The strike wave continues into the summer as workers fight back against the cost of living squeeze. As always, this NSSN bulletin contains the details of this growing action, building solidarity for string workers and their unions.
However, the response of the Tories is yet more anti-union legislation. The Minimum Service Level Act (MSL) was passed into law before the Parliamentary summer recess. This means that striking unions can face massive fines and their members can be under threat of dismissal at any time.
The NSSN agrees with fighting unions that are calling for action to ensure that no union is left isolated. The NSSN believes that if workers take action together, the crisis-ridden Tories and their anti-union offensive can be defeated.
The FBU has called for “mass opposition” and for unions to “act together to build a movement to defy and defeat this law.” At its recent AGM, the RMT passed a motion calling for a national demonstration against the MSL and co-ordinated strike action. And Unite at its July Policy Conference, passed a motion to “call on the TUC to co-ordinate action, in the form of a 24-hour general strike.
The annual NSSN Conference on 24th June debated the model motion (now updated below) and unanimously voted to agree it, including supporting the NSSN rally and lobby of TUC Congress in Liverpool on Sunday 10th September. We encourage all union branches and trades councils to discuss the motion and hopefully agree it.
Watch videos of NSSN Conference – Opening Chair’s remarks with brief highlights of the rally and interviews
NSSN pre-TUC Congress Rally in Liverpool on Sunday September 10th: Fight the Tory anti-union attack – from 1pm at Premier Meetings, Liverpool Albert Dock L3 4AD
The NSSN is delighted to announce the first confirmed speakers at the rally that we have again called at TUC Congress in Liverpool on Sunday September 10th – Union General Secretaries Sharon Graham Unite, Sarah Woolley BFAWU & Steve Gillan POA. We’ll announce others when they are confirmed. We will also give a platform to the many strikes that are taking place.
The leaflet for the NSSN TUC Rally & Lobby is here. You can email us via [email protected] to order some. Also, email us for transport information
To go on the bus from Hull & Leeds – click here
The following are supporting lobbying the TUC. Send us details if your union also agrees to support and we’ll include in this list:-
Nottinghamshire, Nottingham & Mansfield Trades Council, RMT Piccadilly and District West, Hounslow Unison, Hounslow TUC, Ealing TUC, RMT LU Engineering, Southwark Trades Council, Waltham Forest Trades Council, Unite LE/1228 Waltham Forest Council Branch, Unite Housing Workers LE1111, Free Our Unions, Liverpool Trades Council, Unite NW /540 Howden supply division Runcorn, Scotland CWU No2 branch, CWU Highland Amal, BFAWU Kernow, Surrey County Unison, Unite Community Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire branch, Southampton and South West Hampshire TUC, Cardiff Trades Council, Cardiff General Unite branch WA/1048, Unite WM/6050 Tom Mann branch, Birmingham TUC, Coventry TUC, Unite NW 127404 Branch, Unite WM/6030 South Birmingham branch, Coventry CWU Telecoms, Walsall TUC, Birmingham UCU, Hull Trades Council, Sheffield RMT, Sheffield TUC, Swansea Trades Council, Southern East Kent Trades Union Council, Bristol Trades Union Council, Leeds Trades Union Council, Stevenage & District TUC, Carmarthenshire Unison Local Government Branch, Basildon Unison Local Government Branch, Unison NCA Health, Knowsley Unison Local Government Branch, Caerphilly Trades Council, Wakefield Trades Council, Unison Mid Yorkshire Health Branch
Model Motion on Tory Minimum Service Levels Act
This conference/union/branch/trades council recognises the ‘Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act’ is a major attack on trade union rights. Sunak’s Conservative government are attempting draconian, undemocratic measures to curtail the right to strike.
Coming on the back of four decades of brutal Tory anti-union legislation, from that of Thatcher and Major through to Cameron, Johnson and now Sunak, it is clearly designed to cut across the strike wave across all sectors, rather than tackle the causes of the cost-of-living crisis. This is another crude attempt to shift the blame for inflation onto the working class whereas every worker knows it is the bosses and their class’s profiteering, which has created the crisis.
The Act allows employers to issue a notice to unions setting out who is required to work during a strike. This potentially leaves unions who refuse to comply open to serious financial penalties through sequestration of funds and removes workers’ protection from being dismissed for undertaking lawful industrial action.
We believe no individual union or member should be left isolated and the whole of the trade union movement must mobilise – collectively – in defence of workers’ rights.
We demand:
1. All unions and the TUC urgently call a national Saturday demonstration against the new law;
2. Keir Starmer pledges an incoming Labour government to reverse fines and other measures taken against any union under the terms of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act;
3. All employers refuse to use the provisions of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act and that a lead in such non-compliance be given by any government, council, fire authority or other employer led by the Labour Party;
4. If any union is taken to court or worker threatened with dismissal, an emergency demonstration is called and an immediate meeting of the TUC General Council be convened to organise mass co-ordinated strike action, including a 24-hour general strike;
5. The repeal of all anti-union legislation.
We support the NSSN rally to be held at TUC Congress in Liverpool on Sunday 10 September lobbying for this programme of action.
NSSN news
Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it and/or making an additional donation to help our work. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month via a standing order.
You can either pay online to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790.
Or you can pay by cheque to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ and post to 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
BREAKING NEWS!! Save Our Ticket Offices March – Thursday, 31 August at 5pm Department for Transport, 33 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 4DR Facebook event
Rail workers to take further strike action on 14 train operating companies in national dispute (11 Aug) – 20,000 RMT members working on every grade of the train operating companies will take further strike action in the national dispute over working conditions, pay and job security. All members involved in the dispute are to take strike action and NOT BOOK ON for any shifts between:-
- 0001 and 2359 hrs on Saturday 26th August 2023
- 0001 and 2359 hrs on Saturday 2nd September 2023
The union has been left with little choice but to take further action as the union has seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions. We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group. The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held…” read more
RMT calls for action on anniversary of Carmont disaster (11 Aug) – RAIL UNION RMT warned on the eve of the third anniversary of the Carmont rail tragedy tomorrow (Saturday August 12) of an ‘increasing risk of another tragedy’ due to the failure of government and Network Rail to act on safety recommendations made last year read more
Save our ticket offices RMT day of action tomorrow (8 Aug) – RMT general secretary Mick Lynch will be handing out leaflets and postcards tomorrow (Wednesday August 9) outside Penzance train station at 9 am as part of the union’s nationwide day of action to stop ticket office closures. The union has called two days of action this month for tomorrow and August 16 after the government extended the flawed consultation process to September due to the sheer scale of public support for RMT’s campaign read more
Taxpayers being used to fund rail dispute to the tune of £1bn (29 Jul) – RMT has found that rail companies are being indemnified against any losses to the tune of £1bn on the same day there is a national strike on the railways. 20,000 railway workers have walked out today in a long running dispute over working conditions, job security and pay. Rail companies have had their losses from strike action covered by taxpayer funded indemnity which has meant there is no financial incentive for the rail operators to settle the dispute with the RMT. The decision to close ticket offices as part of a cuts programme will only save around £89m – a tiny fraction of the £1bn spent by the government to artificially keep the dispute going and prevent a settlement. Between March 2020 and September 2022 rail companies made £310 million in taxpayer-funded profits – again dwarfing any potential cost savings from closing 1,000 ticket offices and cutting over 2000 station staff posts read more
RMT suspends strike action on London Underground after progress at ACAS (21 Jul) – RMT has suspended all strike action planned for next week on London Underground after making progress in the pensions and jobs dispute. The tube union has been locked in ACAS talks with TfL, trying to find a resolution to the longstanding pensions jobs and working conditions dispute read more
ASLEF
ASLEF: new ballots for strike action (9 Aug) – ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, today [Wednesday] announced the results of new ballots for strike action on passenger services in England and on London Underground. ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, today [Wednesday] announced the results of new ballots for strike action on passenger services in England and on London Underground. Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: ‘The results of these new ballots show the determination of our members to win this dispute. That’s why I am calling on the train companies, and the government that stands behind them, to do the right thing and return to the negotiating table with a new offer and prevent more disruption to passengers and businesses in Britain.’ Members at four passenger companies were balloted, as per the Tories’ anti-union laws, to keep our mandates at these train companies alive read more
Solidarity to the RMT and TSSA at this critical time (1 Aug) – Mick Whelan’s Column – August 2023: The idea that ticket machines offer a comparable service is a downright lie. Colleagues, first I want to condemn the actions of this government through its puppets, the RDG, in the wholesale closure of booking offices in the Westminster-run train operating companies. We are used to their bad faith, and outright lies, after our recent experiences, but they continue with impunity. Videos declaring that there will be no job losses and more front-facing staff are shown to be untrue in each and every separate proposal put to our sister unions in each and every on of these weasel operators read more
ASLEF suspends strike action on London Underground (21 Jul) – A London Underground train is moving into a platform and is blurred. There are some people (also blurred) standing on the platform. After a week of negotiations at ACAS the ASLEF Executive Committee have today agreed to suspend the planned industrial action which had been scheduled on London Underground for Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th July read more
TSSA
TSSA – Letter to TOCs regarding failure to implement dispute resolution agreement (8 Aug) – TSSA has today written to Train Operating Companies warning them that if they fail to honour the deal made with TSSA members in February this year, then we will be back in dispute read more
TSSA urges public smash half million mark in ticket office consultation (3 Aug) – Rail union TSSA is calling on the public to smash the half million mark in the consultation on the proposals to close almost every ticket office in England after it was revealed that record breaking numbers have already taken part. On July 26th when the consultation was originally due to close, before being extended to September 1st, Transport Focus announced that 170,000 people had responded but the organisation has now confirmed that this number has already shot through the 315,000 mark. Transport Focus has told TSSA that it is dealing with an unprecedented response, by post, email and via the online form read more
TSSA and National Pensioners Convention highlight ticket offices closure impact (1 Aug) – Rail union TSSA and the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) have joined forces today to highlight the dangerous impact that ticket office closures will have on disabled, older and vulnerable passengers read more
Unite
BREAKING NEWS!! Unite demands Berry BPI ‘intervention’ ahead of Scottish Government crisis meeting (15 Aug) – Greenock based packaging manufacturer faces closure by Christmas. Unite the union has demanded ‘immediate intervention’ by the Scottish Government over the potential loss of 68 job at the Greenock based Berry BPI factory. Ahead of a crisis meeting with Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy this afternoon (15 August at 4.45pm), Unite said that ‘no stone will be left unturned’ in a bid to save the jobs. The workforce manufactures a range of products for the construction, industrial packaging and healthcare sectors read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Gatwick strikes latest: One strike off but Red Handling ground handler walk out set to go ahead (15 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has postponed one of two strikes due to begin later this week at Gatwick Airport. Following a greatly improved offer, strike action this weekend by workers employed by Wilson James, which operates the passenger assistance programme at the airport, has been suspended to allow members to vote on the new offer. However, the strike action involving workers employed by ground handling company Red Handling, remains live. Further talks were held at the weekend and a further offer was made but it is thought that it is not likely to meet member expectations. The result of the ballot will be known on Thursday 17 August shortly before the strike is due to begin at 00:01 on Friday 18 August, with the walk out ending at 23:59 on Monday 21 August read more
Birmingham Airport strikes off as workers secure improved offer (14 Aug) – An all-out strike by plane refuelers employed by Menzies Aviation at Birmingham Airport has been called off at the eleventh hour following an improved pay offer. The workers were due to begin strike action tomorrow (Tuesday 15 August), which would have created considerable disruption and delays across the airport. However, as workers began to prepare to walk out, Menzies made a revised offer. The new offer is as follows: a nine per cent pay increase, a one-off payment of £750, making temporary staff permanent, and upgrading communications technology. The members were balloted on the offer and it was accepted. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members were able to secure an improved offer by standing firm, together…” read more
Birmingham airport, Shell and airlines pressure Menzies to avert holiday strike chaos (9 Aug) – Birmingham airport, oil company Shell and airlines are pressuring Menzies to prevent holiday strike chaos at the airport, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). All out indefinite strike action over pay by Menzies refuelling tanker drivers and operators, responsible for refuelling three quarters of the airport’s planes, will begin on Tuesday 15 August read more
