SAVE DARNALL FIRE STATION

Cuts cost lives

October 2011 saw South Yorkshire Fire Authority agree to a 14 week public consultation on the proposed closure of 4 fire stations and the building of 2 new ones that also includes removing 5 frontline emergency fire appliances.

Unfortunately for us, as residents of Darnall and surrounding areas, one of the fire stations and fire engines to be CUT is Darnall; added to this is the loss of a fire engine in the Mansfield Road and the Elm Lane area.  Located on Darnall Road, Darnall station currently has 2 fire engines crewed by Wholetime fire fighters which are ready to respond to an emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue propose to close Darnall Fire Station and the neighbouring Mansfield Road Fire Station with a loss of 4 Wholetime fire engines, in its place will be a new build fire station based on the Parkway which will house only 2 fire engines.   South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue would have you believe that these CUTS “improve efficiency and provides better value for money” – that does not make you safer in your homes and does not maintain the level of fire cover you currently have in place.

They also say it would “provide a better service” – how can closing 2 fire station’s removing 2 pumps make it ‘a better service’? It cannot!!!

As residents of Darnall and surrounding areas, we cannot allow our fire station to close and the emergency fire engines to be moved away,  You can also write your opposition to this closure to , South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue 197 Eyre Street Sheffield S1 3FG or email to serviceplan@syfire.gov.uk

Join the fight … MONEY v LIVES
SAVE DARNALL
FIRE STATION

Stagecoach Barnsley and Rawmarsh dispute

Stagecoach Barnsley and Rawmarsh have voted to reject their latest offer. The strike now resumes on 16th January. They would really appreciate other trade unionists getting to the picket line and they need donations. Please send to contact shown on attached flyer. The Barnsley depot is on Wakefield Road heading north out of town centre and they asemble from  4 am till about 8am and then go down to picket the bus station. The Rawmarsh depot is on the north side of Rotherham

They need and deserve our support

Martin Mayer – SACA Chair

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Subject: Stagecoach Ballot

A ballot was held today[Fri] at both Barnsley depot and Rawmarsh depot. The combined vote was :-

206 to reject the offer…..and 89 to accept the offer, therefore the offer was declined and the strike continues on Monday 16th January 2012.

I feel that the reason for the rejection of the company’s latest offer of £9.05p was because of the conditions being attached to the offer. The main conditions being that there will not be any back pay[the deal shold have been done in June 2011] , and there will not be any futher wage deals before May 2013., and signing on/signing off times will be reduced by in some cases 7mins per duty, with the average being 5min.

I will keep you informed of any futher developements if and when they occur.

Many thanks for your support.

Regards
Tony Rushforth
Branch Secretary

UNITE 8/9-9 Branch

barnsley bus strike leaflet

Defend Council Housing – vote in the Sheffield Ballot

Please see the below message from Sheffield Defend Council Housing, which SACA supports, asking everyone to make sure they get involved in the ballot and get Council Housing in Sheffield back under the control of Sheffield City Council instead of an Arms Length Management Organisation.

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Attached is a model letter to the Sheffield Star -maybe you can use it or maybe you prefer to write your own letter.

Want to get a blitz of letters -from individuals, from organisations,from unions , from Trades Council etc. to raise awareness of the importance of this ballot.

The Council is recommending that the management comes back in house but we need to reinforce this message, because many, many tenants are not aware of possible consequences if the vote goes to opt for an ALMO.

This Govt is hell bent on trying to privatise everything and this would feed into their agenda.

Please circulate as widely as possible and talk to as many people and tenants before 19th Jan when the voting starts.

13 Jan To the Editor1

Unite Community – Public Meeting 1st February

SACA fully supports Unite Community, and encourage anyone not in work who wishes to be in a Union to attend the meeting advertised below.

Hello

People can achieve so much more when they work together

Unite’s mission is  for a society that places equality, dignity and respect above all else. But our union recognises that we can only achieve this if we bring people together from all walks of life.

