This Wednesday will see the single biggest day yet of the strike wave, with over 600,000 workers taking action together, just as the Tories move their new Budget. This action confirms that workers are determined to fight for a real pay rise as the cost of living squeeze rages on and the Tories look to bring in yet more anti-union measures. Yet the profits of the bosses are going through the roof!!
This action includes the NEU, PCS, UCU, Prospect, RMT & ASLEF on London Underground, Junior Doctors in the BMA and HCSA who are out for 3 days Monday-Wednesday, NUJ members at the BBC, as well as localised action such as the Coventry Amazon workers in the GMB, who will be on a week-long strike. The day after, RMT members will begin further strikes nationally in the train operating companies. The RMT are organising a week of protests (starting today 1pm Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament) to mark the anniversary of the outrageous and illegal sacking of 800 ferry workers by P&O, another reminder of the class bias of labour law and the need to fight the anti-union laws.
The NSSN sends solidarity to these workers and all those who are currently taking action and in dispute. We call on all the unions to urgently meet together to further co-ordinate action to maximise the number of workers striking together.
March 15th rallies & demonstrations:-
LONDON:
NEU: Assemble 12noon Hyde Park Speakers Corner for march to Trafalgar Square
PCS: Assembly at Embankment Tube at noon; March leaves 12.30pm; Rally at Downing Street 12.45pm; Move to Trafalgar Square 1.30pm to join NEU
CARDIFF:
Assemble outside UK Government Office in Central Square at 11.30am
YORK:
Assemble 12noon Exhibition Square (called by Yorkshire Youth Fight for Jobs)
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on Saturday 24th June in Conway Hall, London 11am-4.30pm
Support today’s Murphy 4 protests over union busting – Demonstration call for four sacked Unite union members to be reinstated. Action! Murphy’s are up for a Pipeline Guild award in the West End of London:
Time: Tuesday 14th March (assemble from 5pm)
Venue: Pipeline Industries Guild Awards, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN
There is also a protest at 12.30pm on Tuesday 14th March outside Murphy International HQ 12.30pm Hiview House, Highgate Rd NW5 1TN read more on Unite website
RESIST RACISM Demonstrations this Saturday 18th March in London, Glasgow and Cardiff read more on Stand Up to Racism website
Sign the TUC petition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: Protect the right to strike! – Our right to strike is under attack. Rishi Sunak has just detailed his anti-union legislation and plans to introduce new laws in the coming weeks. It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal. These new laws are a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, terms and conditions
Enough is Enough launches campaign and petition to Defend the #RightToStrike – The right to strike is under threat. New legislation proposed by the Tory government intends to override a workers’ right to withdraw their labour, forcing them to work against their will. The right to strike is a fundamental democratic right. It underpins our ability to win dignity in the workplace and earn a decent standard of living. It is no accident that this right is under attack at the very moment the public is fighting back against the cost-of-living squeeze. This government is determined to force workers to pay the price for a crisis caused by the greed of the elite yet again. We won’t accept it. We, the undersigned, pledge to defend the right to strike and oppose this latest legislation #RightToStrike
Sign your workplace up to save the right to strike (supported by Strike Map, ASLEF – The UK Train Drivers’ Union, Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union – BFAWU, Campaign for Trade Union Freedom, Fire Brigades Union, The Morning Star, NHS Workers Say NO, People’s Assembly and the NSSN) – The government has launched an attack on our rights. Their actions will destroy our fundamental right to strike. We want to encourage workers, union reps and branch officers to sign their workplace up to reject these changes and pledge to fight to protect our right to strike. Add your workplace name to our collective letter action and share it with every one of your co-workers. When we fight as a collective together we win!
Earthquake in Turkey & Syria – union donations
The NSSN sends our solidarity to all those affected by this disaster. Many will have relatives in this country. The NSSN is affiliated to ‘Support the People of Turkey’ who has launched an appeal, including for union branches and trades councils Turkey-Syria Earthquake Solidarity Appeal
Turkey Earthquake: A preliminary report from the ground
Unison: Turkey earthquake solidarity appeal
NUJ: IFJ launches solidarity call to support journalists in Turkey and Syria
NSSN news
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on Saturday 24th June in Conway Hall, London 11am-4.30pm
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 Katrine on [email protected]
The NSSN is developing a campaign pack for social care, which we hope to make available in the not-too-distant future for supporters to use in their localities. As part of this, communications officer Dave Gorton is keen to hear from supporters who:
(1) work in social care (either local authority, private or independently provided)
(2) represent social care workers for a trade union
(3) are in need of social care provision themselves or act as an (unpaid/underpaid) carer for a family member
Dave can be contacted in the first instance via [email protected]
Union News
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RMT
RMT kick off week of action ahead of P&O scandal anniversary (13 Mar) – Maritime union, RMT will launch a week of action on Tuesday marking the anniversary of the P&O Ferries scandal last year. 786 UK seafarers lost their jobs in an unprecedented and unlawful move, by DP World who own P&O Ferries on March 17 2022. Staff were informed via Teams they had lost their jobs, escorted off ships by masked security guards wielding handcuffs and immediately replaced with international agency crew. The disgraceful move has not led to any punishment for the company and in fact the government has rushed through legislation to permit the use of agency workers to break strikes and remove workers’ right to strike through minimum service levels. Ahead of the demonstration and rally at Parliament tomorrow, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “It is a national disgrace that the government has taken no concrete action to punish this rogue company DP World for unlawfully sacking 786 seafarers last year. By making it harder to take industrial action with minimum service legislation the government is going to make it hard to resolve disputes and to repair industrial relations across the transport and offshore sectors. As a maritime trade union, RMT will continue to campaign for stronger seafarers’ rights through fair pay agreements, revoking P&O Ferries’ Royal Charter, banning DP World from Freeport tax reliefs, ending discrimination at sea and the scrapping of anti-trade union laws.” Read more
‘Never Forget – Never Forgive’ – RMT protests on the 1st anniversary of sackings of P&O workers – Friday 17th March
Local protests, including Dover: 11am RMT Regional Office Maritime House, Snargate Street CT17 9BZ. Speakers include Mick Lynch RMT General Secretary & Darren Proctor RMT National Secretary
RMT update on train operating companies dispute (8 Mar) – Today the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) invited us to discussions on the current dispute but on the condition that the planned strike action on 16 & 18 March is suspended. The RMT NEC has decided that the scheduled action will remain in place but that the union will be available for discussions and will attend any meetings on creating a resolution to the dispute through an improved offer. The union will contact the RDG seeking such a meeting read more
RMT members working for the 14 train operating companies will take strike action on the following days:
– 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Thursday 16th March 2023
· 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Saturday 18th March 2023
· 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Thursday 30th March 2023
· 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Saturday 1st April 2023
RMT update on new Network Rail pay offer and referendum (8 Mar) – Rail union, RMT will hold a referendum on a new and improved offer from Network Rail on pay and benefits. The new offer involves extra money and is not conditional on accepting Network Rail’s modernising maintenance agenda which RMT does not endorse. Network Rail’s offer amounts to an uplift on salaries of between 14.4% for the lowest paid grades to 9.2% for the highest paid. There is an additional 1.1% on basic earnings and increased backpay. The offer also has a total uplift on basic earnings between 15.2% for the lowest paid grades to 10.3% for the highest paid grades. The increased backpay will be implemented and paid as a lump sum. The improved offer also involves pulling forward the pay anniversary to October 2022 from January 2023. 55% of RMT members in Network Rail earn less than £35,000 so they will benefit from the underpin by seeing a salary uplift in excess of 9.2% up to 14.4% for the lowest paid. Similarly, they will receive an uplift in basic earnings more than 10.3% over the two years. Other benefits of the deal include 75% discounted leisure travel – a long held demand of Network Rail members. RMT members in Network Rail will now decide whether to accept the offer in a referendum starting on March 9th and concluding on March 20th at midday. In the meantime, industrial action on Network Rail is suspended. The RMT is not making a recommendation on how to vote during the referendum read more
RMT suspends Network Rail industrial action (7 Mar)
RMT tube strike to take place on 15th March (28 Feb) – Tube union, RMT will take strike action on March 15 in a row over pensions, job losses and contractual agreements. London Underground Ltd (LUL) have started to impose 600 station staff job losses and have refused to rule out attacks on pensions or ripping up agreements on conditions of work despite discussions with the union. TfL which ultimately are responsible for its subsidiary LUL, has had its funding cut by government. But instead of standing up to ministers, they have tried to implement cuts to make our members pay for their funding crisis. The deadline for the government and TfL to agree the details of the pension reform has been pushed back until March 17 read more
RMT responds to Scottish Government research on women and girls’ safety on public transport (7 Mar) – A Transport Scotland report has recommended that increasing staff levels on public transport should be explored in order to make women and girls feel safer read more
RMT sends solidarity to Greek railway workers (7 Mar) – Following the tragic deaths of 57 people in the Greek railway disaster on 28th February, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has today written to the Panhellenic Union of Railways (POS). Mr Lynch writes: “On behalf of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT Union) I am writing to you to express our deepest condolences and solidarity with the Panhellenic Union of Railways (POS) and all Greek rail workers following the absolutely terrible train crash near the city of Larissa last week. Our thoughts are with the families, colleagues and friends of those who have lost their lives in this tragedy and our union offers our full support and solidarity in your fight for safe railways everywhere.” Read more
RMT marks Herald of Free Enterprise 36th Anniversary (6 Mar) – On the 36th anniversary of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster which took the lives of 193 crew and passengers in waters off Zeebrugge on 6th March 1987, RMT General Secretary, Mick Lynch said: “We once again pay tribute to the memory of the crew and passengers who died in the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster and extend our condolences to the community in Dover who were so badly affected by this avoidable tragedy. This union will re-double its resolve to support high maritime safety standards for all seafarers and passengers using Channel ferry services, despite P&O’s efforts to speed up the race to the bottom by sacking all its British seafarers just over a year ago. This has had a demonstrable adverse effect – as witnessed by the amount of inspections and subsequent defects and shortcomings found – on safety.” Read more
ISS workers to take strike action on DLR (23 Feb) – Contracted out staff working for ISS on the Docklands Light Railway will take 48 hours strike action from Friday. Cleaners, security, revenue protection and travel safe staff will walk out after rejecting an insulting pay offer of 1.8%. RMT which represents the workers have highlighted the fact ISS staff on the DLR are underpaid compared to others on TfL performing equivalent roles. On top of poor pay, ISS staff have so far not been told whether they will get access to the free travel facility. This is despite the fact London Mayor Sadiq Khan having already promised all contracted out staff would get free travel across TfL read more
Engineering workers at Balfour Beatty to strike (18 Feb) – Engineering workers at Balfour Beatty will take three 48 hour strikes next month in a pay dispute. Over 100 workers will take the action after rejecting the company’s offer of 5.5pc increase in pay from April 2022. RMT members overwhelmingly rejected this and will now take strike action in March with a series of 48-hour stoppages on the following days:
- 22.00hrs on Friday 3rd March and 09.59hrs on Sunday 5th March 2023
- 22.00hrs on Friday 10th March and 09.59hrs on Sunday 12th March 2023
- 22.00hrs on Friday 17th March and 09.59hrs on Sunday 19th March 2023
Balfour Beatty made over 8bn pounds in revenue in 2022 and was the third most profitable UK construction company read more
