NSSN 596: Support the Amazon sit-in strikes!

NSSN sends our solidarity to workers at Amazon sites across the country who have been taking action over the last few days against the insulting pay offer. Our supporters have taken our support to Amazon warehouses. This is yet another stage of the growing strike wave, bringing into the struggle new layers of workers. It is more confirmation that if workers act collectively and are organised in trade unions, they have the power to win victories. Keep up to date by following ‘amazon walk outs’ @Walkout20201 on Twitter

BREAKING NEWS!! GMB: Amazon worker protests continue over pathetic pay offer (8 Aug) – Workers at range of warehouses are doing “slowdown work”. Worker protests are continuing across the country, GMB says today (Friday). Protests where workers slow down their work to one package an hour – so they are still paid – are happening in a range of depots. These include:-

• Tilbury
• Dartford
• Belvedere
• Hemel Hempstead
• Chesterfield

Wednesday and Thursday workers downed tools in the Tilbury depot over a 35p pay offer. Protests were also reported in a range of other sites. Workers are seeking a £2ph rise to better match the demands of the role and cope with the cost of living crisis. Steve Garelick, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “Amazon is one of the most profitable companies on the planet. They made a fortune through the pandemic when people were unable to shop on the High Street. Now, with household costs spiralling, the least they can do is offer their workers decent pay…” read more

Unite Supports Amazon walkouts at Tilbury: demands union protection for workers (5 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has today (Friday 5 August) joined Amazon workers who are taking action at Tilbury distribution centre over an insulting 35p an hour pay offer. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has renewed calls for union protection so Amazon workers can secure the pay rise they deserve. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary said: “Unite will stand with any Amazon worker who takes action against this insulting 35p pay offer. Across the country workers are taking action and winning the proper pay rises they deserve. Workers at Amazon – one of the wealthiest companies on earth – deserve nothing less.” “This brave action shows why Amazon workers need a collective voice of their own. It’s time this company came to the table and agreed union protection and a proper pay deal for these workers” read more

GMB: Amazon workers walkout over pathetic pay offer (4 Aug) – Workers at warehouse in Tilbury, Essex walkout over poor pay offer. Last night and today (Wednesday and Thursday) workers downed tools in the depot over a 35p pay offer. Workers are seeking a £2ph rise to better match the demands of the role and cope with the cost of living crisis. Steve Garelick, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “Amazon is one of the most profitable companies on the planet. With household costs spiralling, the least they can do is offer decent pay. Amazon continues to reject working with trade unions to deliver better working conditions and fair pay. Their repeated use of short-term contracts is designed to undermine worker’s rights. The image the company likes to project, and the reality for their workers could not be more different. They need to drastically improve pay and working conditions” read more

 

Construction workers action – action is being called at NAECI sites on Wednesday 10th August over pay. Without resolution, there will be further action every second Wednesday there after

 

Support the summer strikes!

The last week has seen national action by RMT, ASLEF and TSSA on the rail network and by CWU in BT.

These developments are further confirmation that workers facing the cost of living crisis are prepared to fight to stop their living standards being eroded by the employers and this crisis-ridden Tory government. There are also clear signs that public sector unions are moving towards industrial action ballots after the summer.

But we are stronger if we fight together. The NSSN believes that it is vital that the unions come together in the fight for inflation-proof pay rises.

The recent NSSN Conference agreed to build support for the rally that we are again hosting to lobby TUC Congress in Brighton in September to call for co-ordinated action of unions across the private and public sectors.

There will be a rally in the Holiday Inn Hotel and then a march to lobby TUC Congress delegates at the Brighton Centre.

Fight the Tory pay insult: Come to the NSSN TUC Congress Rally & Lobby #StrikeTogether – 1pm Sunday 11^th September Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront Facebook event – speakers confirmed so far: Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Ian Lawrence NAPO General Secretary

Please support this model motion and take it to your union branch and trades council and support the NSSN rally and lobby in Brighton:-

“This (union branch/trades council) gives our full support to workers being forced to take strike action against their employers backed by the Tory government. The cost of living crisis, fire and rehire tactics and other attacks by employers in pursuit of maintaining profits at our expense all mean workers are uniting to fight back.

We will continue to give our solidarity, building practical and financial support to all striking workers. The increasing number of disputes shows the immense power of workers. If unions act together, significant victories can be won. We also oppose the Tories’ threats to introduce further anti-union legislation to the raft of undemocratic restrictions already in existence and call on the TUC to co-ordinate opposition.

We call on unions in struggle to urgently come together to discuss and formulate a strategy to co-ordinate industrial action ballots and strikes.

We therefore agree to build the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) rally and lobby of TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 11 September behind this call.”

Please let us know if your union branch/trades council supports our rally and we’ll add to our list of supporting union organisations.

If you want to attend the NSSN TUC Rally and need transport and/or you want leaflets and posters to give out, email us via [email protected]. To make a donation to the NSSN and/or get your union branch/trades council to affiliate for an annual fee of £50, either make a cheque out to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ and post to NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE or pay online: HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790.

Watch the video of the NSSN Conference platform speakers here

This is the video that was played before the start of the recent NSSN Conference – showing many of the disputes that we’ve supported over the last year

 

CWU strikes back

Outpouring of political and community support for striking BT and Openreach members (July 29) – Across the country striking BT and Openreach workers have received a remarkable level of public, political and wider trade union movement support at hundreds of CWU picket lines across the country. Far from experiencing negativity, public anger or criticism, CWU activists and branches have reported an extraordinary outpouring of solidarity for the union’s stand as around 40,000 BT Group employees took part in the first national strike in BT since 1987. Commenting on a momentous day for the union that is now set to be repeated on Monday, deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: “Today’s strike has been nothing short of rock solid. This should be a wake-up call to Philip Jansen and the BT Group Board that workers in this country will not sit idly by and watch their living standards crumble…” read more

Rock solid support for first national BT Group strike in 35 years as CWU members declare war on ‘rip off’ bosses (July 29) – Around 40,000 CWU members across BT and Openreach are delivering the starkest of wake-up calls to the BT Group Board – downing tools en-masse today in a historic display of disgust at management’s blatant contempt for workers and customers alike. Just after midnight a full 35 years of industrial peace in BT Group came to an abrupt end as the telecom giant’s employees across UK began a two-day national strike against real-term pay cuts that have left some reliant on food banks in an ever-deepening cost of living crisis. Poignantly, the strike – which will continue for a second 24-hour period on Monday – began just hours after the release of company’s latest quarterly results which once again nailed management’s lie that BT cannot afford to pay frontline workers a rise that even comes close to inflation read more

Capita O2 and Tesco Mobile contract members urged to reject 4% pay snub (5 Aug) – Preparations are being made for a consultative ballot of members across the Capita O2 and Tesco Mobile partnerships following the company’s reiteration this week of a derisory 4% pay offer. Despite previous indications from Capita that it was reconsidering its position after the CWU national negotiating team’s unanimous rejection of an identical offer on July 6 – sparking now dashed hopes that a breakdown in talks could be averted – management has belatedly confirmed that its 4% offer is ‘final’. As such, negotiations have now concluded without agreement – signalling the start of a similar industrial relations impasse with Capita to the one involving the CWU’s TV Licensing membership on the postal side of the union. There a near identical pay dispute is currently in last-ditch mediation after the failure of initial talks with independent arbitration service ACAS to break the deadlock read more

CWU serve notice of 2^nd strike ballot over Royal Mail management’s change proposals (20 July)

 

Support the rail strikes

Donate to the RMT National Dispute Fund

BREAKING NEWS!! RMT seeks urgent meeting over Avanti crisis (8 Aug) – RMT seeks urgent meeting with Transport Secretary over Avanti crisis. Avanti West Coast have drastically reduced their timetable including temporarily suspending ticket sales and only running four trains an hour from London Euston, one to each of Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. The company has also made unsubstantiated allegations of unofficial strike action by staff, something that RMT and other unions strongly deny read more

