| Full name | National Shop Stewards Network |
|---|---|
| Founded | 7 July 2007 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Key people |
Linda Taaffe, secretary Rob Williams, national chair |
| Website | www.shopstewards.net |
National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) is a network of shop stewards launched in Britain in 2007.
Contents |
The NSSN was founded at a conference called by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) on July 7, 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].
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]
The NSSN has been involved in helping car workers organise campaigns against closures of car and compenent 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 victimiation at Swansea Linamar[9] and Swindon Honda[10].
Since its founding the NSSN has found national affillation from the following unions:
As well as individual branches and union representatives from other trade unions.