Action called over Jubilee East, South and Centre Cover Group rosters (16 Feb) – defend jobs, pensions and agreements – London Underground – overtime and rest day working ban called. A resolution has been received from your RMT Jubilee South Branch, regarding the imposition of new rosters. The Company has taken no notice of your Reps advice that these rosters are unworkable, and members wish to fight back against the detrimental effect these cuts will have, including on your work/life balance. The National Executive Committee has thanked the Branch for its resolution and taken the decision to instruct:
All Station Grades members (Customer Service Assistants, Customer Service Supervisors, Customer Service Managers) on the Jubilee Centre, East and South Cover Groups (Canada Water Area, Westminster Area, Canary Wharf Area, Stratford Area, West Ham Area, London Bridge Area and Waterloo Area) not to work any overtime or rest day working from 00:01 hours on Sunday 12th March 2023 until 23:59 hours on Saturday 25th March 2023 read more
Reinstate Branch Secretary Jason Moriarty – A new newsletter has been produced as a part of our organising to get Jason Moriarty reinstated. Please download it to learn more. The RMT offers full support and solidarity with our comrade Jason Moriarty following his disclosure to his employer, London Underground, of a disability read more
ASLEF
We are unified and resolute: Mick Whelan’s column – Once more I am humbled – but not surprised – by the support on the picket lines but, at each and every company in dispute, it is worth reminding ourselves that we are not the bad actors in this. The bad actors are the companies – and the government – which conspired to decide we could no longer bargain or negotiate our own futures! The least we could have expected, regardless of political affiliation, is to be treated fairly and decently after the way we did our duty, as did many other key workers during the pandemic, to our communities and our country. Instead we have been kicked in the teeth read more
Tube train drivers to strike in London – ASLEF members on London Underground will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday 15 March. ASLEF members on London Underground will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday 15 March. Tube train drivers voted by 99% in favour of strike action [on a turnout out of 77%] in a dispute over management’s failure to accept that changes to our working arrangements and pensions should only happen by agreement. ASLEF members in other roles on the Underground – including Test Train and Engineering train drivers and those in management grades – also voted in favour of strikes by similar margins and will walk out on strike on the same day read more
TSSA
Network Rail – Modernising Maintenance Letter (9 Mar) – TSSA has written to Network Rail raising serious safety concerns about the company’s proposed changes through ‘Modernising Maintenance. TSSA has taken this step because the union has seen scant details around the planned changes. We strongly believe that, as presented, the changes Network Rail are looking to implement – reduction in staffing numbers, changes to ways people work and the significant reduction in routine inspection and maintenance work – pose a very real threat to the future safe running of the railway read more
Unite
National Express West Midlands bus strike suspended after improved pay offer (13 Mar) – Strikes at National Express West Midlands scheduled to begin this Thursday (16 March) have been suspended, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). Unite has suspended the industrial action due to be taken by more than 3,200 drivers and more than 200 engineers to allow for an improved offer to be balloted on by members. If the offer is rejected, all out indefinite strike action will begin at 0001 hrs on Monday 20 March read more
Bidvest Noonan workers secure wage increase (13 Mar) – Glasgow and Aberdeen bus depots workers get pay rise up to 9.5 per cent. Unite the union confirmed today (Monday 13 March) that Bidvest Noonan workers, contracted to clean and refuel buses for First Bus in Glasgow and Aberdeen, have accepted a pay offer made by the company. Over 100 cleaners, fuellers and shunters have secured a wage increase worth up to 9.5 per cent with all workers receiving a minimum of 8 per cent. Glasgow based workers have also secured the introduction of free bus passes as part of the pay deal. The significant wage boost was secured by Unite after the workforce previously rejected a two per cent pay offer, and were on the verge of taking strike action before an 11th hour wage offer read more
Bedford hospital undermining patient safety in on-call dispute (13 Mar) – Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been accused of ‘undermining the safety of patients and staff’ in an ongoing dispute over on-call pay. The dispute involves members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed in the hospitals estates (maintenance) department. The trust imposed a cut to the workers’ on call payments at the end of last year. In response, the members voted for industrial action. They have now withdrawn from the on-call arrangements, which is resulting in the hospital mounting up excessive costs. It is also placing the safety and welfare of staff and patients at risk by using managers and contractors, who don’t have the knowledge, skills and experience to adequately cover during the on-call periods. Rather than pay its workers a fair on-call payment, the trust is instead paying a contractor £5,000 a week to cover the on-call work. In addition, the trust also recently had to pay £900 to the fire brigade to resolve a problem with a trapped lift, a matter that the estates staff would normally deal with read more
Construction employers exposed over poverty pay rates (13 Mar) – Construction employers who negotiate the pay and conditions of hundreds and thousands of workers, who operate via the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC), have been exposed for cynically driving down workers’ pay. Rates have become so low that the employers’ side is being forced to increase the lowest rate (for general operatives) outside of normal pay negotiations. The general operative rate currently stands at £10.26 an hour. However, the rate will become illegal on 1 April 2023, when the national minimum wage rises to £10.40 an hour. The CIJC is increasing the general operative rate to £10.40 to ensure it remains in line with the national minimum wage read more
Corporate profiteering soars an astonishing 89% compared to pre-pandemic levels (13 Mar) – New Unite report exposes the unbridled profiteering behind the cost-of-living crisis. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda made combined profits of £3.2 billion in 2021, nearly double pre-pandemic levels. Politicians and the Bank of England largely ignore the crisis – time they woke up to corporate greed engulfing the economy. New Unite research, analysing the FTSE 350 shows how profit margins for the first half of 2022 were 89% higher compared to the same period in 2019. FTSE 350 profits have spiked even higher than in 2021 where profits jumped 73%, according to Unite’s first profiteering report, published in July 2022. Unite’s latest report on profiteering across the economy, is the first to show how runaway profiteering has driven up the price of everyday household goods read more
200 workers at sausage skin maker Devro vote to strike (10 Mar) – Moodiesburn based company acquired as part of £564m takeover. Unite the union has confirmed today (10 March) that 200 members based at food manufacturer Devro (Scotland) Ltd have emphatically backed strike action in a dispute over pay. 95.5 per cent of Unite members backed strike action on a turnout of 88 per cent, as 97 per cent supported action short of a strike including an overtime ban. Unite’s production and maintenance members have rejected a pay offer from the company, based in Moodiesburn, North Lanarkshire, which amounts to just three per cent for 2023 when the broader cost of living (RPI) has now hit 13.4 per cent. Devro Ltd manufactures sausage skins and casings supplying a number of clients including the popular Richmond brand read more
200 Sparrows offshore contractors vote to strike (10 Mar) – Action to shutdown dozens of platforms and operators including Shell and BP. Unite the union confirmed today (10 March) that 200 Sparrows Offshore Services workers will take imminent strike action potentially shutting down dozens of platforms in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Around 150 Sparrows offshore contractors have voted to take strike action across more than 20 oil and gas platforms in a dispute over pay. 95.5 percent of Unite members voted to take strike action on a 75 per cent turnout. 96.4 per cent voted to take action short of a strike. The strike action will hit a number of major operators including Apache, Shell, and Harbour Energy. The workers include offshore Crane Operatives, Crane Maintainers, Lifting Personnel and Deck Crew. The strike action involves Sparrows’ ‘Flying Squad’ who provide maintenance support across all installations with no set platform. Unite will shortly be announcing strike dates in relation to this specific dispute. Last week, Unite announced that its Sparrows Offshore Services members working on BP’s Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, Glen Lyon and Mungo installations backed strike action in a separate dispute over pay and conditions. Unite can also reveal that strike action will hit these BP platforms from 29 March until 7 June in a series of 24, 48 and 72-hour stoppages (see Notes to Editor). A continuous ban on overtime will also start on 21 March. The trade union has further warned that the industrial action could be escalated to an all-out strike unless Sparrows, and their operator clients, provide acceptable offers to resolve the disputes read more
Sparrows Offshore Services action to hit BP North Sea platforms (3 Mar) – Unite the union confirmed today (3 March) that nearly 50 offshore Crane Operatives, Crane Maintainers, Lifting Personnel and Deck Crew working on BP’s Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, Glen Lyon and Mungo installations have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a long running dispute in pursuit of:-
- An 18% increase in pay for 2022 or an enhanced payment which provides for a longer period of field break than the period previously worked offshore, with no reduction in earnings
- All overtime to be paid at time and a half
96.97 per cent supported strike action in a ballot turnout of 78.57 per cent. The strike action will involve a series of 24 and 48 hour stoppages. However Unite has indicated that the industrial action could thereafter escalate to all-out strike action and a complete overtime ban. The mandate for industrial action follows the refusal of Sparrows, and their client BP, to provide an acceptable offer to resolve the matter read more
Cargotec: Strike sends strong message in ‘bogus TUPE’ dispute (10 Mar) – Company must come to table and negotiate collectively. March 10th: Following a 93% vote for industrial action, Unite members working for cargo handling manufacturer Cargotec in Dundalk took to the picket line today in a move which saw production at the facility closed down. The dispute surrounds what Unite has termed a ‘bogus TUPE’ process which members fear could impact their terms and conditions going forward. Unite is calling on the company to come to the table and negotiate collectively with the workers affected read more
Unite leader hails successful defence of right to strike against legal challenge (9 Mar) – Unite shop stewards defended against legal attack. Mechanical strike going ahead tomorrow (Friday) at H.A. O’Neil and Leo Lynch. March 9th A strike by mechanical workers in HA O’Neil’s and Leo Lynch’s will go ahead tomorrow (Friday 10 March) after trade union Unite fought off an attempt today by HA O’Neil (Jones Engineering) to obtain an injunction restraining Unite members from taking industrial action. Accordingly, official pickets will be placed at HA O’Neil and Leo Lynch sites in Leixlip (Intel) and Grange Castle (Pfizer) tomorrow. The action follows an overwhelming vote for strike action in pursuit of a claim for restoration of the first hour of travel time, which was originally cut as a so-called ‘temporary measure’ following the 2008 financial crash read more
Hovis workforce votes overwhelmingly to accept 13.5 percent pay increase (9 Mar) – Unite members vote with 75 percent majority to end their dispute and accept two-year pay deal. Workers of Unite the union working at Hovis have voted by a margin of three to one to accept a significantly improved pay increase offered by their employer. The improved pay deal was offered on the eve of all-out strike action planned last week. Over two calendar years 2023 and 2024, the offer provides workers with a pay increase of 13.5 percent. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham congratulated Unite members at Hovis for their willingness to take strike action for improved pay. “Yet again members of Unite have secured a significant improvement to their pay through their collective action. Hovis can well afford to increase the pay of their workforce; they have enjoyed huge success in recent years posting pre-tax profits of almost £50 million in 2021…” read more
Liverpool refuse workers and street cleaners suspend strike action (9 Mar) – Refuse workers and street cleaners employed by Liverpool Streetscene Services Limited (LSSL), have suspended planned strike action, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). The more than 80 workers were scheduled to strike over pay on 10, 13, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 March. The strikes have now been suspended to allow for constructive talks with LSSL’s management read more
Drivers face ‘Highway to Hell’ as M25 emergency workers ballot for strikes (8 Mar) – Drivers using the M25 face ‘Highway to Hell’ journeys this spring as workers employed by the joint venture company Connect Plus Services, who provide maintenance and undertake emergency responses on the motorway, ballot for industrial action over pay. Strike action will result in an increase in traffic jams on the M25 with any delays being for a prolonged period. The 150 plus workers have rejected a pay offer of 5.3 per cent, which is a sizeable real terms pay cut with the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 13.4 per cent. The ballot for industrial action opens on Monday 13 March and closes on Friday 31 March. If members vote for strike action than stoppages could begin as early as mid-April read more
