOlsfRkPKT5-pcPEt4OcEZVGN6esMnPdzRTgx5Hwnn-tfbahL_WB-52AIE-K40h8-28BLDc0KBP6YBAhc2AD51Z2BR8E16_RKffYOJ9n9bOWDDLFq2WcivZJw5I40kPw7NecTdmoPdopauj8vcASMSB5xx-5W0FEwLN_paIhNkhDavwA/s1600/Kate%202.jpg" width="313" /></a></b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Conference backs ATUC emergency motion on Gaza<br /><br /></b><span><span>ATUC
submitted an emergency motion on Gaza to the Conference, entitled “End the
Genocide in Gaza”. Initially this was to be composited with emergency motions
from the STUC Women’s Committee and the National College of Midwives, but were
then heard as individual motions with the NCM withdrawing theirs.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Our motion called on</span> <span style="line-height: 107%;">the STUC Women’s
Committee to continue to work with the General Council to highlight the
terrible impact of this war on innocent women, children and men and to call for
a ceasefire; to lobby our Scottish politicians of all parties to condemn
unequivocally the bombardment of Gaza, to condemn the loss of all human life
equally and to demand an immediate ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian
aid to Gaza; to call on all affiliates to support the demonstrations in cities
across Scotland and to add their voices to these calls.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">It was approved and is now STUC Women’s Conference
policy.<br /><br /></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Moving the motion, Kate Ramsden told conference that we are
witnessing genocide as the world looks on in horror. She condemned the UK’s
cowardice at refusing to back a humanitarian ceasefire, when we are seeing the
massacre of over 8000 Gazan civilians including over 3000 children.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kate said: “These are not statistics. They are real people
like you and me. Children with hopes and dreams and plans for their future. Now
gone and everything they dreamed off and would have contributed to the world
gone with them.”</span><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span><h4 style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnYOpQ4AfhVgJBULRkbjUvkM3E5yaQ_CpXCPSrE7Y8eOHkKdhVwWzudb5SYJINi_TjgOp0ehkoVj9_Nb1AMvVFRdkJLA3iWi1CvNuMpD1hxqrdRj048xLXb2ofGtmwc9SBXLYs0Ysaxcw0GIhaSk4Kpx53PIXBfvxufAtTLVg3B0JNVyCITNvJ-xyab8/s4032/Kathleen%202.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnYOpQ4AfhVgJBULRkbjUvkM3E5yaQ_CpXCPSrE7Y8eOHkKdhVwWzudb5SYJINi_TjgOp0ehkoVj9_Nb1AMvVFRdkJLA3iWi1CvNuMpD1hxqrdRj048xLXb2ofGtmwc9SBXLYs0Ysaxcw0GIhaSk4Kpx53PIXBfvxufAtTLVg3B0JNVyCITNvJ-xyab8/s320/Kathleen%202.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Safe public spaces for women<br /><br />
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #211d1e; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;">STUC Women’s Committee will campaign for substantial investment
from the Scottish Government, at both a national and local level, to improve
public safety measures and ensure our public spaces are safe, especially for
women.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><p></p>
<p class="Pa0"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Seconding the CWU
motion, Kathleen Kennedy highlighted the shocking and tragic murder of Gill
Barclay last year in Aberdeen and the “Reclaim the night” march that followed, “a
time for reflection and remembrance.</span></p>
<p class="Pa0"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">“We are marching
again on 25<sup>th</sup> November this year,” said Kathleen, “But really, in
this day and age we shouldn’t have to. We should feel safe". However she pointed out that cuts have meant that Aberdeen City’s street lighting is
cheaper and less bright, making it less safe for particularly women and
disabled people to walk about after dark.</span></p></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Too long to wait for equal pay</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauTaI_N-VRPhQenPQqlPPpRGlYoDZb4evzRrKk6TU7rK7yREnyZkotfIm7RBrILvPIGgYOhdP3acDs1jBS-4dNk6ftSeExoV6Oer6PPW_T756A89DZQuJhr2DoCzdXftdW526oUBRs7vL_44bgtTV8BSpe6-jgBQflrC93iA8EBk8crs-3wJ9wMbZEL4/s1333/Kate1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauTaI_N-VRPhQenPQqlPPpRGlYoDZb4evzRrKk6TU7rK7yREnyZkotfIm7RBrILvPIGgYOhdP3acDs1jBS-4dNk6ftSeExoV6Oer6PPW_T756A89DZQuJhr2DoCzdXftdW526oUBRs7vL_44bgtTV8BSpe6-jgBQflrC93iA8EBk8crs-3wJ9wMbZEL4/s320/Kate1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kate Ramsden joined the condemnation of STUC Women Conference that more
than 50 years after equal pay legislation the gender pay gap remains.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Delegates backed a range of measures to address it once and for all.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Supporting <span>UN</span></span></span><span><span>ISON’s motion </span><span>Time to Smash the Gender Pay Gap in Scotland, </span><span>Kate told of how pupils in her Unions into Schools sessions could hardly
believe that it was illegal to pay women less than men as that was their
experience; nor that the act was over 50 years old.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She spoke of the historical undervaluing of women’s work, but added, “We
also know unequal pay is also prevalent in male dominated sectors. That can
only be about those in power - men - hanging onto it despite the law.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kate pointed out that disabled woman and Black women are even more badly
affected due to the disarms ethnicity pay gap.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Highlighting the key role of unions, trade union councils and the STUC
to address this disadvantage, Kate added, “But 50 years plus is already too
long to wait,” warned Kate, calling for action now to tackle the gender pay
gap.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz_fEV41J-Ugtf2C-RcXfbe6Jx2OKDkRkb-y1RgfELLbP2EZUSp2O9wyDzfvRRHAlWDNG3OrqEeainB7eW4VF22uHUx3qoV9sPx0DahRtHBYAMyAvtGKpprGK0f7SryE0o9ZaqDW8Dd_hh4joHQKHYsfM3Mtva6YblIUyathjBsftMnwqw7GrzHw-Y_0/s3024/Kathleen%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2968" data-original-width="3024" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz_fEV41J-Ugtf2C-RcXfbe6Jx2OKDkRkb-y1RgfELLbP2EZUSp2O9wyDzfvRRHAlWDNG3OrqEeainB7eW4VF22uHUx3qoV9sPx0DahRtHBYAMyAvtGKpprGK0f7SryE0o9ZaqDW8Dd_hh4joHQKHYsfM3Mtva6YblIUyathjBsftMnwqw7GrzHw-Y_0/s320/Kathleen%201.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></b></div><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cost of living crisis disproportionately affects
women</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;">In the important first debate of conference, delegates
slammed the impact </span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;">of the cost-of-living crisis on all our communities but
noted its particular impact on women and children and set out a strategy to
campaign for measures to address this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ATUC delegate, Kathleen Kennedy, supporting the composite
from EIS and PCS spoke out about the disproportionate impact on disabled people
and also those who live in rural areas in Scotland.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She also spoke of her worries about the next
generation whose parents will be unable to help them in the way parents can
help adult children just now. She highlighted the important role of trade
unions in supporting members and challenging politicians.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathleen said, “At work I hear people say they
can’t afford to join a trade union. I get that but I say, can you afford not
to?”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">ATUC’s Kate Ramsden has now been elected onto
the STUC Women’s Committee in one of two Trade Union Council seats.</span></b></span></p></div>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-51370922555685374362023-10-14T12:06:00.001+01:002023-10-14T12:06:09.583+01:00Join us for "Everything Must Change" - film and discussion about what we can all do<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeJk4VXFCExpUnT6YxKbX4YQfFYZCNlkW-Uqq2W5mJH21cdCL83e_Tg5zF1HgmI321vp5eZdjK88uCKVduK-Q-xqSe13cI2qj27p1E-8C3-nhMABH8AJ-31oYNSHzr-pOGp5DbQLPidQeAc7CTqNW6wLz4QrUviIREp5shh4meZss0kOEXIcmTUGtu5o/s634/Everything%20Must%20Change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeJk4VXFCExpUnT6YxKbX4YQfFYZCNlkW-Uqq2W5mJH21cdCL83e_Tg5zF1HgmI321vp5eZdjK88uCKVduK-Q-xqSe13cI2qj27p1E-8C3-nhMABH8AJ-31oYNSHzr-pOGp5DbQLPidQeAc7CTqNW6wLz4QrUviIREp5shh4meZss0kOEXIcmTUGtu5o/s320/Everything%20Must%20Change.jpg" width="299" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Join us on 9 November at 7.30pm at the ATUC office at 2A Adelphi for a screening of the film "Everything Must Change".</span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cost of living, climate change, food, housing, land: the multiple crises we face are deeply interlinked, which means the solutions are too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Everything Must Change" explains how all these crises - and the accompanying spiralling price rises - have come about, and shows how a just transition away from a free market extractive system based on exploitation to a renewable energy system based on people's needs can solve all of them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drawing on the experience of numerous inspiring social movements, the film shows how climate change, driven by profiteering by our global systems has destroyed our planet and increased inequality.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We need to transform global infrastructure and services to be people oriented, by building a mass workers' and peasants' movement to enact a just transition. For the people, by the people, and never for profit. Because government and big business aren't going to do it for us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay after the film to take part in a practical discussion about concrete steps to work together as one movement in making that just transition.</span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-78948912447854407622023-09-28T08:22:00.007+01:002023-09-28T08:22:50.012+01:00A Very British Conspiracy - The Shrewsbury 24 and the Campaign for Justice<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_29hPAaFCDRLOW6xH0Nqb7-CQrmaKawZUw2-0-bZugziDsFSHLGAyZnZrCszu_3oR3hUtdHhqKc2FiVirJBi358J4bQzoo_VpFRVg0WcSP6B-0aad4a45Thz9SU7BZGOSsx7Wlyqmeyh9pdi-LEFCV6rQqeiGpAbvkEA8WUKgujWIWJgHyxt6C0EmG7iu/s390/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_29hPAaFCDRLOW6xH0Nqb7-CQrmaKawZUw2-0-bZugziDsFSHLGAyZnZrCszu_3oR3hUtdHhqKc2FiVirJBi358J4bQzoo_VpFRVg0WcSP6B-0aad4a45Thz9SU7BZGOSsx7Wlyqmeyh9pdi-LEFCV6rQqeiGpAbvkEA8WUKgujWIWJgHyxt6C0EmG7iu/s320/Picture1.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Our Class Our Culture Series </h2><p>You are invited to a meeting at 7pm in the Salvation Army Citadel, Castlegate, Aberdeen on <b>Friday 29th September</b> 2023
Sandwiches and light refreshments will be available from <b>6.30pm</b> </p><p>You will have an opportunity to hear directly from those involved in the Shrewsbury 24 construction workers successful campaign for justice. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Speakers - Eileen Turnbull and Terry Renshaw </li><li>Chair: Graeme Farquhar, President of Aberdeen TUC </li></ul><p>There will be a social event next door in the Carlton bar from 9pm until midnight with live music provided by singer/guitarist Ray Moore. </p><p>This meeting has been arranged by the Aberdeen & District Unite Retired Members Branch and supported by Unite Aberdeen Area Activists Committee, Unite Scotland Construction Sector Branches with the support of the Aberdeen TUC and Aberdeen Morning Star Supporters Group.