Join the rally – save London’s public transport. Event date: Wednesday, 31st of August ’22. Dear colleague, PUBLIC RALLY: SAVE LONDON’S PUBLIC TRANSPORT – Resist the managed decline of services, jobs and conditions, 7pm, Wednesday 31st August, Conway Hall, London, WC1R 4RL. London’s public transport system has been under sustained attack since the Covid pandemic exposed the fallacy of attempting to fund a public service out of fare revenue. The Tory government has exploited the collapse of Transport for London’s finances to launch an assault on the pay, pensions, jobs and working conditions of London’s transport workers and it seems intent on driving the managed decline of our public transport system. We will not let them do this. London Underground workers are fighting back against attempts to make them pay the price of this crisis. London’s bus workers are campaigning against swingeing cuts to services. Other workers are joining the struggle. RMT is hosting a rally of unions involved in this struggle, open to passengers and the public at Conway Hall in central London on 31st August at 7pm. Please bring this rally to the attention of your members, come along yourselves and bring branch banners

Michael Lynch RMT General Secretary

RMT: Strike action on Tube to go ahead (2 Aug) – Strike action on the Tube and Overground to go ahead on 19 August. Transport workers on the London Underground and Overground network will take 24-hour strike action in separate disputes on August 19th. Tube workers have been locked in a dispute over attacks to pensions and jobs for over 6 months while Overground workers employed by Arriva Rail London will strike over pay. TfL’s have refused to share details of a draft government proposal they received regarding funding of the transport system in the capital, in secret and without any discussion with their recognised trade unions read more

RMT: National rail strikes set for 18 and 20 August (14 July) – RMT will take a further 2 days strike action this Summer in a row over job security, pay and working conditions. The strikes on August 18 and 20, will bring out over 40,000 workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies. RMT is also taking 24 hours strike action on 27 July read more

ASLEF Train Drivers to Strike at Nine Companies in August (27 July) – ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has announced a one day strike at nine train companies on Saturday 13 August after the firms failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with the increase in the cost of living. Drivers are already set to strike this Saturday [30 July] at seven companies and today ASLEF members at two more train companies voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in a dispute over pay read more

TSSA announces Network Rail strike dates for August (4 Aug) – TSSA has announced that members at Network Rail (NR) will take strike action later this month. Rail union TSSA has announced that members at Network Rail (NR) will take strike action later this month in their dispute over pay, job security and conditions. The walkouts by thousands of members in General Grades and Controllers will take place on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August after the union formally served notice to NR. This comes amid a summer of industrial action on the railways, with the dates of strike action in NR aligning with those the union is also taking at Avanti West Coast, c2c, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, LNER and Southeastern. Notice was served to NR after the union asked for clear assurances and clarity on job security and working practices. No such assurances were forthcoming and 14 days’ notice, required by law, has now been given read more read more

TSSA members to strike across railways (25 July) – TSSA has today served notice for strike action and action short of strike in 11 train operating companies in an industry-wide dispute over pay, job security and conditions. Thousands of rail workers spanning station staff, operational, maintenance, supervisory and management staff, will take part in industrial action on 18 and 20 August. This is the first rail-industry wide industrial action taken by TSSA in more than a generation, demonstrating the strength of feeling over pay and job security as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. Strike action will be taken on 18 and 20 August in: Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, and Southeastern. Action short of strike will be taken in: West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia, TransPennine Express and Southeastern. Check the details of types of industrial action short of strike and specific times and dates for each company in this post

Unite members at Network Rail join rail strikes over pay (4 Aug) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Network Rail as electric control room operatives, will join other rail unions in taking strike action on Thursday 18 August and Saturday 20 August. The electric control room operatives play a crucial role as they are responsible for managing and controlling the power supply to the rail network read more

 

Solidarity with GMB after yet another arrest on a bin picket line

For the second time in months, GMB Southern Region officers have been arrested on a picket line of their striking refuse members. Previously, arrests were made on the Wealden picket. They appeared at Hastings Magistrates Court on 29th June. The case was adjourned to Brighton Crown Court on November 16^th. Then last week, further arrests were made on the Surrey bin picket line. This is outrageous attacks on the right of trade unions to strike, picket and protest. The NSSN sends our continued solidarity and support read more about Surry strike

 

NSSN news

Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month. You can set up a similar standing order to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. Our address is NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE. Feel free to use this affiliation letter.

And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]

 

Union News

RMT

RMT reject Scotrail offer (5 Aug) – Members working for ScotRail rejected management’s offer by 60 to 40 percent in a referendum. Responding to the decision, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members have spoken and ScotRail will have to come up with an improved package. “We will now seek an urgent meeting with the company. If no improved offer is forthcoming then we will ballot our ScotRail members for strike action” read more

Hitachi rail workers to strike (30 July) – Hitachi rail workers will strike for 3 days from tomorrow in a row over pay and conditions. Hitachi rail workers will strike for 3 days from tomorrow in a row over pay and conditions. RMT members are seeking an agreement in line with Hitachi members in Doncaster and Hitachi North Pole maintenance which secures a deal on breaks, leave entitlement, shift length and pay. However during negotiations, Hitachi Rail who had offered a 7.5% pay rise, then decided to withdraw paid meal breaks and a reduction in the working week elements of the offer. They then reinstated them at an avoidance of dispute meeting, but insisted on a reduction in annual leave, with some members facing the prospect losing over 100 paid hours. RMT members had rejected the package because it was inferior to deals done on Doncaster and North Pole read more

 

Unite

BREAKING NEWS!! Coop Funeral Care Workers Serve Notice of Strike Action (8 Aug) – Unite Scotland Press Release: Coop Funeral Care Workers Serve Notice of Strike Action. Refusal to meet with union over wage dispute leads to disruptive strike action. Unite has confirmed that its members employed in the manufacture of coffins for Cooperative Funeral Care have voted for strike action with an initial week of action scheduled for August in a dispute over pay. The site is the Coop’s only coffin production site. Unite members voted for action by 96 per cent on an 86 per cent turnout. The initial strike action is scheduled to take place from Monday 22nd August 2022 and will continue each day up to Monday 29th August 2022 read more

BREAKING NEWS!! Chester-le-Street Birtley Group and Bowater Doors strikes suspended after pay offer (8 Aug) – Pay strikes at Chester-le-Street based construction supplies companies Birtley Group Ltd and Bowater Doors Ltd have been suspended following a new pay offer. Birtley Group and Bowater Doors share the same premises and are both owned by Hill & Smith Holdings PLC. More than 120 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, were due to begin 13 days of strike action at the two companies on Wednesday 10 August. A continuous  overtime ban has also been suspended. If the pay offer is rejected, 16 days of strike action scheduled to begin on Sunday 4 September will go ahead and the overtime ban will be reinstated read more

BREAKING NEWS!! Unite secures Banbury Barry Callebaut chocolate workers 10% pay increase (8 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a 10 per cent pay increase for around 200 workers at the Barry Callebaut chocolate factory in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The one-year deal pay deal means the workers, who are production operatives and technicians, will see their salaries, bonuses and pensions increase by 10 per cent. The deal was secured without the need for industrial action read more

BREAKING NEWS!! Shell’s offshore medics balloted on strike action (8 Aug) – 3.5% pay offer rejected amid cost-of-living crisis. The nation’s leading offshore trade union, Unite, has confirmed today (8 August) that medics who work on Shell platforms will be balloted for strike action following the rejection of a real terms cut pay. Unite represents more than a dozen workers employed by United Healthcare Global Medical (UK) who provide essential medial cover on oil giant Shell’s platforms. These include the Brent Charlie, Gannet Alpha, Shearwater, Nelson, Sole Pit Clipper and Leman Alpha platforms. The dispute is over the pay claim for 2022, with United Healthcare making a ‘final offer’ of 3.5 per cent to critical and life-saving medics without which the Shell platforms are not able to operate safely read more

London bus workers to take strike action in pay dispute (5 Aug) – Over 1,600 London bus drivers are set to take strike action later this month after their employer failed to make a reasonable pay offer. The strike action is a result of the company only offering a pay increase of 3.6 per cent in 2022 and 4.2 per cent next year. With the true inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 11.8 per cent, this is, in effect, a real terms pay cut. The initial strike action will take place on Friday 19 August and Saturday 20 August. The first day of industrial action coincides with strikes planned for the London Underground and Overground read more