In that spirit Unite will be holding a open  meeting at 7.30pm on the 1st of February at Sheffield Trades and labour club duke street. The aim of this group will be to create strong community champions, that can fight and campaign collectively for vital community services, marginalised individuals and communities that are currently under attack.   Unite Community Membership (CM)  is 50p a week and has some great benefits. such as legal help, benefits advice, and a hardship fund, plus more visit  http://www.unitetheunion.org/community for more information.

 but equally as important is Community Membership is offering millions of voiceless people the chance to get organised and fight on issues that really affect them. The opportunity to make a difference in YOUR community and contribute to building a better more inclusive Sheffield.

This meeting will be held in the spirit of equality everyone will be encouraged to talk about why they are here, what they expect from the union and are free to express any experiences they wish to share.

hope to see you there any problems please contact me at the address below also feel free to forward this email and join group and event.

Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/events/228460020567947/?ref=ts

Facebook event  http://www.facebook.com/groups/305443082835943/

email gareth50lane@googlemail.com

7.30pm-9.00pm

1st of February 

Sheffield Trades club 

Duke street

Buses 120 or 123 from interchange

venue has disabled access and free car parking

Agenda for SACA Meeting Tuesday 10th January

Steering Committee Meeting Tuesday 10^th January

7.00 – 9.00 p.m. SADACCA, The Wicker


Agenda

 Apologies from James Downton, Dawn Hunt, Dick Pitt

 Minutes of December meeting (circulated)

1. Matters Arising
2. Report from Officers’ meeting 3/1/12
3. Speakers addressing current local issues

a) Occupy Sheffield

b) Threat to Advice Centres

c) Threat to Fire Services in South Yorkshire

d) Barnsley Bus strike

1. Forthcoming cuts to Sheffield Council Budget and SACA response
2. Rally for the marginalised communities 21^st January – update
3. Proposed conference of local anticuts groups
4. Pensions dispute (see motion)
5. A.O.B.

Motion proposed by Max Munday

AWL delegate to SACA

SACA believes

1. That defeat in the pensions dispute – that is, anything short of defence of existing pensions arrangements – will embolden the government in its other attacks on the public sector and the whole working class, and this is a matter for any anti-cuts activist.

SACA further believes

1. That anti-cuts activists have a role to play in solidarity with union activists but also as union activists ourselves. SACA should regularly discuss what is going on in the union movement.

2. The conference called by PCS Left Unity on the 7th January was well attended and resolved to put pressure on the TUC to call further action, but failed to put pressure on the leaders of the Trade Unions to set dates for strike action.

3. That we need the widest possible discussion of how to win, including escalating national action, selective and targeted action, levies for strike funds, and sustained action short of a strike, as well as a political campaign focused on the need to fund decent pensions for all workers by making the rich pay.

SACA resolves

1. To hold an open discussion on how to win the pensions campaign, and how this fits in with local anti-cuts campaigning.

2. To add our voice to those putting pressure on Union leaderships to reject the current Government offer, and continue action.

Sheffield Star article on council cuts demo

Report on Town Hall demo in the Sheffield Star

http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/stand_up_for_sheffield_says_anti_cuts_groups_1_4118093

Change of venue – Tuesday’s SACA meeting

Please note the change of venue for the January Steering Committee Meeting on Tuesday 10th January.

7 – 9 pm

The meeting will now be at SADACCA on the Wicker,

48 The Wicker

Sheffield S3 8JB

NOT at the Trades and `Labour Club.

Apologies for change, due to unavailability of our usual venue.

There is disabled access, and pay and display car parking in Willey Street nearby.

Rally of the 99%: Voice of the Voiceless

21^st Jan.  as part of the programme for the National  Occupy conference – hosted by Occupy Sheffield

Start time: 1p.m.

Venue: Town Hall, Sheffield

There are now 7 confirmed speakers for the Rally of the 99%: Voice of the Voiceless.