Majority of Birmingham airport planes to be grounded in August as refuellers strike (1 Aug)
Tesco facing dirty Didcot depot as Atalian Servest caterers and cleaners strike over pay (14 Aug) – Workers based at Tesco’s depot in Didcot have been warned to be braced for a dirty depot and canteen closures as workers employed by Atalian Servest have announced strike action over pay. The dispute involves cleaning and catering staff employed on an outsourced contract and is a result of Atalian Servest refusing to even negotiate over a pay increase. The cleaners are on pay rates of as little as £11 an hour, which includes weekend and bank holiday work at no additional rate, they operate in the main Tesco warehouse which is only heated to one degree. Meanwhile the catering staff are paid the minimum wage of £10.42 an hour. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Atlalian Servest can fully afford to give our members a decent pay rise, its failure to do so is a cynical attempt to further boost its profits at the expense of its workers. Unite is entirely focussed on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workers at Atalian Servest in Didcot will be receiving Unite’s complete support.” The workers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have announced two initial 24 hour strikes beginning on Friday 1 September and Thursday 7 September, followed by a three day strike beginning on Friday 15 September and a further three day strike beginning on Thursday 21 September. Atalian Servest is very financially healthy; its latest accounts for 2021 reveal that it made gross profits of £84 million read more
Greggs, Costa, Subway and Pret, facing packaging crisis as Darlington Cepac print workers announce four weeks of strikes (14 Aug) – Customers of some of the UK’s largest food and drink outlets have been warned that packaging shortages are likely after workers at Cepac in Darlington began four weeks of strikes over pay and conditions. Over 90 workers at the Darlington company will begin 4 weeks of strike action beginning at 06:00 on Monday 14 August and ending at 05:59 on Monday 11 September. Cepac produces corrugated packaging. Its clients include: HBCP (whose customers include Greggs, Costa, Subway and Pret) along with C&D Foods Group (whose customers include Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda). Other Cepac customers include Mars, Carlsberg, Innocent Drinks, Pernod, Lidl, Sainsbury and Diageo. Given the just in time nature of the food, drink and retail sectors, supplies the packaging companies require will swiftly run out read more
Unite ballots 500 Scottish Water frontline workers over pay and grading dispute (14 Aug) – Public health risk if dispute escalates to strike action. Unite the union has today (14 August) accused Scottish Water bosses of attempting to impose a new grading structure and pay offer outside the agreed collective bargaining processes. Around 500 frontline Scottish Water workers will now participate in a consultative ballot over the potential for strike action. This includes waste water operatives, water treatment and burst repair operatives, maintenance engineers, electricians and sewage tanker drivers. The trade union claims that due to the key roles its membership undertake on the frontline in sewers, water treatment centres and on pipework, then any future strike action would directly impair Scottish Water’s ability to respond to water leakages, flooding, pollution and quality concerns. The ballot opens on 18 August and closes on 31 August read more
Workington residents tell local politicians to back energy renationalisation (11 Aug) – Unaffordable energy costs spark a grass roots movement. Households in Salterbeck have raised signs demanding “Take the Power Back” in their gardens showing support for renationalising our energy system. Local residents gathered in Garnet Crescent for a protest on Thursday evening calling on local politicians to support public ownership of energy. Unite for a Workers’ Economy spoke to 148 households and support for renationalisation was unanimous read more
Baggage bedlam looms large at Heathrow (11 Aug) – Workers at Vanderlande Industries who manage baggage carousels, balloted for industrial action over poor pay offer. Unite, the UK’s leading trade union, has announced today (Friday 11 August) that its members at Vanderlande Industries are to be balloted to strike over pay, potentially bringing travel disruption to Heathrow Airport this summer. Around 170 workers conduct high-end maintenance and servicing of baggage carousels ensuring passengers’ luggage is delivered into the terminal buildings safely. If Unite members take industrial action it will bring all terminals and airline baggage handling to a standstill. The ballot opens today for three weeks until 1 September. Vanderlande Industries has made two below-inflation pay offers of just five per cent and 2.5 per cent that have been roundly rejected by Unite members. Vanderlande is pleading poverty and yet its last accounts at Companies House show profits of £3.7 million. Its parent company has increased revenue by 32 per cent to €2.4 billion read more
Travel chaos predicted as 1,500 Manchester bus drivers strike over pay and conditions (11 Aug) – Drivers from both First Manchester and Stagecoach Manchester are to strike for nine days over August and September over ‘derisory’ pay offers Unite, the UK’s leading trade union, announced today (Friday 11 August). Industrial action by around 1,500 drivers is predicted to bring chaos to the city as it coincides with a Manchester United home game at Old Trafford, a concert by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Whythenshawe Park, Pride weekend and the return of schools. Strikes will be taking place on the following dates:-
- August Bank Holiday Weekend: 25, 26, 27, 28 August 2023
- September: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 September 2023
Stagecoach drivers are taking action over a failure to backdate a pay offer. While an improved offer of around 14.3 per cent was made – taking the hourly rate to £16 an hour – the deal would have been implemented from September rather than June, the agreed anniversary date for pay rises. Instead, a £750 one-off payment in lieu of full back pay was offered. Stagecoach’s latest financial report showed its adjusted profit before tax increased 98 per cent to £36.4 million in the six months to 29 October 2022. For the 2021/2022 financial year, Stagecoach reported revenues of almost £1.2 billion with adjusted profits of £72.7 million. Industrial action is already underway by Stagecoach drivers beginning today and lasting four days read more
Survey of striking First Manchester drivers reveals assaults and food bank usage (4 Aug)
Stagecoach strike action going ahead as workers reject latest pay offer (9 Aug) – Offer from company making profits of £73m deprived workers of back pay. Strikes by more than 1,000 Stagecoach Manchester drivers will go ahead on Friday (11 August) after workers yesterday rejected a renewed pay offer that deprived them of back pay. While an improved offer of around 14.3 per cent was made – taking the hourly rate to £16 an hour – the deal would have been implemented from September rather than June, the agreed anniversary date for pay rises. Instead, a £750 one-off payment in lieu of full back pay was offered. Stagecoach’s latest financial report showed its adjusted profit before tax increased 98 per cent to £36.4 million in the six months to 29 October 2022. For the 2021/2022 financial year, Stagecoach reported revenues of almost £1.2 billion with adjusted profits of £72.7 million… Strike action will take place on 11, 12, 13 and 14 August. Bus services across the whole of Manchester will be severely affected. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved…Picket lines will take place at Stagecoach’s Ashton, Stockport, Hyde Road and Sharston depots from 5am each morning read more
Manchester bus chaos as 1,000 Stagecoach drivers strike over pay (28 July)
Solent braced for bank holiday weekend bus strikes as First South workers walk out (11 Aug) – The Solent area has been warned to expect significant disruption over the August bank holiday weekend as bus workers employed by First South take strike action over pay. The dispute is a result of the company refusing to make a reasonable cost of living payment to its workers, who are struggling to make ends meet on low wages. Drivers are paid just £12 an hour, while the lowest earners at the company receive just £11.03 an hour. The company has refused to negotiate on the issue. The four days of strike action which will involve 185 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will begin at 03:00 on Friday 25 August and end at 03:00 on Tuesday 29 August… Strike action will affect bus routes across the entire Solent area including Portsmouth, Southampton as well as Cosham, Fareham, Gosport and Paulsgrove. The strike will also coincide with the Victorious music festival in Southsea read more
A.G. Barr workers strike to hit Irn-Bru supplies (10 Aug) – Soft drinks company offering real terms pay cut despite £52.9m chilling in the bank. Unite the union confirmed today (10 August) strike action will go ahead tomorrow at A.G. Barr’s production and distribution centre in Cumbernauld. Unite represents trucker and shunter drivers who are essential to the supply of the company’s world-renowned products including Irn-Bru – one of the nation’s most popular soft drinks. There will be pickets outside the main entrance to the Cumbernauld centre at 5.30 am until 8am, and thereafter at 1pm until 3pm. The 24-hour stoppage is the first of nine with the final stoppage ending on 6 October. A continuous ban on overtime also came into effect this week read more
West London facing bus standstill as workers ballot for strikes over pay (10 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is warning that bus services in much of West and North West London are set to grind to a halt this autumn as workers are balloted for industrial action, due to a dispute over pay. The dispute involves workers employed by French owed company RATP. This includes bus drivers at the Westbourne Park garage as well as engineers at the company’s 10 London garages, plus controllers and supervisors. In total, the union will ballot around 500 workers. The ballot will open on Monday 14 August and closes on Monday 11 September, if the workers vote for industrial action, then strikes could begin before the end of next month read more
Glasgow Film Theatre and Unite Hospitality Agree Landmark Recognition (10 Aug) – Scotland’s leading independent cinema has announced a landmark union recognition with Unite in a first for the country’s cinema sector. Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) is one of the country’s most cherished and culturally important institutions. It has now become the first cinema in Scotland to sign a voluntary recognition agreement with Unite Hospitality, who will now represent hospitality staff. The recognition agreement, which covers staff working in GFT’s front of house and cleaning teams, will formalise collective bargaining and negotiation on their pay and relevant workplace policies read more
St Mungo’s should hang its head in shame (9 Aug) – Homelessness workers on strike for decent pay while CEO pay rises to £189,000. A solidarity rally will take place on 10 August outside St Mungo’s London headquarters from midday on St Thomas More Square E1W. Unite is calling on St Mungo’s to focus on solving the strike rather than wasting money on strike breaking – it won’t work. As of 10 August, hostile employers will be stopped from recruiting agency staff to undermine legal strike action. Up to now, St Mungo’s has been using a number of agencies to try to break the strike. Now management is tying itself in knots, wasting money in a desperate attempt to transfer agency workers on to short term contracts. Instead of solving the dispute St Mungo’s is allowing the ongoing strike action to cause major disruption. The charity’s actions are creating an expensive and administrative nightmare. Meanwhile Unite has recruited 350 new members since the start of the dispute. Workers are not believing the misinformation being peddled by the employer read more strike fund More info on Unite Housing Workers website
Further strikes announced at Gatwick airport in pay dispute (9 Aug) – Fresh strikes are set to affect Gatwick airport later this month, as workers take eight days of industrial action, including the August Bank Holiday weekend, in pay disputes. The strikes will involve over 230 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed at Red Handling, a ground handling company and Wilson James, which operates the passenger assistance contract at the airport. Both companies have failed to make offers that meet the workers’ expectations…Red Handling workers are scheduled to begin their first tranche of strike action at 00:01 on Friday 18 August with strikes concluding at 23:59 on Monday 21 August. The second strike will begin on 00:01 on Friday 25 August, ending at 23:59 on Monday 28 August. The strikes at Wilson James will begin at 00:01 on Friday 18 August ending at 23:59 on Sunday 20 August and then from 00:01 on Tuesday 22 August ending on Thursday 24 August at 23:59 read more
Gatwick strikes off this weekend but further strikes looming (2 Aug) – There will be no strike action at Gatwick Airport this weekend as workers employed by GGS, on the British Airways contract, have voted to accept an improved pay offer. As a result, the strike action that was due to begin on Friday 4 August, ending on Tuesday 8 August, will not go ahead. Following the announcement of strike action, further negotiations were held with GGS and an improved offer worth 10.3 per cent was agreed. In addition, the workforce will receive a significant market rate adjustment in their shift pay, further increasing the value of the offer. Unite, the UK’s leading union, balloted its members on the improved offer and it was accepted by the workers. The planned strike action by ground handlers at DHL Ground Handling, ASC and Menzies had already been called off following dramatically improved pay offers…Despite this weekend’s strike action being called off, further industrial action is looming at the airport. Unite members at three companies including; Red Handling, who undertake ground handling for Norwegian, Norse Atlantic Airlines, and Delta, Wilson James who execute Gatwick’s contract for providing assistance to passengers, and DHL Gatwick Direct, have all voted for industrial action in disputes over pay. If strikes do go ahead, then it will cause substantial disruption and delays at the airport read more
Refuse workers to hold demonstration as Cumberland council seeks to prolong strikes (8 Aug) – Refuse workers in the Workington area of Cumbria will hold a demonstration this week on 10th August, after discovering that Cumberland council has made moves to further to prolong the industrial action, rather than resolving the long running dispute concerning low pay. The workers have been on all-out strike since 16 May in the dispute over low pay. They are employed by Allerdale Waste Services (AWS) which is a company 100 per cent owned by Cumberland Council. The demonstration coincides with the date when employers can no longer legally use agency workers to undermine lawful strike action. However, rather than resolve the dispute, AWS, in conjunction with Cumberland council, is seeking to circumvent the new rules by moving workers from agency working to being directly employed on short term contracts read more