Strikes announced at port of Felixstowe as company fails to make acceptable pay offer (5 Aug) – Workers at the port of Felixstowe will begin strike action later this month in a dispute over pay after peace talks at the conciliation service Acas failed to produce a reasonable offer. Over 1,900 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will begin eight days of strike action on Sunday 21 August ending on Monday 29 August. Talks at Acas failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion yesterday after the employer the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company failed to improve on its offer of a seven per cent pay increase, which is significantly below the real (RPI) inflation rate of 11.8 per cent. Industrial relations were already strained as workers only received a 1.4 per cent, below inflation, increase last year. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Both Felixstowe docks and its parent company CK Hutchison Holding Ltd are both massively profitable and incredibly wealthy. They are fully able to pay the workforce a fair day’s pay. “The company has prioritised delivering multi-million pound dividends rather than paying its workers a decent wage. Unite is entirely focused on enhancing its members’ jobs, pay and conditions and it will be giving the workers at Felixstowe its complete support until this dispute is resolved and a decent pay increase is secured.” Felixstowe is the UK’s largest container port and 48 per cent of containers brought into the UK are transported via the port

Arriva accused of offshoring North West bus profits to German government-owned holding company (5 Aug) – Research by Unite, the UK’s leading union, has discovered that Arriva’s German parent company, Deutsche Bahn, is raking in huge profits off the back of the hard work of UK bus workers, including those at Arriva North West. The research also exposed a spiral of declining wages for workers at Arriva North West who have been on all out continuous strike since Wednesday 20 July read more

Unite secures cost of living payment for lowest paid in Aviva, but ‘that doesn’t go far enough’ (4 Aug) – Insurance company to give pro-rata payment to those earning up to £35,000 but Unite presses for key salary rises for all staff. Unite the union has today won extra support for the lowest pay at Aviva in response to the costs of living pressures faced by staff. The union is calling on the company to go further and commit to a more substantial rise in salaries for all staff, regardless of hours worked read more

Unite secures cost of living payment at engine maker Cummins (4 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has negotiated a £2,300 cost of living payment for workers at the engine manufacturing and components company Cummins. The one off payment will cover 2,730 workers who are part of the bargaining unit that Unite negotiates on behalf of. The agreement covers workers based at the company’s factories in Darlington, Daventry, Huddersfield, Stamford and Wellingborough. The cost of living payment will be paid in addition to the previously agreed pay increase. The payment was agreed after Unite reps at the company raised the severe problems that workers were having with making ends meet as a result of rampant inflation. Following a period of intense negotiations Cummins agreed to make the payment which it is aiming to pay to the workforce this month read more

Edinburgh to be hit as Unite announces ‘first wave’ of council strike action (4 Aug) – 250 Edinburgh waste workers to walk-out over ‘derisory’ pay offer. Unite the union can confirm that its members in all waste, recycling and street cleaning services in the nation’s capital city are set to walk-out in response to a ‘derisory’ 2 per cent local government pay offer. The days of strike action in Edinburgh will begin on 18 August and end on 30 August the day following the end of the Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals. It is estimated that around 250 Unite members based in Edinburgh will participate in the ‘first wave’ of strike action. Unite will be the largest trade union in terms of members involved in this initial phase of council strike action. Unite will also be imminently finalising strike dates to hit waste, recycling and street cleaning services in councils where it has a strike mandate in a ‘second wave’, as part of a coordinated campaign to persuade the Scottish Government and COSLA to make a decent pay offer. This includes Scotland’s largest cities Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow. The action set to specifically impact schools across Scotland is expected to begin in early September read more

Unite secures pay rise for Port of Bristol workers (4 Aug) – Unite the UK’s leading union, has secured a significant pay increase for hundreds of workers at the Port of Bristol. The workers who include dockers, engineers, a police force and many other skilled roles rejected the company’s initial pay offer. There then followed an extensive period of negotiations between Unite and the employer. Eventually an offer of an eight per cent pay increase and a further lump sum payment equivalent to 1.1 per cent of a worker’s salary was agreed. Unite has 300 members at the port who are employed across all grades read more

Frightening drop in construction safety inspections exposed (4 Aug) – Research by Unite, the UK’s leading union, has revealed a shocking and frightening decline in vital unannounced construction inspections being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests has discovered that inspections have declined by 31 per cent in less than a decade. In 2013/14 the HSE undertook 11,303 proactive (unannounced) construction inspections but the figures for the last full year 2021/22 reveals that just 7,793 inspections took place. The sector remains the most dangerous in the UK, making safety inspections vital to protect the safety of workers. Earlier this month  it was revealed that 30 construction workers were killed at work in 2021/22 read more

Workers at Chester-le-Street construction supplies companies Birtley Group and Bowater Doors to strike over low pay (3 Aug) – Members of Unite employed by Chester-le-Street based construction supplies companies Birtley Group Ltd and Bowater Doors Ltd have announced they will take industrial action in a dispute about very low pay rates. The 124 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are spread across the two companies which share the same premises and are both part of the same parent company Hill & Smith Holdings PLC. The workers will take an initial 13 days of strike action beginning on Wednesday 10 August and ending on Monday 22 August. This will be followed by a further 16 days of strike action beginning on Sunday 4 September and ending on Monday 19 September. A continuous overtime ban will also be in place from Wednesday 10 August read more

New owner of Bournemouth Transport must protect jobs and pensions demands Unite (2 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union is calling on any potential new owner of Bournemouth Transport Ltd to protect the jobs and pensions of the company’s workforce. Bournemouth Transport Ltd, which operated bus routes in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch areas, from its Yeomans Road depot, fell into administration on Friday (July 29). Talks have since been held with at least one potential buyer but Unite is concerned that no guarantees on pensions and jobs have been forthcoming. Unite which represents 200 workers at the company is seeking urgent talks with all potential new owners read more

Arriva’s lack of a pay offer forces London bus workers to ballot for strike action (2 Aug) – Bus passengers in North London face having their journey’s being severely affected later this year, as drivers ballot for industrial action. The ballot is a result of Arriva failing to make a pay offer for 2022. Over 1,400 bus drivers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will be balloted for strike action. The ballot opens on Friday 5 August and closes on Friday 26 August. If workers vote in favour of industrial action then strikes will begin next month read more

Offshore safety fears as Altera fail to provide answers over Foinaven vessel (2 Aug) – Unite raises concerns for crew during imminent strike action. Unite the union has raised safety concerns for crew aboard the Foinaven Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) with continuous strike action set to begin this Friday (5 August). The country’s leading offshore trade union has slammed Altera, who operate the vessel, for maintaining a ‘wall of silence’ with the Foinaven to go under tow to Hunterston Port tomorrow (Wednesday 3 August). The vessel is expected to reach the port by early next week. Unite represents around 60 workers who perform a number of roles including crane operators, electricians, deck crew and production technicians read more

Sainsbury’s facing summer shortages as DHL workers strike over ‘second-class’ treatment (2 Aug) – Strike action set to hit all Scotland and Northern Ireland stores. Unite the union has today (Tuesday 2 August) announced a week-long strike action that will hit supplies to Sainsbury’s stores throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland after a poor pay offer was rejected by DHL workers. 96 per cent of DHL workers on a 68 per cent turnout emphatically voted to take strike action following the rejection of DHL’s final offer which represents a real terms pay cut with inflation soaring to hit a forty year high of 11.8 per cent. Unite’s members are fighting for a fair pay deal that values their contribution to DHL and equal treatment by the company. Currently DHL are offering lower wages to workers based in Scotland when compared to other parts of the UK. Unite represents over 300 DHL warehouse workers who are based at the distribution centre in Langlands Park East Kilbride. The distribution centre supplies Sainsbury’s stores throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland. DHL’s German owned parent company – Deutsche Post DHL Group – announced in May 2022 that its revenue improved by 19.8 percent to 22.6 billion Euros. The company boasted of having recorded an ‘excellent opening quarter’ to 2022 with its operating profit increasing to 2.2 billion Euros. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our DHL Sainsbury’s members deserve a fair pay rise and to be treated equally with their fellow workers based throughout the UK. Unite will challenge DHL and its mega-wealthy owners. We don’t do our members being treated as ‘second class’. They have their union’s full support in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at DHL Sainsbury’s.” Negotiations have taken place under the auspices of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) but Unite has now served notice of the strike action following the failure of DHL to make an improved offer in the talks. Unite’s members are now set to begin the week-long strike action from 06:00 hours on 13 August 2022 and continuing each day up to 20 August 2022 when the action will conclude at 05:59 hours read more