Pay strikes at power grid for London, South East, East England to cause blackout delays (7 Mar) – Around 1,300 workers, responsible for repairing, maintaining and administrating the electricity grid for London and the South East and East of England, have voted to strike. The workers are angry that UKPN have offered an 8.3 per cent pay rise for 2022, when they are normally offered an annual wage increase that meets or exceeds RPI inflation. With RPI currently standing at 13.4 per cent, this is a substantial real terms pay cut. The offer is also conditional on the workers accepted a below RPI inflation pay deal for 2023, meaning their wages spending power would be reduced twice in two years. The deal is not worth around 18 per cent as the company is claiming. Meanwhile, UKPN (owned by Hong Kong based conglomerate CK Group), had an average operating profit margin of over 50 per cent between 2017 and 2021 – almost five times higher than the FTSE-100 average. During that period, the company made a massive £2.4 billion in profits, paid for by energy consumers through standing charges on their bills. Its latest financial report shows UKPN made £264 million up to March 2022, while it’s CEO, Basil Scarsella, was paid an annual salary of £2.3 million read more
Industrial Civil Servants, including Workers in Roads Service, Rivers Agency, Forest Service and Strangford Ferry, vote overwhelmingly for strike action in pursuit of pay increase (7 Mar) – Unite and GMB members employed in the industrial civil service are set to coordinate action with non-industrial civil service workers in NIPSA. Strike ballot occurs alongside existing industrial dispute by roads workers seeking end to productivity pay mechanism. Unite and the GMB have confirmed that in separate ballots of their members employed in the industrial civil service workers [which includes roads service, rivers agency and Strangford ferry] have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase. In Unite the vote for strike action was passed by 91 percent while in GMB the vote for strike action was 77 percent. Both trade unions will now engage with NIPSA which represents non-industrial civil servants, and which announced its own successful strike ballot last week, with a view to taking coordinated strike action across the entire civil service in Northern Ireland read more
Unite recommends rejection of local government pay offer (7 Mar) – Members of Unite’s national committee representing workers in councils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have decided to recommend rejection of the local government pay offer. Last month, the local government employers made a pay offer that was worth between 3.88 and 9.42 per cent for 2023/24, depending on grade. With the current real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 13.4 per cent this amounts to a real terms pay cut of nearly 10 per cent for some members read more
Parking Enforcement Officers in Hounslow embark on indefinite strike action (7 Mar) – Parking enforcement officers in Hounslow embark on indefinite strike action. Workers up the ante following month long strike. The toxic combination of stubborn employers, poor pay and the cost of living crisis forces workers to take all-out strike action. Parking Enforcement Officers across Hounslow are taking indefinite strike action in their battle for fair pay as Unite warns the council that it will not starve these workers back to work. The workers took two weeks of strike action in January and a further month of strike action from Monday 6 February until 5 March read more
Drax power station workers secure 16% pay increase (6 Mar) – Strike action at the Drax power station in Yorkshire has ended after workers secured a dramatically improved pay offer. Over 180 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, took a day’s strike action on Monday 20 February after rejecting an eight per cent pay increase which was a substantial real terms pay cut. Following the initial industrial action, fresh negotiations were held and Drax, which is highly profitable, made an improved pay offer. The new offer over a nine month period with back pay equates to an increase of 16 per cent for the lowest paid workers. Following a ballot of members the new offer was accepted… The pay deal covers the workers only based in Yorkshire, the Drax Hydro dispute is separate read more
Drax Hydro workers vote to strike in pay dispute threatening power cuts (23 Feb) – Drax parent group profits up 50% as Unite accuses energy company of corporate greed. Unite the union confirmed today (23 February) that energy workers employed by Drax Hydro Limited who operate power stations across Scotland have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay. Around 50 Unite members covering Stonebyres (Lanark), Cruachan (Loch Awe) and Glenlee (Castle Douglas) power stations voted yes to strike action by 84.6 per cent on an 86.7 per cent turnout. The workers also voted by 92.3 per cent to take action short of a strike which would involve an overtime ban. The workers including engineers, plant controllers, as well as mechanical and electrical craft workers. The strike action days are expected to take place from mid-March with Unite making an official announcement next week. The vote for strike action, and action short of a strike, follows the rejection of an offer (8 per cent) which is significantly below the current rate of inflation at 13.4 per cent (RPI). Drax Hydro posted its latest accounts in July 2022 on Companies House indicating the company made profits totalling £2.3m for 2021. The trade union predicts the strike action in Scotland in conjunction with a separate pay dispute involving Unite members at the Drax power station in Yorkshire could lead to the UK facing power cuts. Unite has announced nine days of strike action at the Yorkshire plant from late February into April with strikes taking place on 20 and 27 February, then 6, 13, 20, 27 March and 4, 10 and 17 April read more
Rebellion at St Mungo’s homeless charity by underpaid and fed-up workers (6 Mar) – CEO paid more than £189,000 according to published accounts while workers can’t afford their rents. Workers now voting in strike ballot. Dedicated charity workers who are fed up with greed at the top of their homeless charity while they struggle to make ends meet are now being balloted for strike action. Unite is balloting over 500 workers across southern England including; London, Bristol, Brighton, Oxford, Bournemouth, Reading. Since 2013 St Mungo’s Chief Executives have seen their pay at the charity spiral by 77% from £107,000 to more than £189,000 (according to the latest published accounts). The newly appointed CEO is Emma Haddad. In stark contrast, the real value of the wages of St Mungo’s workers, many of whom work on the streets helping the homeless, has plummeted by 25% over a similar time frame. A front line worker earns around £26,000. In the last ten years the pay of senior management in St Mungo’s has increased by 350% read more
Unite pauses ambulance strikes following further assurances to enter government talks (5 Mar) – Unite, has today (Sunday 5 March) announced it has paused its forthcoming ambulance strikes, in order to enter pay talks with the government. Unite head of operations Gail Cartmail said: “Following further assurances from the government over the weekend Unite has in good faith agreed to pause the strike action. “If the meeting doesn’t meet these assurances strike action will resume. The assurances relate to a confirmation that any deal will include new money, rather than placing further pressure on NHS budgets and an indication that discussions about “efficiencies” and “productivity savings” will not result in attacks on the conditions of NHS staff. The strike action scheduled for tomorrow (6 March) and Wednesday (8 March) will now not go ahead read more
Unite Statement on Welsh Ambulance Strike Action (3 Mar) – Unite has suspended its strike action in Welsh Ambulance due to take place on Monday 6th March 2023. This follows significant progress in talks with Welsh Government. The pause in strike action will facilitate the continuation of these discussions read more
Christie Manchester cancer treatment staff join widening NHS pay strikes (1 Mar) – More than 100 staff employed at Manchester’s Christie NHS Foundation Trust and its linked pathology provider, which is a public/private partnership, will strike for 24 hours from 0700hrs on Thursday (2 March) over pay. The workers’ union, Unite, says that more strikes will be scheduled if the government fails to address poor pay and unsafe staffing across the NHS read more
Workers at Newry, Mourne & Down District Council prepare to return to industrial action for fair treatment (27 Feb) – Workers in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have lost trust and confidence in the NDMDC Chief Executive Marie Ward, and are commencing a new ballot for refreshed industrial action, up to and including strike action, after management at the Council have neglected to honour a deal agreed in 2022. Two meetings of Council staff were held last week in Newry and Downpatrick, hosted by the four trade unions representing workers of all grades – NIPSA, SIPTU, GMB and Unite. Firstly, it was decided to call for a vote of no confidence in the current Chief Executive. This vote was carried unanimously in both venues and must be seen as message to those in a position of influence, that this type of leader who cannot, or will not, honour negotiated agreements is not acceptable to our members or their staff. Secondly, it was decided to carry out a ballot for industrial action, to include both action short of a strike as well as strike action. To give some background, Council workers from all four unions took part in a number of successful industrial action campaigns in 2021 and 2022 read more
Roads Service maintenance workers in Unite commence one week strike action (26 Feb) – Road Workers demand productivity payment be integrated into payscales to remove potential mechanism for pay victimization. More than two hundreds Unite members employed by the Roads Service of Northern Ireland will be joining with colleagues in the GMB in taking strike action for a week commencing Monday 27th February. The industrial action follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 95.30 percent vote for strike. The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a productivity bonus into their payscales. Roads Service workers’ pay is dependent on a productivity-based payment which is subject to the determination of managers. In the recent year roads workers at some hubs have taken strike action over allegations of bullying and harassment and are now seeking to close down a mechanism which potentially leaves them subject to victimization by managers. The strike pickets will be established at 8am on Monday 27 February and will last seven days and affect roads maintenance work across Northern Ireland. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham pledged her union’s full support for the Roads Service workers read more
Weekend strike action and protests resume over pay dispute at Diageo’s Leven plant (24 Feb) – Unite ‘actively’ exploring legal options amid claims workers could have been unlawfully induced to sign new contracts. Engineering workers based at Diageo’s plant in Leven are set to resume strike action tonight (24 February) and over the weekend in an increasingly bitter pay dispute with the drinks industry giant. The strike action will begin at 19:00 p.m. tonight and conclude on Monday (27 February) morning at 6 a.m. The strike action will directly impact on the engineering support for the bottling plant. Unite believes it is not safe to run the plant without the support its engineering members provide. Unite can also confirm that it will hold another protest on Saturday (25 February) at The Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh from 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. There will be a further protest on Sunday (26 February) outside the bottling plant in Levenfrom 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. The protests are highlighting that some of Unite’s engineering members are set to lose around 6 per cent of their pay when moved to a proposed lower rate of pay read more
Merseyside JLR supply chain workers to strike over job and pay attacks (23 Feb) – More than 150 workers employed at a Halewood factory producing dashboards for JLR have voted overwhelmingly to strike over job cuts and a 19 per cent attack on their pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union said today. The workers’ employer, IAC, is planning to slash 87 jobs and to remove shift premiums and reduce working hours for remaining staff. The workers recorded a 100 per cent yes vote in favour of industrial action on a turnout of over 90 per cent, underlining the anger the workforce has for the company’s proposals. American-owned IAC brings in billions of pounds per year. The company recorded global revenues of £2.4 billion in 2021, including £221 million from the UK. The workers are demanding that all redundancies are voluntary and that their pay is not reduced…The dates for strike action will be announced in the coming days read more
Protestors expose Morrisons’ anti-union tactics in Gibraltar (22 Feb) – Supermarket giant sits on millions but flew workers to Gibraltar to deny low-waged workers fair pay. Union stages protest at Morrisons’ Bradford HQ. Campaigners will stage a protest on Friday 24th February at the head office of Morrison’s in Bradford to expose shabby mistreatment and anti-trade union tactics directed against Unite members in Gibraltar. Morrisons’ workers in Gibraltar have been on strike since 30 January in a dispute over a paltry 2.4 per cent pay increase when the retailer’s underlying profits for last year were a massive £828 million. According to Unite, instead of negotiating to end the strike Morrisons wasted money by flying in UK workers to replace the roles of striking workers in Gibraltar – paying them £2 an hour more than workers on the Rock. This pay disparity is one of the main reasons for the dispute. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “If Morrisons think it can sneak strike-breaking tactics into Gibraltar then, it should think again…” read more