Unite ballots over 200 craft workers in dispute with West Lothian Council (7 Aug) – Trade union demands overdue remuneration or face strike action. Unite the union confirmed today (7 August) over 200 craft members employed by West Lothian Council are being balloted on strike action in a dispute over money-owed under the terms of a collective agreement covering the workforce. The dispute centres on the failure by West Lothian Council to remunerate craft workers carrying out additional tasks under the terms of Craft Agreement 2007. The craft workforce includes joiners, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, bricklayers, skilled labourers, blacksmiths, and heating engineers. The ballot for industrial action opens today (7 August) and ends on 29 August read more
Petrofac offshore contractors vote to strike (7 Aug) – Pay and working rotas at core of latest dispute. Unite the union confirmed today (7 August) that offshore workers employed by Petrofac Facilities Management Limited have voted for strike action in disputes over jobs, pay and conditions. Around 80 Unite members contracted to work on Ithaca Energy’s FPF1 platform, Captain WPP, Captain floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, Alba FSU and Alba North installations emphatically backed strike action (see notes to editor). Unite can confirm that 24-hour strike action by around 50 Unite members fighting to secure a higher pay offer from Petrofac will take place on 21, 23 and 28 August on the Ithaca FPF1 installation. A continuous overtime ban will also come into effect on 21 August. The trade union will announce days of industrial action involving around 30 members on the Ithaca Captain and Alba installations later this week. This dispute centres on Ithaca Energy’s fourteen days ‘clawback’ policy. This policy is significantly above the industry norm of seven days, and it is the financial equivalent to £6,000 lost income per person read more
Construction workers secure major bonus pay victory at Stanlow oil refinery (7 Aug) – Construction workers employed at the Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire have secured a major increase in bonus payments following industrial action. The deal covers over 450 construction workers operating under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI), who work for several different contractors at the site. Strike action was due to begin on Tuesday 18 July, but was swiftly called off after employers agreed to fresh talks on the bonus rate. Following these negotiations, the hourly bonus rate was increased from 80 pence an hour to the maximum £2.37 an hour, an increase in bonus payments of just under 300 per cent read more
Council workers in Scotland vote for strike action in pay dispute (7 Aug) – Unite confirms education and early years services in 10 councils set to face targeted action. Unite the union can confirm today (7 August) that its council membership in education and early years services across 10 councils have voted for industrial action. Thousands of key council workers are now set to take targeted industrial action when schools resume after the summer break. This includes janitors, cleaners, caterers, classroom assistants and administrative staff. The 10 councils set to be impacted by industrial action are as follows: Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar , Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Fife, Glasgow City, Inverclyde and Orkney read more
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk’s largest social housing provider hit by pay strikes (4 Aug) – Freebridge Community Housing paying poverty wages despite £3.6m surplus. Nearly 60 Freebridge Community Housing workers will strike over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Many of the workers, who perform a variety of roles, including in cleaning and maintenance, are paid little more than the national minimum wage and many are struggling to pay their bills. They are angry that Freebridge has offered them a five per cent increase and a £500 non-consolidated payment, despite the association’s robust financial health. This is a significant, real terms pay cut when the real rate of inflation, RPI, stands at 10.7 per cent. Freebridge had a total turnover of £32 million and a surplus of £3.57 million in 2022 and increased its rents by seven per cent this year…The workers will strike on 21, 29, 30 and 31 August and on 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 September. The strike action will severely impact Freebridge’s cleaning and maintenance services and will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Strike action looms at Royal College of General Practitioners (4 Aug) – Non-medical staff begin voting for industrial action over pay. More than 100 workers responsible for the day-to-day running of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) are being balloted for industrial action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The workers have rejected a seven per cent offer, which has not increased except for an additional £400 one off payment, despite several rounds of negotiations, including at the conciliation service Acas. This is despite the RCGP finishing the financial year £1.4 million ahead of budget. The workers are angry at not being compensated for covering staffing shortages and implementing efficiency savings. The seven per cent pay offer is a real terms pay cut, when the real rate of inflation, RPI, currently stands at 10.7 per cent. This is the second sizeable real terms pay cut in a row that the workers have been asked to accept. In 2022, the pay rise was 3.5 per cent when inflation was 11.1 per cent…The ballot for strike action will close on 29 August read more
British Airways workers secure major pay increase (4 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a significant pay increase for around 24,000 staff employed by British Airways. The workforce (excluding pilots and management) will receive a pay increase worth 13.1 per cent over an 18-month period, as well as a £1,000 one off payment. Unite has also built into the deal the potential for pay to increase further during this period if inflation remains high. In addition to the pay increase, Unite has secured agreement that no member of staff will have the pay increase applied at a lower rate of pay then they were receiving in 2020. This agreement reverses BA’s highly controversial decision at the height of the Covid pandemic to fire and rehire its entire workforce, with many workers suffering substantial pay cuts. Put simply, this both restores and increases pay read more
Luton Airport passengers facing “toilet hell” as cleaners strike over pay (3 Aug) – Cleaners working at Luton Airport will take strike action this month over low pay. The 30 plus workers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed by Sasse Ltd on an outsourced contract. The workers, who are currently paid just £10.90 an hour, have rejected a pay increase of five per cent for day workers and seven per cent for night workers. With the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 10.7 per cent this amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut. The workers have announced two initial 24-hour strikes beginning at 06:30 on Friday 11 August, with the second strike taking place form the same time on Wednesday 30 August read more
Real terms pay cut provokes strike action at Luton Airport (19 Jul) – The strike will mean disruption when accessing the airport and the terminal. A real terms pay cut has prompted workers at Luton Airport to announce two days of strike action on Friday 28 July and Tuesday 1 August 2023. The workers who are employed by APCOA Parking UK are calling on the company to enter into pay negotiations rather than imposing a below inflation 6 per cent pay deal which amounts to a real terms pay cut. The strike will inevitably mean delays for passengers and staff who use the car parks and terminal at Luton Airport. The workers taking action include valet parking workers and bus drivers transporting passengers and staff from car parks to the airport terminal. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Workers at Luton Airport won’t accept a pay cut dressed up as a pay rise. At a time when prices are going through the roof APCOA need to negotiate with Unite rather than imposing a real terms pay cut. The workers have Unite’s solid support.” Workers will take strike action between 06:30am on Friday 28 July until Saturday 29 July at 06:29am. And again at 06:30am hours on Tuesday 1 August until Wednesday 2 August at 06:29am read more
Norwich hospital and health centres across Norfolk facing significant disruption as Norse maintenance workers strike over pay (3 Aug) – Hospitals and health centres across Norwich and Norfolk are facing significant disruption impacting on patients, as workers employed by Norse Commercial Services prepare to take strike action in a dispute over pay. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, undertake critical maintenance duties for all Norfolk Community and Health Care Trusts’ hospitals and health centres. The workers have rejected a four per cent pay increase which is a substantial real terms pay cut with the current true inflation rate (RPI) standing at 10.7 per cent. Industrial relations have further deteriorated as Norse has imposed the four per cent increase and blamed the hospital trust for not being prepared to increase payments on the contract. The workers will take strike action from 08:00 Thursday 17 August until 07:59 on Tuesday 22 August. During this time the hospital trust will have no maintenance support, including emergency callouts. Further strikes are likely unless the dispute is swiftly resolved read more
Retained firefighters in Tipperary and Waterford to commence two days of strike action tomorrow (2 Aug) – Unite leader Susan Fitzgerald will pay solidarity visit to Carrick-on-Suir picket line. Union warns LGMA that they don’t get to choose the trade union which represents their workforce. Unite the union members working as retained firefighters in Counties Tipperary and Waterford are set to take a further two days strike action starting tomorrow [Thursday 3rd August] and continuing on Friday [4th August]. The two day strike represents an escalation of an industrial dispute which has arisen due to the continued refusal of the Local Government Management Association (LGMA), which represents the local authorities, to engage with Unite over workforce concerns. Retained firefighters, who form the backbone of Ireland’s firefighting service, have seen retainers and call-out fees frozen for years while the location requirements make it difficult or impossible for workers to supplement their low earnings with other employment. Retained firefighters are also seeking structured and predictable ‘off-call’ times, rather than – as is currently the reality – operating on a 24/7 basis. Ahead of the strike action Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham expressed her support for the striking firefighters: “Retained firefighters perform a vital role for the whole community and face considerable risks in the performance of their duties. These are frontline and essential workers but they have been taken for granted for too long…” read more
South Gloucestershire bin strikes off after Unite secures over 10% rise (2 Aug) – Bin strikes by around 150 South Gloucestershire workers have ended after Unite, the UK’s leading union, secured an improved pay offer. The workers, who are employed by Suez, voted in favour of the new offer and will receive a 10.1 per cent pay rise. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Suez workers in South Gloucestershire stood firm in their union and secured a significantly improved offer. This is a well-deserved result for them and more evidence that Unite’s focus on enhancing jobs, pay and conditions is winning for our members.” In recent weeks, Unite members carrying out refuse services at Bristol Waste and Suez in Somerset have also won pay rises following disputes read more
Glasgow Parking wardens and Emirates Arena workers strike over poor pay (2 Aug) – Disruption set to impact Cycling World Championships and traffic enforcement across Scotland’s largest city. Around 70 Unite members employed by Glasgow Life at the Emirates Arena and City Parking are set to take strike action tomorrow (Thursday 3 August). Unite members will walk out across both organisations at 7.30am to begin 48-hour strike action over the current local government pay offer. There will be pickets held outside the Emirates Arena and Cadogan Square Car Park to coincide with the strike action. A rally involving both groups of workers is also being held at midday at the Donald Dewar statue on Buchanan Street read more
Kings Lynn Cooper Roller Bearings workers to strike over pay (2 Aug) – Profitable company offering strings attached deal that amounts to ‘pay cut’. More than 100 workers employed by Cooper Roller Bearings in Kings Lynn are to strike over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday 2 August). The workers have rejected a 5.5 per cent pay offer. With the true rate of inflation, RPI, standing at 10.7 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut. The offer also comes with a ‘strings attached’ performance related bonus of up to six per cent. Cooper Roller Bearings made a profit before tax of more than £7 million in the year ending 31 December 2022…The workers will strike for one day on 21 August. After that a continuous overtime ban will commence, with strike days doubling every week until the dispute is resolved read more
Irish Water: Lack of engagement by employer representatives’ forces dispute escalation (1 Aug) – Unite the union seeks engagement with LGMA over shortcomings in proposed Framework. Pickets set for eight local authorities from 00.01 Wednesday [2nd August] to 23.59 Friday [4th August]. Unite members working in water delivery services for eight local authorities around the country will escalate their industrial action this week with a further three days of stoppages. Water workers will take strike action at Carlow County Council, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Fingal County Council, Kerry County Council, South Dublin County Council, Tipperary County Council and Waterford County Council. The action is due to the continued refusal of local authorities and its representative body, the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) to meaningfully engage with the union over its members’ concerns regarding shortcomings to the ‘Framework for the Future Delivery of Water Services’ document put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission last year. The Framework document was rejected overwhelmingly by Unite members employed in water services delivery as essential workers, as it failed to address their concerns read more