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-15248014561597945462023-09-18T11:06:00.006+01:002023-09-18T13:51:41.791+01:00March calls for halt to fossil fuels and just transition <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J_JGtGqtds-neotqclKzSP54FYagL1ED9olffAdj_Vkb_0UyLXZsCHmRE44Eg6nbb_-KId5ZGLf46fQL0mqh7QGI1hD2op6MUVMtcveuvNwwNTKOerBSAwt8NfSUSONls0iV_A9typEmp-mNsFkTIkzixueoCV1qQZlqY53GMnKlMg2ncK8y_pBlKs0/s1200/Edinburgh%20Green%20rally%202.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J_JGtGqtds-neotqclKzSP54FYagL1ED9olffAdj_Vkb_0UyLXZsCHmRE44Eg6nbb_-KId5ZGLf46fQL0mqh7QGI1hD2op6MUVMtcveuvNwwNTKOerBSAwt8NfSUSONls0iV_A9typEmp-mNsFkTIkzixueoCV1qQZlqY53GMnKlMg2ncK8y_pBlKs0/s320/Edinburgh%20Green%20rally%202.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>ATUC Exec member and
Aberdeenshire UNISON Green Champion, Steve Gray joined climate campaigners who marched
through Edinburgh on Saturday 16 Sept to demand the UK and Scottish Governments
develop a plan for a fair and fast transition away from fossil fuels.</b> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The march was one of 650 actions
taking place around the world with millions of people involved this weekend
ahead of a UN Climate Ambition Summit of world leaders in New York next
week. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Steve said, "I</span><span style="color: #222222;">t was very encouraging to hear and see so many campaigners speaking out with empathy and energy in support of the workers in the fossil fuel industries who need the Government support for a just transition now. Also to see the Save Saint Fitticks Park Campaign at the front of the march."</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The protestors demanded action
to phase out oil and gas in the UK including a halt to controversial projects
like the Rosebank oil field and a new gas-fired power station in Peterhead,
Aberdeenshire. <br />
<br />
They called for a fair and fast transition for the workers and the communities
most affected by the move away from fossil fuels and these people should be at
the heart of planning this transition to ensure it meets their
needs. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking on behalf of ATUC,
Steve told marchers that t<span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">he increasingly climate induced severe storms are causing tragic
deaths and disruptions. He spoke of the Stonehaven rail disaster which tragically
claimed three lives, “and showed the devastating impacts of a changing climate,
demonstrating that there is a clear need to make our communities Climate
Emergency resilient.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span></span>“It’s up to
all of us to make this happen,” said Steve, highlighting the need for
investment in public services.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">“When banks and fossil fuel companies spend money it’s described as investment. When the public sector funds retrofitting, community renewables,
buses, parks healthcare and schools it’s always described as spending never
Investing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">“The Scottish and UK Governments need to describe funding our public
services as investments not spending,” urged Steve highlighting that the ATUC
and its allies in the STUC support investing in a climate resilient just
transition for the Fossil Fuel workers and their home communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/09/steve-gray-addresses-climate-rally-in.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">See Steve’s full speech below.</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-27834064109886384732023-09-18T11:01:00.007+01:002023-09-18T11:01:54.654+01:00Steve Gray addresses climate rally in Edinburgh and calls for action on climate change<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB41_6uFspoxX1IhgAp3wdKVVbGN0mMt2QNklNNhLBpTqxCSf7dBaZXG5JlgXdHLARKJZMcDA-1N-cybkxJHyBex-lmNV1qSAJw44zQO8s1-0DIs2RKtzbgJl3ndzs22fL_6n7jx7e8x6jNpzU-yd22pmSBXwTngeFrsyuvEHugXYR2u5JNfHxYmL2crc/s8268/Global%20Day%20of%20Action_Edin_021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5433" data-original-width="8268" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB41_6uFspoxX1IhgAp3wdKVVbGN0mMt2QNklNNhLBpTqxCSf7dBaZXG5JlgXdHLARKJZMcDA-1N-cybkxJHyBex-lmNV1qSAJw44zQO8s1-0DIs2RKtzbgJl3ndzs22fL_6n7jx7e8x6jNpzU-yd22pmSBXwTngeFrsyuvEHugXYR2u5JNfHxYmL2crc/s320/Global%20Day%20of%20Action_Edin_021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Neil Hanna, Friends of the Earth</td></tr></tbody></table>ATUC Exec member and
Aberdeenshire UNISON Green Champion, Steve Gray joined climate campaigners who marched
through Edinburgh on Saturday 16 Sept to demand the UK and Scottish Governments
develop a plan for a fair and fast transition away from fossil fuels. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Here is the text of the speech he made at the event:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Thank
you for the opportunity to march with you in solidarity for a Just Transition
for the Fossil Workers and their communities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since its founding in 1868 the ATUC has
organised and participated in many social justice and workplace campaigns at
local, national and international levels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Scottish Government are conducting another consultation and its on the North
East Scotland Transition Fund. The people of the North East Scotland need in
person visits and meetings from the Scottish and UK Governments not online
consultations which most people are not even aware. These meetings need be with
a range of communities from Elgin to Fraserburgh to Aberdeen to Dundee. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span>The
people of Scotland need deeds not words. The cost of living crisis cuts deeply
here and failing to fairly fund Local Government is making the crisis worse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
Local Government workers go on strike in the coming weeks they are fighting not
just to pay their bills and feed their families but to save the services we all
rely on. Please support these workers!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">They
say cut back we say fight back.!<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The increasingly climate induced Severe Storms
are causing tragic deaths and disruptions demonstrating that there is a clear
need to make our communities Climate Emergency resilient.– it’s up to all of us
to make this happen…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">System
Change Not Climate Change!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
key word is Invest! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
Banks and Fossil Fuel Companies spend money its described as Investment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
the public sector funds retrofitting, community renewables, buses, parks
healthcare and schools its always described as Spending never Investing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scottish and UK Governments need to
describe funding our public services as Investments not Spending.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
ATUC, and its allies in the STUC support investing in a climate resilient just
transition for the Fossil Fuel workers and their home communities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">System
Change Not Climate Change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Thank
you for your support."</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-24572705404150588462023-08-30T10:38:00.005+01:002023-08-30T10:45:03.480+01:00ATUC welcomes new consultation on libraries and pool closures and commends campaigners on this victory<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsJTnmIMCO4zc8E21o3jbkMXoSZcE7M1EdyGAT0l_fqkNLeJ17oWGM7Ve53qgKXiwu7NSWrZwIzBs_1O2PwbNbmgi92qM_xKbGLYBq3zYgYQGCR2C_IBwIMrdGEemfD17Jr4TuqNIwThaq_vKYG7R1TtBwg2Ja4vwhLdw3vN8DS6jSaCjVpisWAMyZ8g/s2048/Kirsty.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsJTnmIMCO4zc8E21o3jbkMXoSZcE7M1EdyGAT0l_fqkNLeJ17oWGM7Ve53qgKXiwu7NSWrZwIzBs_1O2PwbNbmgi92qM_xKbGLYBq3zYgYQGCR2C_IBwIMrdGEemfD17Jr4TuqNIwThaq_vKYG7R1TtBwg2Ja4vwhLdw3vN8DS6jSaCjVpisWAMyZ8g/s320/Kirsty.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirsty Fraser of Save<br />Bucksburn Swimming<br />Pool at the May Day Rally</td></tr></tbody></table>Aberdeen TUC has applauded the victory of the Campaign Groups against the libraries and swimming pools closures in Aberdeen in their legal claim against the City Council. <p></p><p style="margin: 0cm;">Aberdeen City Council’s
decision to launch a fresh public consultation on the closures, follows legal
negotiations in four petitions for judicial review in the Court of Session.</p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0cm;"><b>The consultation is expected to run from early September until Tuesday, 31 October 2023 and campaigners have urged Aberdeen residents to engage with the process to make their views known.</b><br /><br />Libraries in Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Garthdee (Kaimhill), Northfield, and
Woodside, and Bucksburn Swimming Pool, run by Sport Aberdeen, were closed this
Spring as part of moves by the council to make savings of £47 million.<br /><br />At the time, there was no consultation by the council ahead of the closures,
and Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments were not published on the
local authority’s website. This is despite several of the libraries being in
some of the city’s most deprived areas, and Bucksburn Swimming Pool served
residents from across the north-east of Scotland with additional support needs
and mobility issues.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 18pt 0cm 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p>Graeme Farquhar, Aberdeen TUC President, said: "The Aberdeen City Councillors who voted through cuts and closures based on advice and guidance from the Council’s Chief Executive and senior Officers must now hold them to account for this failure to properly and meaningfully consult with the citizens of Aberdeen."</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>He continued: “The Councillors must ensure that the Chief Executive and the senior Council officers now apologise for this failure and couple it with an assurance that this shameful contempt for the citizens of Aberdeen never happens again. </p><p>"If the Chief executive and senior officers responsible for this mess refuse to do this then Councillors should demand that they resign."</p><p>ATUC commended the work of campaign groups Save Aberdeen Libraries and Save
Bucksburn Swimming Pool. They have been working with solicitors from the Govan Law
Centre and Grampian Community Law Centre on legal challenges against the
closures. </p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; margin: 18pt 0cm 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Substantive hearings were due to be heard at the Court of Session in
Edinburgh this Autumn, but to stop the action, Aberdeen City Council has offered to
run a full formal consultation on the closures and conduct new impact
assessments on the closures of each of the six libraries and Bucksburn Swimming