Imperial College strikes stretch into fourth month over ‘10.1% pay cut’ (21 Feb) – University sitting on £1.7bn in reserves and paid record-breaking vice chancellor salary. Pay strikes at London’s Imperial College will stretch into their fourth month, as more than 200 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, prepare to walkout on Thursday (23 February). The workers are striking over the imposition of a 3.3 per cent pay offer for 2022/23 by Imperial College, which Unite says is a clear 10.1 per cent pay cut when the real rate of inflation, RPI, is running at 13.4 per cent. Imperial College’s latest financial figures shows it brought in an income of over £1.2 billion for 2021/22 and had cash reserves of £1.7 billion. Further, Imperial College is one for the best paying universities for senior leadership staff. Until July 2022, the university employed the UK’s highest paid vice chancellor with an annual pay package worth £714,000, a massive increase of 35.5 per cent on the previous year read more
East Lancashire biomedical scientists latest to join NHS pay strikes (21 Feb) – Unite says government is failing the country as NHS strikes spread. Around 70 biomedical scientists at the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust will strike at Royal Blackburn hospital from 0700 hrs to 1900 hrs on Wednesday (22 February). The workers’ union, Unite, says that more strikes will be scheduled if the government fails to address poor pay and unsafe staffing across the NHS. With more ambulance worker strikes also set for the coming weeks, Unite has again hit out at the prime minister for failing to get into the room to address chronic low pay and unsustainable workloads. These issues are driving a recruitment and retention crisis and devastating the NHS read more
New development in Hestia LIFE dispute. Poverty pay – some movement. – The Leader of Hounslow’s council has responded to pressure brought by Unite and he has finally agreed to speak with us regarding the dispute involving Serco employed Parking Attendants and Hestia LIFE employed support workers. Both groups of workers face poverty pay and anti-union bosses. This follows three separate periods of strike action at Hestia and a campaign aimed at encouraging Hounslow councillors to actively engage with striking workers at Hestia and Serco…Naturally we are pleased that the council leader has now responded to that pressure, but this is just a first step. We, as a trade movement, need to keep up the pressure to ensure that the council follows through on this initiative to ensure a successful end to both disputes which is why Unite have called a protest for next Tuesday 21st February outside the council cabinet meeting. We want that protest to be noisy, enthusiastic and pro-union. Please come along, bring your banners and family members to send a clear message to Hounslow Labour council – Workers need fair pay and decent conditions! read more
Outsourced Harlow housing repair and grounds workers to strike over pay (17 Feb) – Over 300 staff responsible for Harlow council housing stock and cleaning and maintenance of council grounds and buildings will strike over pay in late February. The workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed by HTS, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harlow district council. HTS’s workforce voted by 87 per cent for strike action over pay being less than workers doing the same jobs at other local authorities. The workers are demanding a cost-of-living payment and for their pay bands to be re-graded, so they are brought up to industry standards. The council’s latest financial report showed it had assets of £63 million on 31 March 2022, an increase of £19 million from the year before. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Harlow council is fooling nobody. It is using HTS to keep these workers on inferior pay, terms and conditions. Harlow council can well afford to give these workers a cost-of-living payment and Unite is determined to ensure that is what happens. Our members’ jobs, pay and conditions are this union’s top priority and the HTS workforce will receive Unite’s full support during these strikes.” The workers will strike on 21, 23 and 28 February during which housing repair and maintenance, street cleaning, grounds maintenance, cleaning and caretaking of council buildings and parks and gardening services will be severely disrupted. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Airports set to close across the Highlands and Islands as strike action begins at Dundee Airport (16 Feb) – Unite confirms overtime ban across 11 airports in the HIAL Group. Dundee Airport will be closed tomorrow (17 February) due to strike action as part of a pay dispute involving over 120 Unite members across the Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (HIAL) Group. Strike action will begin tomorrow at Dundee Airport, and then resumes on Monday (20 February). There will be a strike demonstration starting from 11 a.m. at Dundee Airport on both days of action in close proximity to the airport entrance. Several days of 24-hour strike action is scheduled across all HIAL’s 11 airports following the action in Dundee. Strike action will take place on 21, 22, and 23 February at the HIAL Group’s other airports: Barra Airport, Benbecula Airport, Campbeltown Airport, Inverness Airport, Islay Airport, Kirkwall Airport, Stornoway Airport, Sumburgh Airport, Tiree Airport, Wick Airport. Due to the scale of Unite’s industrial action the HIAL Group has now informed the public that a number of airports will be fully closed including Barra, Benbecula, Dundee, Stornoway, Sumburgh and Tiree. Kirkwall Airport will operate on a limited basis. The trade union predicts its industrial action will impact the remaining airports differently from mail not getting through to offshore workers not being able to mobilise to installations, and to return home. Unite has further confirmed that its members will take part in a discontinuous overtime ban across all 11 airports starting on 24 February and continuing each day up to and inclusive of 2 March read more
Royal Holloway University strikes intensify over 10% pay cut presented as rise (9 Feb) – Pay strikes will hit Royal Holloway University in February as a dispute over pay intensifies, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). Non-teaching staff, members of Unite, have rejected an imposed pay deal set by the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) that amounts to three per cent for most workers. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 13.4 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut of 10.4 per cent. Meanwhile, the university’s latest financial report states it is in a strong financial position. It had total reserves of £293 million for the year ending 31 July 2022… The workers, who include cleaners, janitors, estates staff and technicians, will strike on 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 February in coordination with members of other higher education unions at Royal Holloway. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Petrofac workers resume 48-hour strike action (8 Feb) – New strike wave hits BP offshore installations. A fresh 48-hour strike is underway on BP Petrofac installations the UK’s largest offshore trade union, Unite, confirmed today (8 February). The 48-hour strike action which starts today at 06:01 involves around 80 workers, and it will conclude at 05:59 on 10 February. It is the latest round of strike action following no breakthrough in negotiations with Petrofac. The offshore contractor has failed to bring forward an acceptable offer to the workers with future rounds of strike action now scheduled to take place until 3 March read more
Strike action resumes at GSK pharmaceutical plant in Irvine (6 Feb) – Kaefer contractors begin week-long strike in dispute over bonus payments. Members of Unite employed in engineering construction roles at the GSK plant in Irvine will resume strike action today (6 February) in a dispute over bonus payments. Around 40 workers employed by contractor Kaefer Limited will take strike action from 07:30 a.m. on 6 February up to 07:29 a.m. on 13 February. A previous round of strike action took place from 9 to 23 January. The current round of strike action is in addition to an existing discontinuous overtime ban which ends on 2 April. The industrial action will directly impact on the maintenance of the plant. The dispute is based on Unite members seeking a bonus payment of £2.37 an hour, the maximum allowed under the relevant industrial agreement (National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry [NAECI]) read more
Wirral housing workers to strike over deadly asbestos fears (3 Feb) – Workers at social housing landlord Magenta Living are to take extensive strike action over fears that new working practices will expose them to asbestos. The 100 plus workers, who are members Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed in repairs and maintenance roles for Magenta Living, which manages 13,000 properties mainly covering the Wirral. Magenta Living has imposed a change of policy when dealing with asbestos. Previously, the workforce was trained that when they identified asbestos to stop work. If it required removal, specialist contractors were employed. Under the new policy the workers are expected to work with asbestos read more
University of Leeds strikes intensify over 10% pay cut presented as rise (1 Feb) – More than 200 non-teaching staff striking over nationally imposed UCEA pay deal. Pay strikes will hit the University of Leeds in February as a dispute over pay intensifies, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The 200 non-teaching staff, members of Unite, have rejected an imposed pay deal set by the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) that amounts to three per cent for most workers. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 13.4 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut of 10.4 per cent read more
Reinstate Radek (Radoslaw Worbel) sacked Unite London bus rep at RATP London United Fulwell bus garage – send a message of complaint to [email protected] and a message of support to to Radek via the Unite Bus Combine: [email protected]
Striking housing workers vote 99.5 percent on 93.5 percent turnout to reject inadequate NI Housing Executive pay offer (10 Jan) – As industrial action by housing workers enters its twenty-third week without resolution, Unite demands Department for Communities intervention. Thousands of social housing tenants are left without needed repair and maintenance work as a result of management intransigence. Unite the union has written to the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Grainia Long after its members overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer made by management at the Labour Relations Agency in December. The pay offer was for a one-off non-consolidated payment of one thousand pounds and a pay point increase for grades 1 to 3 which would have benefited only a small fraction of striking workers. The offer was rejected overwhelmingly in a ballot conducted on picket lines on turnout of 93.5 percent and rejection majority of 99.5 percent. The workers who are employed in North and West Belfast, Portadown, Coleraine and Derry/Londonderry will therefore continue their strike action in pursuit of a fair pay increase for the 2021-2022 year. Their strike is now into its twenty-third week and has led to ballooning impact on maintenance services for social housing units read more
Department for Infrastructure must show leadership on Rathlin Island ferry dispute (10 Jan) – Union says workers and Rathlin Island community treated as expendable in wrangle over outsourced service. Unite the union has demanded urgent action by the Department for Infrastructure to resolve an ongoing pay dispute and safeguard the ferry service to Rathlin island. The private sector operator of the ferry service to Northern Ireland’s largest offshore island, Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd, has indicated to the Department that the company could enter liquidation by the end of January. Unite members at the ferry operator are today striking for a third day after four days when there was no service to the island as a result of inclement conditions and strike action. Strike action is scheduled to proceed for four days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays) for the remainder of January. The strike follows a ballot of ferry workers who voted with a 85 per cent majority for industrial action in pursuit of a cost of living increase. Their vote came after workers’ endured three years of a pay freeze read more
Northern Ireland Health and Social Care workers strike for improved pay (9 Jan) – Massive 87 per cent average vote for strike action across Northern Ireland trusts. 4000 Unite members to strike on 26 January, February 16 ,17 and 23, 24. Unite the union has confirmed that its members working across the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland will be participating in an industrial campaign involving all health trade unions after they voted overwhelmingly for strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase. The announcement comes as talks as discussion with the UK health secretary failed to make any progress on the 2022/23 pay claim. In December, Unite members voted with an average 87 percent majority across all five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service for strike action read more
Coffin factory strike enters fourth month Co-op Funeralcare wastes £1 million instead of resolving dispute (5 Jan) – Coffin factory strike enters fourth month as Co-op Funeralcare wastes £1 million instead of resolving dispute. Unite members have resumed strike action at the Co-op Funeralcare coffin manufacturing factory based in Glasgow in a bitter dispute over pay which has now entered its fourth month. Strike action by Unite members began on Wednesday 4 January and will run continuously through to Monday 16 January, which will be the fourth consecutive week of strike action. Unite recently uncovered that the Cooperative Funeralcare spent over £1,000,000 last year on purchasing coffins from third party suppliers at a time when the dispute with their own workforce could have been successfully resolved for a fraction of this cost. Additionally, Co-op Funeralcare made an underlying profit of £12 million in 2021 read more