Coventry bin strikes ‘inevitable’ after talks collapse (31 Jul) – Council confirms attack on workers’ terms and conditions. Coventry council has threatened its refuse workers with significant cuts to their terms and conditions and is refusing to negotiate in any meaningful way, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The threats were issued to Unite during talks with the council this afternoon, which subsequently collapsed. More than 40 HGV refuse lorry drivers employed by Labour-controlled Coventry council voted for strike action in response to plans to end industry standard ‘task and finish’ provisions. The attacks are part of the council’s attempts to fight equal pay claims by GMB members. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Coventry council’s race to the bottom agenda for its workers has been laid bare. The Council agenda is not about genuine equality, it is instead about equalising the misery. It is prepared to severely attack terms and conditions so it can keep down pay and conditions for staff who are on even worse contracts. This kind of levelling down and anti-worker behaviour is completely unacceptable, especially for a so-called Labour council. Unless the council climbs down from these atrocious plans, strike action is inevitable.” During the first half of 2022, Coventry’s HGV refuse lorry drivers went on strike for six months to secure a reasonable pay rise. The council unsuccessfully spent £9.4 million trying to break the strike – an amount that dwarfed the costs of actually settling the pay claim – and was heavily criticised by Unite. Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “Unite went into talks today with an open mind and was prepared to negotiate. Unfortunately, rather than talk, the council issued ultimatums and threats and refused to negotiate in any meaningful way. It is clearly intent on disregarding Labour principles and forcing wages and T&Cs downwards for both the refuse workers and its other staff. Negotiations have collapsed and Unite will be announcing strike action in due course” read more
Unite warns of strike action unless DuPont increases pay offer (31 Jul) – Around 100 members at Dumfries based plant currently operating overtime ban. Unite the union warned today (31 July) that it would have ‘no option’ but to escalate industrial action at the Dumfries based DuPont plant in response to the company imposing a wage offer in April. DuPont Teijin Films (DTF) is a major supplier of food packaging to all major UK supermarkets, as well as institutional catering for hospitals, schools and home-meals for the elderly. The company makes polymer film for use in industrial packaging, as well as healthcare, alternative energy, durable media, electronics, electrical insulation and capacitors. In June, Unite’s membership voted in support of taking strike action, and since July the workforce has operated an overtime ban in order to fight for a better pay offer with the broader rate of inflation (RPI) currently standing at 10.7 per cent. The strike ballot followed Unite accusing the company of by-passing the agreed collective bargaining procedures, and the workforce’s trade union representatives, to impose the wage offer read more
Selby bin strike intensifies as North Yorkshire council ‘missing in action’ (31 Jul) – Urbaser refuse workers will begin week-long strikes on black bin days from August. Pay strikes by outsourced refuse workers in Selby, employed by waste company Urbaser on behalf of the North Yorkshire unitary authority, are to intensify from this week. The dispute is a result of the workers rejecting an eight per cent pay offer plus a bonus because they are on some of the lowest rates in the country for their roles. Bin loaders and grounds workers are paid just £10.64 an hour and refuse lorry drivers, who require an HGV license, are paid just £12.51 an hour. The offer is a real terms pay cut as the real rate of inflation, RPI, stands at 10.7 per cent. Strikes will intensify from individual days to four day strikes, impacting weeks when non-recyclable household waste is collected…The workers will strike from 1 August to 4 August, 15 August to 18 August, 29 August to 1 September, 12 September to 15 September and 26 September to 29 September. Strike action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved. In an attempt to undermine the strike and the union, Ubraser has implemented the rejected pay deal for workers not taking industrial action. It is also disregarding a collective grievance Unite members have submitted regarding this by holding one-to-one meetings with striking workers rather than honouring the agreed collective bargaining process read more
300 Warwickshire Stagecoach drivers balloted for strike action over pay (28 Jul) – Stagecoach bringing in huge profits but offers workers inadequate pay deal. Around 300 Warwickshire Stagecoach drivers are being balloted for industrial action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced today (Friday). The drivers have responsibility for manoeuvring large vehicles all day through heavy traffic, caring for the safety of thousands of passengers and have delivered significant improvements to services over the last year. They have rejected an offer of just 6.4 per cent. With the current rate of inflation, RPI, standing at 10.7 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut. Stagecoach’s latest financial report showed its adjusted profit before tax increased 98 per cent to £36.4 million in the six months to 29 October 2022. For the 2021/2022 financial year, Stagecoach reported revenues of almost £1.2 billion with adjusted profits of £72.7 million…The ballot for strike action opens today and closes on 10 August. Strike action would severely impact bus services across the whole of Warwickshire read more
Council workers across England and Wales vote yes to pay strikes – with more to come (28 Jul) – Coordinated industrial action across nations inevitable as rising prices and a decade of falling wages bite. Nearly 3,000 workers at 16 councils across England and Wales have voted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Further ballots are also to set to close in the coming weeks, with even more council workers voting for strike action over a pay offer of just £1,925 – equating to an increase of between 4 per cent and 9 per cent depending on individual grades. In reality, this is a real terms pay cut for all workers. Council workers have seen their wages decline by over a quarter in real terms since 2010 due to wage freezes and below inflation pay increases. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Over the last decade, local government workers have seen their pay plummet in real terms. Rising prices have pushed many to the brink – they need a proper pay rise now. Unite will never stop fighting to defend and improve workers’ jobs, pay and conditions and our local government members have their union’s unwavering support.” Unite has balloted thousands of local authority members, with workers providing council services in Bath and North East Somerset, Cardiff, Chesterfield, Cornwall, Coventry, Cumberland, Cynon Valley, Darlington, Derby and North Tyneside, Gwynedd, Ispwich, Plymouth, Sefton, Warrington, Wigan and Wrexham the first to vote for strike action. Next week, senior Unite reps from councils across England and Wales will meet to decide a plan of action regarding the strike votes read more
Choppy waters as Scotland’s lighthouse workers resume second wave of strike action (27 Jul) – Sea vessels anchored in long-running pay dispute. Unite the union confirmed that its Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) members will resume 24-hour strike action in a long-running dispute over pay. Around 40 Unite members including able seamen, base assistants, cooks and technicians will take 24-hour strike action beginning at noon on Thursday (27 July). The action ends the following day at noon. The latest strike action follows a previous 24-hour stoppage over 26 to 27 June. The workers maintain and operate Scotland’s lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea ensuring that vessels and ships have safe passage through Scottish waters read more
East London NHS Foundation Trust workers vote for pay and safe staffing strikes (26 Jul) – Unite members across the NHS continue to fight for health service’s future. Nearly 400 East London NHS Foundation Trust workers have voted to strike over pay and safe staffing levels, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The workers, from a wide number of professions and roles and based across numerous East London NHS Foundation Trust sites, will join 800 of their colleagues at Guys and St Thomas’ in industrial action to save the health service. Over 1,000 workers employed at Barts Health NHS Trust are also currently being balloted for industrial action, with the result due on 22 August. All of the workers are suffering the effects of the worst staffing crisis in NHS history. Overstretched and underpaid, they are calling on the government to address the chronic shortages blighting their hospitals read more
Hull and East Riding Citizens Advice workers to strike for first time (25 Jul) – Workers angry with wealthy charity for refusing to implement national pay deal despite years of doing so. Over 60 Hull and East Riding Citizens Advice workers are to strike for the first time, Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced today (Tuesday). The workers voted for strike action after the charity refused to increase pay in line with National Joint Council (NJC) scales operated by local authorities, as has been the norm for the last 20 years. The NJC has recommended a consolidated payment of £1,925 for all grades for 2022. Citizens Advice in Hull and East Riding can afford to implement the payment and had cash reserves of £1,076,156 as of 31 March 2022. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For two decades, Citizens Advice’s workers in Hull and East Riding have dutifully accepted the NJC’s pay recommendation, despite it resulting in years of real terms pay cuts. But now, the charity is reneging on that agreement because they say the offer is too high. This is totally unacceptable and duplicitous behaviour by an organisation that can afford to pay. Our members, who are struggling with rising costs and are being treated appallingly by their employer, are right to strike. Our members’ jobs, pay and conditions are this union’s top priority and Citizens Advice’s workforce will receive Unite’s total support.” Over the last 10 years, NJC pay awards have resulted in real terms pay cuts of 27 per cent for Citizens Advice advisors and have reduced the pay for admin staff from £5,000 above national minimum wage in 2014 to just 40p above the minimum wage today. The workers will strike on 31 July followed by one day strikes on 7 August, 9 August and 11 August. If the dispute is not resolved more strike action will be scheduled. Citizens Advice Hull and East Riding services will not be available during the strikes read more
Darlington Cepac print strikes escalate in pay dispute (21 Jul) – Food and drink packaging shortages as workers strike for two weeks. UK food and drink producers are facing packaging shortages as workers at Darlington print firm Cepac escalate pay strikes, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Intensifying the dispute, over 90 workers will now hold two weeks of all out strikes rather than spread the industrial action across separate days across July, August and September. Further strikes will be announced in the coming days if an improved offer is not put forward. The industrial action is a result of the company only being prepared to offer an eight per cent “strings attached” pay increase. The offer is a real terms pay cut with the true rate of inflation (RPI) currently standing at 10.7 per cent. Cepac has said that the eight per cent increase is dependent on the working week increasing from 37 hours to 40 hours, an inferior sick pay scheme, changes to shift patterns and reduced overtime rates. Cepac is a profitable company and can afford to improve its offer. The firm’s latest accounts for 2021 lodged at Companies House shows the company made a gross profit of £34 million. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Cepac needs to table a fair pay offer and drop its attempt to cut terms and conditions. This is a profitable company that can well afford to give these workers a reasonable pay rise. Unite is entirely focused on protecting and improving our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and Cepac’s workforce have the full backing of their union.” The workers will strike for two weeks beginning at 0600 hrs on Monday 31 July and ending at 0559 hrs on Monday 14 August read more
Further two days of strike action confirmed as dispute at Vista Therm escalates following union-busting response of management (19 Jul) – Elected workplace rep suspended and union members at the factory have been threatened with disciplinary and legal action. Union challenges Managing Director Philip Corrigan to intervene to avoid further escalation. Members of Unite the union employed at Vista Therm, a glass manufacturer based at Silverwood in Craigavon, have been subject to extreme union-busting tactics following last Friday’s one-day strike. The strike followed a unanimous (100%) ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike, which was taken in response to the company’s refusal to engage in pay negotiations. Management claim that they no longer recognise Unite the union despite a collective bargaining agreement existing at the workplace since 2007. On Friday, representatives of Vista Therm came out to the picket to note the names of workers and police were called out. Since returning to work, union members have been subject to an extreme campaign of union-busting – including the suspension of an elected workplace representative and numerous trade union members being threatened with disciplinary action. The workforce, which is overwhelmingly Polish speaking, report exclusively English-language warnings being issued questioning their absence from work and management adopting tactics of repeatedly shifting trade unionists around the factory. Last week, Unite lodged notice of a further two days of strike action on Thursday and Friday coming (20th/21st July). The union warned that the strike action was likely to escalate with a more extensive stoppage in the coming period. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham challenged Vista Therm management on their union-busting actions read more
Paint shortage looming as Akzo Nobel workers in Gateshead strike over pay (14 Jul) – Paint shortages are looming across the UK as workers employed by International Paints (parent company Akzo Nobel) will begin strike action later this month in a dispute over pay. The 230 plus workers are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union. They voted for strike action after rejecting a pay offer of 4.8 per cent, which is in effect a substantial real terms pay cut, with the true inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 11.3 per cent. The workers, who are based at the Stoneygate Lane factory, produce specialist paints, which are used on ships and offshore facilities, as well as producing the polymer that is used in most Akzo Nobel’s paint brands, including Dulux. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members undertake vital roles and are critical to the success of Akzo Nobel, in the teeth of the cost of living crisis there is no way they are going to accept a significant real terms pay cut. “Unite is totally focused on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workers at International Paints will receive the union’s complete support.” Strike action will begin on Thursday 27 July and will take place on every Monday and Thursday for a four week period with the last day of industrial action initially scheduled for Thursday 24 August. The workers who are taking strike action include production and distribution workers, engineering and technical support, some office and admin support and personnel in research and development read more
