This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
GMB NATIONAL
City
Heating vs eating
Watch
JOIN US
GMB calls for safeguards for state pensioners and
To become a
those on low fi xed incomes as unchecked speculation
GMB member,
join online now
■ The economics of greed on oil continues to push fuel prices up
www.gmb.
org.uk
GMB Congress has called
GMB are calling on
for the inner workings of the
the government to
international oil market to be
introduce measures
exposed following the doubling of
to reduce fuel poverty
among pensioners.
oil prices in the last year.
4.5 m
Speaking in Plymouth in June,
The number of
Congress expressed concern
that sky-high fuel prices and
UK households
the increasing cost of food is
estimated to be
going to lead to a position where
living in fuel poverty.
pensioners on the state pension
A household is
and those on low fi xed incomes
will be forced to choose between
defi ned as fuel
heating and eating next winter poor when it spends
unless fuel prices are reduced.
more than 10%
GMB is undertaking detailed
of its income on
studies of how the international enough money to pay for fuel and far too important to be left to the
energy market is working and food next winter. market.
fuel costs
what interventions the British GMB General Secretary Paul “With fuel prices doubling
Source: National Energy Action
state can make to safeguard the Kenny said, “The oil speculators in the last year, this will lead to
interests of UK citizens in the face claim that they are doing nothing pensioners and others on low
of unbridled market speculation. illegal and that may well be the incomes having to choose between
case, but it should not be. In a heating and eating. This means
Ending fuel poverty single day, the amount of paper that the oil speculators are, in
GMB Congress has also called on barrels of oil traded in oil future effect, ‘merchants of death’. This
the Labour government to ensure exchanges can be three times the must not be allowed to continue.
that the poorest pensioners and amount of actual barrels used in a GMB will now act to stop our
those on low fi xed incomes have year. What is all this about? Oil is members being ripped off.”
GMB has called for
End City greed
measures to curtail
infl ated City bonuses.
GMB calls for enquiry to ascertain whether £50bn of taxpayers’
money is being used to fund the £12.6bn paid out in City bonuses
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary, responded to
offi cial fi gures released in June showing that City
bonuses in the fi rst three months of 2008 amounted
£12.6bn
to a record £12.6bn. He said, “There can no longer
be any doubt that the multi-millionaire elite who
The amount paid
run the City and the fi nancial sector are out of
out in City bonuses
millionaire elite,” he continued. “Those profi ting
control and divorced from economic realities facing from higher oil prices and speculators in the oil
their fellow citizens.”
in the fi rst three
market must face a windfall tax that can be used to
months of 2008, reduce fuel taxes at the forecourt.
Multi-millionaire elite
despite £50bn of
“The Tories will not follow the government on this
GMB now wants an urgent enquiry as to whether because this overpaid elite is made up of their mates.
the £50bn bail-out to banks, fi nanced by the taxpayer,
taxpayers’ money
Only recently, they appointed Tim Parker, the private
has been used to fund bonuses that defy economic
being used to bail
equity buccaneer, who took out £30m from AA as
gravity and all common sense.
out the banks
he saddled it with £4.8 billion of debt as the Deputy
“The Labour government must stand up for Mayor of London.” (See more about Tim Parker’s
the taxpayer and consumers against this multi- record of sacking disabled AA workers opposite).
www.gmb.org.uk 19
IINS02.nat_city 19NS02.nat_city 19 227/6/08 5:51:22 pm7/6/08 5:51:22 pm
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com. Publish online for free with YUDU Freedom - www.yudufreedom.com.