Pool. </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; margin: 18pt 0cm 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">You can still <a href="https://www.change.org/p/re-open-our-aberdeen-libraries/u/31865595?cs_tk=ArVOBl1Nw5pkRfk0-GQAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvEAYA7QcSPE2TooIa5fBC8U%3D&utm_campaign=0b6caedd8fa64d4ba97c4b69218c7995&utm_content=initial_v0_6_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs" target="_blank">sign the petition.</a></span></p><br /><p></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-2747091123656456892023-07-31T19:34:00.003+01:002023-08-01T08:50:40.344+01:00Tribute to Ron Webster's 80 years of trade union activism as he is laid to rest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy81UZD1tc5-8Mwxi0-rTBJNs8i9gCF8Kc2gf627a6KflZRZRCt0HPBCoIcyF-ncbmNDTRZjsurFgV8v5au3cojABDTFvuvnuK7imu7-EN6HVCso1jhbi5F90LoWRXAOe1SB44SlIVJugp_hQPN_byl5q8x3_xsGF7vZIcpnm-pLhv5VH612R-j4vrrLc/s640/Ron%20Webster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy81UZD1tc5-8Mwxi0-rTBJNs8i9gCF8Kc2gf627a6KflZRZRCt0HPBCoIcyF-ncbmNDTRZjsurFgV8v5au3cojABDTFvuvnuK7imu7-EN6HVCso1jhbi5F90LoWRXAOe1SB44SlIVJugp_hQPN_byl5q8x3_xsGF7vZIcpnm-pLhv5VH612R-j4vrrLc/s320/Ron%20Webster.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tommy Campbell, Chair of Aberdeen and District Unite Retired Members' Branch and a delegate to the ATUC, made the following moving tribute to ATUC member and stalwart trade unionist, Ron Webster at his funeral today.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">"At the young age of 14 Ron joined
the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers in 1941 when he started his joinery
apprenticeship. He was an integral part of the Second World War effort during
his apprenticeship working on parts for the RAF’s Wellington bombers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">His apprenticeship was stalled
when he enlisted with the Gordon Highlanders in 1945. After Ron completed his
National Service, he returned to his apprenticeship working on the Trams
in Aberdeen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He continued working on the
Trams until they were decommissioned in 1958 by the Aberdeen bus
corporation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span>His membership of the Amalgamated
Society of Woodworkers then transferred to the </span></span><a name="m_-3533746250705087155__Hlk141353984" style="color: #222222;">National Union of Vehicle Builders</a><span style="color: #222222;"><span> and
Ron continued in his role as an </span>elected shop<span> steward and a
Union branch </span>official of<span> </span>the National<span> Union of Vehicle Builders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He continued in these roles
following the merger of the National Union of Vehicle Builders with the
Transport and General Workers Union in 1972. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ron also served as the local NUVB
delegate on the TGWU Grampian and Northern Isles District Committee, the TGWU
Scottish Regional Automotive Trade Group. The District Committee also elected
him to the Scottish Regional Committee representing Union members
interests from all over Scotland.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">In addition to his T&G positions
Ron was elected as the Secretary of Aberdeen Trades Council and in turn elected
as the representative of all Scottish Trades Councils onto the Executive
Council of the STUC. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ron was held in such high
regards by the STUC’s affiliated Trade Unions and Trades Councils that he was
elected the President of the STUC in 1989.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">During his tenure as President
of the STUC Ron proudly led a march of tens of thousands through Edinburgh’s
city centre calling for an end to the spiteful poll-tax introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s
Conservative Government.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In Aberdeen whether it be the
ATUC’s annual May Day March or the St Andrew’s Day March Ron was always there
leading those marches down Union Street too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He always supported workers during
their industrial disputes whether that was in Aberdeen, elsewhere in Scotland.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He ensured that their appeals
for financial support and solidarity were widely circulated throughout the
Trade Union branches affiliated to the Aberdeen Trades Council.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A quick glimpse through the
Trades Council’s annual reports and you will find that Ron along
with others was on the frontline of providing support and solidarity to the
many local and national industrial disputes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In more recent times when l
visited him at home, he always wanted to be kept up to date with the current
industrial disputes and always asked that l convey his support and solidarity
when l visited the picket lines.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ron along with other ATUC
delegates provided support for international solidarity campaigns around our
world especially where Trade Unionists were subject to persecution,
imprisonment and execution whilst campaigning for workers and human rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He supported the International
Brigades Memorial Trust and was very proud that both the City Council and ATUC
honoured his fellow Aberdonians who had joined the International Brigades to
oppose fascism in Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He always promoted Hope over
Hate and this was a quality that came easily to Ron as he truly
believed that there was only one race – that is the human race because he
recognised we are all Jock Tamson’s bairns.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">So it should come as no surprise
that he also actively opposed the racist apartheid regime of South Africa and
in that regard he was very proud that Aberdeen District Council awarded the
Freedom of the City to Winnie and Nelson Mandela. He was proud to have met with
Nelson Mandela when he visited Scotland in 1993 to receive that award.. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">After his retirement from
Firstbus Ron remained a delegate to the Aberdeen Trades Council representing his
Retired Union members branch. He regularly attended his Union branch meetings
and was in attendance at our last meeting on the 12<sup>th</sup> June.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ron played a full and active
part in the Scottish Trade Union Movement and he was honoured
for that at the STUC Conference in Aberdeen last year for his 80 years of
active trade union membership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ron was a true gentleman who
always treated everybody with dignity and respect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is a true reflection
of his good character that the many people who knew him are very
upset at his death.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We will honour his lifetime of
trade union activity by continuing to organise and campaign to improve the
lives of everyone whether in the workplace or in the wider
community. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">So on this very sad occasion we
salute Ron Webster as he was a true working- class hero and stalwart of the
Scottish Trade Union Movement.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We express our deepest sympathy to
Ron’s family and his friends for the sad loss of such a lovely man who was
highly respected by all those who have ever had the pleasure of
meeting him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;" type="cite"><div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-60769278842356690412023-07-23T11:00:00.002+01:002023-07-23T11:02:52.328+01:00Protesters demand an end to austerity - enough is enough<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UQKkft8IBzoyTA3nEocPfQgeNPfkl4rRFqNlBW_K1dtFmJgoAwAZVqWlfqt6HhE5Ml6RfuafvK4-nkJ8TovYL5rDWpnJ4rfpT5JJp3s5Im7gvQ_XwMbejDvasEw4x56F-b8R-b5vENnYUHnlJZyb41E82mPSE7_Au2kPID2xoRQ6mct4-i119YkV-FE/s1024/Rally%20crowd.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UQKkft8IBzoyTA3nEocPfQgeNPfkl4rRFqNlBW_K1dtFmJgoAwAZVqWlfqt6HhE5Ml6RfuafvK4-nkJ8TovYL5rDWpnJ4rfpT5JJp3s5Im7gvQ_XwMbejDvasEw4x56F-b8R-b5vENnYUHnlJZyb41E82mPSE7_Au2kPID2xoRQ6mct4-i119YkV-FE/s320/Rally%20crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Aberdeen Trades Union Council delegates joined trade unionists, community groups and citizens to protest the cost of living crisis and cuts to public services on the back of the Tory government's austerity agenda.<p></p><p>They joined protests all over the country by the People's Assembly to condemn its disproportionate impact on the poorest in our communities, including our children, to protest the growth in poverty, the rise in foodbanks and the erosion of wages and conditions for all workers whilst the wealthiest in society amass more and more wealth.</p><p>Organised by Aberdeen is Scunnered and ATUC, and chaired by UNISON's Laura McDonald, speakers came from all parts of our communities in the North East, protesting cuts and injustice. </p><p>Laura welcomed the protesters saying, "We are becoming increasingly concerned about how this cost-of-living crisis is continuing to affect people living in Aberdeen.</p><p>"We are proud to be here today along with hundreds of thousands of people right across the UK as part of the People's Assembly National Day of Action.</p><p>"We stand together to say loudly that enough is enough."</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UCzK4B3rcUh9Yy8H89QzG6qgP1VhmGaca_mePS7_3Gzil-vn54ysx2w_AZW452whTeHMN-HRrv8yEdAV2kFmY1JEN9xq1ewQAtFlIAByir9fe9eCkPXBO1zHvaqs990EyXloOn_mg6-SiiOT7MMTZZ2MdlysqsB9MI_rslGxCzrq9OgGBF-WpIyEy5A/s2048/Tommy%20C.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UCzK4B3rcUh9Yy8H89QzG6qgP1VhmGaca_mePS7_3Gzil-vn54ysx2w_AZW452whTeHMN-HRrv8yEdAV2kFmY1JEN9xq1ewQAtFlIAByir9fe9eCkPXBO1zHvaqs990EyXloOn_mg6-SiiOT7MMTZZ2MdlysqsB9MI_rslGxCzrq9OgGBF-WpIyEy5A/s320/Tommy%20C.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommy Campbell<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tommy Campbell from ATUC and Unite retired members read out the demands of the People's Assembly Against Austerity - including demanding an end to poverty and especially child poverty.<p></p><p>"We must continue to strive to end poverty for women, children and men. Poverty is the thief of dreams," warned Tommy.</p><p>"Let's stand together united in solidarity and continue the campaign to end poverty," he urged.</p><p>Other speakers echoed these points highlighting the impact of the closures of libraries, swimming pools and the threat to the community of Torry with the loss of St Fittick's Park.</p><p>The Guarana Drummers' stirring beats inspired those present to keep up the fight for equality and social justice for all.