Go North East bus workers forced to strike in battle to prevent Chester-le-Street garage closure (1 Aug) – Bus workers employed by Go North East at its Chester-Le-Street garage in Durham, will begin strike action later this month as a direct response to the company’s plan to close the depot. The industrial action will involve 170 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union. The all out continuous strike action will begin on Friday 12 August. The strike action has been called due to the company’s plans to close the Chester-le Street garage next month and permanently move the workers to different depots, some of which are 14 miles away read more

Unite rejects local government pay offer (28 July) – Unite the UK’s leading union, which represents tens of thousands of council workers, has rejected the local government pay offer which was made earlier this week. The decision to reject the offer was made by Unite’s national industrial sector committee for local authorities read more

Council workers in Scotland vote for strike action in pay dispute (27 July) – Unite confirms 26 councils set to face targeted action. Unite the union can today (27 July) confirm that its local government membership in 26 councils have rejected the ‘derisory’ 2 per cent pay offer and voted for industrial action. Unite can confirm that the following 26 councils are now set to be hit by industrial action: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Highland, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian. Unite’s members employed by Tayside Contracts have also voted in favour of industrial action which will result in schools in Perth and Kinross Council now being impacted. The trade union which represents thousands of local government workers balloted its members in schools and cleansing across all Scottish councils. Unite will be finalising the strike dates in the coming week with action in refuse and waste services expected to begin in mid-August. Action specifically impacting schools is expected to begin in early September read more

Isle of Wight Red Funnel poverty pay strikes begin tomorrow as owners sit on billions (26 July) – Customer services advisers and catering assistants on Wightlink, which runs services between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, earn £13.42 an hour. The hourly pay for the equivalent roles on Red Funnel is just £9.50, a difference of £3.92. Wightlink cleaners earn £10.99 per hour, while Red Funnel cleaners are on £9.50. Regardless of their role, Red Funnel staff must undergo sea training and are responsible for passenger safety. Workers are often away from home for days at time and are only paid the hours they work onboard the ferry, with no overnight subsidies provided for food or other expenses read more

North Sea strike to hit Foinaven vessel (25 July) – 96% vote for strike action over inferior redundancy package. Unite the union today (25 July) confirmed that its members operating the Foinaven Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) have voted to take strike action. 96 per cent voted for strike action on an 84 per cent turnout. Continuous strike action is now scheduled to take place from 5 August. The dispute centres on offshore members being given a significantly inferior redundancy package compared with Altera’s onshore workforce.  The Foinaven field is situated approximately 120 miles west of the Shetland Isles within the Faroes/Shetland Trough. Production from the field was suspended in 2021 read more

Glasgow Subway workers vote for strike action (25 July) – First Rangers home game to be hit by walk-out. Unite has confirmed that its Glasgow subway members have voted for strike action with the first Rangers home game (6 August) of the season against Kilmarnock set to be hit by the walk-out. Unite members voted by 99 per cent for strike action on a 83 per cent turnout. The 24-hour strike action is scheduled to take place on the following days: Saturday 6 August, Tuesday 9 August, Saturday 13 August, Saturday 27 August. The dispute centres on the subway system operators Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) enforcing changes to duty schedules. Unite members are increasingly being called in to work shifts at short notice leading to significant work-life pressures read more

Prestwick Airport workers support strike action as Unite fights back over rock bottom pay (20 July) – 78% vote for action in fight against pay cut. Prestwick Airport workers have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a dispute over a real terms pay cut and poverty pay, Scotland’s leading aviation trade union, Unite, confirmed today (20 July).  By 78 per cent on an 84 per cent turnout, Unite members supported strike action with Prestwick Airport now set to face disruption in the coming weeks. The action will start on Friday 5 August and will continue over four weeks on every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The dispute centres on the refusal of Prestwick Airport’s management to pay shift allowances and meet the Real Living Wage (£9.90) rate for new starters. Unite represents more than 80 workers including airport security, firefighters, airfield operators, ground crew, ground handling, cargo, customer services, and cleaners. The workers have demanded a significant wage increase with inflation reaching a 40-year high at 11.7 per cent.  The last offer on the table for the workforce was between 4 and 6.5 percent. Unite can confirm that talks facilitated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) involving both parties will reconvene on Thursday afternoon in a last-ditch attempt to reach a deal that meets the aspirations of the workers before strike action occurs read more

Tipton workers in McLaren, Aston Martin and Bentley supply chain using foodbanks – CabAuto workers building interiors for luxury cars renew strikes. More than 100 West Midlands workers, paid just £9.90 an hour, will stage two weeks of strike action in July over a three per cent pay offer. The fresh industrial action follows on from seven days of strikes in June and at the beginning of this month. This is a significant real terms pay cut when prices are soaring and RPI inflation is running at 11.7 per cent. CabAuto’s owner, the Adler Pelzer Group, made profits of £118 million (€137.6 million) in 2020. Meanwhile, some CabAuto workers are so poorly rewarded that they have been forced to use food banks read more

Eastleigh Ford and Mercedes assembly workers to strike in July and August over ‘insulting’ pay offer – Automotive assembly contractor VFS workers wage deal amounts to a pay cut. Workers employed at the south coast firm VFS Southampton Ltd, who assemble large vehicles for Ford and Mercedes, have announced strike action in a dispute over pay. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, voted overwhelmingly for the action in March after VFS imposed a pay award of less than four per cent. At the time the real rate of inflation (RPI) was running at 7.8 per cent but has now reached 11.7 per cent. Industrial action was previously postponed to allow for negotiations. However, an ‘insulting’ revised offer put forward by the company in June was overwhelmingly rejected by the membership. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “VFS has put forward an insulting pay offer that is in fact a real terms pay cut. Unite defends our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and our VFS membership will have the union’s full support during these strikes.” The workers will stage 24 hour strikes on 27 and 29 July and 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 August. If the dispute is not resolved more strike action will be scheduled. During the strikes, picket lines will be in place at the company’s Chickenhall Lane factory in Eastleigh, Hampshire read more

Workers at Derry City & Strabane district council to launch four-week strike action after they reject latest, inadequate pay offer – Council management has been notified of a four-week strike commencing 18 July and ending 14 August. Latest pay offer provided no additional consolidated pay increase, leaving workers unprotected from surging inflation. Unite has notified bosses at Derry City & Strabane district council of a further four weeks of strike action. This industrial action follows two previous strikes by workers at local councils, the Education Authority and the Housing Executive. Workers are demanding a pay increase which will protect them from the current cost of living crisis. The dispute is in respect of pay following an inadequate national pay deal which offers workers a bare 1.75 per cent increase, an offer which was rejected by Unite members as inflation is currently surging at 11.7 per cent. The latest pay offer from management at Derry City & Strabane district council came after a second strike action by workers at the local authority. Workers suspended their action to allow space for further negotiations, however management merely offered a non-consolidated, one-off payment. While this would help meet immediate challenges, it would have left workers with no protection for inflation into the future. Unite is warning that the strike at Derry City & Strabane is likely to be followed by similar at other local authorities; indeed other trade unions are now balloting on industrial action at a number of councils read more

Workers to strike for a cost of living pay increase at Hampton Conservatories Ltd in Portrush – Three percent increase is a disgraceful 8.7 percent wage cut; initial eight-day strike action to start 16 July. Unite has confirmed that its membership at the small Portrush-based manufacturer and installer of conservatories will commence an initial eight-day strike action starting 16 July 2022 read more

Petrol stations face pump problems as Gilbarco engineers take strike action over pay – Problems at petrol pumps throughout the UK will be left unattended as service engineers employed by Gilbarco Veeder-Root Ltd take strike action tomorrow (July 7) in a dispute over pay. The service engineers who, are home based and required to travel extensively for their work, have rejected a pay increase of just four per cent. This is in effect a substantial pay cut as the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently stands at 11.7 per cent. According to its last accounts, the Jersey-registered company has a multi-million pound turnover and recorded a gross profit of £4 million. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union will take two days of strike action beginning at 06:00 on Thursday 7 July and ending at 18:00 on Friday 8 July read more