Pay and understaffing provokes strike ballot at Barts NHS Trust (11 Jul) – Workers transferred to the NHS from Serco demand pay justice and safe staffing. Unite accuses Barts of short changing some of the lowest paid workers in the trust. Over 1,000 NHS workers at Barts Health NHS Trust will begin voting on industrial action today (Tuesday 11 July) in a dispute over low pay and understaffing. Last year a tireless campaign by Unite activists and union reps, which included strike action, paved the way for the workers to be transferred to NHS employment. The cleaners, caterers, porters, security guards, ward hosts and domestic staff had previously been employed by Serco. But over 1000 workers who transferred onto NHS terms after 31 March 2023 are absolutely furious that Barts is refusing to pay them a £1,655 lump sum which is part of the NHS pay deal. A significant number of workers are also losing money due to the way the NHS disregarded their length of service while employed by Serco and attempts by the Trust to pay workers inferior overtime rates. The workforce are also suffering the effects of the worst staffing crisis in NHS history. Over stretched and overworked, they are calling on Barts and the UK Government to address the chronic shortages blighting their hospitals…The ballot opens today (Tuesday 11 July) and closes on Tuesday 22 August read more
Unite announces fresh NHS strikes in London and Yorkshire in pay and safe staffing dispute (7 Jul) – Unite members at Guys and St Thomas’ hospital in London and at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service will take strike action next week in the long running dispute over pay and safe staffing. The workers at Guys and St Thomas’ will hold a 24 hour strike from 07:00 on Thursday 13 July, while the union’s members at Yorkshire Ambulance Service will strike on Friday 14 July, between 15:00 and 22:00. The industrial action in both cases will coincide with the latest strike action being taken by junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association. The strikes are the latest development in the union’s long running pay dispute. Unite rejected the government’s pay offer this spring, as it failed to address the recruitment and retention crisis that has engulfed the NHS. Unite is also taking action due to increasing concerns about safe staffing in the NHS. A recent survey of Unite’s NHS workers found that in the past year 48 per cent of members had regularly witnessed staffing shortages that had compromised patient care. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The NHS’ recruitment and retention crisis is worsening by the day. Until the government addresses the chronic low pay of NHS workers, the problems currently being experienced will only become more severe. Unite’s focus on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members, means that our workers taking industrial action in the NHS will enjoy the union’s complete support.” Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “Our members are determined to take a stand and highlight how the government’s real terms pay cuts are undermining the NHS and risking patients’ lives.” Unite is currently balloting/re-balloting a substantial number of its members at NHS Trusts throughout England to expand its industrial action mandate read more
Darchem Teesside pay strikes intensify with shut downs across July and August (6 Jul) – Formula One, Rolls Royce, BAE, Hinkley Point impacted after ‘hugely profitable’ firm offers ‘pay cut’. Pay strikes by nearly 300 workers employed by engineering firm Darchem in Stillington, Stockton-on-Tees, will intensify over the summer, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). The workers have already taken seven days of strike action over pay, with a further 15 days now scheduled to take place during July and August. This week, the workers rejected in a ballot by 92 per cent an offer of six per cent backdated to February, with a further four per cent in October. The offer removed a condition that the pay anniversary date be changed from February to October, which would have resulted in a 20-month pay deal being imposed. However, the workers believe that a split pay deal is still unreasonable given the company’s huge profits. Darchem, owned by the US-based TransDigm Group, is an extremely profitable company that makes a range of products for the automotive, aerospace, energy and shipbuilding industries. The company’s latest financial returns show it had a turnover of over £108 million in 2021. During the same year, operating profits increased by 53.3 per cent to £25.3 million…The strikes, which also involve members of the GMB union, will shut down Darchem’s Stillington factory. This will impact production for Darchem’s clients, including BAE, Formula One racing companies, Hinkley Point and Rolls Royce aerospace. The fresh strikes will take place from 18 to 21 July, 25 to 28 July, 1 to 4 August, 8 to 11 August and 15 to 18 August read more
Roads Service workers strike in dispute over productivity-based pay system (4 Jul) – Workers concerned that productivity unit bonus leaves workers subject to management victimisation and undermines health and safety. Strike action commenced at roads service depots in west yesterday [Monday 3rd July] and due at depots in east from Thursday 6th July. Roads Service workers in Unite the union have recommenced strike action in their industrial campaign to end pay being subject to manager’s discretion read more
Leicester aerospace engine bolt maker Howmet hit by pay strikes (27 Jun) – Highly profitable firm offers low paid workers inadequate ‘strings attached’ pay deal. More than 50 Leicester factory workers employed by aerospace engine bolt manufacturer Howmet are to strike later this month, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). The workers, who earn as little as £11 per hour and an average of £12.50 an hour, have rejected a four per cent offer, plus purported pay incentives, that has more ‘strings attached than a grand piano’. Howmet Fastenings’ latest financial report shows it made UK profits of over £4 million for the year ending December 2021. US-based parent company Howmet Aerospace, meanwhile, reported that international revenue in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 21 per cent to $1.6 billion, with profits of $360 million. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Howmet may proclaim that it has put forward a generous pay offer but it is smoke and mirrors – the deal has more strings attached than a grand piano. Howmet’s workers are low paid and struggling with rising living costs, while the company brings in millions. Unite’s top priority is our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these striking workers will receive the union’s full support until Howmet puts forward an acceptable pay offer.” Howmet’s Leicester factory supplies parts to Rolls Royce, Pratt and Whitney. The first day of strike action will take place on Thursday 29 June, followed by a continuous overtime ban and work to rule after the strike ends. If the dispute is not resolved further strike dates will be scheduled read more
St Helens NGF glass cord engineers strike over pay (23 Jun) – NGF workers angry pay offer less than colleagues received at sister company Pilkingtons sites. St Helen’s engineering and maintenance workers employed by NGF, which produces glass cord used in rubber and plastic products, will strike over pay. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the workers are angry at being offered a 5.65 per cent pay rise plus an £800 bonus that is lower than offers received by their colleagues at nearby sites. NGF is a sister company to Pilkingtons UK, whose workers at a number of sites in the surrounding region have received pay rises 6.75 per cent plus £750 and 7.5 per cent. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members are rightly angry they are being treated as second class employees compared to their colleagues at nearby Pilkingtons. Unite is now completely focused on protecting and improving our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these workers will receive their union’s total support.” The workers will stage two 48 hours strikes on 2 July and 14 July. If the dispute is not resolved strike action will escalate. The dispute also involved members of the GMB union read more
CWU
BREAKING NEWS!! CWU wins grading boost for BT Openreach Polers (15 Aug) – Union negotiates higher rate for Gang Leads in successful role-sizing process. Some 125 Openreach engineers who lead hard-working teams of telegraph pole installers around the UK will see their base pay rates set at a minimum £33,500 thanks to the persistent and determined efforts of CWU negotiators. The agreed rate, which will be enhanced by a bonus scheme with an ‘on-target’ rate of 10 per cent, is at the company’s TMNE3 grade, which is significantly higher than the TMNE2 rate base pay of £31,911 that the business first set out when the talks began read more
Capita TVL Field workers set for substantial base pay rise (11 Aug) – Average salary increase of 9.5%, with visiting officers’ base starting pay rising 26.7% after consolidation of commission scheme. Field TV Licensing workers employed by service provider Capita have voted by a 72 per cent majority to accept a complicated but substantial pay agreement negotiated by the CWU, with monies set to be paid out in this month’s pay roll. The deal, which applies to the company’s 165-strong Field team, increases starting salaries from £23,680 to £30,000 and provides the option of a company car, while abolishing the long-standing commission scheme for the 139 visiting officers within the Field operation read more
Big ‘YES’ from 999 call handlers to CWU-brokered deal on attendance patterns (7 Aug) – Members across BT Business Voice Services have voted by nearly nine-to-one to accept a major overhaul of attendance patterns that the union believes offer significant benefits over the arrangements that are currently in place. Placed before members in an e-ballot which closed this morning (Monday), the comprehensive menu of attendances contained in the new Attendance Collective Agreement go a long way to address long-standing CWU concerns over inadequate advance visibility of attendances across Voice Services read more
CWU seeks full visibility of redeployment opportunities as more Capita redundancies are announced (4 Aug) – Hot on the heels of Capita’s welcome confirmation that enhanced redundancy entitlements apply in job loss situations involving ex-Telefonica staff, another 233 employees have been plunged into uncertainty over their future employment prospects read more
Decisive CWU intervention ensures correct redundancy entitlements and consultation for in-scope Capita members (4 Aug) – CWU representations reminding Capita of its special legal responsibilities to ex-Telefonica employees in redundancy situations have led to a reversal of the company’s position on two important points 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
PCS to launch national ballot on next stage in our campaign (12 Jul) – The NEC met today and discussed the next steps in our national campaign. The NEC received over 160 responses from branches to our consultation and based on that feedback agreed to run an online consultative ballot from 3 to 31 August. The ballot will ask members in the civil service and related areas to endorse the strategy proposed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) for the next stage in our national campaign read more
PCS rejects Department for Transport 2023/24 pay offer (14 Aug) – The DFT have today (14) published their pay offer for 2023/24. PCS has rejected it as it falls significantly short of our national demands. The pay offer made by the Department of Transport (DfT) for 2023/24 falls well below our pay claim for a minimum 10% increase to account for the cost-of-living crisis our members face and the rising rate of inflation read more
DWP Group Executive Committee Rejects Pay Award 2023/24 (8 Aug) – The award is in line with the Cabinet Office pay remit but does not meet our aspirations or address the inequalities of DWP’s pay system read more
Met Police members to vote on pay offer (3 Aug) – The offer for 2023-2024 means most members will receive at least a 10% pay rise. The Met Police group is about to start a ballot over pay. PCS has received an offer that is a 7% increase on base pay and the London Weighting, and members have also been offered a second London Allowance of £1,000 read more
National Highways members to be balloted for strike action (3 Aug) – The ballot comes after the employer refused to pay the £1,500 cost of living payment. Over 650 National Highways members at 36 workplaces across England are to be balloted on whether they are prepared to take strike action as part of our national campaign on pay, jobs and pensions; and following their employer’s refusal to pay the £1,500 cost-of-living payment read more
Court security officers balloting for strike action over poverty pay (31 Jul) – PCS members employed by private contractor OCS are being reballoted for industrial action, which could close courts across England and Wales. PCS today (31) notified OCS that security officers working in 144 courts across England and Wales will be balloted for industrial action over pay and other issues. The ballot opens on Monday, 7 August and closes at 12 noon on Thursday, 31 August 2023 read more
Strike action suspended at Welsh National Library and Museums (31 Jul) – The strike has been suspended after the employers agreed to pay the £1,500 cost-of-living payment. lmost 300 members at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru) and at Museum Wales’ (Amgueddfa Cymru) seven sites were set to strike for five days, from 7 to 11 August 2023, over their employers’ failure to pay a £1,500 cost-of-living payment. Following the agreement by the Welsh Government to make a £1,500 cost-of-living payment to all of its staff, the Director of Corporate Services wrote to Welsh arms-length bodies such as the National Library and Museum Wales to ask them to follow suit. They initially failed to commit to making the payment. But following the threat of action, Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales have agreed to pay the £1,500 read more
ISS members in BEIS London vote for industrial action (30 Jun) – PCS members employed by ISS in the former department BEIS have voted overwhelmingly in a ballot to support industrial action on a huge turnout. The PCS BEIS London South Branch has voted by 98.51% to support industrial action on a 69.07% turnout, easily surpassing the required threshold. Security guards, cleaners, receptionists, porters and post workers employed by ISS are among the staff that were balloted for action. PCS is in dispute with ISS in BEIS over pay, improvements to conditions and union recognition for PCS. PCS have also demanded a no compulsory redundancy agreement and meaningful talks around an office move that takes place in the summer. It has also raised concerns over health and safety and equality issues, calling on ISS to conduct an equal pay audit and develop an action plan with PCS to reduce gender and ethnicity pay gaps read more
Prospect
September meeting latest attempt to break Soulbury pay deadlock (9 Aug) – Prospect and other unions representing education professionals covered by the Soulbury agreement are to hold another meeting with the employers in September, as both sides attempt to break the deadlock on pay negotiations read more
Prospect members at the CAA to be balloted on industrial action (26 Jul) – Prospect members at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are to be balloted on industrial action over the employer’s refusal to provide a fair and affordable 2023/24 salary increase. This is the first time a ballot on industrial action has taken place at the CAA. CAA staff have been facing a cost-of-living crisis after more than ten years of pay degradation, with pay having fallen in real terms by 37.2% since 2011 read more
GMB