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuE7LrF9K8nd1xeUGOISRyWd8bhnvqgeoVDOVRcIaaG0XLspvIU5LtReIzk_L42t9bBSJnMTBNxpwdK_nBFpPQC-EheUt8kqFCYcPbpLrQZIe0obg9gQTwdVtNGjMNLuCXD7IylModzZuHzaa7HgijavVV8Y_u4xiunJAAGZZQWrUEXLBIFUV-yWwNwc/s2048/Laura%20Macdonald%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuE7LrF9K8nd1xeUGOISRyWd8bhnvqgeoVDOVRcIaaG0XLspvIU5LtReIzk_L42t9bBSJnMTBNxpwdK_nBFpPQC-EheUt8kqFCYcPbpLrQZIe0obg9gQTwdVtNGjMNLuCXD7IylModzZuHzaa7HgijavVV8Y_u4xiunJAAGZZQWrUEXLBIFUV-yWwNwc/s320/Laura%20Macdonald%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura McDonald</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKi2UaTg-b5YcLewM_0ANNZNdTxUaF9YdbvJYxJAoHXXkjg1dvaVVHymAQrOK0Ot4tMdxAc6f7ffXE0uawE2ikek_6AICxoOsxuAD0OxgdcHzL5lEYy3pxdDYX-p1O9uNNwd_1_lEZdDhat1WbxPXrr7p4srC7GAIVKWc2x1TBuxMJahK4qqkHcffxhE/s2048/Linda%20C%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKi2UaTg-b5YcLewM_0ANNZNdTxUaF9YdbvJYxJAoHXXkjg1dvaVVHymAQrOK0Ot4tMdxAc6f7ffXE0uawE2ikek_6AICxoOsxuAD0OxgdcHzL5lEYy3pxdDYX-p1O9uNNwd_1_lEZdDhat1WbxPXrr7p4srC7GAIVKWc2x1TBuxMJahK4qqkHcffxhE/s320/Linda%20C%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Carmichael, WASPI</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgMVuCn-y7yincQ2eE3pm43m4Gs95Cg52z43wfrSgVLmdy8JYhZvd8a5H8h2G2KGlsR4ox_XwRPElZtBcU3RPdIdxmSiF5X2_MEtAhjt-RldZjlKoU00CuAy0nhIcGZwECheK_GH8S8cfw44mlfusDOdn_KftiRxYLIqOGRzfvuu8Txf-SvowDhTkZlc/s2048/Leigh-Anne%20Adams%20Grampian%20Health.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgMVuCn-y7yincQ2eE3pm43m4Gs95Cg52z43wfrSgVLmdy8JYhZvd8a5H8h2G2KGlsR4ox_XwRPElZtBcU3RPdIdxmSiF5X2_MEtAhjt-RldZjlKoU00CuAy0nhIcGZwECheK_GH8S8cfw44mlfusDOdn_KftiRxYLIqOGRzfvuu8Txf-SvowDhTkZlc/s320/Leigh-Anne%20Adams%20Grampian%20Health.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leigh-Anne Adams, Grampian Health</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcSKoksqtdYjUo_NVFfN4YicQIFU0m_v4uks2LPLgBoD4swrkqV_SeVl3NnaBFLJMPjfhel40cMpJgkQbNhIMxq8FUBzHtX2CtWYOFvMo_jT1hLvW1x-UtPwotSbAadpgv8yhFUQvZ08F4MM9feOfjYnsgIMODslI0ojfXq9RlieDHJL1NhZwEXXEU2Y/s2048/Jonathan%20CND.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcSKoksqtdYjUo_NVFfN4YicQIFU0m_v4uks2LPLgBoD4swrkqV_SeVl3NnaBFLJMPjfhel40cMpJgkQbNhIMxq8FUBzHtX2CtWYOFvMo_jT1hLvW1x-UtPwotSbAadpgv8yhFUQvZ08F4MM9feOfjYnsgIMODslI0ojfXq9RlieDHJL1NhZwEXXEU2Y/s320/Jonathan%20CND.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Russell, CND</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3Y-Fvt8GGA5kr1XDcB2aHD2NMgh21d1Z1exPK9ukBsduY0Yai1tTQOLADMmSVQByzfUkMXkHjmsOAQ4Yqae0MqOezx2tW5LiL8yuXSJfryQ5uGnMD0slcZt8gaZyO3Hdqnjc94iDuBQ8vyi-DmvY-pCTZ3rSCBQ_S35cFTTWaRMXjkLolBl017sm-u8/s2048/Guarana%20Drummers%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3Y-Fvt8GGA5kr1XDcB2aHD2NMgh21d1Z1exPK9ukBsduY0Yai1tTQOLADMmSVQByzfUkMXkHjmsOAQ4Yqae0MqOezx2tW5LiL8yuXSJfryQ5uGnMD0slcZt8gaZyO3Hdqnjc94iDuBQ8vyi-DmvY-pCTZ3rSCBQ_S35cFTTWaRMXjkLolBl017sm-u8/s320/Guarana%20Drummers%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guarana Drummers<br /><br />Other speakers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeL63iNXVTEOAfNPz-6bypV-JwZOx5yjQQtMxPQfATzXARdoVDRzkx_O63TYHrg8vMI3Q079MNTZM42sMrlZDnIPxS6q3KnVVjfIrUvre9zVeqppcVAbHw2zGy-IOOZbJwIrI91zOciOy6mkR13Vbap_pY66-_jJeeAmnjVWTRTOI8SYttT8yubtuO18/s2048/Speaker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeL63iNXVTEOAfNPz-6bypV-JwZOx5yjQQtMxPQfATzXARdoVDRzkx_O63TYHrg8vMI3Q079MNTZM42sMrlZDnIPxS6q3KnVVjfIrUvre9zVeqppcVAbHw2zGy-IOOZbJwIrI91zOciOy6mkR13Vbap_pY66-_jJeeAmnjVWTRTOI8SYttT8yubtuO18/s320/Speaker.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtU_Lx6EesB2V0MExvosl-M1Wj-WlLBfsDuqD-VVJ4ZamHllvgR-i6t3mkGKIPOfClwBnYLdf-L4U5Rdf3YgHYcN5ZmQ8FiR1M6w7ElV4Hp3TjV51OB8ZfRufO1Jo3-D9TEylNyS7diFHY9sayf2Io-IhdpG0LKjzMMISJDWPTaVSk8TA4lsmXJmh0WM/s2048/Speaker%20Torry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtU_Lx6EesB2V0MExvosl-M1Wj-WlLBfsDuqD-VVJ4ZamHllvgR-i6t3mkGKIPOfClwBnYLdf-L4U5Rdf3YgHYcN5ZmQ8FiR1M6w7ElV4Hp3TjV51OB8ZfRufO1Jo3-D9TEylNyS7diFHY9sayf2Io-IhdpG0LKjzMMISJDWPTaVSk8TA4lsmXJmh0WM/s320/Speaker%20Torry.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsvcHDVR-3uWLRXuI2jnLH0xXdVso8BbytR62eEumLDoHMenPQzNUPo_Sjgff8oCFFNQ3DoyyNMlTF8GyRBKzRfizBS3wY3mTT92KJQojm5KVHlxL3zYYW9yMX9l4QtLD5rF5tfn-1NOeKJyS_-vhUKNwJrrtqOfTTFWlcgQ22sL3wAqOxXW79TmEOYA/s2048/Speaker%20Save%20our%20Pools.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsvcHDVR-3uWLRXuI2jnLH0xXdVso8BbytR62eEumLDoHMenPQzNUPo_Sjgff8oCFFNQ3DoyyNMlTF8GyRBKzRfizBS3wY3mTT92KJQojm5KVHlxL3zYYW9yMX9l4QtLD5rF5tfn-1NOeKJyS_-vhUKNwJrrtqOfTTFWlcgQ22sL3wAqOxXW79TmEOYA/s320/Speaker%20Save%20our%20Pools.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirsty Fraser</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-40879370838744992442023-07-20T12:25:00.000+01:002023-07-20T12:25:09.263+01:00ATUC pays tribute to trade union stalwart Ron Webster <p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #252525;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtH6Pd2nrRg7h_pzqg4Gd2JvPLAgITkY1_byUIJEUwz-1AhST8JL9M_YnS7EnCfLI6m0YSr5Gs4wy5nQz8eh9rycXajhFCOxTCNGrEqtvNj37mo7vQ_iqu2Xhumf8iWD0UbXZhchmNoSkCnFp4mcJ1P10irfxTGGswwzOf2bAxrHq-7Syi4dslgyKrVko/s1750/Ron%20award%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1750" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtH6Pd2nrRg7h_pzqg4Gd2JvPLAgITkY1_byUIJEUwz-1AhST8JL9M_YnS7EnCfLI6m0YSr5Gs4wy5nQz8eh9rycXajhFCOxTCNGrEqtvNj37mo7vQ_iqu2Xhumf8iWD0UbXZhchmNoSkCnFp4mcJ1P10irfxTGGswwzOf2bAxrHq-7Syi4dslgyKrVko/w320-h214/Ron%20award%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron receives his award from STUC <br />General Secretary Roz Foyer<br />Photos by Ryan Tobias</td></tr></tbody></table>Aberdeen Trades Union
Council was deeply saddened by the death of one of its longest serving members
and activists, Ron Webster, who died on 13 July at the age of 96. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #252525;">Our deepest
condolences go to Ron’s family and friends. </span><span style="color: #222222;">Ron
was a truly remarkable individual who made significant contributions as a trade
unionist and as a Labour city councillor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">He is survived by his children, Rona, Andrew and Heather and by his grandchildren and great grandchildren.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Ron's funeral service will be held at Aberdeen Crematorium, Hazlehead, (West chapel) on </span><span style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1;">Monday July 31 at 1.15PM.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> All friends respectfully invited, family flowers only please. </span></b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;">Ron leaves a lasting
legacy in the trade union and Labour movement. He will be remembered fondly by
all his friends and comrades on Aberdeen Trades Union Council.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Writing to his family on
behalf of ATUC, Secretary John Singer said, “Ron’s unwavering commitment and
passion has inspired countless individuals and he leaves behind a remarkable
legacy of service and leadership. He was known for his integrity,
compassion, and unwavering dedication to public service. He was a true champion
for the working class and a staunch advocate for social justice.”<span style="color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #252525;">A trade unionist and
former Labour councillor, Ron began his working life over eighty years ago in
the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers. He moved to the National Union of
Vehicle Builders, then to the Transport and General Workers’ Union and finally
to Unite.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #252525;">He remained active in the movement throughout
his life, serving as secretary of the ATUC and president of the STUC. He attended
his last Unite retired members’ meeting only last month.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #252525;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYsgE3fIQ9zh4v0f1J9I8OZnsRszxCJfYccB-nTfbvUTdduE-eIp3Yrn0PF3CJ-ihuREDo80HN1Mg2tLq_s_QMRI8zin_s_hZ7OebIXfaDgp6pVDCpDdlOKF51fmU302ISnASKH2EbIKbhE6aOWjoxfI1ucHnd4F7pnM4NMZsEr9NA0_wJvsCQIv_kWs/s1750/stuc22s044_original%20ron%20award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1750" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYsgE3fIQ9zh4v0f1J9I8OZnsRszxCJfYccB-nTfbvUTdduE-eIp3Yrn0PF3CJ-ihuREDo80HN1Mg2tLq_s_QMRI8zin_s_hZ7OebIXfaDgp6pVDCpDdlOKF51fmU302ISnASKH2EbIKbhE6aOWjoxfI1ucHnd4F7pnM4NMZsEr9NA0_wJvsCQIv_kWs/s320/stuc22s044_original%20ron%20award.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron with Tommy at his award presentation</td></tr></tbody></table>Tommy Campbell of ATUC and a great friend of
Ron’s said, “Ron is held in very high regard by those who ever had the pleasure
of working with him to improve the lives of working-class people here in
Aberdeen and elsewhere in our world.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #252525;">STUC general secretary Roz Foyer added, “Ron
Webster was a stalwart of our movement, so much so that we made a special
presentation to him at the 125th Congress in Aberdeen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #252525;">“He fought for workers’ rights, for
international solidarity, against the hated poll tax and much more besides.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #252525;">“He will be sorely missed, but his
contribution will not be forgotten.”</span></p><p></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-61400378828384703132023-06-25T11:31:00.004+01:002023-06-28T19:25:52.216+01:00Mass protest in Elgin sends fascists packing<p> ATUC members joined a mass protest in Elgin on Saturday 17 June to send packing Hitler wannabe Alek Yerbury and the fascist Highland division.</p><p>Organised by Moray Trade Union Council and Stand up to Racism, the fascists were well outnumbered by anti-racist activists and members of the public, including ATUC members. All had a clear message - "Refugees are welcome here - fascists are not!"</p><p>ATUC's Tommy Campbell spoke powerfully at the rally and you can hear his words on the video below.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='468' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw7JGYvjw8ScqjrRL07gnRBfQM4LiQL01pjhpsfncIWz8hNZKG4Mg-icGeMlk9jl_LiS0SLU_9z3MK-NsWXmA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p></p><p>This blog from one of those who attended, describes the uplifting event.</p><p><b style="text-align: center;">Cos-play and
Contempt</b></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVyVsnUuT1jEMMcHXwbIfDeSEswPe51uqFEZDh26KVgvcB9Y1Pve-Jih9ZOeUKcgQsBSAIa2MoTWulcBDLxfCJzChuZ6YuLsIGK91oFXz67Dqsu6tFc67mK-Iu-wEbEh0o1pmVKRSx4rFsbDwUUk0vikwcJpCf_W_ijj5wa5X_85k7fADtvZZdLkv6l4/s4000/Elgin%202.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVyVsnUuT1jEMMcHXwbIfDeSEswPe51uqFEZDh26KVgvcB9Y1Pve-Jih9ZOeUKcgQsBSAIa2MoTWulcBDLxfCJzChuZ6YuLsIGK91oFXz67Dqsu6tFc67mK-Iu-wEbEh0o1pmVKRSx4rFsbDwUUk0vikwcJpCf_W_ijj5wa5X_85k7fADtvZZdLkv6l4/w200-h150/Elgin%202.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Hard to believe that these people are serious. That bloke
over there is openly spouting hate and appears to have come dressed as an
off-brand Hitler.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saturday 17<sup>th</sup> of June saw hundreds of
anti-fascists, trade unionists and concerned citizens counter protest a “rally”
called by the local far right group. The “rally” peaked at 9 people and was
hopelessly outnumbered by the counter protest. As one chant went, “There are
many, many more of us than you.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Passers-by would have witnessed a tiny group of fascists,
holding union jacks, and wearing a strange mix of double breasted suits, bovver
boots, vests and in one case an Irn-Bru T-shirt. They had their back to the
church building and were surrounded by a ring of police and barriers.