North West facing Arriva bus strikes over ‘pitiful’ pay offer – Bus workers employed by Arriva in the North West have voted in huge numbers for strike action in a dispute over pay. Unite, the workers’ union, says that all-out continuous strike action will begin on Wednesday 20 July. Around 1,800 workers returned a 96 per cent yes vote in favour of strike action on a 72 per cent turnout. Unite says its members are striking over a pitiful pay offer from the German-owned transport giant of just three per cent with no strings attached, or six per cent which included reductions in sick pay and loss of Saturday enhanced pay. Both the offers are far below the current real inflation rate (RPI) of 11.7 per cent and so constitute a pay cut read more

Bosch Rexroth workers to strike in dispute over pay and shift changes – Unite slams global giant’s plans that leave Scottish workers £7000 a year worse off. Unite has today (Monday 4 July) confirmed that members working at Bosch Rexroth Glenrothes, will walk out over a pay proposal that will leave workers £7000 a year worse off. The German-owned global tech and engineering giant has proposed a six per cent pay deal, which Unite says is a significant pay cut given that real inflation currently stands at 11.7 per cent. The employers are also refusing to back-date the pay award to 1 January or to reverse changes to shift patterns and shift allowances, which means the combined impact of the offer is to leave workers around £7,000 per year worse off. Workers at the site have rejected the company’s proposal by 74 per cent. Unite says that the Bosch Rexroth, a subsidiary of Bosch, is in a strong financial position and has no need to attack the workers’ pay and conditions.  In its 2021 annual report, Bosch Rexroth boasted of `reaching a new high on incoming orders’ which have generated sales of £5.4 billion (6.2 billion euros), up by nearly one fifth on the year before. The union’s members, 245 workers, will take continuous strike action from Tuesday 5 July until Tuesday 12 July inclusive. Thereafter they will strike every Monday and Tuesday going forward with an ongoing ban on overtime throughout read more

Carlisle can factory strikes to hit summer supplies of Coca Cola, Heineken, Brewdog and Magners – June pay strikes at Carlisle’s Crown Bevcan factory will hit summer supplies of cans of Coca Cola, Heineken, Brewdog, Magners and Bulmers, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday 24 May). Around 200 workers, who have already taken two days of strike action over a three per cent pay offer, will strike on 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 June. The tin can production workers are seeking a pay deal that reflects rising living costs read more

Veolia workers across Edinburgh and Lothians set to strike over `insulting’ pay offer – Unite can confirm today (24 March) that more than 50 members working for Veolia Water across Edinburgh and the Lothians are set to take strike action in a dispute over pay. The strike action, involving plant operatives, electrical maintenance, mechanical, and administrative staff, was supported overwhelmingly by 94 per cent of Unite’s members in a ballot turnout of 83 per cent. The Veolia workers are demanding a significantly improved pay offer from the company.  With the more realistic cost of living (RPI) currently running at 8.2 per cent per cent, Veolia’s offer of 2.6 per cent for this year is a pay cut. Strike action will take place from 7-13 April, and then continuous strike action from 21 April read more

 

PCS

Devonport security guards ballot for strike action (4 Aug) – PCS members working at the Devonport naval base are balloting for strike action over Covid-safe working conditions. The security guards and supervisors employed by MOD Guards Service are concerned about having to physically touch visitors’ passes every time they enter or leave the site ­– a so-called Touch Pass Protocol (TPP) that was dropped for safety reasons in March 2020 read more

DBS contact centre workers to strike over pay and conditions (3 Aug) – PCS members working in the contact centre for DBS checks on criminal records have voted to take six days’ strike action over pay and conditions. Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) has a contract with the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to run the contact centre and back-office functions. 80 PCS members employed on the HGS contract in Liverpool are due to strike for 6 days from August 15 after a 100% vote to reject the company’s 3.25% pay offer read more

PCS welcomes Liz Truss’s U-turn on public sector pay (2 Aug) – The Conservative leadership candidate yesterday announced plans to introduce regional pay boards, effectively ensuring workers outside London would see their pay cut. But after criticism from trade unions and some Tory MPs, she today scrapped the plans read more

PCS says the ballot is a direct result of the employer not negotiating or consulting with us about health and safety and working practices100% vote for strike action in HGS (28 July) – Members working on a Disclosure and Barring Service contract for Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) have voted unanimously for strike action over pay and conditions. PCS members working for Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) have voted unanimously for strike action on an 87.5% turnout. This is a magnificent result and demonstrates the strength of feeling of members, with a willingness to fight for better pay and conditions read more

Sign the petition to stop privatisation at the Plas Menai outdoor activities centre (21 July) – PCS members at the Plas Menai National Outdoor Centre for Wales, near Caernarfon, are facing the threat of their jobs being transferred to a private employer. Sport Wales, the Welsh Government sponsored body that runs Plas Menai, has invited tenders for an external organisation to take over the running of the centre, including the employment of its staff. PCS has launched a petition on the website of the Senedd – the Welsh parliament – to stop the outsourcing of this unique facility. Sign and ask your friends and colleagues to do likewise read more

 

GMB

BREAKING NEWS!! Surrey Heath and Elmbridge bin strikes back on after Amey offer nothing to end dispute (8 Aug) – GMB members were prepared to move their position and seek compromise but Amey weren’t, says GMB. GMB, the Union for all refuse and recycling workers, have today left talks with no improved offer to put to their members. GMB moved their position but this was not reciprocated by Amey. Talks at ACAS will continue on Thursday but the strike action will recommence in the morning. GMB members have been on strike in Surrey Heath and Elmbridge for a week now will return to the picket lines tomorrow (Tuesday 9th Aug). Amey employees working for the councils of Surrey Heath and Elmbridge are some of the lowest paid workers in one of the wealthiest parts of the country. They provide a vital service and are proud of what they do. Most have been offered £11.13 per hour (£434 per week) and are battling to be paid enough to support themselves and their families against a backdrop of rapidly rising prices, whilst Amey made tens of millions of pounds in profits read more

GMB Surrey bin strike suspended for Monday to allow talks to progress (5 Aug) – Members will return to work on Monday as talks progress, but will strike Tuesday if talks breakdown, GMB says. GMB, the Union for all refuse and recycling workers, have said that the refuse collectors and drivers working for council contractor Amey, in Elmbridge and Surrey Heath, will return to work on Monday 8th August as a sign of goodwill as Acas talks begin. Amey refuse workers in Elmbridge and Surrey Heath have been on strike this week over pay. The strike is due to continue for another 2 weeks and further strike dates could be announced if talks fail read more

GMB accepts invite from Acas to talks to try and end Surrey Heath and Elmbridge bin strikes (4 Aug)

North West bus strike day 10 – GMB ready to talk (29 July) – GMB Union is ready to negotiate to end the North West bus strike when Arriva bosses are ready to compromise, the union has said. More than 1,800 Bus drivers across the North West are set to walk out again today [29 July 2022] in what would be day ten of the strike over pay. Arriva bosses called union in for talks yesterday, only to reconfirm the pay offer members had already turned down – rather than make any kind of improved offer to try and end the strike read more

Wandsworth Council suspending parking bays makes them ‘laughing stock’ – GMB Union (26 July) – GMB, the union for parking wardens, have slammed the decision by the London Borough of Wandsworth to suspend parking bays, saying it may well not be lawful. The members, who are employed by Wandsworth Council’s contractor NSL, are on strike again today, taking their 15th day of industrial action. Parking bay suspensions – typically used when a road is due to be closing, when road maintenance is being carried out or when a local business or residence needs use of a skip – require 72 hours’ notice before coming into force, which the union believes is not being adhered to in this case. The union is advising anyone who receives a ticket parking in one of these suspended bays in Wandsworth this week to appeal, as they may avoid paying a fine using this loophole read more

Weekend strike called off at South London’s St George’s Hospital (15 July) – Action scheduled for Saturday 23^rd and Sunday 24^th July have been suspended

Sign petition – To St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Mitie out: Demand fair pay and conditions for staff at St George’s Hospital

Rhondda faces bin strike after workers vote for industrial action – Rhondda residents look set to face a bin strike after GMB members in the waste and recycling department voted for industrial action. GMB members at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council refuse and recycling dept have voted overwhelmingly to support industrial action with a majority of 95 percent. The move could see 130 people strike in May, leaving around 108,000 homes without refuse collections. The union is calling for amendments to the job evaluation scheme after the current system leaves essential workers short-changed for their work. During the pandemic, refuse workers alongside other essential service workers were put at risk, whilst council big wigs worked from home. Over the last decade local government staff have seen their wages cut by around 25 percent read more. BBC are reporting that if talks fail, there will be an initial strike on 30^th July