Strikes stepped up at Fawley refinery as heavy-handed policing deepens tensions in dispute – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed in engineering construction roles at Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire will step up strike action in a dispute over bonus payments. The 130-strong workforce, who are employed by three contractors Altrad, Bilfinger and Enerveo, are seeking a bonus payment of £2.37 an hour, the maximum allowed under the relevant industrial agreement (National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry [NAECI]). The Fawley refinery is operated by ExxonMobil, which last month recorded a quarterly profit of £17.3 billion. Tensions in the dispute have dramatically increased due to intimidatory behaviour by Hampshire police and false allegations made the employer read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]
Workers at Causeway Coast and Glens council to commence all-out strike action tomorrow after councils vote down pay increase – Offer of two pay points plus a cash lump sum to end dispute was rejected at last night’s council meeting by a single vote in the chamber. Unite the union has confirmed that its members at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council will commence continuous strike action at the local authority tomorrow (8 Sept). The decision by workers followed last night’s vote at full council at which a proposal to settle the strike by offering two pay point increments and a lump sum to workers – similar to that provided in Derry City & Strabane and in Mid-Ulster District Councils – was voted down by a majority of one councillor. General Secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, pledged her union’s full support to the striking council workers read more
CWU
Support the CWU strikes in Royal Mail & Post Office – The CWU has launched a strike fund – please support: Unity Bank, CWU General Fund, 60-83-01 33019822
We support the call of the CWU for Royal Mail and BT to be re-nationalised. Follow the latest news via CWU’s Facebook page, website and Twitter @CWUnews
Massive Royal Mail re-ballot vote!! – CWU members in Royal Mail Group have delivered the biggest ever return in a major national strike ballot. YES 95.9% TURNOUT 77.3%
CWU to Royal Mail bosses: ‘You picked a fight with the wrong union!’ (17 Feb) – After achieving a higher percentage turnout than any general election since 1992, CWU activists meet in determined mood to discuss the next steps. Following yesterday’s ballot result, it was back to business today, with hundreds of senior field officials and branch officials gathering in Manchester for a national briefing to update on the dispute with Royal Mail and debate ongoing strategy. General secretary Dave Ward opened the event by once again thanking branches and members for their efforts in delivering such a “remarkable result” in the ballot. A hugely impressive 95.9 per cent YES vote and 77.3 per cent turnout – a higher percentage of voters than the last general election and higher than any general election in the past three decades. This was “a victory for the power of ‘we’ over the power of ‘I’. It was a test of our members’ resolve and, after 18 days of strike action and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, our members delivered a result that was incredible,” Dave continued, adding that it “would’ve given the whole of TU movement a lift – as well as our members. It’s staggering that, after all that’s happened, our members haven’t shifted an inch in their support for this union…” read more
Breakthrough on Openreach’s approach to restricted capabilities in Service Delivery (10 Mar) – Years of CWU campaigning for a fair and consistent approach on restricted capabilities has paid off in Openreach Service Delivery UK Operations (SD UK Ops) with the agreement of a comprehensive new process aimed at keeping those with temporary or permanent restrictions in fulfilling and valued employment read more
Firm CWU focus on redundancy mitigation at ISS amid new BT Estate cleaning review (10 Mar) – More upheavals are on the cards at ISS following a review of the Hygiene Focused Cleaning Service that was introduced across the BT Estate as part of the post-COVID return to the workplace read more
Union urges Royal Mail PFSL members to ‘Vote YES’ as two-year deal goes out to ballot (27 Feb) – Ballot papers go out this week to around 1,400 Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions Limited (PFSL) cleaners, admin and building maintenance workers asking for their endorsement of a negotiated pay and associated issues agreement read more
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
- Signing our petition to tell prime minister Rishi Sunak to intervene and hold meaningful talks to end the strikes.
- Support us on social media with the hashtags: #PCSonStrike #BlameTheGovt
- New E-action in support of PCS national pay and pensions campaign – The E-action calls on MPs to support our demands over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security read more
5 key actions for 15 March strike success (9 Mar) – Before 133,000 PCS members strike on 15 March alongside more than 500,000 colleagues in 8 other unions, there are 5 key actions we need everyone to take to make the day a success and put more pressure on the government to meet our demands read more
NIPSA to protest with PCS members in Northern Ireland (8 Mar) – In an act of solidarity public sector union NIPSA will join PCS members for a pay protest on Budget Day (15 March) outside Erskine House in Belfast when our HMRC members are joining 133,000 others in UK-wide strike action. NIPSA, representing thousands of members in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, will begin action short of strike from 15 March, in its campaign for fair pay. PCS picket lines will be in place, from 6.30am to 12.30pm read more
Pensions case decision announced (13 Mar) – PCS will continue to fight for pensions justice for members and consider an appeal following the announcement that our judicial review of the government’s decision not to reduce members’ civil service pensions contributions has not succeeded read more
PCS expresses “deep concern” over Home Secretary’s email (10 Mar) – A letter to the head of the civil service demands a response following the claims made in Suella Braverman’s email about the small boat crossings read more
Border Force staff put at risk by home secretary’s emotive language (9 Mar) – PCS has warned that the home secretary is putting Border Force staff at risk because of her “escalation of highly emotive language about asylum seekers.” Read more
Common Platform – Consultative Ballot – Vote ‘YES’! (10 Mar) – PCS is recommending that members vote yes in the consultative ballot on the HMCTS offer to end the Common Platform Dispute. The ballot opens on Tuesday 14 March and closes at noon on Tuesday 21 March. PCS has been in intensive negotiations with HMCTS management for several weeks. Throughout this time, we have managed to secure significant concessions which we believe are sufficient to end our current dispute over the Common Platform. It is important for members to know that these concessions would never have been achieved without the industrial action taken over the past 6 months read more
PCS secures recognition at renowned Old Royal Naval College (7 Mar) – After a 6-month battle PCS has won union recognition for members at the world-renowned Old Royal Naval College museum in Greenwich, London read more
Budget Day Strike Update (7 Mar) – PCS addresses rumours in HMRC about the strike notice; along with guidance on handling management questions about whether you’re planning to strike read more
First day of Ofsted strikes makes an impact (6 Mar) – As part of our targeted strike action, Ofsted members are striking from Monday to Wednesday on every week in March, starting from today (6). Ofsted members working in the Applications, Regulatory and Contact (ARC) team and Inspection Support Centre (ISC) are taking strike action in March. They are walking out from Monday to Wednesday on every week in March, starting from today read more
Maritime and Coastguard Agency strike dates announced (2 Mar) – Members working for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS) in Cardiff are set to strike on 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 March as our national dispute escalates. Our national strike ballot on pay, pensions, jobs and cuts to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme closed in November and we received a positive result for strike action in many areas of the civil service, including MCA. In MCA, 79% of members voted for strike action on a nearly 53% turnout, above the required legal threshold of 50%. Our RSS members do a variety tasks including registering vessels from jetskis to cruise liners under the UK flag , boatmasters’ licences, registering war medals and births and deaths at sea read more
Strike dates announced in Ofsted and DVSA (20 Feb) – The action will impact on driving tests, school inspections and complaints. The strikes form part of our targeted strike action in our national campaign over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms. Ofsted members working in the Applications, Regulatory and Contact (ARC) team and Inspection Support Centre will take strike action in March. They will walk out from Monday to Wednesday on every week in March, starting from 6 March… In DVSA, there will be a rolling programme of strike action across the regions throughout March, resulting in a large-scale cancellation of driving tests read more
Prospect
Prospect suspends industrial action after improved offer from HIAL (10 Mar) – Prospect has agreed to suspend its industrial action by fire and security staff at Highlands and Islands Airport Limited after an improved pay offer from the employer. Workers have been offered 7%, significantly better than the previous offer of 5% which had been rejected. Prospect members will now be balloted on whether to accept the offer read more
Government indicates it will not commit to meaningful talks to resolve civil service strike (9 Mar) – Prospect union members are due to be take strike action in almost 40 public sector employers on Wednesday (15 March 2023) read more
GMB
Amazon workers being historic week long strike (13 Mar) – GMB Union members will today begin a historic strike at the retail giant’s Coventry distribution centre. The week long strike marks an escalation of industrial action at the company, after workers were offered a disgraceful 50p pay rise. More than 450 staff at the West Midland fulfilment centre will walk out today until Friday 17th March. GMB Union estimates the industrial action will cost Amazon more than £2 million read more
GMB union slams ambulance trust management over stalled talks to end bullying (13 Mar) – Our members are clear they will not continue to be bullied and treated like dirt by a so-called leadership team and incompetent HR executives, says GMB union. GMB, the union in South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), have slammed the Trust over talks brokered through ACAS breaking down before they have even commenced. The dispute stems from ongoing issues including the Trust’s CQC report which refers to ‘inadequate’ management leadership and the staff survey shows SECAmb as one of the worst NHS Ambulance Trust employers to work for. GMB has consulted with members across the Trust which has seen members labelling their leadership team as ‘arrogant’ and describing their work environment as ‘increasingly hostile.’ The ACAS talks were brokered after the union has spent over 12 months looking to represent the views of its members to the employer, but these appear to have also failed. The union hoped to secure commitments from SECAmb bosses over the halting of unilateral operational and contractual changes whilst talks were taking place but has received no such pledge read more
GMB to ballot more than 200,000 local government workers on pay deal (9 Mar) – GMB is set to ballot more than 200,000 local government workers after the NJC pay deal for 2023/24. Workers including carers, school staff, social workers, refuse collectors will be recommended to reject a flat rate proposed settlement from the local government employers. GMB’s Local Government Staff Council is recommending that members reject the offer after the Local Government Association (LGA) said that it was the last and final offer on the table. If workers reject the deal in the ballot, which will run for six weeks from the end of March, GMB will move to a full strike vote read more
NHS staff surevy shows pay deal needed to fix crisis (9 Mar) – GMB Union says today’s NHS staff survey results shows a pay deal is needed to end the crisis in the health service read more
East Midlands Airport risks being cut off as ‘lifeline’ bus service for workers slashed (9 Mar) – GMB union, representing hundreds of workers across key services at East Midlands Airport, has today called for council support for the Skylink bus service to be extended. The bus route, linking East Midlands Airport with Nottingham and Loughborough, serves as a vital connection for airport workers getting to work. The threats to the service have come as Nottinghamshire County Council announced they will not extend support past April 2023 read more
Strike ballot opens at South Croydon school (9 Mar) – Members poised for strike action after Easter unless management make an offer on back pay
GMB, the union for school support staff, is balloting its members working at Kenley Primary School in South Croydon for strike action. The dispute relates to pay and changes to the terms and conditions of staff, which union believes is causing a financial detriment for its members. The ballot is due to close on Friday 31 March, with any potential strike action to take place after the Easter holidays read more
Northern Ireland Civil Servants vote to strike (7 Mar) – GMB members working for the civil service have voted to strike action. Up to 200 workers will walk out in anger at the 2023/24 pay award from the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) of just 2 per cent. GMB represents members in Road Service, Rivers Agency and Forestry along with the Environment Agency. Strike dates will be announced in the coming days read more
GMB union hails ‘massive’ result as hospital cleaners receive pay upgrade (6 Mar) – GMB is now asking: if you’ve acknowledged their pay needed adjusting, how about some back-pay for these members?