BREAKING NEWS!! Swindon social workers confirm two week strike (15 Aug) – It’s time for Swindon Borough Council to get serious, and negotiate a solution to this problem, rather than continuing to stick their heads in the sand, says GMB union. GMB, the union for public services, has announced that social workers within Swindon Borough Council will be taking two weeks of strike action, commencing Thursday 31 August read more
BREAKING NEWS!! GMB comments on ‘cordial’ ACAS meeting with Canenco (15 Aug) – A meeting took place this morning between GMB and Canenco, the Canterbury waste contractor, chaired by ACAS
GMB, the union for refuse and recycling, has described this morning’s meeting with Canenco brokered by ACAS as ‘cordial.’ The union is in dispute with the employer, with members having been on strike since Wednesday 5 July. Both the union and employer were able to put forward their position, with further talks having been tentatively suggested for early next week read more
Canterbury refuse collectors to continue strike action after GMB members reject pay rise that won’t start until next year (14 Aug) – It is clear the two sides are not that far apart, so getting the Council, Canenco and GMB in a room with ACAS and thrashing out a deal has to make sense, says GMB union. GMB, the union for refuse workers, can this morning confirm that the latest pay offer from Canenco, Labour-run Canterbury City Council’s wholly-owned refuse contractor, has been overwhelmingly rejected by striking members in a secret ballot held from the picket line outside the depot. The pay offer was released in the media by the Council and Canenco late on Thursday [10 August]. GMB members considered the offer over the weekend before being balloted this morning [Monday 14 August]. Whilst the offer will give the local market rate of £15 per hour for HGV drivers and £12 for loaders, it will not come into force until January next year. GMB has this morning communicated the ballot result to the company and made a fresh invitation to begin immediate talks at ACAS to thrash out a settlement. The strike has already been extended to at least 10 September read more
GMB warns Canenco and Canterbury City Council that use of agency staff to undermine bin strike is unlawful (10 Aug) – It’s about time more energy was put into getting around the negotiation table at Acas to resolve the dispute rather than using Tory Anti-Union Laws to try to undermine the strike, says GMB Union. GMB, the union for refuse workers, has written to Canenco, Canterbury City Council and the agency that Canenco use, to remind them of their responsibilities following the High Court’s decision to quash legislation allowing companies to use agency staff to cover the work of striking workers. The GMB understands that the regulations are quashed with effect from today [10 August 2023] and any use of agency staff to cover striking workers is unlawful criminal activity read more
Swindon social workers vote unanimously to strike (31 Jul) – A vote for strike action by every single person in the department sends a really clear message to Swindon Borough Council, says GMB, as 100 per cent of social workers in Emergency Duty Service vote Yes to strike action with 100 per cent turnout, in a department with 100 per cent GMB membership read more
Derbyshire Dales faces ‘big stinky summer’ with refuse strike on horizon (7 Aug) – Derbyshire Dales refuse workers have begun the process of balloting for strike action. The ballot comes as refuse provider Serco offered local refuse workers real terms pay cut. The ballot will close on 15 August with around 50 refuse workers taking part read more
Amazon faces biggest day of industrial disruption in its history (27 Jul) – GMB Union has today [Thursday] announced strike dates at Amazon’s Coventry and Rugeley fulfilment centres. The strike dates come on the anniversary of the first historic walkouts at Amazon in the UK, after workers were offered a pay rise of just 35p. Workers will down tools in Rugeley on 3 and 4 August, with the Coventry fulfilment centre seeing strike action on 4 and 5 August. This will bring the total days lost to strike action at Amazon this year to 26 read more
Second Amazon warehouse joins strike (17 Jul) – Amazon workers will walk out at a second warehouse after GMB union today [Monday] announced the outcome of a strike ballot at the company’s Rugeley fulfilment centre. More than 100 workers at the West Midlands site are now set to walk out after 86 per cent of those who voted backed the strike. The news comes as GMB reached 1,000 members at the Coventry fulfilment centre after twenty two days of strike action in the dispute over pay and union rights. GMB members will now plan strike dates at what will be only the second Amazon site in the UK where workers have taken industrial action read more
Tea bag shortage looms as Tetley workers vote on strike action (27 Jul) – Britain’s favourite tea could be in short supply after almost 150 Tetley workers begun a ballot for strike action in a dispute over pay. A majority of 88 per cent of GMB Union members at Tata Consumer Products Limited, in Teesside, turned down a pay deal from the company. The predominately woman workforce have suffered years of real terms pay cuts. GMB will announce the results of the ballot on 3 August read more
Durham sealant factory faces 6th strike day (25 Jul) – Durham workers making parts for the aviation industry are set for their sixth day of strike action on Friday [28 July]] in their fight for fair pay. Dozens of GMB members at Nicholson’s Sealing Technologies, in Stanley, will are set to walk out a further nine times across July and August after rejecting the company’s pay offer of 6.7 per cent and a one off payment. Meanwhile Nicholson’s paid out £985,000 in dividends last year , an increase of £140,000 – more than 16 per cent – on the year before read more
Welsh farm feed workers strike (24 Jul) – Dozens of agricultural feed workers in Camarthen are preparing for a 2 day stoppage on 27 and 28 July in a dispute to get the same pay as their English counterparts. A majority of 85 per cent of GMB Members at Forfarmers voted to take strike action after the company failed to make an offer that would see them put on an equal footing with their colleagues at sites in England. GMB members took strike action on Monday 3 of July and are looking at future dates unless the company fails to make a fair offer that negates the shortfall. Workers providing the same role as their counterparts in England are paid up to 30 per cent more by the company read more
Industrial action to hit social housing giant slammed for ‘poverty pay’ (20 Jul) – GMB Union have today announced industrial action at Grand Union Housing, provider of 13,000 social homes across Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. The industrial action will see maintenance staff work to rule for three months, meaning overtime and extra duties will be refused in the maintenance department across the company’s housing stock. The action comes after the company refused to negotiate on a pay offer to staff of just 2.1% read more
Strike at missile depot threatens MoD supplies (16 Jul) – A strike at a Ministry of Defence missile depot will threaten munitions supplies, GMB Union warned. More than 50 workers at the Defence Equipment & Support (DES) munitions depot in Beith, Scotland walked out tomorrow [Monday]. A majority of 93 per cent of GMB members at the depot voted for strike action over a dispute on retention bonuses. Managers and craft workers are in receipt of bonuses whilst non-craft workers do not, meaning non-craft workers get less than many supermarket workers. DES is an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Defence which delivers equipment and support services to the UK armed forces read more
Durham sewage and water tank workers strike (10 Jul) – Sewage and water treatment tank workers in Durham have begun a week-long strike over pay. GMB members at Premier Tech, in Peterlee, will down tools from Monday [10 July] to Friday [14 July] after a unanimous vote for industrial action. Workers want £12.50 per hour, which amounts to a 12 per cent pay increase. The company has only offered 7.9 per cent, with potential real terms pay cuts in subsequent years read more
Three weeks of refuse chaos as workers down tools in Leicestershire’s ‘low pay capital’ (7 Jul) – GMB Union has today announced a three-week strike action of refuse workers at Blaby District Council. Fifty refuse staff at the authority are anticipated to join the strike action after council top brass ignored union attempts to initiate negotiations in the dispute. Strike action will see as many at 50,000 households go without refuse collections on Tuesday 1st to Friday 18th August read more
Dartford bin workers vote for strike action (7 Jul) – GMB union members have voted to reject Urbaser’s pay offer, with action to take place at the end of the month. GMB, the union for refuse and recycling, can announce that Dartford will be the next local authority to be hit with a bin strike. Members of the union have voted to take action over pay and will be walking out at the end of July. The members are employed by Urbaser, Dartford Borough Council’s waste contractor as drivers, loaders and street sweepers read more
Croydon housing and homeless department workers strike over cuts (27 Jun) – Slashing jobs in this service raises severe concerns around safeguarding, provision and remaining legally compliant, says GMB
Croydon Housing and Homelessness Department workers have voted to strike over the current restructure plans. GMB members at the authority will walk out on 28 and 29 June after a 94 per cent majority voted to walk out. Workers are worried and angry over a restructure across this vital department. Croydon Council declared bankruptcy for the third time in November 2022 read more
Unison
Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund
NHS staff at Merseyside hospitals vote to strike after years of being underpaid (11 Aug) – Hundreds of staff are underpaid for clinical tasks. More than 400 health staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH) have voted for strike action over pay, says UNISON today (Friday). An overwhelming majority (99%) of clinical support workers voted to strike in a recent UNISON ballot. Industrial action is now imminent unless the trust makes an improved offer to staff, says the union. Clinical support workers (CSWs) deliver essential care alongside nursing staff on the wards. They’re employed across the trust’s sites at Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals on the Wirral. UNISON says these employees should be paid at least £2,000 more a year because they are performing duties and tasks well above their pay grade read more
Police staff in England and Wales offered 7% pay increase, says UNISON (10 Aug) – If accepted, the increase proposed by the police staff employers would take effect from 1 September 2023. Police staff in most forces in England and Wales – including those in witness support, data teams and cleaning roles – have been offered a 7% pay rise, says UNISON today (Thursday). If accepted, the increase proposed by the police staff employers* would take effect from 1 September 2023. It means the hourly rate for the lowest paid police staff would rise from £10.62 to £11.46 an hour. That’s an increase of £1,446 a year and would see the lowest annual salaries rise from £20,655 to £22,101. In addition, the police staff employers are offering a 7% rise on payments to employees who are asked to be available for work outside their normal hours. This would see the hourly rates for ‘standby’ allowances rise from £32.23 to £34.49. UNISON is recommending its members vote to accept the offer, which is the same percentage wage rise that the government announced for police officers last month read more
Autumn term strikes set to go ahead at 13 universities (4 Aug) – HE members have suffered a real-terms pay cut of around 25% over the last 14 years, due to year on year rises that were below inflation. The results are in for the higher education strike ballot that ran from 31 May to 31 July – and 13 higher education institutions have met the threshold for action. The current offer from the University and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA), a 5-8% pay rise depending on salary spinal point, equates to a real-terms pay cut given inflation was over 10% this year. Although some money was backdated to earlier this year, it’s still not enough for staff to live on with the ongoing cost of living crisis. HE members have suffered a real-terms pay cut of around 25% over the last 14 years, due to year on year uplifts that were below inflation. The 13 universities that have met the threshold for action are: University of Dundee, University of Gloucestershire, University of the West of England, Leeds Trinity University, University of Brighton, Glasgow School of Art, Solent University, Plymouth Marjon University, Arts University Bournemouth, University of Glasgow, City University, Glasgow Caledonian University and University of Chichester. Further details on strike action will be announced in due course read more
Support striking Camden traffic wardens, taking indefinite action over pay – The Big NSL Strike: (3 Aug) – After the best ever ballot result, 73.11% turnout and 100% YES vote for strike, Camden traffic wardens started on Monday 24 July, an indefinite (also known as continuous) strike action. Everyone attended their base picket line since (including many who were meant to be on a rest day), sending a really clear message to NSL that we’re organised and determined and can win! Read more
Messages of solidarity can be sent to [email protected]. More than 100 traffic wardens working in the London borough of Camden will walk out from Monday in a row over pay, says UNISON today (Friday). This follows a 4.5% pay offer from their employer, which amounts to an increase of just 57p an hour, the union says. The workers, mainly low-paid Black staff, are employed by private company NSL on a contract from Camden Council. The staff – formally called civil enforcement officers – will be taking part in continuous strike action until the employer improves its offer, says the union read more
South Gloucestershire workers continue strike dispute (31 May) – Social workers and occupational therapists are taking their fourth and fifth days of strike action this week. Social workers and occupational therapists (OTs) working for South Gloucestershire council are to strike twice this week. Staff will walk out for two days of action, today (Tuesday) and again on Thursday (1 June) after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action in a dispute over pay. UNISON has been in dispute with the local authority since last summer. The new dates follow three days of strike action in April read more
Sign petition: Stop the closure of the Peak District National Park visitor centres! – The Peak District National Park Authority are considering closing all four of its visitor centres, making the staff redundant. Councillors will be asked to endorse the chief executive’s ill-thought out ‘money-saving plan’ which will not only affect staff but could very much harm the local economy. The visitor centres are not just shops. They are a key contributor to visitors being able to experience a safe and enjoyable time in the Peak District. This is especially the case with first-time or infrequent visitors. Far from being underused, the centres deal with around 400,000 visitors a year. Unless there is a public outcry, we will lose these centres from our national park, at a time when other national parks have rejected such ideas. Decisions will be taken from as early as May. Help Derbyshire UNISON stop them!
