National Shop Stewards Network

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National Shop Stewards Network
Founded7 July 2007
Location
Key people
  • Linda Taaffe, secretary
  • Rob Williams, national chair
Websitewww.shopstewards.net Edit this at Wikidata

National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) is a network of shop stewards launched in Britain in 2007.

Foundation[]

The NSSN was founded at a conference called by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) on 7 July 2007. The proposal to re-establish a shop stewards movement came from an RMT sponsored conference to discuss working class political representation held in January 2006.[1]

Campaigns[]

Anti-cuts campaign[]

Following a unanimous decision of the steering committee, on 22 January 2011, the NSSN held a conference to discuss launching its own anti-cuts campaign.[2] A motion from a majority on the steering committee proposed establishing an anti-cuts campaign "anti-cuts campaign, bringing trade unions and communities together to save all jobs and services", whilst a minority on the steering committee argued against the motion, opposing setting up an anti-cuts campaign and argued for "working with Coalition of Resistance, Right to Work and other groups, to build and launch a single national anti-cuts organisation early in 2011".[3] In the debate both sides had equal speakers and shared responsibility for chairing the debate which lasted 2 1/2 hours, with the conference voting 305 to 89 to establish an anti-cuts campaign committee which was elected immediately afterwards.[4]

Since the conference, the anti-cuts campaign has called on its supporters to lobby local councils against carrying out government imposed cuts and organised a lobby Labour's Local Government conference in London on 5 March 2011.[5]

The NSSN has also been involved in supporting co-ordinated action between trade unions over proposed government changes to public sector pensions and has called a lobby of the TUC in London on 11 September 2011[6]

Car industry[]

The NSSN has been involved in helping car workers organise campaigns against closures of car and component plants in Southampton[7] and organised a meeting of car worker shop stewards to build further links.[8] It has also been involved in defending union reps from victimisation at Swansea Linamar[9] and Swindon Honda.[10]

Construction industry[]

Affiliated unions[]

Since its founding the NSSN has found national affiliation from the following unions:

As well as individual branches and union representatives from other trade unions.

References[]

  1. ^ Prospects for the National Shop Stewards Network, Socialism Today, September 2008
  2. ^ National conference called against cuts in jobs and services, NSSN website, undated
  3. ^ NSSN anti-cuts campaign launched, the Socialist, 26 January 2011
  4. ^ Anti-Cuts Conference Success, NSSN website, undated
  5. ^ NSSN protest at Labours Local government conference, Hackney TUC, 5 March 2011
  6. ^ Lobby the TUC on 11 September!, PCS Website, 16 August 2011
  7. ^ Meet the men who shared £30m, Southern Daily Echo, 17 September 2008
  8. ^ Car workers' jobs slaughter - Begin the fightback!, NSSN website, undated
  9. ^ Fight the bosses' offensive, NSSN website, undated
  10. ^ http://shopstewards.net/news.130.htm, NSSN website, 28 July 2011

External links[]

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