GMB, the union at Frimley Health NHS Trust, is celebrating a successful campaign that has seen many of the lowest-paid workers across the three hospital sites secure a pay rise. The union is balloting its members on the proposal from Trust management that would have seen cleaners go up a grade but would have seen the workers carry out a mandatory English exam before being entitled to this uplift. The Trust has this week offered new contracts to all affected staff with no mention of the exams. The ballot will remain open until Friday, as the union will now be demanding an offer of back pay for the workers read more
Ambulance strikes suspended for Government talks (3 Mar) – National ambulance strikes have been suspended after GMB and other unions agreed to talks with the Government. After months of waiting, the Health Secretary wrote to unions within hours of GMB ambulance workers announcing they would reduce emergency cover on strike days. The Department of Health and Social Care has now agreed to discuss pay for both this year and next year – as well improvements to other terms and conditions. Unions have also received assurances there is additional cash for both years above existing budgets and that any deal would respect the existing Agenda for Change structure. In return, national ambulance strikes on March 6 and 8 involving more than 13,000 workers have now been suspended. Other planned NHS strikes at Mersey Care and Barnsley Hospital have also been paused. GMB members striking in the Welsh Ambulance service have also agreed to suspend action on Monday for further talks with the trust and the Welsh Government. Talks are expected to commence early next week read more
Amazon strike to cost company more than £2 million (1 Mar) – A history-making strike by Amazon workers in Coventry could cost the company more than £2million, GMB figures show. Up to 400 workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse will walk out today [Thursday 2 March] on day three of the strike – the first ever the company has faced in the UK. Workers are angry at an enforced pay rise of just 50 pence per hour. Amazon Coventry workers will also walk out for five consecutive days from 13 to 17 March and GMB estimates that the combined cost of the 8 days of industrial action could be more than £2 million read more
Almost 300 Mersey Care workers to strike this week (17 Jan) – Almost 300 health care workers at Mersey Care will take strike action this week over pay. GMB members including nurses, health care assistants, support staff, cleaners and admin staff will walk out for 24 hours from 00:01 to 23.59 on 18 January 2023. Mersey Care workers voted to strike over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award – another massive real terms pay cut read more
GMB union: ExxonMobil ‘throwing money’ at agencies rather than our members – GMB, the energy union, are preparing to name and shame companies who are providing strike-breakers in the midst of a trades dispute at Fawley oil refinery near Southampton. The union have been informed that agency workers have been retained on full pay until strike action recommenced, following a temporary suspension of action actioned by GMB and sister union Unite. Strike action at the refinery was suspended for Monday to Wednesday of this week to allow negotiations to take place, only for GMB to be told that talks would not be happening as there was “nothing to discuss.” 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 and was due to take place on November 16th but has been delayed again and will now take place on 24th March. This is an outrageous attack on the right of trade unions to strike, picket and protest. The NSSN sends our continued solidarity and support read more about Surrey strike
Unison
Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund
Local government pay offer short of what’s needed after years of cuts (8 Mar) – Preparations for ballot now under way. Commenting on the pay offer for 2023/24 made to council and school staff by employers, UNISON head of local government Mike Short said today (Wednesday): “Without investment in the workforce, there’ll be no public services. Council and school staff are caring for the most vulnerable, educating future generations, and keeping the local environment safe and clean. “These unsung workers deserve to be properly rewarded. But this offer falls short of what’s needed when the value of their pay has been chipped away for years and bills are soaring. Preparations are now under way to ballot council and school employees to see if they’re prepared to strike to achieve a better deal.” Read more
Care Quality Commission staff vote to strike over pay, says UNISON (7 Mar) – Overwhelming backing for industrial action. Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have voted to take strike action over pay, says their union UNISON today (Tuesday). More than 700 workers were balloted by UNISON, including those in the organisation’s health and social care teams and call centres, along with clerical staff and data analysts. CQC staff regulate health and social care bodies across England including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries ensuring the safe delivery of services. Of those who took part in the UNISON vote, 73% opted to strike and 92% for action short of a strike. This means, for example, that staff would only work to their contracts, refusing to do any overtime. UNISON is one of five unions so unhappy at the pay award imposed this year (2022/23) they decided to ask their members to vote for industrial action. The five – UNISON, PCS, Prospect, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite – all have strike votes that have either already closed or are about to read more
UNISON to suspend strike to enter NHS pay talks with government (3 Mar) – The government has finally promised extra investment in pay for both this and next year. The strike planned for next Wednesday involving thousands of ambulance staff and other NHS workers has been suspended to allow UNISON to enter pay talks with the government, the union said today (Friday). Following a meeting of its health committee this afternoon, UNISON announced it was suspending the action scheduled for 8 March read more
Joint union statement: Acas higher education talks (24 Feb) – Talks via Acas will continue into next week on the terms of reference for negotiations on workload, contract types and equality pay gaps. Today (Friday 24 February) the five unions UCU, UNISON, Unite, EIS and GMB, representing staff working in UK higher education confirmed that talks via the conciliation service Acas will continue into next week. The joint unions have continued to push employers, represented by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), on the issues of pay, workload, casualisation and equality pay gaps. Some progress has been made in establishing agreed terms of reference for negotiations on reviewing the higher education pay scales. Talks via Acas will continue into next week on the terms of reference for negotiations on workload, contract types and equality pay gaps. However, the unions are disappointed that UCEA has moved to instruct its members to impose the first element of the 2023/24 pay proposal. This is despite nothing yet having been agreed on pay. The unions will continue to make that clear in negotiations read more
Stop Hackney Council cutting library services read more about the campaign here – Hackney library staff have been taking strike action against cuts
NIPSA
NIHE Members: Protest on Budget Day, 15 March (9 Mar) – NIHE Pay: Next Wednesday 15 March 2023 is budget day. In the absence of a functioning Executive, all decisions with regard to the funding of public services across NI are being taken and implemented by the Tory Government via the Secretary of State for NI and the NIO. You will be acutely aware that the UK Government intends to punish public services across NI for allegedly overspending during this financial year, in the absence of an agreed budget, by significantly cutting next year’s budget. Government Departments, who hold the purse strings for ALBs such as the NIHE, are seeking organisations to model and potentially implement cuts of up to 20%. This would devastate public services into the future and can only play into the hands of exploitative privateers. The public funding deficit is also impacting upon the pay negotiations that NIPSA is currently engaged in to secure improvements to your pay, terms and conditions of employment, as detailed in the Local Joint TUS Claim and previous Circulars. These negotiations have recommenced and are ongoing. That is why NIPSA, together with sister trade unions, has decided to hold a protest outside the offices of the Secretary of State for NI at lunchtime on Budget Day. The protest will take place on Wednesday 15 March from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at Erskine House, 20-32 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4GF. At a joint strike Committee meeting yesterday, our Unite colleagues have signalled their support and advised of their intention to attend this protest read more
Update: Pay Dispute with NIHE (8 Mar) – NIHE Pay: As you are aware, NIPSA lodged a JTUS Pay Claim in June 2022, jointly with Unite, seeking improved pay, terms and conditions of employment to assist our members working in the NIHE to survive the very damaging cost of living crisis. The devastating impacts of this crisis are ongoing and include financial, physical and psychological trauma. You are telling NIPSA that all of these pressures are increasing the strain and stress being felt by you and your families. Many of you are having to take second and third jobs just to survive, to feed your families, going into debt that you have no idea how or when you will be in a position to afford to pay back and are making sustained difficult choices on whether to heat your homes at a time when extremely wintry weather and plunging temperatures are forecast for this week, or to buy food. You have been sharing with us that this situation is increasingly damaging and NIPSA has been listening. May I take this opportunity, on behalf of the NIPSA Central Panel, to once again thank all of you who voted in the consultative ballot to reject the NIHE’s “final offer”, which was the NIHE’s response to the JTUS Pay Claim after months of refusal to meaningfully engage with the trade unions. An overwhelming majority of voters also provided NIPSA with the mandate to continue to fight for an improved offer and to undertake a statutory ballot of our members on the subjects of potential Industrial Action and Action short of Strike Action (ASOS). I have written to the CEO of the NIHE again today to provide the statutory notification required for NIPSA’s ballot, which will be conducted from 14 March 2023 for a two week period read more
Industrial Action: NI Civil Service, NDPBs and ALBs (7 Mar) – NICS Strike 2023: In my last article I reported the outcome of the industrial action ballot on pay. The answer given by our members was clear and forceful. A 94% yes vote for action short of strike action and an 85% yes vote for strike action demonstrates the anger members feel about the derisory offer read more
94% vote Yes for Action (3 Mar) – NICS Pay NICS Strike: Civil servants have returned the biggest ever vote for industrial action. In answer to the insulting and derisory offer of £552, civil servants have demonstrated their anger. The pay ballot closed yesterday, 2 March, and the Executive meet today to agree next steps. NIPSA General Secretary, Carmel Gates said: “This is the largest vote for action we have ever had in the Civil Service. Members are very angry and insulted because this is the worst pay offer that any public sector worker has received. This is another huge real term pay cut for workers who were classed as essential during the pandemic. With food and other costs soaring, government workers now need a second job just to make ends meet. This is utterly shameful. Our Executive meet today to discuss next steps which will include strike action and action short of strike action.” Read more
Health Members Strike Action 21 February (28 Feb) – I congratulate all of you who again demonstrated your commitment and resolve to stand up for patients and clients in demanding a Health Service that is safe for all and one that rewards employees with a fair and proper pay rise. The demonstration of support at Rallies across Northern Ireland demonstrated not just solidarity for Education in their struggle but the growing movement of workers who shout enough is enough. Standing together we can send a clear message to Government and politicians both here and in England, that while we strive to serve those who need our services, we will not let them down and we will not be disrespected by wages that fail to keep up with inflation caused by their mismanagement. This is indeed a long-term dispute on Pay and Safe Staffing and NIPSA continues to work collaboratively with other Trade Unions to maximise the campaign of action. To this end I give notice to members that NIPSA along with colleagues in UNISON have extended all Action Short of Strike for March 2023 read more
Royal College of Nursing
Care Quality Commission pay ballot: results announced (10 Mar) – Members employed by the Care Quality Commission have voted in favour of taking industrial action in a statutory ballot…The legal threshold for any industrial action, including action short of strike, is 50%. This means that the threshold has been met, and members have given the RCN a mandate for both forms of industrial action. Next steps will now be considered by the RCN Council and RCN Trade Union Committee, and the RCN will continue to work in collaboration with other unions representing CQC staff in this dispute read more
Anti-strike bill: RCN lobbying intensifies (10 Mar) – We oppose the Strikes (Minimum Service Level) Bill and are supporting some key changes as it progresses through parliament read more