Protest as Hackney Unison chair amongst those handed compulsory redundancies in libraries shake-up – Council staff staged a protest on 17th May after several library staff, including Hackney Unison Branch Chair Brian Debus, have been handed compulsory redundancy notices. Hackney Unison have said it was “registering our disgust that three library workers including Hackney Unison Branch Chair Brian Debus are due to be made compulsorily redundant. This despite there being more than enough posts available in the restructured library service.” Read more on Hackney Citizen website
NIPSA
NI Audit Office 4.5% Pay Offer: Recommendation to Accept (9 Aug) – We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to provide you with a crucial update on our ongoing pay claim and the current circumstances impacting our negotiations with the NIAO. Since the submission of our original pay claim, significant changes have taken place, and unfortunately, not all for the better. The Northern Ireland budget, set by the Secretary of State, has had a substantial impact on our public and civil services, resulting in several departments facing budget challenges. Among these, the NIAO, an independent organisation responsible for ensuring effective financial management and value for money, has been hit particularly hard. The DOF has made cuts to the NIAO’s budget, creating an uphill battle for all of us involved. In response to these challenging circumstances, NIPSA, alongside other trade unions, has been actively fighting against these cuts through industrial action and lobbying our MLAs and MPs. We are committed to standing up for our rights and interests as workers, but we must also recognise the financial and political realities that the NIAO, our negotiating partner, is facing. When we look beyond our region, we see pay offers that have only been achieved after months of sustained industrial action. Some unions have even had to resort to prolonged strikes in different areas to secure better offers. Achieving a pay offer that comes closer to our original ask would necessitate significant action from all of us read more
Pay Update: NI Water NIPSA Members (28 Jul) – We would like to bring your attention to an important matter regarding our ongoing negotiations with management. As you are aware, on 25 of May 2023, we sent complex correspondence to the management, seeking their response to crucial matters affecting members pay. Regrettably, we have yet to receive a response from them, which is causing delays in our negotiations read more
HSC Industrial Action Update: The Fight Continues! (26 Jul) – HSC Strike Action: An update to the ongoing Industrial Action Dispute in Health and ongoing Industrial Action around Pay, Safe Staffing and Travel read more
Royal College of Nursing
BREAKING NEWS!! CQC ballot: members vote to say pay award is acceptable (15 Aug) – Members employed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have voted on their latest 2022-23 pay award, with the majority voting to say it’s acceptable. This means ongoing industrial action at the CQC will end read more
RCN consultative ballot on latest Welsh government pay offer now open (31 Jul) – Members on NHS Agenda for Change contracts in Wales will be able to vote to accept or reject the latest offer between Monday 31 July and Thursday 31 August… The RCN is not making a recommendation on how members should vote in this ballot – members must consider their own personal circumstances and how the offer will affect them. However, this is an offer in principle and it will only be implemented if members accept it read more
CQC pay consultation now open (28 Jul) – Eligible members working for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) can now vote in our consultative ballot on the CQC’s improved pay award for 2022-23 read more
Royal College of Nursing members employed by the Care Plus Group vote for industrial strike action (27 Jul) – The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) balloted members employed by the Care Plus Group in July on whether they would be willing to take industrial strike action for better pay and parity with nursing staff employed by the NHS on Agenda for Change terms and conditions of employment. A majority of RCN members who responded to the ballot voted in favour of strike action with 93% of those who voted, voting ‘yes’ read more
Majority of Manx Care nurses vote to strike and reject latest pay offer (23 Jun) – Eighty per-cent (80%) of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members who responded to the ballot for strike action, have voted in favour 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
CSP
Physios in Northern Ireland to vote on strike action (7 Aug) – The CSP has today opened a ballot for physiotherapy staff working for Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI) to vote on industrial action over pay. Members should receive voting papers from Civica during the week of 7 August. This is the first time the CSP has held an industrial action ballot for pay in Northern Ireland. The ballot will be open from 7 August and close on 11 September. Health and social care staff in Northern Ireland remain the lowest paid across the UK. They are yet to be offered a pay uplift for 2023/24 and have received no additional pay award for 2022/23. CSP Council is recommending members Vote Yes in support of strike action and to an additional question, which would give physiotherapy staff a mandate to undertake industrial action short of a strike. Ninety-three per cent of participants who took part in a consultation in June said they were prepared to take industrial action read more
BMA
Support the Junior Doctors strike read more
Donate to support striking junior doctors
Junior doctors’ rally descends on Downing Street (14 Aug) – Government spin and smears will do nothing to break junior doctors’ resolve in fighting for fairness and restoration of pay, doctors leaders warned at a BMA-organised rally. Doctors will not ‘roll over’ and remain determined to fight in the face of ministers’ refusal to engage with the BMA over full restoration of pay, association JDC co-chair Vivek Trivedi told a packed and defiant crowd of junior doctors gathered outside Downing Street last Friday on (11 August). The rally, which took place on the first day of the fifth round of industrial action by juniors across England, saw more than 100 hundred doctors bearing placards and BMA flags gather just a stone’s throw from No.10. Following a day of picket lines being staged at hospitals up and down the country, those gathered in central London showed no signs of turning or tiring despite prime minister Rishi Sunak and health secretary Steve Barclay’s continued denials over re-opening talks with the association read more
Fresh cohort of F1s join industrial action (11 Aug) – Doctors say cost of continuing dispute could have paid for full pay restoration. A new cohort of foundation year doctors has brought fresh impetus to the continuing junior doctors dispute with the Government in England. The fifth round of industrial action in England began on Friday 11 August, with thousands of doctors walking out for four days with continued determination as they seek a more credible offer than the 6 per cent and lump sum of £1,250 imposed by prime minister Rishi Sunak last month. The pay award equates to roughly a 10 per cent increase – which is below inflation and follows years of pay erosion that has seen real-terms pay reduce by more than 26 per cent since 2008. There was renewed energy on the picket line at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London, in the shadow of Parliament, on the first day of the walkout read more
Daily Mail compensates doctors after use of photos without permission (2 Aug) – Damages from copyright breach donated to BMA strike fund read more
The first steps towards pay restoration in Scotland (2 Aug) – Chris Smith on the opening of the consultative vote on pay for junior doctors in Scotland. Consultative vote now open. After months of negotiations, and nearly a year since the Scottish Junior Doctors’ Committee committed to push for the pay restoration our members deserve, Scottish doctors have reached a point where a concrete first step can be made on the path to achieving our goal. Once again, the power that we derive from our record levels of membership will determine our next steps. SJDC need your verdict by noon on Wednesday 16 August, and have opened a consultative vote on the Scottish Governments improved pay offer read more
Re-ballot for junior doctor strike action (19 Jul) – Re-ballot now open until noon 31 August. We’re re-balloting junior doctors to extend our mandate for junior doctor strike action. Due to anti-strike laws, we can currently only legally strike until late August read more
BMA consultants announce further strike dates (17 Jul) – Consultants in England, who go on strike on Thursday and Friday, will do the same next month, as the BMA announces new industrial action dates in response to the Government imposing another real-terms pay cut on doctors. Last week, the Government announced a derisory, sub-inflation pay award of less than 6% for consultants, once all elements of pay are considered, following a recommendation for the same from the pay review body, the DDRB. Consultants in England had already announced they will take action on 20 and 21 July unless the Government presented them with an offer than begins to reverse the 35% pay erosion they have experienced, as well as committing to reform the current broken pay review process. With the government announcement roundly failing to do either, and to ensure consultants and trusts are as prepared as possible for further industrial action, the BMA’s consultants committee is announcing further provisional strike dates of 24 and 25 August. The strike will once again be based on Christmas Day levels of cover, meaning emergency care will still be provided read more
HCSA
HCSA Scotland members have suspended #JuniorDoctorsStrike action this – Members will now consider an updated pay offer from the Scottish Government follow @HCSANews on Twitter
Society of Radiographers
Northern Ireland: SoR to ballot members on strike action over pay (9 Aug) – Members urged to vote yes by 6 September to improve pay and help reduce waiting lists. The SoR is balloting almost 1,000 members in Northern Ireland on strike action in a bid to secure improvements to pay and conditions, increase recruitment and retention of radiography professionals – and thus cut waiting times for patients read more
New pay offer for radiographers in Wales – SoR members asked to vote now (8 Aug) – SoR recommends acceptance of improved offer following earlier strike threat. New pay talks with the Welsh government have resulted in a revised package around non-pay elements of the original offer to radiographers. SoR members in Wales had rejected that offer by an overwhelming number and called for a ballot on strike action. The Welsh government then agreed to re-open talks with the SoR on the proviso that the Society paused balloting. These talks have resulted in a new offer around non-pay elements of the original offer with the aim to improve Terms and Conditions of Service within the NHS in Wales and for radiographers read more
How local news channels carried the radiography strike around the UK (31 Jul) – Online coverage, photography and video from the hospital picket lines. Local news outlets were critical in delivering the messages of the SoR strike action to communities across the UK, reinforcing the general coverage on national news channels. The SoR said the strike had generated ‘unprecedented’ levels of news, raising the profile of the Society and profession in the eyes of the public, and helping to build a groundswell of support as the SoR called for the government to re-open pay talks. Across the UK, online media carried the stories of local radiographers who were struggling to make ends meet, and broadcast video footage and photography of SoR members protesting on picket lines at nearby hospitals read more
What next after radiography strikes across England? (27 Jul) – SoR thanks members for ‘fantastic’ support and explains next steps in pay campaign. Dean Rogers, SoR executive director of industrial strategy and member relations, has written to members following the strike action in England, with the following update on the dispute. “This week, we received unprecedented exposure and media coverage during the 48-hour strikes at Trusts across England. Now the strike action has concluded, we are considering carefully how to follow these up to further our strategic aims – namely, improving pay and reward as part of tackling recruitment and retention challenges fuelling the radiography workforce crisis. Today we wrote to health secretary Steve Barclay, asking to meet for constructive talks. He had refused to talk to us while strikes were scheduled but we hope he is now prepared to engage seriously. On Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 August, we will meet with other health trade unions to discuss their current position and where they are likely to be over the coming months…” read more
NEU
Pay offer consultation results (31 Jul) – NEU teacher members in England agree to accept progress made on pay and funding and to end industrial action read more
NASUWT
Members accept pay recommendation, but demand more action from the Government (31 Jul) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union have accepted the STRB pay recommendation for 2023/24. 77.6% of members who responded to the Union’s consultative survey indicated they were willing to accept the recommendation of the STRB for a 6.5% pay award for teachers and school leaders in England. However, just 18.4% of members responding to the survey said that the commitments announced by the Government to tackle excessive workload and working hours were sufficient. Over 18,000 members responded to the survey. The NASUWT will be responding to the Government on the pay award and the Government’s response to the STRB Report, and to discuss matters for the resolution of its dispute read more
Trade dispute – sixth form colleges (13 Jun) – In ballots of teachers in sixth form colleges, NASUWT – the Teachers’ Union, has today issued notice to the Education Secretary and employers of potential national industrial action, including strike action and action short of strike action across sixth form colleges in England. NASUWT members in 56 sixth form colleges secured ballot mandates with 87.6% of eligible members voting to support strike action and 93.7% voting in support of action short of strike action based on an overall turnout of 64.9% read more
NAHT
School leaders vote to accept 6.5% pay deal, even as mandate for strike action is secured (31 Jul) – Today (Mon 31st July), school leaders’ union NAHT announces that its members – school leaders in the majority of schools in England – have voted to accept the government’s offer of a 6.5% pay increase for teachers and leaders, alongside a reduction in workload and changes to inspection. In an online ballot, run between 17th and 28th July, 85% of respondents voted to accept the offer. However, the union has also secured a mandate for strike action. In a postal ballot that opened 15th May and closed today, NAHT received an 82% vote to strike, with a 54% turnout read more
