Council workers in Barnet held a 50 strong picket line at the entrances to the North London Business Park today where Barnet council is based. The dispute is over the privatisation of services and contracts in the Tory controlled borough. After the morning picket the strikers then travelled across the borough to spend the day doing voluntary work painting a local community centre that serves local adults with learning difficulties.

Photos by Guy Smallman

en.labournet.tv/

Steel workers in a factory in Greece have been out on strike for nearly 3 months over their hours being cut from 8 hours a day to 5 hours, with a 40% pay cut, in a move which looks set to be copied by all Greek industrialists if they get away with it. Thanks to the excellent German website, Labournet.tv for this film.

 

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Here they are…the first set of limited edition artist tiles made for Reel News by The Treatment Rooms. Only 25 sets will ever be made, so snap ‘em up quick!The tiles can be used as coasters, or grouted on to a wall on or in your house. Anywhere that you can find to tile really. So its just your imagination limiting you now. They are printed on 4cm square, lovely oatmeal tile. Made in Italy and found as discontinued stock about to be skipped. These tiles are re-fired to over 900 degrees, so the image is permanently sunk into the glaze and are not to be confused with non-fired transfers that just lay of the surface. Now upcycled and made into a little bit of affordable art. Each tile is stamped on the back and signed.

A new set of tiles will be out to coincide with the next Reel News DVD…if you have any designs you’d love to see, let us know. The Treatment Rooms’ new show is on in Chiswick until February 26th every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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On Saturday Feb 4th striking bus workers from Stagecoach in Barnsley marched through the centre of town with their supporters. Speakers from several local trade unions pledged their solidarity with the drivers who are striking all this week on alternate days.

Photos by Guy Smallman

Following from the move to a whole new website, and setting up Twitter and Statusnet, to make it easier for you to get updates, we have now also started integrating social networks a lot more. At the bottom of each page you can share and tweet our updates, so please do and help us spread the news that the mainstream is ignoring.

At the bottom of some posts you will also get suggestions of other stuff you might be interested in, we hope this will help you find your way around our site and maybe come across some fascinating issues you hadn’t heard about before.

We’ve got a new contact page where you can use the barcode reader on your phone to get out contact details.

Oh, and we’ll be featuring Guy’s pictures regularly from now on, you should definitely check them out.

What else? Oh, yeah, the tiles will be coming soon. Like really soon. So check back for the limited edition, autographed, collectors items that’ll remind you of the important things in life while you’re having a cuppa.

We’re also planning on making a historical documentary about rank and file organising and action, in honour of the 40 year anniversary of a high time of union organising, the Pentonville dockers, Saltley, the building workers strike to name but a few key events – we might need your support to make that happen.

SLAG!!!

Following its uber successful Xmas show (Taking Liberties), The Treatment Rooms Collective HQ, is proud to announce its new valentines special exhibiton ‘SLAG.’

The event will be held at Carrie Reichardt’s studios ……. 199 Acton Lane, Chiswick W4 5DA, every Fri/Sat/Sun 12-6pm until Feb 26th.

The usual suspects from Mutoid Waste, Mutate Britain and The Treatment Rooms Collective will be exhibiting their work, alongside some surprise guests.

A female heavy show, the window display is an amazing piece of outsider art. Made by a ‘Recycling Fairy’, it is a composition of hundreds of found objects, toys and dolls made to create the Goddess Kali with babies gushing from her blood red vulva. Not your typical shop window for Chiswick! But then The Treatment Rooms HQ is getting used to visits from the local law enforcement officers for causing a visual disturbance.

This show (as ever) gives art enthusiasts the rare opportunity to view eclectic and original artwork made by some of the top underground/outsider/lowbrow artists. Chances like this rarely come along, so make the effort to come down.

All artwork can be bought direct from the artists. 80% of the profits go direct to them; the other 20% is donated to REEL NEWS. Big thank you again to all the artists for helping us generate some much needed cash.

Haringey Academy Protest 28-1-12 – Images by Guy Smallman

Big march last Saturday against Gove’s plan to make academies compulsory, as shown in the link above to a slideshow from Guy Smallman. Guy’s photos will be featuring regularly on the Reel News website from now on; to see more of his work, check out his website.

123 Wincanton fuel tanker drivers, working on a Conoco Phillips contract, are on strike for 14 consecutive days. The Texas based oil giant wants to drive down their pensions, terms and conditions, and are demanding a 20% pay cut despite making profits of $3.4 billion. Visit their picket lines at Immingham, Tamworth and Stockton-on-Tees; for updates, go to www.unitetheunion.org/

Together with the redesign of the website, we are trying to make it easier for everyone to connect with ReelNews and get updates on new films and DVDs. One way you can do that is by following us on Twitter or Statusnet, where we will be posting updates from the site. Check it out!

Inspired by the brilliant struggle of the rank and file sparks, and disgusted by the sellout of the pensions dispute by the UNISON leadership, Reel News are planning a film on rank and file organising.

It feels like a good time to look at great examples of rank and file organising from the past, especially where ordinary workers have had the confidence to go against their own leadership to win significant victories, and how those lessons might be applied to the task of building a rank and file movement now.

So we want to have a look at examples right up to the present day, but obviously the early 70s is a key period to consider…Pentonville dockers, Saltley, the building workers strike to name but a few key events.

Do you have any suggestions for people you think we should be interviewing, areas we should be looking at or disputes we should be looking into?

Let us know what you think – any ideas gratefully received. Either leave a comment below or email us at info@reelnews.co.uk.