RCN Wales re-enters negotiations with Welsh government after Health Minister responds to RCN letter (3 Mar) – The Welsh government has agreed to further negotiations, after RCN members overwhelmingly rejected the latest NHS pay offer read more
Voting for RCN members opens on new NHS pay offer in Scotland (28 Feb) – RCN Scotland Board is recommending members vote to accept new pay offer. Eligible members have until 9am on Monday 20 March to have their say read more
UK government agrees to process of intensive talks with the RCN (21 Feb) – The RCN will pause strike action in England during these talks read more
RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more
Royal College of Midwives
Midwives in Northern Ireland vote yes to industrial action (7 Mar) – In a clear demonstration of their anger and frustration midwife and maternity support worker (MSW) members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have voted to taking industrial action over pay in Northern Ireland. In a formal ballot that closed today over nine out of ten (93.9%) voted for industrial action short of a strike, based on a turnout of 55% of eligible RCM members working in the HSC. On the question are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike, nearly 9 out of 10 (89.09%) voted yes…Any decision to take industrial action must be approved by the RCM’s elected Board. The RCM will now look at the result of the ballot and consider the next steps read more
RCM recommends acceptance of latest pay offer as Scotland pay consultation opens (1 Mar) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) opens its consultation on the latest Scottish government pay offer today, running until 19 March. The RCM is recommending that its midwife and maternity support worker (MSW) members accept the offer read more
CSP
England strikes suspended for talks with government (3 Mar) – The CSP is suspending its planned strikes in England on 22 March to allow talks to take place with the UK government read more
CSP to consult on 2023/24 pay offer from Scottish government (21 Feb) – Following early talks with the Scottish Government, the health unions now have an offer for next year’s pay for NHS staff. The offer will be put to members in the NHS in Scotland, with our member pay sub group recommending members accept the award read more
BMA
BMA announces dates for 72-hour walk out by Junior doctors in England, saying Health Secretary has left them, “with no choice” (24 Feb) – The BMA says the failure of the Health Secretary to come to the table and negotiate a reversal of pay cuts of more than 26%, has left junior doctors in England with no option but to take strike action for three days from Monday 13th March. Nearly 40,000 junior doctors voted to take industrial action in the recent ballot and hospital trusts and employers have now been notified that the 72-hour walk out will go ahead. Twice in the past week junior doctors have called upon Steve Barclay to meet with them urgently, but so far no date is forthcoming. A meeting with Department of Health Civil servants earlier this week yielded nothing in terms of meaningful progress; Steve Barclay refused to attend. The co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors’ committee, Dr Rob Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said patients and public alike need to know the blame for the strike action lies squarely at the Government’s door read more
HCSA
HCSA hospital doctors add more dates to first strike in history – Junior Doctors in HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union has announced further walkout dates in March as part of the first strike in the union’s history. The period of action will now begin at 06:59 on the 13th March and end at 06:59 on the 16th of March. This follows an unprecedented 97% Yes vote for strike by members on 75% turnout read more
HCSA hospital doctors to strike for first time in history on 15th March – Junior Doctors in HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union will strike for the first time in the union’s history on Wednesday 15th March. This follows an unprecedented 97% Yes vote for strike by members on 75% turnout read more
NEU
Wales pay offer (10 Mar) – Following meaningful negotiations between the National Education Union and the Welsh Government, a new, revised and fully-funded pay offer will be put to teacher members and strike days called off. Following meaningful negotiations between the National Education Union and the Welsh Government, a new, revised and fully-funded pay offer will be put to teacher members. As a result, the strike days scheduled in Wales next week (15 March and 16 March) have been called off. In England, those strike days remain in place read more
The crisis in teacher pay and supply (10 Mar) – Joint Statement to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB): Urgent action needed to address crisis in teacher pay and supply. Unions representing teachers and school leaders in England are today united in calling on the School Teachers’ Review Body to make urgent recommendations on pay, workload and conditions of service to address the critical pay issues and the recruitment and retention crisis in the profession read more
Attempt to break deadlock in industrial action dispute ignored (8 Mar) – An attempt by education unions involved in the industrial action dispute over pay and funding to break the current deadlock and move forward with talks with the government has been ignored. An attempt by education unions involved in the industrial action dispute over pay and funding to break the current deadlock and move forward with talks with the government has been ignored. Talks between the unions and government have stalled due to the government’s insistence that strike action by NEU must be cancelled before they will continue negotiations. On Monday 6th March, NEU, NAHT, NASUWT and ASCL wrote to the Secretary of State to suggest that a day of conciliation talks could be convened by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). However, as the unions have yet to receive a formal reply to the letter, they can only conclude that the failure to reply to such a reasonable and urgent request means it has been declined. The unions continue to appeal to the government to begin meaningful talks in order to move forward in resolving the dispute read more
NEU Strike Action in England and Wales (1 Feb) – Teachers strike in pursuit of a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise. Commenting on today’s strike by National Education Union members in England and Wales, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Today, teachers in schools and sixth form college in England and Wales and support staff in Wales schools, took strike action in pursuit of a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise. The government has short-changed them for over a decade, with significant real-terms cuts to pay and persistently unfunded rises which schools cannot afford…” read more
The full list of projected strike days are as follows:-
Wednesday 1 February 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales.
Tuesday 28 February 2023: all eligible members in the following English regions: Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber.
Wednesday 1 March 2023: all eligible members in the following English regions: East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern.
Thursday 2 March 2023: all eligible members in Wales and the following English regions: London, South East, South West.
Wednesday 15 March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales – includes national ‘Save Our Schools’ festival and demonstration. Assemble 12noon Hyde Park Speakers Corner for march to Trafalgar Square
Thursday 16 March 2023: all eligible members in England and Wales read more
NASUWT
NASUWT statement following DfE talks (13 Mar) – Following a meeting with the Secretary of State for Education today, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union said: “It is a positive sign that the Education Secretary has accepted that detailed negotiations must proceed without any further delay. Today’s meeting with the Secretary of State has given us the assurances we have been seeking. There is nothing that should now stand in the way of detailed negotiations and getting a deal onto the table. Ministers have heard from us and we have heard from them on their starting point for pay negotiations for this year and next year. Whilst there are numerous issues that will need to be discussed and a lot of ground to make up, there is the scope to find a basis for agreement which all sides can support…” read more
NASUWT statement on Welsh pay offer (10 Mar) – Responding to the statement from the Education Minister on a pay and workload package for teachers in Wales, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “Teachers will be concerned that the offer to pay additional money to teachers now must be honoured without strings attached. Teachers have seen the value of their pay plummet and are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that is not of their making…” read more
Minister squandering promise to negotiate on teachers’ pay dispute (9 Mar) – Ahead of the Spring Budget, the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is calling on the Education Secretary to engage urgently in the negotiations she has promised to resolve the teachers’ pay dispute read more
NASUWT statement on Scottish pay offer (4 Mar) – Commenting on the latest pay offer Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary said: “It comes as no surprise to see this latest pay offer appearing as if from nowhere, following meetings held in the last few days which excluded the NASUWT, in order to cook up this latest proposal. This latest pay offer provides only a paltry improvement over the previous offer that was rejected by our members. No doubt employers, the Scottish Government and others will want to claim that this offer represents a significant improvement for teachers, when in fact that means another pay cut for the profession. The manipulation of future pay award dates cannot disguise the fact that this latest offer falls short of what teachers have demanded, and it is likely to be viewed as too little too late. We will hear what teachers have to say as we consult our members on this latest offer.” Read more
NAHT
School leaders to vote on pay offer from Welsh Government (13 Mar) – Members of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru are to be consulted electronically on the latest offer on pay, workload and funding from Welsh Government. Following a members-only online meeting this evening, an electronic ballot will be sent out for all eligible members to vote on whether to accept the offer read more
EIS
EIS gives notice of statutory industrial action ballot in colleges over pay (13 Mar) – Today (Monday 13th March 2023), the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) has issued seven days’ notice letters informing college employers that a statutory ballot for industrial action will commence on Monday 20th March read more
EIS Members Overwhelmingly Vote to Accept Teacher Pay Offer (10 Mar) – Members of the EIS have voted overwhelmingly to accept the current pay offer proposed by local authority employers and the Scottish Government. In an online ballot that closed today, 90% of those voting opted to accept the pay offer. Turnout in the ballot was 82% . The EIS represents over 80% of Scotland’s teachers at all grades and in all sectors of education read more
SSTA
SSTA Pay Ballot – Vote to Accept (9 Mar) – The SSTA conducted a formal pay ballot of members on the latest pay offer from the employers (COSLA). Members voted overwhelmingly to accept and brought the SSTA pay dispute and further industrial action to an end. The SSTA members returned a 85.3% in favour of accepting with 14.7% rejecting the latest offer. The formal ballot had a turnout of 79.9% read more
UCU
UCU announces additional university strike day as talks continue (28 Feb) – UCU has served notice on employers for a further day of strike action to hit universities on March 15. The action was called by the union’s higher education committee which met last Friday. The union has called this date in addition to those set to take place on March 16, 17, 20, 21, and 22. UCU is currently in negotiations with employers via conciliation service Acas. As part of the process, employers had agreed not to impose a pay offer. However, part way through the talks, employer body UCEA instructed its member institutions to implement the first part of the pay offer, despite unions never agreeing to it. UCU is still in negotiations with UCEA at conciliation service Acas. General secretary Jo Grady confirmed that progress was being made across a range of non-pay areas. UCU is currently reballoting its members to extend the union’s mandate to take industrial action read more
Joint union statement: Acas higher education talks (24 Feb) – The five unions UCU, UNISON, Unite, EIS and GMB, representing staff working in UK higher education confirmed that talks via the conciliation service Acas will continue into next week read more
Strike ballot opens at Kirklees College over low pay (13 Mar) – Staff at Kirklees College in Huddersfield and Dewsbury are being balloted on whether to take strike action in a dispute over low pay, the University and College Union (UCU) announced today. The ballot opens today and runs until Friday 14 April read more
UCU welcomes end of zero-hour contracts for associate lecturers at Sheffield Hallam University (10 Mar) – UCU has today declared a significant win against casualisation after Sheffield Hallam University agreed to move associate lecturers off zero-hour contracts. An overwhelming 96% of members polled have endorsed a negotiated settlement that will see all associate lecturers moved off of zero-hour contracts, with those who are employed for more than 8 consecutive weeks moved onto fixed-term contracts. Associate lectures are staff specifically employed either to cover the short term absences of other colleagues or to cover unforeseen or urgent short-term additional teaching needs. The union said that although this does not end casualisation at the university, it goes a long way to addressing the insecurity of zero-hour contracts and inequalities between associate lecturers and other members of academic staff read more
