Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
Mitie workers are striking for all of us
The battle against outsourcing is being fought in south London — and this May 30, we must all show our support, writes GMB regional organiser HELEN O’CONNOR
After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
THIS May, Friday the 13th was bad luck for Mitie as, against the odds, domestics and hostesses in St George’s hospital secured a mandate for industrial action. The workers will be taking their first 24 hours of strike action on May 30, which will include a lunchtime march of strikers right through the heart of Tooting.
The strike ballot was triggered by outsourcing giant Mitie withholding wages. This created a nightmare for our members who found themselves unable to afford public transport costs to get to work. They are demanding modest compensation to enable them to pay rent and feed their families.
As Mitie held back the wages of hourly paid workers across the country the company publicly announced the acquisition of telecoms company 8point8 for £10 million.
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Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’