 

Unison

BREAKING NEWS!! Exam board staff to strike on A-level results day, says UNISON (8 Aug) – UNISON says AQA is stubbornly refusing to discuss pay with staff. Staff at exam board AQA are planning to strike over pay later ​this month on the day students receive their A-level grades, says UNISON today (Monday). The 180 workers​, including those in customer services ​who would normally take calls from schools, parents and pupils about the results, will take action from Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 August read more

UNISON urges caution over new pension scheme (4 Aug) – Government’s new collective defined contribution pension scheme could help some public service workers, but shouldn’t erode the pensions of others read more

UNISON recommends that EA members reject ‘insulting’ offer (2 Aug) – The offer of 2%, plus a lump sum, comes after decades of falling pay at the Environment Agency, with attacks on terms and conditions. UNISON members working for the Environment Agency (EA) are being consulted on the latest pay offer, with the union recommending that they reject the employer’s offer of 2%, plus a £345 one-off consolidated payment, and take part in industrial action to seek improvements. The offer falls short of the claim the EA unions jointly submitted in March this year and follows a 0% rise for most staff in 2021 after a decade of below inflation pay rises read more

Strikes to go ahead after exam board fails to improve pay offer, says UNISON (28 July) – Workers have been left with no alternative after years of what have effectively been wage cuts. Staff at exam board AQA are to go ahead with a 72-hour walkout starting tomorrow (Friday) after the employer failed to re-open talks over pay​, said UNISON. The workers, including those who help organise the awarding of grades, will strike from Friday to Sunday (31 July) in action that could mean delays for students awaiting their GCSE and A-level results. Many of the 180 staff affected say they’re struggling financially following successive below-inflation pay awards. Their pay increased by 0.6%​ last year, and AQA has offered 3% this year, which UNISON says represents another real-terms pay cut, with inflation at a 40-year high and set to rise even further. The workers have been warned they could be sacked and rehired ​on different contracts if they don’t accept the offer, says the union read more

Scottish council staff back industrial action (27 July) – Thousands of local government workers overwhelmingly rejected the employers’ 2% offer. Thousands of council workers across Scotland have voted to take industrial action, UNISON announced yesterday. The decision comes after the the largest strike ballot among council workers in over a decade. The action will disrupt schools, early years centres, nurseries and waste and recycling centres across the country. UNISON members in all councils across Scotland overwhelmingly voted to reject the final offer of 2% from COSLA – the Scottish local government employers’ association – with nine local authority branches exceeding the required 50% turnout threshold required by the Trade Union Act read more

Care staff in South West begin strike over fire and rehire plans – Workers have been left with no choice but to take action. Staff employed by Bristol-based care company St Monica Trust are to begin a series of strikes today (Wednesday) over threats to sack them if they don’t accept a pay cut, says UNISON. ​As many as 100 care workers, registered nurses and residential home staff are expected to take to the streets outside the trust’s four care homes across South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath and North East Somerset, UNISON says. Further action is planned for 2, 5, 10 and 11 July read more

Details of the pickets can be found at this link and you can pledge your support by adding your name here

There is a strike fund which is being collected for. Many of these workers are low paid and part time. With cost of living ever rising it’s essential that we can ensure no one feels like they can’t stand up with their colleagues and strike for fear of lost pay. The union will be paying strike pay and members can request hardship payments up to their full wages so no one gets left behind.

For donations please send to the following details with the reference “SMT”

Account name: UNISON South West

Account number: 49021079

Sort Code: 60-83-01

OCS LANCASHIRE: PAY UP NOW – Pay our hospital heroes what they are owed for working throughout the pandemic. We are NHS workers in Lancashire and we urgently need your support. As hospital cleaners and catering staff, we are outsourced to OCS and have worked 24/7 throughout the pandemic to keep staff and patients safe. But while OCS boasts it turned over hundreds of millions during the COVID crisis, it continues to pay us less than our NHS colleagues doing exactly the same jobs. Hospital workers employed by OCS are £2000 worse off than our colleagues working for the NHS. We also have inferior working conditions including 7 days less annual leave and lower sick pay. 45 of us submitted a collective grievance about this issue in May 2021, but EIGHT MONTHS on, we have still not been listened to. We have become increasingly frustrated and have now voted 97.8% in favour of taking strike action to resolve this issue…We think that a great way to get the Chief Executive’s attention is to flood his inbox with emails from all of us. Can you take a few minutes to email Bob Taylor? It’s easy, you just need to add your details and press send. https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/ocs-pay-up-now. Post messages of support on social media: please tag @NorthWestUNISON. Use hashtags #ONENHS and #PayUpNowOCS read more

University of Leeds members prepare to strike again – Action is over the 2021-22 pay round with member resoundingly rejecting the latest offer. The University of Leeds branch is taking further strike action over the 2021-22 pay round, next week, on 20-24 June. Members have lost 20% of their pay against inflation over 12 years. They have used the pay calculator to show just how many thousands of pounds staff are being cheated in their pay read more

 

NIPSA

Education Branches Unanimously Reject Offer (5 Aug) – EA Pay: NIPSA Education reps met on Wednesday 3 August to consider the employers 2022/23 pay offer. The following points were agreed:

• The 2022/23 offer does not address NIPSAs pay claim for ‘the rate of inflation plus a satisfactory cost of living increase;
• The current offer fails to address the cost of living crisis and represents a significant cut in the standards of living for all staff operating under NJC.
• On that basis the NIPSA branches unanimously rejected the offer.

Branches have agreed to take the following steps:

• Carry out an extensive discussion and consultation process to prepare for a campaign for a real pay rise;
• Carry out a ballot for industrial action.

The industrial action ballot will cover 2022/23 NJC pay and where applicable local claims lodged with individual employers. NIPSA remains committed to working with our sister trade unions to achieve our collective aims. We recognise that it is in our interest of our members to seek, where possible, to coordinate our actions across the trade unions.

Patrick Mulholland Deputy General Secretary

Local Government Branches Unanimously Reject Offer (5 Aug) – Local Government: NIPSA Local Government branches met on Wednesday 3 August to consider the employers 2022/23 pay offer. The following points were agreed.

• The 2022/23 offer does not address NIPSAs pay claim for ‘the rate of inflation plus a satisfactory cost of living increase’
• The current offer fails to address the cost of living crisis and represents a significant cut in the standards of living for all staff operating under NJC
• On that basis the NIPSA Local Government branches unanimously rejected the offer.

Branches have agreed to take the following steps

• Carry out an extensive discussion and consultation process to prepare for a campaign for a real pay rise
• Carry out a ballot for industrial action

The industrial action ballot will cover 2022/23 NJC pay and where applicable local claims lodged with individual employers. NIPSA remains committed to working with our sister trade unions to achieve our collective aims. We recognise that it is in our interest of our members to seek, where possible, to coordinate our actions across the trade unions.

Patrick Mulholland Deputy General Secretary

 

NASUWT

Pupils, teachers and schools being asked to pay the price for years of underfunding (2 Aug) – Commenting on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report “School spending and costs: the coming crunch”, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said: “The Government has since 2010 systematically reduced real-terms funding for schools and wider services for children and families. Pupils, teachers and schools are being asked to pay the price for years of Government underfunding…” read more

 

UCU

UCU secures biggest decasualisation win in the history of UK higher education (2 Aug) – UCU has today hailed a landmark win as The Open University (OU) began rolling out a programme of new permanent contracts for 4,800 previously casualised Associate Lecturers, the biggest decasualisation programme ever to take place in the higher education sector. As a result of the new contracts, which were introduced on 1 August 2022, staff will benefit from enhanced job security, a pay uplift of between 10-15%, additional annual leave, and staff development allowances. The new contract follows extensive negotiations between the university and UCU, and the union has called on other universities across the UK to follow suit and end the scourge of casualisation. Currently, over 70k university staff across the UK are on fixed-term contracts read more