UCU wins historic recognition deal at University of Cambridge (10 Mar) – The University and College Union (UCU) today announced the University of Cambridge has finally agreed to recognise the union. UCU general secretary Jo Grady signed the recognition agreement today and the university is set to ratify it imminently. The recognition agreement comes whilst UCU is reballoting its members at the University of Cambridge and 149 other universities across the UK in its ongoing pay, working conditions and pension dispute. Cambridge had been an outlier in higher education, as one of the only UK universities not to recognise UCU read more
Strike ballot opens at Barnet & Southgate College over ‘pitifully low’ pay (7 Mar) – Staff at Barnet and Southgate College are being balloted on whether to take strike action in a long-running dispute over low pay. The ballot opens tomorrow and runs until Friday 31 March. Staff have already taken three days of strike action in the long-running dispute after college bosses imposed pay awards of just 1% for 2021/22 and 1% for 2020/21 but due to restrictive anti trade-union laws, they have to reballot. The college has now imposed a further pay award of just 2.5% for 2022/23 read more
City College Norwich staff to strike over huge real terms pay cut (6 Mar) – Staff at City College Norwich will strike on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March over a huge real terms pay cut. The announcement comes after an overwhelming 88% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in an industrial ballot. Turnout was an incredible 73%. In January City College imposed a pay award so low it ended the college’s accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer. The lowest paid received an increase of just 5.1%, college lecturers were awarded a paltry 4% and other staff only 2.5%. Since 2009 pay for college staff has fallen behind inflation by 35%, which is now 13.4%. UCU is demanding a 14% pay rise to help staff meet the cost-of-living crisis read more
Protest at University of Winchester over job cuts (6 Mar) – Staff at the University of Winchester are protesting today over a threat from management to axe up to 15 staff and shut down courses read more
Staff strike at Havant and South Downs College over low pay (21 Feb) – Staff at Havant and South Downs College will strike for two consecutive days tomorrow and Thursday in a dispute over low pay amid the cost-of-living crisis. The strike comes after 76% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action. The turnout was 53%, surpassing the 50% threshold imposed by Tory anti-trade union laws, despite the ballot only being open for two weeks. The National Education Union (NEU) also balloted members at the college with a similar result. 79% of NEU members voted for strike action with a 58% turnout and will be joining both days of strikes read more
Four days of strikes set to hit Sheffield College after ‘insulting’ 2.5% pay offer (18 Jan) – Over 200 staff at Sheffield College will be on strike Friday after receiving an ‘insulting’ pay offer of just 2.5% amid the cost-of-living scandal. Staff will then down tools for a further three days in January and February unless their demands are met, they will be on picket lines outside the college on each strike day. The full dates of strike action are: Friday 20 January, Monday 30 January, Tuesday 7 February, Thursday 9 February. Staff will also work to rule from Monday 23 January, which includes working strictly to their contracted hours, refusing to make up work lost as a result of strike action and refusing to cover for absent colleagues. The announcement comes after an overwhelming 87% of members who voted said yes to strike action in a turnout of 59% read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
FBU slams “cruel” anti-refugee Bill as emergency protest takes place (13 Mar) – A spontaneously-called emergency demonstration is taking place in Parliament Square this evening at 6pm in opposition to the second reading of the Illegal Immigration Bill. It will hear from a number of high profile speakers. Speaking ahead of the protest, FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack said: “The Illegal Immigration Bill is an inhumane piece of legislation which criminalises asylum seekers and violates the UK’s international obligations to refugees. Firefighting is above all a humanitarian job. Our members do not ask to see people’s passports before rescuing them. The government’s anti-migrant agenda is a crude attempt to divide people against each other. It is a threat not just to the human rights of refugees, but to all of us. While the government points at refugees, they want us to ignore the horrors that their policies have created for millions across the country…” read more
Pay deal agreed in Fire Service in win for collective bargaining (6 Mar) – Firefighters accept new pay offer, ending dispute without industrial action. Collective bargaining crucial to avoiding strikes in Fire Service. Union slams “outrageous and authoritarian” attack on trade union rights. Firefighters and Control Room staff across the UK have today overwhelmingly accepted a new pay deal to end their months-long dispute over pay. 96% of Fire Brigades Union members voted to accept the pay offer on an 84% turnout. The result makes the Fire and Rescue Service one of the only areas of the public sector to resolve its pay dispute without strike action. Collective bargaining was the key to this. Unlike workers in the NHS or teaching, pay is decided in direct negotiations rather than by a so-called “independent” pay review body. The pay settlement is for 7% backdated to July 2022, plus an additional 5% from July 2023. An overwhelming mandate for strike action was the crucial factor in moving Fire Service employers to make the revised offer read more
Merseyside firefighters start action short of strike – Merseyside firefighters, control members and Green Book staff are commencing industrial action in the form of refusing to undertake pre-arranged overtime on Thursday 1st December for a period of up to 6 months read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
NUJ
NUJ statement on the BBC as journalists prepare to strike (12 Mar) – The broadcaster must recognise the damaging impact of recent decisions and engage fully with the union, to reach a solution in the dispute over cuts to local radio. On Friday, the BBC announced Gary Lineker would be stripped of presenting duties of Match of the Day until a position could be reached on his use of social media. The decision was met with disillusion and uproar by many and plunging the BBC into what the NUJ described as “a crisis of its own making.” Read more
NUJ statement on BBC Gary Lineker decision (10 Mar) – General secretary Michelle Stanistreet on the broadcaster’s “dangerous position” following announcements that the presenter is to step back from his role on Match of the Day read more
The voice of the North West will not be silenced (10 Mar) – NUJ members were among those gathered to protest changes at BBC Radio Foyle on 10 March. A united message was sent to BBC bosses from supporters of the #SaveBBCRadioFoyle campaign, gathered outside the station on Northland Road in Derry. Felicity McCall, Derry and North West NUJ Branch spokesperson pledged to continue to fight to save not only the jobs of the journalists involved but the future of the entire station read more
Dispute as BBC forces changes at Radio Foyle (9 Mar) – The union will undertake a formal industrial action ballot over planned changes to the morning schedule at the station. The National Union of Journalists is to ballot for industrial action following a decision of management at BBC Northern Ireland to enforce radical changes to the morning programme schedule at BBC Radio Foyle read more
NUJ to carry out pay survey at RTÉ (7 Mar) – The National Union of Journalists is to conduct an equal pay survey within RTÉ, Ireland’s public service broadcaster read more
NUJ welcomes publication of Reach full year results (7 Mar) – The publisher of titles including The Mirror, Express, Liverpool Echo and Irish Star, has published full year results detailing total revenue of £600m in 2022. Efficiency measures and cost-cutting referenced in the annual statement are presented against a backdrop of total operating profits of £106m read more
Budget day coverage to be hit by BBC strike (28 Feb) – NUJ members working for BBC Local have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action over the corporation’s plans to cut local radio and have called a 24-hour strike starting at 11am on March 15, until the same time the following day, which will hit coverage of the Spring budget. A work to rule commencing at the close of the first strike action was also agreed. Further strike action will be announced in due course and options being considered are coverage of the local elections, Coronation and the Eurovision contest. The ballot of 1,000 members across BBC Local resulted in 83 per cent of members voting in favour of strike action and 92 per cent voting in favour of action short of a strike with a turnout of 69 per cent. Those striking will be journalists working for local radio, regional TV and online in England read more
FDA
FDA Fast Stream members vote to strike (17 Jan) – FDA members in the central Fast Stream have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action over pay. On a turnout of 60%, comfortably surpassing the legal threshold of 50%, 88% backed industrial action in the statutory postal ballot. FDA National Officer for the Fast Stream, Lauren Crowley, stated “our Fast Stream members have been absolutely clear – they will no longer put up with unfair pay. This result highlights the anger that our members are feeling, they are tired of empty promises when it comes to pay reform.” Read more
Equity
Equity secures landmark union agreements with The Playhouse and In Your Space Circus (7 Mar) – The Playhouse becomes the first to sign in-house theatre agreement in Northern Ireland outside of Belfast read more
Sign and share this petition to reinstate the English National Opera (ENO) funding and lobby your MP to back our industries and their workforce
Community
14.7% pay rise for Care & Custody overseas escorts (13 Mar) – Community has secured a 14.7% pay increase for overseas escort staff working for Mitie Care & Custody at Gatwick, bringing the minimum pay for a Detention Custody Officer (DCO) to £30,000 pa read more
Pay rise secured for members at Zurich Insurance UK (8 Mar) – Following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process, and positive feedback from members, we were pleased to accept Zurich’s offer of a 7.75% overall pay pot with a grade differentiated pay rise, which resulted in those on the lower grades potentially receiving up to 10% read more
Pay rise for HMP Kilmarnock members (8 Mar) – Community Scotland has negotiated a pay award for HMP Kilmarnock staff of up to 10.8% plus an additional 1-3 days’ annual leave entitlement for those with long service. Following a ballot with a 70% turnout, 76% of members voted in favour of the deal read more
IWGB
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement
Blacklisting of workers and union infiltration by Spy Cops a dark stain on the police and ‘no stone must be left unturned’ in learning the full truth (23 Feb) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is demanding that no stone is left unturned in discovering the full extent of the Special Demonstration Squad’s (Spy Cops) role in blacklisting workers and infiltrating trade unions. In the closing statements to the first tranche of the Mittings Inquiry into Undercover Policing, Dave Barr KC the counsel to the inquiry, for the first time accepted that information on individuals who were spied upon was frequently passed to employers and that spy cops infiltrated unions and spied on their members as part of their cover. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Finally it has been admitted what our members have always said. For decades not only were workers secretly spied upon by undercover police officers, for no good reason, but information was then frequently leaked to employers who used it to blacklist workers. Now the inquiry has finally accepted that blacklisting frequently occurred, no stone must be left unturned in discovering the true scale of blacklisting by the spy cops and reveal who in authority gave the green light for this. Equally there must be complete exposure of the infiltration of trade unions including answers as to why it happened and who considered it acceptable. This is the very minimum that workers and their families, who had the lives destroyed by blacklisting, deserve.” Read more
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/blacklist-SG/
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
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. Also, check out Organise Now! – Support for new worker organising.
International
Afghanistan: journalists killed in bomb attack (13 Mar) – The targeted explosion by Islamic State militants took place on Afghanistan’s National Journalists Day. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning an attack against media workers in Northern Afghanistan on 11 March read more
From NUJ website: NUJ co-signs open letter to the Home Office urging support for Afghan journalists (6 Mar) – The union has joined groups in asking the Home Secretary to provide clarification on support available for Afghan journalists in danger read more
Diary
June
24 NSSN national conference 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, London
July
29 Troublemakers at Work Conference 2023: Friends Meeting House, Manchester – supported by Workers Can Win!, Strike Map and Organise Now!
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