Comprehensively outnumbered, the fascists looked confused and hesitant. They
attempted to make speeches, and spent a lot of time ostentatiously filming the
counter protestors. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXUvEzF6QrLSQSpNaMqNCmes5xaYGxKXUwaJpyGziYqxcRz0Ttc44dp-kP_4sD16Xt3PtDAmq51uw0BQQOVeE9r0OZrtQ7Q1Baa_bEyAdIwqUga4wgTHtzPCG0FGMzuFO3j6_QoIgMTjtrWNjHhPPU4rVY5xOT8-x96z7ZMsv9emb5q9C9tv91N-PwsM/s4000/Elgin%204.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXUvEzF6QrLSQSpNaMqNCmes5xaYGxKXUwaJpyGziYqxcRz0Ttc44dp-kP_4sD16Xt3PtDAmq51uw0BQQOVeE9r0OZrtQ7Q1Baa_bEyAdIwqUga4wgTHtzPCG0FGMzuFO3j6_QoIgMTjtrWNjHhPPU4rVY5xOT8-x96z7ZMsv9emb5q9C9tv91N-PwsM/s320/Elgin%204.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The fascists were ostensibly gathering in reaction to the
opening up of a hotel to house refugees in Elgin. This has been met only with
kindness and support from local people. A tiny group of local fascists though
decided to invite Alek Yerbury, the Hitler wannabee, and a few acolytes all the
way from Leeds to speak in the town. It’s this Alek who decided that 1930’s
fancy dress was appropriate for a hot day in Moray. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Not only have the local fascists invited in a bloke
cos-playing as Hitler, they have shamelessly co-opted the name and logo of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_(Highland)_Division">51<sup>st</sup> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Highland Division</a> of the British Army for
their group. I assume they were attracted by the red white and black colour scheme
of the logo. The sheer contempt the use of this logo embodies is quite
startling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ1TG6QsplQFkeUrCHWXUbckmWpqwvvcMoyuGSAUxVxgMeT8MIdpvyToJa56zVBc1jiMggKAYjeq5anibjqCZLwyKKzXM-JzwN5TgkWSSuOrNUTlP2zGeH-ZoawgmQKS6mQ4GCh2Otyf0J_M8WF3_YusDpfrolM8kYKEf2i9yiEw7vbSQJzyJ_sm8K8I/s4000/Elgin%203.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ1TG6QsplQFkeUrCHWXUbckmWpqwvvcMoyuGSAUxVxgMeT8MIdpvyToJa56zVBc1jiMggKAYjeq5anibjqCZLwyKKzXM-JzwN5TgkWSSuOrNUTlP2zGeH-ZoawgmQKS6mQ4GCh2Otyf0J_M8WF3_YusDpfrolM8kYKEf2i9yiEw7vbSQJzyJ_sm8K8I/s320/Elgin%203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>For context, the 51<sup>st</sup> was the unit that
selflessly held up the Nazi war machine outside Dunkirk so others could escape
and the UK could continue to fight the Nazis. Most of the survivors of this
action spent the rest of the war in Nazi POW camps. Whatever your views on
militarism it beggars belief that they would sully the memory of that
dedication and sacrifice with their fascist beliefs. We are left to conclude
that these people have no sense of history, or no respect for those who fought
the actual Nazis.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The people of Moray left them in no doubt that their poison
is not welcome. Every time they tried to speak they were drowned out by chants,
shouts or the sound of vuvuzelas. One 17 year old lad was lifted, later
released with a warning, after throwing fruit at the fascists. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On a lighter note, one highlight of the day was an activist
using a bubble machine to keep a constant flow floating and drifting over the fascists,
gently making them look even more comical than they already did. Police
Scotland spent the day looking hot and worried, then providing an escort to the
car park for the fascists after an uncomfortable couple of hours. The police
essentially spent the day protecting fascists. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s a sad indictment of where we are that self-identifying
fascists are openly calling for racist hate on the streets. However, we can
take heart from their obviously incoherent and delusional world view and in the
huge, staunch and comprehensive opposition they faced in a generally peaceful
counter demonstration. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">No Pasaran! <o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-33820270496668612472023-05-06T09:36:00.007+01:002023-05-09T09:29:20.225+01:00May day march demands services not cuts for our children's future<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzhCVMVu1-QpbhPgGhtBDOENeJfaHu7rP9BxejykPH-VNW3fminW6mpcLRG7AKsG7BqrgtSQHGAK5wIxul_ZQpbiu7u43pAoebZ0AJpX6MgGiGkqRaTJX8NxaGhMUzClwaaubHgYENyx55JuVuS2oVh2ruLACKI_VC1N1CJTcpJdtmKVKf5U5Ecpk/s2048/march%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="2048" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzhCVMVu1-QpbhPgGhtBDOENeJfaHu7rP9BxejykPH-VNW3fminW6mpcLRG7AKsG7BqrgtSQHGAK5wIxul_ZQpbiu7u43pAoebZ0AJpX6MgGiGkqRaTJX8NxaGhMUzClwaaubHgYENyx55JuVuS2oVh2ruLACKI_VC1N1CJTcpJdtmKVKf5U5Ecpk/s320/march%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over 100 trade unionists, politicians and community representatives joined the ATUC organised<span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> May Day March and Rally on Sat 29 April in Aberdeen. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Community groups out were out in force standing up against closures of libraries and pools in Aberdeen, against the loss of green space and to save Insch community hospital. Marching alongside trade unions on International Workers’ Day.</span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As always the march along Union St with a pipe band at its head, turned the heads of shoppers and passers-by, who stopped to clap or cheer as the marchers passed by. It was a colourful and lively procession as the marchers called out chants and the uplifting <a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>beats of the Guarana Drummers brought up the rear.</span></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsqaP44jNLc-aZz2X805XIvtRNED0K-rHU0pkJuCJMoDt5yya85iBtn0QmRaDEvB5z4z3TU18n8P_hr6Ow_WGsi2R6QVh5QecSEUH8aYa9HpuLrWxZEZS6Fiik8yg1FYBAawBfx9XDtHqmr1KBz7TuLZppiRv9Zd1szaaM5Tuucn4_y0DdTt8qvRN/s2048/Graeme.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsqaP44jNLc-aZz2X805XIvtRNED0K-rHU0pkJuCJMoDt5yya85iBtn0QmRaDEvB5z4z3TU18n8P_hr6Ow_WGsi2R6QVh5QecSEUH8aYa9HpuLrWxZEZS6Fiik8yg1FYBAawBfx9XDtHqmr1KBz7TuLZppiRv9Zd1szaaM5Tuucn4_y0DdTt8qvRN/w150-h200/Graeme.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graeme Farquhar</td></tr></tbody></table>Chairing the rally in the Castlegate, ATUC President, Graeme Farquhar said, "We have see so many disgraceful attacks on the lives and livelihoods of workers, citizens, on the poorest and most vulnerable and on our children. We are here saying, Enough is enough."</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">He commended that community campaigns and pledged, "We stand with you in solidarity."</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were passionate speeches from all the speakers, pledging to stand together for “services not cuts for our children’s future.” </span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speakers from all the groups fighting against closures, for green spaces and for living rents and adequate housing all gave great speeches on their cause, but also the wider aim of protecting our children's future.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAberdeenTUC%2Fvideos%2F1352454848662212%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V2u5Hfz2EIf1_hrPCe7AKA-Fa2sWfCyzpNzWaSgdJ_IGlRscAHQ_AhCOwunBet3lAUr_-t0x9tzaHUWT3dpB8gCIf26Qc7kcXtBi6KLJhL7mJPzoHrEyMyqgjSgQRKrV9flw_YFD7F6gAQnizaWLBxYXDeD3WTt_g6p_UCQFGDJlem7RMk7g30aD/s2048/Kathleen.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V2u5Hfz2EIf1_hrPCe7AKA-Fa2sWfCyzpNzWaSgdJ_IGlRscAHQ_AhCOwunBet3lAUr_-t0x9tzaHUWT3dpB8gCIf26Qc7kcXtBi6KLJhL7mJPzoHrEyMyqgjSgQRKrV9flw_YFD7F6gAQnizaWLBxYXDeD3WTt_g6p_UCQFGDJlem7RMk7g30aD/w150-h200/Kathleen.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Kennedy</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathleen Kennedy, speaking for ATUC called on us to</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small; white-space: normal;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">stand firm and fight and not let the Tories keeping making cuts.</span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: normal;">She pledged that "as the Aberdeen Trades Union Council we are joining with communities groups in fighting these cut backs before the damage is irreversible to our workers of tomorrow. Our members are our communities.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">"We are calling every one of you to stand and do whatever you can to fight and stop these cuts for our today and our children's future," urged Kathleen.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kate Ramsden spoke on behalf of UNISON and for all unions in struggle, saying it was inspiring to see trade unions, communities and protest groups taking action and demanding change. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kate said, "O</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">rdinary people are waking up to the fact that the game’s n</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">o straight. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">That the Tories – a party of the rich, for the rich, by the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">rich – really don’t much care about the rest of us. They don’t much care about </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the economy either, so long as they keep making obscene profits.</span></div><div dir="auto"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zvaiGiV7Yf4beprdeNNBh_5ZQHwW4JB04QS05Su20Xz-9RXqlRUJP-UkqXtsHH2l1wdyYj34lEO4PD1--MywBKfAGlUcBTtbihQXIdLTSLeilOY5VySkJgWngbl32tOGyFAqVkgRDTTT3qp_p7Bxi7llV_zUCg_xfaNbg98SMxC0B8aErfDh4NhM/s1017/Kate.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="901" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zvaiGiV7Yf4beprdeNNBh_5ZQHwW4JB04QS05Su20Xz-9RXqlRUJP-UkqXtsHH2l1wdyYj34lEO4PD1--MywBKfAGlUcBTtbihQXIdLTSLeilOY5VySkJgWngbl32tOGyFAqVkgRDTTT3qp_p7Bxi7llV_zUCg_xfaNbg98SMxC0B8aErfDh4NhM/w178-h200/Kate.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate Ramsden<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Because if they did, they would know that the way to grow the economy for all of us is to put money in our pockets – the pockets of ordinary people - t</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">he people who spend in local shops and businesses – the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">people who pay their taxes.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Give us decent pay rises, p</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ay decent benefits that don’t penalise the poorest, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">disabled people and children. A</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">nd invest in public services. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s how to grow the economy," urged Kate.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Standing together here today is only the start. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s pledge to have each other’s backs in the fights ahead. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we stand together we are strong."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">More photos....</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjP_WG6fUjQgC2zKU0tGUZh26aLwvMoNmIKZhzdsAkB-q-v6D0xgu6K4X2dpXMV-VvxzQcskE6xRLfkobCjUvn9wrXXj0KoIW4-IY4q_AobMGgk1Px_nr2Ex_zXK8SlPDXpn-JVWX07ibWHC-3VlL0ubC4dlj4oxCeSlzVNZ6phNnZHhKSW2Lyh3-/s2048/Esmond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjP_WG6fUjQgC2zKU0tGUZh26aLwvMoNmIKZhzdsAkB-q-v6D0xgu6K4X2dpXMV-VvxzQcskE6xRLfkobCjUvn9wrXXj0KoIW4-IY4q_AobMGgk1Px_nr2Ex_zXK8SlPDXpn-JVWX07ibWHC-3VlL0ubC4dlj4oxCeSlzVNZ6phNnZHhKSW2Lyh3-/s320/Esmond.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCT6-pS-ztO39BJNKZJOwmEOIYIi7KSeHD7Eqirnb6jIA3wJrBHAlzSoYOfwZ748j6in8h0IiS6X6GtFG2z6mSvBUWf40irpfO3HL54d4-YYFS4g9xk7-ng8NgWG2dQcodZKxvwnvcnPshr3IHG88rSKuLP7v8iD8ZiCv7X06QlG8wmPp3L-kXya6/s2048/Castlegate%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCT6-pS-ztO39BJNKZJOwmEOIYIi7KSeHD7Eqirnb6jIA3wJrBHAlzSoYOfwZ748j6in8h0IiS6X6GtFG2z6mSvBUWf40irpfO3HL54d4-YYFS4g9xk7-ng8NgWG2dQcodZKxvwnvcnPshr3IHG88rSKuLP7v8iD8ZiCv7X06QlG8wmPp3L-kXya6/s320/Castlegate%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzKXinWNNNG81xVfSRpzrC92aZDxonTIxF1dphYKe4A6UFcPNeCoY6KPR1uT1IjVERxWLUzKRWv6OlVvCfo_H-n1b7-2vp1pEyoo0CGWOfrgXM8GZBPOye4P2Kx1g0BIFbjyemTWLUegDDFfkKXAxFu9NGKzx05hSSb1SqHr7W9_xxhYOmro1-SAy/s2048/Castlegate%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvMD4hZNEZZqBW45k5p2aPhLXKQTQKr1OGq841o9rn6FPBLSvCdiqeOv1QllJrgGlM5iRFbosNAyzzl5RGBGxo93vkjnuUPYtiSoUWqYlK98gjTA5NIUQYl8_f5Upsip01y64T5bdBKA5UcLwvzlJiFmhoUdlgHAC_9n4dNQb4CcZ8NYftVm4yXpS/s2048/St%20Fitticks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvMD4hZNEZZqBW45k5p2aPhLXKQTQKr1OGq841o9rn6FPBLSvCdiqeOv1QllJrgGlM5iRFbosNAyzzl5RGBGxo93vkjnuUPYtiSoUWqYlK98gjTA5NIUQYl8_f5Upsip01y64T5bdBKA5UcLwvzlJiFmhoUdlgHAC_9n4dNQb4CcZ8NYftVm4yXpS/s320/St%20Fitticks.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-7441857762025500282023-05-05T11:05:00.002+01:002023-05-05T11:05:23.577+01:00Moving workers memorial day service remembers dead and pledges to fight on for living<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSvu96ETpqCunBON2jjDugBZcDfFa6YzK6awjf7ctM9x193XQVhU-K87foYUQzgOFiWpSA8ksVIQ-R8jOnasli7lRI9jEv-sk-eUnQ5LxI5f_qney5eL_H0dPgipCUcXw6JF7kKKsO5DooUAdLV0O6QbF4oCejZUM0t02hMSflgMVQFn4iOaNMPGM/s1024/Crowd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSvu96ETpqCunBON2jjDugBZcDfFa6YzK6awjf7ctM9x193XQVhU-K87foYUQzgOFiWpSA8ksVIQ-R8jOnasli7lRI9jEv-sk-eUnQ5LxI5f_qney5eL_H0dPgipCUcXw6JF7kKKsO5DooUAdLV0O6QbF4oCejZUM0t02hMSflgMVQFn4iOaNMPGM/w320-h213/Crowd.JPG" title="Photo by Norman Adams" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Norman Adams</td></tr></tbody></table>Aberdeen Trades Union Council hosted a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"> very moving Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony at the beautiful Persley Walled Garden in Aberdeen on Friday 28 April 2023. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaired by President, Graham Farquhar, those gathered laid wreaths to remember all those killed, injured or made ill at their work. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wreaths were laid by many trades unions and community groups as well as by ATUC and Aberdeen City Council.