Goldsmiths dispute resolved with commitment to no further redundancies (2 Aug) – UCU today announced that its members at Goldsmiths, University of London have voted to approve a deal with management which brings to an end a ten month-long dispute over redundancies. The initial dispute was over attempts by Goldsmiths senior management to sack 46 staff as part of a ‘recovery plan’ agreed in a deal with Natwest and Lloyds Banks. As part of the agreement to end the dispute, Goldsmiths senior management have committed to: no further compulsory redundancies; reviewing the use and management of fixed term contracts at the university; protection from redundancy for three years for staff who have already been moved internally to new roles; and enhanced severance for the staff who have already been made redundant. Goldsmiths staff have in turn decided to end the marking and assessment boycott, and will return to marking work across a phased three week period, while UCU has revoked its grey-listing of the institution. UCU said that the resolution was testament to the determination of staff, and that their industrial action over ten months had saved tens of jobs, halting Goldsmiths senior management from doing further damage to the institution. The union added that it will focus on fighting for the reinstatement of Professor Des Freedman and Dr Gholam Khiabany as Head and Deputy Head of the Department of Media, Communications, and Cultural Studies, after they were shamefully suspended for simply informing students about the potential impact of the marking boycott read more

Strike action announced at colleges across north west England (14 July) – Four colleges across the north west of England will be hit with more strike action later this year unless employers agree to raise staff pay, the UCU announced today. Staff at Burnley College, The Manchester College, City of Liverpool College, and Oldham College will walk out for two days during college induction weeks on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 September. UCU says college leaders must act now if they want to avoid a repeat of the disruption of strike action in May and June, which impacted thousands students read more

Richmond upon Thames College to face 14 days more strike action over fire & rehire plans – Staff at Richmond upon Thames College are set to down tools for 14 consecutive days over a three-week period in August and September over plans by management to sack every teacher at the college and force them to reapply for their jobs on worse terms and conditions if they want to stay. The announcement comes as staff take a further day of strike action today (Tuesday) aimed at disrupting an open day taking place at the college. Striking staff will be picketing and holding a rally at the Marsh Farm Lane entrance to the college at 4pm today as prospective students and their parents visit the college. The protests will include a mobile billboard outlining the college’s plans to sack over 100 members of teaching staff. Strike action in the summer will hit enrolment, induction and first week of teaching and take place on the following days: Monday 22 August, Tuesday 23 August, Wednesday 24 August, Thursday 25 August, Friday 26 August, Tuesday 30 August, Wednesday 31 August, Thursday 1 September, Friday 2 September, Monday 5 September, Tuesday 6 September, Wednesday 7 September, Thursday 8 September, Friday 9 September. Staff will be picketing the college on every morning of the strike action. The college wants to sack all 127 members of its teaching staff and make them reapply for their jobs on new contracts that would see them lose 10 days’ holiday. Management began the deeply controversial process, widely known as ‘fire and rehire’, without any prior engagement or consultation with staff. The college claims that ‘trust’, ‘integrity’ and ‘excellence’ are the values that ‘underpin everything’ it does read more

UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.

 

FBU

Update: Governance for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (3 Aug) – The FBU is disappointed in the decision of the Home Office of approving transfer of governance for Cumbria Fire and Rescue to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Peter McCall. This political decision is being made by central government and disregards the will of the Cumbrian communities who voted against the proposal, undermining democracy within the county. The consultation held with the Cumbria communities showed that 54% of those responding wanted a democratically elected and accountable fire and rescue authority rather than being taken over by Peter McCall as the PCC read more

 

BFAWU

Post Conference Foodworker 2022 here

 

NUJ

Council, police and fire chiefs rally in support of the BBC’s Cambridge Look East (5 Aug) – BBC director general Tim Davie has been asked to rethink dropping the Cambridge bulletin by a group representing four counties – Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes – who called it a retrograde step, saying the programme was an important way “in which all our organisations communicate with communities” read more

Reach journalists call for company bosses to reinvest their excessive pay deals to fund a fair wage for staff (4 Aug) – Journalists working for the publisher of the Mirror and Express and the largest regional newspaper group, have called on the company’s chief executive and chief financial officer to use their £7m pay packages towards a fair pay deal for staff read more

NUJ welcomes public order convictions following journalist harassment (2 Aug) – Sentencing of six people for verbally abusing journalist Nicholas Watt takes place on 30 August. The National Union of Journalists has welcomed police action against five men and a woman responsible for intimidating BBC Newsnight journalist Nick Watt in June last year read more

BBC North West journalists vote for work to rule – NUJ members are making a stand about the damaging impact of job cuts on news outpt in the region. As well as working with a significantly reduced workforce, staff at BBC North West are now expected to take on more and more technical duties previously carried out by skilled technical staff. If allowed to continue, the quality of the regional news programmes will suffer and deteriorate, they say. More than 97 per cent of NUJ members in the chapel voted in favour of industrial action. It follows the BBC’s decision to cut £25m from BBC England’s budget, leading to 450 job cuts cross England. The vast majority of journalists who work for BBC North West are NUJ members read more

 

Prospect

Liz Truss climbs down on regional pay for civil servants but the rest of her headline-seeking attack remains (2 Aug) – After last night saying they could cut pay for civil servants living in the regions the Liz truss campaign has today issued a humiliating u-turn, citing her respect for public sector workers read more

 

Equity

Unions secure fair pay for creatives working at Commonwealth Games (4 Aug) – Nationally agreed rates of pay for cultural sector to be respected; Community and voluntary workers to supplement not replace paid work; Promoting diversity and equality at heart of the strategy. Last week the Commonwealth Games kicked off with an opening ceremony featuring thousands of performers. We’re delighted that ahead of the opening, we secured a landmark agreement to ensure all artists and creatives who work during the Games are paid fairly and that Equity agreed rates of pay are respected. The pledge, signed by cultural sector trade unions and the Commonwealth Games organisers, also enshrined that the Games works to support the long term health of the creative sector in the region and actively promotes diversity. The agreement has been made in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Games and cultural sector unions BECTU, Equity, Musicians’ Union and the TUC read more

 

USDAW

#ReinstateMax: defend sacked Tesco USDAW rep Max McGee – months on from exhausting all appeals, Max McGee is preparing to take Tesco to an Employment Tribunal over his trade union victimisation and sacking. A GoFundMe page has been set up to donate to Max’s reinstatement campaign and trade union comrades are encouraged to raise the campaign at their Trade Union branches and Trades Councils over the coming weeks. Link to the page below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/reinstate-max-usdaw-rep-socialist

Messages of solidarity and photos can be sent to [email protected]

 

Community

12% pay rise at GXO Tamworth (Aug 3) – Our drivers at GXO Tamworth have been secured a 12% pay increase on their basic rate of pay, after rejecting the initial offer of 8.71%. This pay increase goes up 15.5% from basic if they work on a reach truck, 19% uplift from basic if you operate a VNA, also importantly the 10% differential between the day and nightshift has been restored read more

 

UVW

Fighting back through the courts against sacking at St James Tavern in Brighton (8 July) – This week UVW strike leader and now former pub manager at St James Tavern in Brighton, Jake Marvin, applied to the employment tribunal for interim relief following his summary sacking just days after the workers’ first picket line on Saturday, 25th June. Interim relief is when a boss is ordered to reinstate a worker where the employment tribunal believes they have been sacked for trade union activities. Applications for interim relief are incredibly rare and even rarer to win. But the evidence that Jake was sacked for building the union in his workplace is undeniable and includes a leaked Whatsapp message from the pub landlady, Victoria, that his sacking was planned weeks in advance. And an open admission from the violent pub landlord Zakaria to the local member of parliament for Brighton, Kemptown, Lloyd Russell-Moyers, that he would sack any workers who took part in union activities read more

 

IWGB

Statement by Cleaners, Porters, Post-Room and Security staff at LSHTM following the senior management’s false and misleading statement on 21 July 2022 – We are appalled by the statement published yesterday (21/07/2022) by LSHTM senior management – a tissue of lies which has clearly been drafted in an attempt to smear us and our union, the IWGB, and to try to delegitimise our campaign against discrimination, low pay and victimisation at this university. Disappointingly, this is not the first time LSHTM has published false statements about us, so we decided that we should also publicly reply. We are a majority-migrant workforce who worked all through the pandemic but we are paid well below other staff at the University. Our union, the IWGB, represents the majority of our workforce, yet LSHTM refuses to recognise our union and refuses to negotiate with us over pay. We have suffered trade union victimisation that we believe to be unlawful, and to date, six of us have received disciplinary sanctions as a result of our attempt to raise our voices and concerns publicly. We have no guarantee that these sanctions will be lifted once we are insourced read more

Outsourced Workers at LSHTM Set to Strike over Pay Following Escalating Union Victimisation – Outsourced cleaners, porters, post room, and security staff working at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have voted unanimously in favour of strike action over poverty pay amidst the cost of living crisis. In April, workers from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) launched a campaign to bring an end to a discriminatory pay gap that would pay the majority-migrant and BAME workers below the lowest grade of the university-wide pay scale. This follows only months after a damning report revealing ingrained structural racism across the prestigious university, at academic staff and student level read more

Support striking workers and their fight back against the #CostOfLivingCrisis by donating to the strike fund

 

Barristers take action over pay and conditions

South Eastern Circuit – Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)

Midland Circuit – Birmingham Crown Court

Northern Circuit – Manchester Crown Court

North Eastern Circuit – Leeds Crown Court

Western Circuit – Bristol Crown Court

Wales & Chester Circuit – Cardiff Crown Court

Week 1: Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th June 2022

Week 2: Monday 4th, Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th July 2022

Week 3: Monday 11th, Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th July 2022

Week 4: Monday 18th, Tuesday 19th, Wednesday 20th, Thursday 21st and Friday July 22nd 2022.

