Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

Talks to resolve the increasingly bitter dispute between the owners of Lindsey oil refinery and workers sacked from the plant were due to restart as Tribune went to press.

The Communication Workers’ Union is re-balloting a number of areas in London before announcing another round of 24-hour strikes next month in its dispute over jobs and cuts. Royal Mail challenged the ballot arrangements at depots such as Mount Pleasant and Nine Elms but such is the anger of postal workers that union leaders are confident they will get a further mandate for industrial action. Postal workers went on strike in Scotland – in Edinburgh, Alloa, Grangemouth, Irvine, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, Broxburn and Bathgate – as well as in London last week.

Steel workers in Redcar are hoping that the decision by Corus to individually sue foreign executives of Marcegaglia, Dongkuk, Ternium and Duferco for tens of millions of pounds in damages for walking away from a 10-year deal with the firm – and throwing 2,000 people out of work – will bring them back to the negotiating table.

The Ukrainian government announced last week that it has insufficient funds to pay for its imports of Russian gas this winter. Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-run energy company, requires an additional $2 billion in order to pay its $4 billion dollar debt to Gazprom – its Russian equivalent – in November.

A United Nations investigation has condemned the government of Colombain President Alvaro Uribe for not doing enough to pursue soldiers who “systematically” kill civilians. UN investigator Philip Alston spent 10 days in the country interviewing more than 100 survivors and witnesses for his report into the activities of the military.