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trade union speakers and politicians all spoke powerfully of the importance of keeping up the fight for proper health and safety legislation and regulation and called on us to "remember the dead, fight for the living."</span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1GZZZA-epTOEgZiOA78MCghqhKWiwUGjAh9tc7-PV9s_zIsCl4IAxCq0rYqMxhuuEsoJvTbah84YBSi7j806hrj2N6lj-5aA9VDLkP9bPdQM4LYay3myIj0CYJdW50q1_scvTLhPXr00dob4CjRBDlX6WfDL9aU9Dm3xGvIVRnzlkAzpraWCFNKO/s2048/Joyce%20Davies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1GZZZA-epTOEgZiOA78MCghqhKWiwUGjAh9tc7-PV9s_zIsCl4IAxCq0rYqMxhuuEsoJvTbah84YBSi7j806hrj2N6lj-5aA9VDLkP9bPdQM4LYay3myIj0CYJdW50q1_scvTLhPXr00dob4CjRBDlX6WfDL9aU9Dm3xGvIVRnzlkAzpraWCFNKO/w150-h200/Joyce%20Davies.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joyce Davies</td></tr></tbody></table>We were joined by Joyce Davies whose father was killed when she was 8 in the James Watt Street fire in Glasgow in 1968 when 22 people died in a furniture factory. Joyce spoke poignantly on the huge impact it has had on her life, highlighting that a death at work has a wide-reaching effect on family and friends and across generations. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It brought powerfully home <a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>the importance of keeping up the fight for decent health and safety laws and regulation and the need to hold employers to account here and across the world.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There followed a minute's silence to remember and mourn the workers who went to their work and never came home, and to reflect on the impact on families and communities. </span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More photos below</span></div><div dir="auto"><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7q9Q7qvEpBINfTQQSNOwPpHiVTaJaBBojcnKIBj8gKaj8c55WRTe2ItlUXTHDxu4CH7J14yjI4rTNNZttnJFU1_XlzZawfBFwegTheL9QR6FO74uaQUGNLT5vO3HzuKW2X4MgkJcMurU0H2zFIwxQovbbnmTALeSwEOlO3QfdhxDdW1sgT6aIvYh/s320/IWMD%202023%20-%20President.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfBW4dw_oV0NMxvZFc4dObSuR19RVAMMTqN0pR7r-rQxcpyqEOu7hoWEU2mvBzGfyiaEHIDuAECkLb24AkHAOC0CEyE06uVFiArHGPJyHCBR3mL5Fqq0iwHkRVib4FlhAiXIN9PdwiRFs-_nl4Cf9oVzcqzTHn_RBggCy3ePG5O-xKLRTpBWUlRz9/s4032/Provost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfBW4dw_oV0NMxvZFc4dObSuR19RVAMMTqN0pR7r-rQxcpyqEOu7hoWEU2mvBzGfyiaEHIDuAECkLb24AkHAOC0CEyE06uVFiArHGPJyHCBR3mL5Fqq0iwHkRVib4FlhAiXIN9PdwiRFs-_nl4Cf9oVzcqzTHn_RBggCy3ePG5O-xKLRTpBWUlRz9/s320/Provost.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKozEl12Bcsz_BN9Tzzp1lqLYN0OKLu5WX6yfAWHxESvHIMK8cbV6jZpRekXCrBGRfLbMBayN0cf-ip8zkCMBdeYjUZg3-PEoUxmGX2r1fUxajvrSXww118p8lHvgWXUQUOVpLwLx1GSnK9qz355vFmsvwcjgUmqexKkNhDrmeh2vVe_SxgWPKppR/s2400/ACC_Provost%20Graeme%20and%20Joyce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKozEl12Bcsz_BN9Tzzp1lqLYN0OKLu5WX6yfAWHxESvHIMK8cbV6jZpRekXCrBGRfLbMBayN0cf-ip8zkCMBdeYjUZg3-PEoUxmGX2r1fUxajvrSXww118p8lHvgWXUQUOVpLwLx1GSnK9qz355vFmsvwcjgUmqexKkNhDrmeh2vVe_SxgWPKppR/s320/ACC_Provost%20Graeme%20and%20Joyce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie-7g-plcfJqkFsRucpEgdHa0C9eX2do7S4WSpqvlZrRIh-b7MqOTTuNzz86BAPvJibvkuYbEkyvT8JHZam8rPJbU1hMl0zDm5ogsRkgeYCvxi-L6Hm0Z0CQHuHtctIBGkpRUdtn7S1nl7yx7uy3kwywCifk5sZb_r-sjuNOrrvh0F0_sOsm6XV6-/s2000/Marischall%20College.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie-7g-plcfJqkFsRucpEgdHa0C9eX2do7S4WSpqvlZrRIh-b7MqOTTuNzz86BAPvJibvkuYbEkyvT8JHZam8rPJbU1hMl0zDm5ogsRkgeYCvxi-L6Hm0Z0CQHuHtctIBGkpRUdtn7S1nl7yx7uy3kwywCifk5sZb_r-sjuNOrrvh0F0_sOsm6XV6-/s320/Marischall%20College.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>With thanks to Norman Adams for some of these photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div></div>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-70277225929304809332023-05-01T21:00:00.000+01:002023-05-01T21:16:53.016+01:00Aberdeen Trades Union Council delegates at the STUC Congress<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-Vb-2zPSGxBHrltnoB4Zqs2Vz9Ocb_sCxQx114XRWWQLitp9QVgborQL1ik8W7toJI6ZZv8c9VmIv7AfKTcv1ZDN4paeDZXwR1nxbQLtohoYposs4Hs8v23B6lW8YcS6NqeapBm_b2hq131rYW6hqYTo07P1-g3sULOAzjr4K3JpB4EOYCOFbHHA/s600/STUClogo.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-Vb-2zPSGxBHrltnoB4Zqs2Vz9Ocb_sCxQx114XRWWQLitp9QVgborQL1ik8W7toJI6ZZv8c9VmIv7AfKTcv1ZDN4paeDZXwR1nxbQLtohoYposs4Hs8v23B6lW8YcS6NqeapBm_b2hq131rYW6hqYTo07P1-g3sULOAzjr4K3JpB4EOYCOFbHHA/s320/STUClogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> This year's STUC Congress was held in Dundee from 17-19 April. ATUC delegates were Scott Sutherland, Morag Lawrence and Mike Martin.<p></p><p>ATUC submitted three motions all with an international theme. These were: "War in Ukraine", "AUKUS pact" and "FIFA World Cup". They also had an emergency motion admitted to the agenda "Campaign for a Climate Emergency Resilient Just Transition."</p><p>All three delegates spoke to ATUC motions and Morag also spoke to a NASUWT motion highlighting the disgraceful decision by Aberdeen City Council to close six libraries. Reports of their input will follow:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/stuc-demands-councils-save-our-libraries.html">Morag Lawrence </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/stuc-demands-councils-save-our-libraries.html">highlighted that in Aberdeen, campaign groups are fighting to stop and reverse library closures.</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/urgent-action-needed-on-climate-crisis.html">Morag Lawrence told delegates that the recent information brought to us by the United Nations Climate Scientists warn us that the urgency to reach a true net zero is far more imminent than first thought</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/qatar-legacy-must-not-forget-workers.html"><span style="color: black;">Scott Sutherland </span><span style="color: #222222;">told Congress that ATUC's motion sought to consolidate the Qatar resolution adopted at last year's STUC Conference in Aberdeen.</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/congress-supports-ukraine-but-votes.html">Mike Martin told Congress w<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">e oppose the unilateral use of force against any sovereign state in contravention of the United Nations Charter and international law.</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.atuc.org.uk/2023/05/aukus-pact-makes-world-more-dangerous.html#more">Mike Martin said that the AUKUS pact is being justified on the basis of upholding the ‘rules-based order’, yet the treaty undermines the rules of international law</a></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-34874692708602161762023-05-01T20:30:00.001+01:002023-05-01T21:19:32.964+01:00AUKUS pact makes world more dangerous<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0uH8ovdN-s8HSQSMX6NnZqVICO_4BZxNkCDf7InmzeQe0hvSzcLV83cVrD9qWGAV93-1Q4L2lpxaXfIwRIjhpH1EYUOEhHGf0bWY0r3-TavuJdfuonrzXpC-CLRsBx8Gzz8sJOgG5FUes5pKcs6aPzFBylqx3NAOlzzUBpdVmFsRx1KqbcHr80fG/s4032/Mike%20M%201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0uH8ovdN-s8HSQSMX6NnZqVICO_4BZxNkCDf7InmzeQe0hvSzcLV83cVrD9qWGAV93-1Q4L2lpxaXfIwRIjhpH1EYUOEhHGf0bWY0r3-TavuJdfuonrzXpC-CLRsBx8Gzz8sJOgG5FUes5pKcs6aPzFBylqx3NAOlzzUBpdVmFsRx1KqbcHr80fG/s320/Mike%20M%201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Congress backed ATUC’s call to condemn the Tory
government’s 2022 AUKUS pact for the provision of nuclear submarines for
Australia and mandating an increased military presence by Britain and the US in
disputed waters.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The motion from Aberdeen Trades Union Council was
opposed by some unions concerned with the employment of their members. However
it was supported by the STUC General Council and was passed on a card vote.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Moving the motion, ATUC delegate Mike Martin explained
that AUKUS is a military partnership between the UK, the US and Australia, that
was signed in September 2021. Billed as ‘a landmark defence and security
partnership’, its key military focus centres on ‘the development of joint
capabilities and technology sharing’, deeper integration of security and
defence-related science, technology, industrial bases and supply chains. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“It’s being justified on the basis of upholding the
‘rules-based order’, yet the treaty undermines the rules of international law,”
slammed Mike.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The AUKUS pact is a dangerous escalation in the
West’s ongoing confrontation with China,” said Mike, warning that the AUKUS
pact brings nuclear technology into an increasingly militarised part of the
world, where accidents or further provocations could flare up into full-scale
war.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He called on the STUC to build opposition to AUKUS
internationally and pointed out that locally CND is working in unity with
partners in the peace movements in the US and Australia against AUKUS.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“We want to build on that here,” urged Mike.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-81638780638878754112023-05-01T20:30:00.000+01:002023-05-01T21:18:05.107+01:00Congress supports Ukraine but votes down composite motion<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1TuELPFIMy7rqB_o3HNJZ5bN0I7vP2zrGFetkraDQbKUxDL8WdExLgaCpJ4_rugV21pX_5_WOD4PzsMIM_SAoKl_n61U7o5UdH-F57DQB9yXhiysT9H2FybZgNyPyTzxfDSzGagNSuyUMhfQ4AeDBJQn76500FADWImvA3mkG-jNnLQPwQi-TZvc/s4032/Mike%20M%201.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1TuELPFIMy7rqB_o3HNJZ5bN0I7vP2zrGFetkraDQbKUxDL8WdExLgaCpJ4_rugV21pX_5_WOD4PzsMIM_SAoKl_n61U7o5UdH-F57DQB9yXhiysT9H2FybZgNyPyTzxfDSzGagNSuyUMhfQ4AeDBJQn76500FADWImvA3mkG-jNnLQPwQi-TZvc/s320/Mike%20M%201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">ATUC’s motion on
Ukraine was merged into a Composite with motions from other affiliates. It
called for an end to the supply of weaponry and for peace negotiations. However
it was opposed by the STUC General Council who issued a counterposed
“Statement on Ukraine”.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">The statement agreed
the need for peace talks but did not believe that these could effectively take
place if support for Ukraine was withdrawn as “implied by Composite Q” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">On a show of hands the
Composite was defeated, albeit with a substantial minority in favour.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">Moving the composite,
ATUC’s Mike Martin </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">reminded delegates that on 24 February
2022, the Russian Federation launched a military intervention into Ukraine,
marking a serious escalation of the civil war in Eastern Ukraine which broke
out in early 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">“We oppose the unilateral use of force against any
sovereign state in contravention of the United Nations Charter and
international law. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">“At the same time, we recognise that the current
crisis is the outcome of a decades-long policy of eastward expansion of the
NATO military alliance, the consequences of which were rightly warned against
in advance by leading figures of the US foreign policy establishment.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Mike said that today, we are witnessing how war breeds
fear, hatred, and jingoism, with the flames often being fanned by our
politicians and media institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">“This conflict has the potential to spiral out of
control and bring the United States and Russia – the world’s two largest
nuclear powers, who together account for 90% of all nuclear warheads – into
direct conflict,” warned Mike. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">“We urgently call on all parties to immediately pursue
a diplomatic resolution of this conflict. Now more than ever, the priority is
peace, a call supported by many across Europe and a majority in the Global
South. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“In order to end this war and minimise the suffering
and death of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples, it is urgently necessary that
we understand how we arrived at this moment – only then can we navigate our way
out.”</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-86548853262295842232023-05-01T18:21:00.000+01:002023-05-01T18:21:27.935+01:00Qatar legacy must not forget workers killed and their families<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3_ETaxAyKXA6GtpRW_YzbwL2Hw0KUbjT2oaStHzgFuMF5eejFyWTR7Qy6J2nz9icjaOVpNBpRGKLTx9PdkP6GPL59TPZohy8qofMtTdkXSVzZn-FdKCtal4Rs6i1k6tOEvaV3N2KLj9IUakHLOcqnLAvm-aIqozd6LuppuXtUC6hd9fgFdxfiTH1/s4032/Scott%20S%201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3_ETaxAyKXA6GtpRW_YzbwL2Hw0KUbjT2oaStHzgFuMF5eejFyWTR7Qy6J2nz9icjaOVpNBpRGKLTx9PdkP6GPL59TPZohy8qofMtTdkXSVzZn-FdKCtal4Rs6i1k6tOEvaV3N2KLj9IUakHLOcqnLAvm-aIqozd6LuppuXtUC6hd9fgFdxfiTH1/s320/Scott%20S%201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Congress
was warned that although the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is over, the impact
continues on the families of those who died in the construction of the stadiums
or those who were injured.<p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;">Aberdeen Trade Union Council’s motion called for a high profile campaign to keep
up the pressure on the Qatari government to pay compensation to these workers
and their families.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Moving
the motion, ATUC delegate, Scott Sutherland </span><span style="color: #222222;">told
Congress that the motion seeks to consolidate the Qatar resolution adopted at
last year's STUC Conference in Aberdeen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“The football World Cup is over, but
its legacy remains.” He warned that FIFA and the Qatari Authorities want us to
remember a major sporting event to be proud of.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“However,we remember their legacy
for different reasons. Are they proud of an atrocious human rights record? Homophobia?