In w/c 25th July: the days of action are suspended for 1 week.

In w/c 1st August: the days of action recommence for a further full week

 

Police Scotland officers to ‘withdraw goodwill’ in pay row

(From BBC website) Police officers in Scotland will withdraw “all goodwill” after they were offered a “derisory” £565 pay rise, the force’s chief constable has been told. The Scottish Police Federation said members would claim payment for any overtime they were ordered to work read more

 

SIPTU (Ireland)

SIPTU public service members commence consultation process for industrial action (2 Aug) – SIPTU organisers in the public service representing members in the Health, Local Authority, Education and State sectors, are today commencing a consultation exercise with its members in advance of ballots for industrial action over pay later in August read more

 

Other news

Peterloo March for Democracy – Sunday 14^th August assemble 12.30pm Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester for march to St Peters Square Facebook event

Peterloo Annual Commemoration – Tuesday 16th August – Gather at the memorial in Windmill Street, Manchester at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start Peterloo Memorial Campaign Facebook page

  

International news

(From NUJ website) Sri Lanka: journalists attacked by security forces (25 July) – Union condemns assaults against media workers at the Gota Go Gama site in Galle Face. The National Union of Journalists has joined the International Federation of Journalists in condemning attacks by security forces on media workers read more on NUJ website

 

 

Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps

Support GARY CARNEY, TRAIN OPERATOR – LONDON UNDERGROUND

Defend Adrian Mitchell RMT driver on London Underground

Support Tim Breed RMT

Donate to solidarity campaign of Moe Muhsin Manir Unite bus rep   Email messages of support to Moe: [email protected]

Trade union rep victimisation at Woolwich Ferry reaches ‘obscene levels’, says Unite

Unite: Ealing’s Labour council ‘actively helping’ Serco ‘hound’ union rep from civil enforcement job

St Mungos management escalate dispute by suspending Unite rep – sign petition: End the culture of fear at St Mungo’s – model motion

St Mungo’s: Unite will not tolerate victimisation and bullying

Sign petition: Reinstate Gary Bolister sacked GMB rep at Islington Council

Watch Reel News video: Victimised union reps: Act like it’s you and fight back

Reinstate John Boken Shropshire NEU rep – For more details and send solidarity messages, email [email protected]

Sign petition to support Redbridge NEU Rep Keiran Mahon

Watch Reel News video: Huddersfield teachers strike to defend Louise Lewis

Victimised Tesco warehouse rep Max McGee fighting for reinstatement read more. There is now a GoFundMe to support the campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/f/reinstate-max-usdaw-rep-socialist) and Max can be invited to speak at Usdaw and other union branches plus trades councils ([email protected])

QC appointed to lead the independent Unite inquiry into blacklisting (25 Mar) – Unite is delighted to announce that Nick Randall QC and John Carl Townsend have been appointed to investigate the possible collusion by union officers in blacklisting. Over the past months, evidence gathering by Thompsons solicitors has continued, with many blacklisted construction workers and other witnesses having already been interviewed. The work of the independent investigators is expected to start officially on 11 April read more

#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement

Keep up with developments and read and watch campaigners’ statements on the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) and Undercover Policing Inquiry websites and spycops info Facebook group

Builders Crack: The Movie

In the current situation, this long lost film from the 1990s about rank and file union organising in the construction industry is intended to lift the spirits, but also to spark a debate in our movement. Hope the youngsters in this film put a smile on your face.

Watch – Share – Discuss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VZ-QMA1FMg

Blacklist Support Group

Book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

Blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

Blacklist Support Group financial appeal: the Blacklist support group is desperately short of funds, to continue the incredible work we need more finance, would you please consider making a donation, raise it at your branches and trade councils. Please make cheques payable to Joint sites committee and send to 70 Darnay Rise Chelmsford Essex CM1 4XA. Please forward onto your contacts many thanks Steve Kelly (JSC Treasurer)

Blacklisted t-shirts available at: https://shop.hopenothate.org.uk/component/hikashop/product/78-blacklisted-t-shirt

 

The NSSN is continuing to report on how workers are organising during the coronavirus pandemic

The NSSN is opening up our weekly email bulletin, website and social media platforms of Facebook and twitter to provide a public forum for workers during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis. We want to be a place where we can all share queries and experiences that workers are facing in their workplaces. These include reports of action taken by workers to defend themselves from their employers.

You can read about many of these actions in our weekly bulletin and out social media groups, especially our Facebook group: NSSN – defend workers’ rights under Coronavirus.

You can also send the NSSN your reports and queries via our website, twitter – @NSSN_AntiCuts and email – [email protected]

We welcome the information being sent to union members concerning the spread of coronavirus, including the Accord, Advance, AEP, AFA-CWA, ASLEF, BDA, BECTU Sector of Prospect, BFAWU, BOS-TU, College of Podiatry, Community, CSP, EIS, Equity, FBU, FDA, GMB, HCSA, MU, NAHT, NASUWT, National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD), Nautilus International, NEU, NGSU, NUJ, PFA, Prospect, RCM, SoR, TSSA, TUC, UCU, UNISON, Unite, URTU, USDAW, WGGB and the RCN

But it is absolutely vital that unions retain their ability to organise and act independently in defence of their members and workers generally. This includes the right of unions to take industrial action. We are already aware of workers being forced to take unofficial action on health and safety grounds. We also believe that unions should have oversight of any government bans on protests and picketing. This is the same Tory government that tabled more new anti-union laws in the Queens Speech in December 2019 and cannot be trusted and is now attacking the right to protest through its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

We believe that it is essential that workers are protected during this worrying period and are not impacted, whether in terms of their safety as well as their pay and employment rights. The Tory government have announced measures that include some workers receiving 80% of their wages. This furlough scheme was due to finish but has now been extended because of the 2^nd lockdown. But it’s clear that the Tories are looking to end it asap.

However, we believe that no worker should pay the price for any spread of the virus. We say: work or full pay. Any worker who is required not to attend work or is unable to do so because of COVID, childcare or transport closures should receive full pay and not be forced to take annual leave. But unions have to remain vigilant that any government payments actually happen and also covers all workers, including those in precarious employment such as zero-hour contracts and in the gig economy.

We have drafted this model motion which we’ve made into a bulletin that can be downloaded and printed off to be distributed. Feel free to use in your union and trades council, in totality or partially to highlight the issues that need to be addressed.

Keep an eye out for other Facebook and social media groups and pages that are being created. The Coronavirus Support Group for Workers has been set up on Facebook and is a useful forum and you can catch up on disputes at Strike Map UK

 

 

Diary

August

14 Peterloo March for Democracy – assemble 12.30pm Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester for march to St Peters Square Facebook event

16 Peterloo Annual Commemoration – Gather at the memorial in Windmill Street, Manchester at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start Peterloo Memorial Campaign Facebook page

 

September

4 Burston Strike School Rally Facebook group

11 NSSN TUC Rally 1pm Brighton

 

CONTACT US

PHONE 07952 283 558

EMAIL mailto:[email protected]

 

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts

FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP   or STOP The CUTS  Likes page

ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE