Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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‘I would run our union as directed by our members’
BONNIE CRAVEN tells the Star why she wants to be TSSA's new general secretary, what she would bring to the role and how she'd work with the Labour Party
Bonnie Craven (centre) on the picket line with TSSA members
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
I HAVE been an active part of the trade union movement and have been campaigning for a just society my entire life. My activism informs my politics.
As TSSA general secretary I would continue to champion the rights and interests of our members. Successive governments since 1980 have attacked trade union rights, right up to the latest Minimum Service Levels legislation.
At the TSSA annual conference this year, there was a call by some members to consider our affiliation to the Labour Party. This matter must be decided upon by the membership and I will support their wishes on this, and other issues, as a matter for the democracy in our union.
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