Transphobia? Sexism? Lack of Democracy?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“To all these questions and more,
we still have no answers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“In addition, we will never
forget in excess of 6500 building workers, unnecessarily killed during the
construction of the football stadia.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Innocent workers, forced to work
in extreme heat with negligent health and safety provisions by the employers
and forced to live in dangerous, sub standard accommodation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Our legacy must be to organise
and support the destitute families of all the workers killed. We cannot forget
them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">He called on the STUC General
Council to raise the profile of the matter and apply relevant pressure on those
concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222;">“Instead of boasting about a
billionaire football tournament, FIFA and the Qatari Authorities must work with
all parties concerned, including the trade union movement to identify all the
families involved and assess and compensate all the families involved, in order
to provide financial assistance and ensure there is no repetition of the disastrous
Qatari event, bearing in mind that Saudi Arabi is now being touted for a future
football World Cup venue.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-55054449117915121482023-05-01T18:08:00.002+01:002023-05-01T18:08:36.065+01:00Urgent action needed on climate crisis<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNN6LvbgcWf0ytb7PAQftAvYAhoWyDPhCiCCFQD0vsoxxgAyFiHtiC6sp8f_et2kqlSUxznAlQGvvZayNSpF9vgsOCePt0wyZ-KNQ8UfHWD9O2k9sIghH2kl5gYNkP03NE5K_qt-m81rlvVqAHiW_PjM97nUWQY0eoVN9IRpwqv6ISTwQ7nK13d_9/s4032/Morag%20L.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNN6LvbgcWf0ytb7PAQftAvYAhoWyDPhCiCCFQD0vsoxxgAyFiHtiC6sp8f_et2kqlSUxznAlQGvvZayNSpF9vgsOCePt0wyZ-KNQ8UfHWD9O2k9sIghH2kl5gYNkP03NE5K_qt-m81rlvVqAHiW_PjM97nUWQY0eoVN9IRpwqv6ISTwQ7nK13d_9/s320/Morag%20L.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Congress overwhelmingly backed an emergency motion from
ATUC which highlighted the need for urgent action on the climate crisis.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It heard that UN climate scientists have delivered a final
warning on the climate crisis to act now before it’s too late, after a flurry
of recent reports showed the urgency of taking action to reach real zero by
2035 not 2050, the UK Government target.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Moving the motion, ATUC’s Morag Lawrence told
delegates that the recent information brought to us by the United Nations
Climate Scientists warn us that the urgency to reach a true net zero is far
more imminent than first thought.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“This means that the government and others with
target dates of 2050 now clearly need to be aiming for 2035,” warned Morag.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">She pointed to a report by the Uk governments own
Climate Agency, which states ‘There has been a lost decade failing to deliver
any progress towards a climate resilient infrastructure</span><span style="color: #444444;">'</span><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“This is due to their own inaction,” slammed Morag.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“In April the government rebranded their Net Zero
Strategy as an Energy Strategy, based on private sector led growth in
new North Sea developments supported by government grants and tax breaks.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No mention of a just transition based on low
carbon jobs in retrofitting and renewables as advocated by this Congress.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444;">“Instead w</span><span style="color: #222222;">e need investment in a climate resilient just transition to help deliver
a fairer and equal society.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She called for the STUC to engage with members and
civic society to campaign for a fully funded Climate Emergency Resilient Just
Transition Action Plan with statutory backing. And to build a UK wide coalition
campaigning together for a Just Transition Action Plan.</span></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-23889304062488134702023-05-01T18:04:00.004+01:002023-05-01T21:20:16.745+01:00STUC demands councils save our libraries<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLCqzV6KUNslKp_lVhxDTb60wa5xFk7aJ_8bCmiKf1cCltGgpEaMVwb2BVuw_2-fd4IW69PVxhE4JTjLfKYjDYhprhASTP1xRH_bfBBhcwRwUT0qnY_SkRe4pqxJ68BWYfuM-5OUjEa-3pj-ALbhuEaBEX46jX1fQZCIsOAg4Nj2Mnv2o-89MkoCQ/s4032/Morag%20L.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLCqzV6KUNslKp_lVhxDTb60wa5xFk7aJ_8bCmiKf1cCltGgpEaMVwb2BVuw_2-fd4IW69PVxhE4JTjLfKYjDYhprhASTP1xRH_bfBBhcwRwUT0qnY_SkRe4pqxJ68BWYfuM-5OUjEa-3pj-ALbhuEaBEX46jX1fQZCIsOAg4Nj2Mnv2o-89MkoCQ/s320/Morag%20L.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Congress
slammed attacks on library provision, recognising the key importance of
libraries for our children and our communities.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It recognised
the importance of library provision especially for already disadvantaged
children and communities, and backed a campaign for investment to ensure that
every school in Scotland has access to good quality school library services.
The STUC will also support broader campaigns to increase funding for public
library services.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Supporting the NASUWT motion on behalf of
Aberdeen Trades Union Council, Morag Lawrence </span><span style="color: #444444;">highlighted
that at this very moment, in Aberdeen campaign groups are fighting to stop and
reverse library closures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“A total of 6 libraries have been closed in the last month in Aberdeen
alone,” she said pointing out that “this situation makes it even more vital
that our children have access to a good quality school library service.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #444444;">Morag added, “In the case of Woodside Library in Aberdeen. local
councillors should learn from John Anderson who wrote to Woodside Library Trust
in 1883 on the occasion of his gift of the library.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">“He said 'This library needs to be protected from ruthless hands, to
upset my good intentions.' Unfortunately this letter has not stopped
them,” warned Morag, urging support, which delegates gave overwhelmingly.</span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-88978672595772034812023-04-23T17:28:00.002+01:002023-04-23T17:31:19.306+01:00Standing on the shoulders of giants - the women who stormed the Grill Bar<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxdPR4SC8ibbAI_cIp_rllFqFDMyZNMHDIVeuiaZJklvTqmxX9-FwAcPJf41yDULDCJeLtohosx61z55FfXrL5jss95YSPCxwFoSgZabTivs4P9ENFBSFhDAvS7Hp7wF-oRPFsCWjhkzZ2fJ6L6TPfDBAyce5LFHwNFSSEa9EVk8XyBPMhhoPkm2N/s1215/e7f49120-2507-417e-9213-02523bd9e924.JPG"><span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1215" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxdPR4SC8ibbAI_cIp_rllFqFDMyZNMHDIVeuiaZJklvTqmxX9-FwAcPJf41yDULDCJeLtohosx61z55FfXrL5jss95YSPCxwFoSgZabTivs4P9ENFBSFhDAvS7Hp7wF-oRPFsCWjhkzZ2fJ6L6TPfDBAyce5LFHwNFSSEa9EVk8XyBPMhhoPkm2N/s320/e7f49120-2507-417e-9213-02523bd9e924.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Grill Bar in Union Street commemorated the day 50 years ago when women delegates attending the STUC Congress in Aberdeen stormed the bar - then a men only pub - demanding their right to be served.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141414;">Police were called to the pub and the incident made national headlines. Two years later, a law banning </span>pubs<span style="background-color: white; color: #141414;"> from refusing to serve women was passed. However, it wasn't until 1998, following further protests, that The Grill installed a ladies' toilet.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The event, organised by Aberdeen Trades Union Council, took place on Wednesday 19 April when ATUC delegates Laura McDonald and Kathleen Kennedy unveiled a picture frame of the three Daily Record photographs of the 1973 protest by women attending the STUC Congress in Aberdeen.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGvFnacu0dClNPhoqve0V-dH8aVk4zTUrfYSBoc4VRBt4twwGol82-MDXyoFCLq5wlEsBRpxYg2MdpbEI4DdIb9ZhIaXH1wxfNwfSvrZSTm5aiSyXOYvCQYTCRhSv0_eD7IzYv9vI6_FfQGynE-0Zd6VRrJjO5biG9BRWLhLm3JWTBeE8HmXAOp-r/s1600/8254958d-2de1-42e0-ac30-7d9e4707d815%20(1).JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGvFnacu0dClNPhoqve0V-dH8aVk4zTUrfYSBoc4VRBt4twwGol82-MDXyoFCLq5wlEsBRpxYg2MdpbEI4DdIb9ZhIaXH1wxfNwfSvrZSTm5aiSyXOYvCQYTCRhSv0_eD7IzYv9vI6_FfQGynE-0Zd6VRrJjO5biG9BRWLhLm3JWTBeE8HmXAOp-r/w320-h237/8254958d-2de1-42e0-ac30-7d9e4707d815%20(1).JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The unveiling took place in the presence of trade unionists, the proprietor, staff and patrons of The Grill Bar.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although unable to attend, STUC General Secretary, Roz Foyer sent the following message:<br /><br />"<span style="color: #222222;">My apologies for not being
able to attend in person this evening as you all commemorate the brave stand
taken by female STUC delegates to be treated as equals in the Grill Bar
on this day 50 years ago.</span></span></p><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I would like to extend my warm wishes and solidarity on this 50th anniversary
of the storming of the Grill Bar in Aberdeen.</span></span><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br />"I am immensely proud that it was female STUC delegates who thundered through
the front door of the Grill Bar demanding to be served as equals. This is
what the women in our Trade Union movement are all about: being brave, standing
up to blatant sexism and winning together.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk5w7etvbMugDL7sQl3OBfwlEpJnzYhlXkNI57BFQ6JrM4VVoE5iLyBynWwLnaPjV872M-kHwhoRLxPiHL2g5swYQUcBWNKn5DODHc2ra1sjw9RYdRuscPGYiP3-6TlQPu0BpwO6kOt5vVrW4pVA-FOW1C_7RC9o59-3D8TNhsAxckn2HHvKJY1ST/s1603/97c483a2-302b-4ba2-856f-e112072fb6b4.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1603" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk5w7etvbMugDL7sQl3OBfwlEpJnzYhlXkNI57BFQ6JrM4VVoE5iLyBynWwLnaPjV872M-kHwhoRLxPiHL2g5swYQUcBWNKn5DODHc2ra1sjw9RYdRuscPGYiP3-6TlQPu0BpwO6kOt5vVrW4pVA-FOW1C_7RC9o59-3D8TNhsAxckn2HHvKJY1ST/s320/97c483a2-302b-4ba2-856f-e112072fb6b4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>"These women are a credit to our Trade Union movement.<br />
<br />"I have no doubt that these women, alongside many others in our Trade Union
movement, pushed the UK Parliament to pass the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 that
revoked the barring of women in pubs.<br />
<br />"We truly stand on the shoulders of giants as we continue to push back against
all forms of discrimination."</span></span><div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cUyxQ80-pKXnl3IVFY6POGhyAqLjBFZKLI6C9t8M4bS_SRgu-wLE2KimKNZLhlpy6U5eLnI6i_AbN40ckHVItYE0uIqLGL_z1X48jS5jowTdPhuMPmTycPcGZnY5i-pCqjv5sF6Or3N2ijOtyiDjJ48GKpnwztWezaOORkHInkBXlEx-i6R3O-vi/s2000/8aa342fd-4234-4a45-98b5-fcd269c400f4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="2000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cUyxQ80-pKXnl3IVFY6POGhyAqLjBFZKLI6C9t8M4bS_SRgu-wLE2KimKNZLhlpy6U5eLnI6i_AbN40ckHVItYE0uIqLGL_z1X48jS5jowTdPhuMPmTycPcGZnY5i-pCqjv5sF6Or3N2ijOtyiDjJ48GKpnwztWezaOORkHInkBXlEx-i6R3O-vi/w320-h180/8aa342fd-4234-4a45-98b5-fcd269c400f4.JPG" title="Changed days as women now work in the Grill Bar" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changed days as women now work in the Grill Bar</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sLq2IvuYnBq_m-wZWWKtH8_tPdNyd02JPqr2ucPD_8I2oEL3hpmHpOCGqqKZoV5M-HfX06NUp__wZjoXMzUxJqeo6rZQPjZt--R-o4dH0647giYtmQgAWn7Qfm-iMmXifGc6xjdJw1nnU2HKAXLloUeG_btF5n3t93zDadTOut2hXFLZEzxY5BLy/s1600/afc8e9bf-3a1a-4f86-bdf7-674b4405a7f7.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sLq2IvuYnBq_m-wZWWKtH8_tPdNyd02JPqr2ucPD_8I2oEL3hpmHpOCGqqKZoV5M-HfX06NUp__wZjoXMzUxJqeo6rZQPjZt--R-o4dH0647giYtmQgAWn7Qfm-iMmXifGc6xjdJw1nnU2HKAXLloUeG_btF5n3t93zDadTOut2hXFLZEzxY5BLy/w300-h400/afc8e9bf-3a1a-4f86-bdf7-674b4405a7f7.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7uxBWkdrSyjHJAoNg-ceUCZuMLGiZbevPghUelNlf02KuSaEU9BYwrLpk5yMJ1EJnxSFHZz946qmiSY2wUtvIFZlgn_SUYNBy_5tJzEO4UXaTkUUnyNjKZXilWYgDfUTikUqtDH3xFg69P3WtBKoM5bbzD514JDQPGXSTDLP__O_x3PdUTL9KpXE/s1024/14a5686e-a75a-4a4b-a2c3-78b3e419cdcd.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7uxBWkdrSyjHJAoNg-ceUCZuMLGiZbevPghUelNlf02KuSaEU9BYwrLpk5yMJ1EJnxSFHZz946qmiSY2wUtvIFZlgn_SUYNBy_5tJzEO4UXaTkUUnyNjKZXilWYgDfUTikUqtDH3xFg69P3WtBKoM5bbzD514JDQPGXSTDLP__O_x3PdUTL9KpXE/w400-h300/14a5686e-a75a-4a4b-a2c3-78b3e419cdcd.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GIYWu2J0i2b5QXRK9QkPCTPBinRwLtQCjPpYBjjQogxFOMvTdIYpNTtKN30NdI9DYnz5sucHiYXeLhZK77Zf5ZDuRWyanvdwmkhjUQ3mpiYS9ASJKrMzOisBcqWSgjtJZ7U5o1Ww-THqeqCV1cQl0o7oeG9fPOu94YVNdUlUFvkz3hqHuk-UrN3Z/s2000/dd93e179-d845-4779-8192-3b0ab7db9f51.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1126" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GIYWu2J0i2b5QXRK9QkPCTPBinRwLtQCjPpYBjjQogxFOMvTdIYpNTtKN30NdI9DYnz5sucHiYXeLhZK77Zf5ZDuRWyanvdwmkhjUQ3mpiYS9ASJKrMzOisBcqWSgjtJZ7U5o1Ww-THqeqCV1cQl0o7oeG9fPOu94YVNdUlUFvkz3hqHuk-UrN3Z/s320/dd93e179-d845-4779-8192-3b0ab7db9f51.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><br /></div>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-13003663396599476972023-04-09T17:51:00.004+01:002023-04-09T17:58:40.671+01:00Come along to the May Day march for "services not cuts, for our children's future!"<p><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyMBy-FW2ro8QMrFJDnpmacRCJSYU75eDDMJc8tyMhy2KlbXd1TeKAPyLaJ0NAYWtYkWozPBPDRc6cFmQP7IudpSyxY4H6H_apPePharPMHZUU9NILXN03Mr0rDGmjYS4Bq9b27aSE6_1VAN3aBGZ0-Fy48teMCm7D_z-9s9_JHaUSKQCIi6_p46l/s848/May%20Day%20poster.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyMBy-FW2ro8QMrFJDnpmacRCJSYU75eDDMJc8tyMhy2KlbXd1TeKAPyLaJ0NAYWtYkWozPBPDRc6cFmQP7IudpSyxY4H6H_apPePharPMHZUU9NILXN03Mr0rDGmjYS4Bq9b27aSE6_1VAN3aBGZ0-Fy48teMCm7D_z-9s9_JHaUSKQCIi6_p46l/s320/May%20Day%20poster.JPG" width="226" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Please join us at our Aberdeen Trades Union Council May Day march and rally on Saturday 29th April to celebrate International Workers' Day.</b></span><p></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marchers will gather at Rubislaw Terrace at 11.00am, to march off at 11.30am down Union Street, led by the uplifting strains of a pipe band and the beats of the Guarana Drummers. A rally will be held in the Castlegate from 12 noon. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Our theme this year is "Services not cuts, for our children's future."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">ATUC president, Graeme Farquhar said, "Our march and rally this year comes at a time when communities in Aberdeen are fighting to protect against libraries and pools closures, facilities that are critical to the wellbeing of children and our most vulnerable, and essential for a decent society.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">"We will hear from representatives of these community groups spearheading the campaigns to protect these services, calling on the council to re-open libraries and save pools. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">"We will also hear from the trade unions making their own stands to protect their members pay and conditions as the cost of living rises, plunging more and more working people into poverty."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">Graeme </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">called on Trade Unions, Community Groups, friends and families to come and join us with banners and placards, to give a clear message, "No to cuts!"</span></span></div>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1359034005247503873.post-14686703436777579862023-04-06T17:42:00.003+01:002023-04-06T17:42:39.881+01:00Join us at International Workers' Memorial Day and "remember the dead, fight for the living"<p><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBulwHAu5zK6SmE1V7ZxWmR6IAvQXyRPK6713HjZ1pfj1fNEunEGUTdKkx76diB4VC4I6OWsK9wd744DA-xZbNDhj94u_DxSrxS2-IRBl7Kcre1UOPfwKQa3ILZz9piI6h3_QS8Lt7ZVDjHvDnWmVfPJmPkEDlP1xLlsx7XllfrNXozSpk6-j2FZ8dg/w320-h240/IWMD1.jpg" style="background: transparent; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Representatives
from the affiliated Trade Union branches of Aberdeen Trades Union Council,
Action on Asbestos, Thompsons Solicitors</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">and Aberdeen City Council</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">will commemorate</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) on
Friday</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">28th April at the locations listed below.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
International Workers’ Memorial Day theme is to " remember the dead, fight
for the living."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 14.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Graeme
Farquhar, Aberdeen TUC President said,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"On International Workers Memorial Day we pay our respects and remember
all those who have lost their lives through a workplace accident or an
industrial related disease.“<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 14.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Whilst we will always remember the dead, we reiterate our
fundamental right to fight for the living by ensuring that all workplaces
are safe and healthier to work in."</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 14.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #444444; text-align: left;"><u><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">IWMD Events</span></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 14.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #444444; text-align: left;"><u><span style="color: #222222;"><span></span></span></u></b></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b><u><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Persley walled garden</span></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZcxPN9gD8FinbfXsK6D1vV_6qJhkCstYWzy1032PpPNf_lyR8YMiSLFI75nbIr5OSUPHhQ-pM4F9g3AKoEyyiMRm6wXps-yCd91Sc2QlV3su8kEL_GGNwDUVjlRDcUNsMR6BSsWvjlO8TcmYrnzbXsI26ymcDeupoHZFCtAqZ0ilodu4uJFIoKGR/s360/WorkersMemorialDay_360x172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="360" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZcxPN9gD8FinbfXsK6D1vV_6qJhkCstYWzy1032PpPNf_lyR8YMiSLFI75nbIr5OSUPHhQ-pM4F9g3AKoEyyiMRm6wXps-yCd91Sc2QlV3su8kEL_GGNwDUVjlRDcUNsMR6BSsWvjlO8TcmYrnzbXsI26ymcDeupoHZFCtAqZ0ilodu4uJFIoKGR/s320/WorkersMemorialDay_360x172.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ATUC and various Trade Union branches will lay wreaths at the Workers’ Memorial granite Obelisk in the Persley walled garden, at 1pm until 1.30pm.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Duthie Park</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aberdeen
City Council Lord Provost, Council Officers<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& Trade Union Representatives will lower the City Council’s
flag to half mast and lay a wreath<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at
the Mound in Duthie Park, Polmuir Road, Aberdeen AB11 7TH at 10.30am until
11.30am</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johnston Gardens</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Action on Asbestos charity along
with the victims of asbestos and their families and the Trade Unions will lay
wreaths<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Johnston Gardens, Viewfield
Road, Aberdeen AB15 7XE at 12 noon until 12.30pm</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These
are public events so everyone is very welcome to attend.</span></span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;">International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place all over the world on 28th April each year. Its purpose is two-fold. Firstly it is about not forgetting those who have died, been injured, or made ill by their work. Secondly it is about ensuring that this tragic loss and suffering are used to reinvigorate the campaign for healthier and safer work.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"> </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Graeme Farquhar, ATUC President added: "Sadly the numbers of workers dying at their work or being injured or made ill are still far too high.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;">"No one should go to their work and not come home. At our annual service we remember all those who did not come home and we renew our pledge to fight for more robust health and safety regulation and </span><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;">inspection to protect the living."</span></span></p>Kate Ramsdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02803083397780612217noreply@blogger.com