1 Tom (from Occupy Sheffield)

2 Colin Hampton (unemployed workers union in Chesterfield)

3 Dawn Hunt, on behalf of people with additional needs.

4 Alan Thorpe (entrepreneur with a visual impairment)

5 Del Pickup, on behalf of mental health conditions and homelessness.

6 Maxine Bowler (Sheffield Anti-Cuts Alliance)

7 Alistair Tice (socialist party)

Rich Brown will chair/introduce speakers

Open mic time will provide opportunity for other participants to make contributions

Town Hall action against Council cuts – 6th January

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CUTS -

 ACTION OUTSIDE THE TOWN HALL  - JANUARY 6TH 12.30

Julie Dore has sent a letter to all households regarding the setting of the Council Budget for the next financial year.

Individuals should not be asked to choose where the cuts should fall, who and what should be sacrificed to meet this Governemnts’ insane, illiterate austerity programme.

This is inviting individuals to be complicit in ‘managing’ to live with appalling cutbacks where people are losing their jobs, where essential, life-saving and life- enhancing services are being culled, where health and safety is being put at risk, where benefits are being slashed, where thousands will end up losing their homes because of capped Housing Benefits  - the barbaric list goes on and on.

SACA urges all Sheffield residents to come to the Town Hall at 12.30 on January 6th to express their opposition to Government polices.

Elected representatives at local council and national level must be pressured into opposing all the austerity measures proposed.

The Labour leadership would do well to look at the history  books, and in particular the record of Clement Attlee’s Government in 1945 after the war. Faced with a public sector deficit greater in real terms than today’s, and with the memory of the disastrous responses to the Great Depression years fresh in their minds, the Atlee Government chose the public sector as the main motor of the economy with outstanding success – a massive council house building programme, the setting up of the NHS, rebuilding the rail, steel and coal mining industries. This is what we need now.

Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance demands – NO CUTS 

Julie Dore asks 3 questions in her letter and would like a response by 6 January.

WE HAVE STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS

Q1 – Do you have any comments on what I have said in this letter?

Answer – The Council should be – STANDING UP FOR SHEFFIELD

Q2.  What Council services do you think we should protect?

Answer –   SAVE ALL SERVICES

Q3    Do you have any ideas and suggestions?

Answer – CUTS ARE NOT THE CURE

JOIN US ON JANUARY 6TH – THE MORE THE MERRIER.

BRING BANNERS, PLACARDS, BANDS…..

f you have not received the letter you can find it on the council website – www.sheffield.gov.uk – go to right hand column – Our Budget – Have your Say. Scroll to foot of page and click on the budget letter heading.

Lobby and petition to the TUC for further action

The National Shop Stewards Network have organised a lobby before the next meeting of the TUC Public Sector Liaison Group to demand action over pensions.  They have also started a petition to allow those who can’t attend to make their views known – please take a second to sign it by clicking here

A recall conference of the Public Sector Liaison Group (PSLG), the body that
brings together TUC affiliated public sector unions, will be convened on Monday
19th December at 3PM.

At this meeting TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber will attempt to sell
Francis Maude’s latest pensions offer as the basis for a settlement of the
dispute to trade union leaders.

In a bid to head off this damaging out come the NSSN and other left trade union
activists are calling for a lobby of the PSLG before it meets. Trade unionists
will have the opportunity to voice their opposition to Maude’s proposals and
demand further action in the New Year.

The NSSN will be demanding:

Reject Maude’s latest pensions proposals which will mean all public sector
workers having to work longer, pay more, and get less.

No to secret deals by union leaders over the heads of the membership. We demand
democratic control of the negotiations.

We demand that the date is set for the next co-ordinated public sector strike
early in the New Year. UNISON Scotland has already proposed 25 January as the
date of the next strike.

The lobby will begin at 2:30 PM at Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell Street.
WC1B 3LS

The NSSN urges all of it’s supporters and readers to come down to the lobby and
build the pressure for further action in defence of pensions.