NAHT members in Jersey back industrial action in island’s schools (27 Jun) – Members of school leaders’ union NAHT have voted in favour of industrial action in Jersey. A resounding 86% of members voted in favour of strike action, with 98% supporting action short of strike (ASOS). Turnout was 68%. Following the ballot, NAHT’s Jersey executive has decided members should take action short of strike in the first instance. It will today serve the seven working days notice required, meaning the action will commence on Wednesday, July 5 read more
EIS
EIS calls on First Minister to act on under-employement of teachers across Scotland (11 Aug) – The Educational Institute of Scotland, has written to First Minister Humza Yousaf calling for action on the lack of job security for many newly and recently qualified teachers across Scotland read more
Teachers at Hutchesons’ Grammar School vote for Union Recognition in Historic Ballot (13 Jul) – Members of the EIS at Hutchesons’ Grammar School have voted for union recognition in a historic ballot at the school. The ACAS-conducted ballot results were revealed as 59% voting in favour of union recognition at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, with a turnout of 72% read more
EIS-FELA Edinburgh College Staff Take Strike Action Over Compulsory Redundancies (26 Jun) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) at Edinburgh College have today (Monday) taken the first in a series of days of strike action in response to compulsory redundancies at the College. The EIS-FELA Branch at Edinburgh College has had an active strike mandate in place for some weeks in pursuit of a dispute regarding compulsory redundancies, which has been successful in reducing the number of jobs under threat, through negotiation. The EIS wrote to the College Principal last week urging further talks. Despite this, the College has rejected the appeal of one member of the lecturing staff against compulsory redundancy as of 30th June read more
EIS-FELA Dundee and Angus College Staff Balloting for Industrial Action (6 Jun) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) at Dundee & Angus College are balloting for industrial action, following a proposal by the college to begin compulsory redundancies by the end of June. The proposals come as part of a wider plan by college management to make savings, including cuts to the number of courses on offer to prospective students and staff in these areas. EIS-FELA has warned that the move will undermine the Scottish Government’s efforts to retrain young people in target industries and risks damaging the reputation of the college read more
EIS-FELA Responds to “Completely Unacceptable” Revised pay Offer from Colleges (2 Jun) – Negotiators from the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) met again, with College Employers Scotland, in an attempt to settle a long running pay dispute. Despite the EIS-FELA making significant movement, by revising their previous pay claim, college employers only tabled a marginally improved offer, asserted as their full and final offer, that still amounts to substantial real terms pay cut for the lecturing workforce. With college students due to complete their studies in the coming weeks, time is now running out to avoid large numbers of students failing to receive their results due to industrial action short of strike, in the form of a resulting boycott, being taken by the EIS-FELA membership. The EIS-FELA has made clear previously that in the absence of an acceptable pay offer, industrial action will be escalated to national strike action early in the new academic year read more
City of Glasgow College Lecturers take Strike Action (30 May) – There has been strong turnout on picket lines as lecturers at City of Glasgow College (CoGC) began a programme of strike action over planned cuts and redundancies. Lecturers at the college will be on strike for the rest of the week, with 4-days of strike action then set to continue each week for the following three weeks. The commencement of strike action is an escalation in the dispute, building on a programme of Action Short of Strike (ASOS) already in place at the college read more
INTO
Industrial Action Update (29 Jun) – As members prepare for their well-deserved and much needed summer break, it is now a full school year since you were balloted and voted for industrial action. Teachers and school leaders continue to demonstrate their capacity to fight for a salary that properly reflects their true worth to society, a salary that will allow them to feel properly valued and respected as the professional educators they are. While congratulating our members, and those teachers from the other unions that make up the NITC for their determination and resolve, I would like to take this opportunity to outline the proposed road of travel for the unions moving forward. The thirty-five individual pieces of action that make up our current action short of strike remain in place for September 2023. I would ask members to take some time to revisit these actions, and to ensure that they are embedded in their school practice going into the new school year. The five teacher unions have acted as one throughout this period of action, and this must continue. To this end, the NITC Industrial Action Sub-committee will meet prior to schools returning to prepare a calendar of further action for the 2023/24 school year. Once these dates have been agreed, we will communicate them to our members. This will happen in August so that the Committee will be acting against the background of the most up-to-date information regarding the political and educational situation and to allow for fully informed decisions to be taken. It is imperative that this fight continues read more
UCU
More strike action to hit universities as employers refuse to negotiate (14 Aug) – UCU has announced it will take more strike action unless employer body UCEA agrees to return to negotiations and end disruption to graduations. The union’s Higher Education Committee met this afternoon and voted to take further strike action before the end of September [NOTE 1] and to begin preparations for a new ballot in order to renew UCU’s industrial mandate in the pay and working conditions dispute, meaning disruption could continue this year and well into 2024. The marking boycott will also continue. It began at 145 universities on Thursday 20 April but UCEA has responded by refusing to improve its offer and employers have punitively docked the pay of staff taking part. UCU has agreed to UCEA’s proposal for a joint review of sector finances read more
No end to graduation disruption as university employers block resolution (1 Aug) – UCU has slammed UCEA for condemning students across the UK to continued graduation disruption by refusing to settle the ongoing pay and conditions dispute. The union was responding to a letter UCEA sent yesterday which said employers will not make any attempt to restore punitive pay deductions for staff who have boycotted marking, nor will they make any improved pay offer. The marking boycott began at 145 universities on Thursday 20 April and there is no prospect of it coming to an end whilst employers refuse to improve on their pay offer and continue to punitively dock pay. The National Union of Students and many of UCEA’s own member institutions such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Sussex have called on it to settle the dispute. The surplus the sector generated last year could raise pay by 10% and still leave hundreds of millions of pounds spare read more
UCU slams University of Huddersfield for putting over 100 staff at risk of redundancy (27 Jul) – UCU has slammed the University of Huddersfield for large-scale redundancy proposals that could see staff lose their jobs by the end of September. The university announced the cuts just before the summer leave period making meaningful consultation practically impossible. The 105 staff at risk of redundancy include 39 in the school of applied sciences, 15 in the school of arts and humanities and 43 across the Huddersfield business school and the school of education & professional development. UCU estimates that around 50 of the 105 staff at risk of redundancy could lose their jobs. If the cuts go ahead it will be the fifth round of redundancies the university has forced through in the past four years and the third year in a row that the arts and humanities department has been cut. The university kick-started the redundancy process this month meaning many of the impacted staff are on holiday read more
Trade unions to stage rally against mass redundancies at University of Brighton (20 Jul) – Staff at the University of Brighton today (Thursday 20 July 2023) announced a rally against cruel redundancies being imposed by the institution’s management. 23 academic staff at University of Brighton were issued with compulsory redundancy notices earlier today [Thursday 20 July 2023]. This comes on top of 80 staff having reluctantly accepted voluntary redundancy rather than face being sacked. UCU members at Brighton are on indefinite strike, fighting to stop the cuts. On Monday 24 July at 12.30pm, the Brighton University and College Union (UCU) branch will be joined by the union’s general secretary Jo Grady and trade union branches bringing solidarity from across the region. The job cuts will decimate subjects including art, literature, education, acute care and nursing, engineering, and sport science at Brighton. Of the 36 professors at the university, 10 are to be made redundant. University senior managers claim they need to make £17.9m in savings, yet have splashed more than £50m on building projects in the last two years. UCU said that the employer invoking financial difficulties as a pretext for the redundancies therefore strains credulity. Last week, with Brighton management doubling down on their plan to slash jobs, UCU announced a global boycott of the university, in which the union’s members, labour movement organisations, and the international academic community are expected to partake read more
College strike ballot looms over pay as sector gets new DfE funding (14 Jul) – England’s biggest-ever strike ballot is on the cards, confirmed UCU, after it entered into dispute with 88 English college employers over low pay and poor working conditions. The dispute comes as the Department for Education announced colleges will receive an additional £185m in 23/24 and £285m in 24/25. On BBC Breakfast this morning, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the funding is “equivalent” to that provided to schools for the 6.5% teachers’ pay award. UCU will launch a strike ballot in September if employers fail to meet the union’s demands. A successful ballot would pave the way for strikes this autumn at further education colleges across England read more
Strike ballot opens at five North East colleges over low pay (10 Jul) – A strike ballot will open on Monday 17 July at five colleges across the North East of England over low pay. The ballot will run until Friday 29 September. The colleges being balloted are:-
- Bede Sixth Form College
- NETA Training Group
- Stockton Riverside College
- The Skills Academy
- Redcar and Cleveland College.
They are all part of employer group Education Training Collective (ETC) and are based in Stockton on Tees, Redcar and Cleveland. The dispute is over the employer’s 22/23 pay award. UCU members overwhelmingly rejected the original 3% offer. The college then offered to add an additional 1% from May and to remove the bottom point of the lecturer pay spine, which UCU members again voted to reject read more
Strike ballot opens at Stanmore College after ‘pitiful’ 1% pay increase (21 Jun) – A strike ballot over low pay and poor working conditions will open tomorrow at Stanmore College in London. The college has offered staff a paltry 1% consolidated pay increase alongside a £1.5k one off payment. It has also attempted to reconfigure its offer but the envelope of money available has not changed. The most recent college accounts show the number of senior management earning £60k-£160k doubled from three to six in 2022, representing a £165k increase to the wage bill read more
Strikes set for Liverpool John Moores University over pay docking (13 Jun) – Staff at Liverpool John Moores University will down tools on Friday in the first of eight days of strike action in response to the university’s enforcement of 50% wage deductions for staff taking part in the marking boycott. Friday’s strike will hit a key university open day, and staff will rally outside Metropolitan Cathedral, next to the university’s John Foster building from 1pm. The full days of strike action are:-
Week 1: Friday 16 June
Week 2: Thursday 17 and Friday 18 August
Week 3: Monday 18, Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20, Thursday 21 and Friday 22 September.
Management at John Moores has started docking the pay of staff who are boycotting marking by 50% despite the fact that staff continue to teach, support students, write references, provide pastoral care, undertake research and attend public events read more
Indefinite strike action to hit University of Leeds over 100% pay docking (2 Jun) – Over 1,800 staff at the University of Leeds will begin indefinite strike action from Thursday 15 June after management confirmed it will be deducting 100% of the pay of staff taking part in the marking boycott. The strike could continue for months unless management stop docking staff pay. UCU said pay deductions of up to 100% are utterly unacceptable as staff taking part in the marking and assessment boycott continue to teach, lecture and support students as normal 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 reiterates fire safety concerns after refugees evacuated from Bibby Stockholm (11 Aug) – Fire Brigades Union assistant general secretary Ben Selby comments on the news that migrants are being temporarily removed from the Bibby Stockholm barge after traces of Legionella bacteria were found in the water read more
FBU responds to Oliver Dowden comments on Bibby Stockholm fire safety concerns (3 Aug) – Following the Fire Brigades Union’s warnings over asylum seeker accommodation on the Bibby Stockholm, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden suggested in a BBC interview that the union was only raising fire safety concerns because of its links to Labour read more
Firefighters’ union demands meeting with Braverman over Bibby Stockholm fire safety (2 Aug) – The Fire Brigades Union has today written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman to raise concerns over fire safety in asylum seeker accomodation, including the Bibby Stockholm. The barge is currently moored in Portland, Dorset and is earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation read more
Firefighters’ union: Northamptonshire “abuse of power” shows PFCC model “not fit for purpose” (2 Aug) – The Fire Brigades Union has called for the end of the Police, fire and crime commissioner model following “chaotic” events in Northamptonshire. Earlier this month, Northamptonshire’s Police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold appointed his own staffer, Nicci Marzec, to the role of interim Chief Fire Officer. Nicci Marzec had never been a firefighter and had no operational experience of the fire service. Following public outcry, Nicci Marzec has resigned from all posts. Stephen Mold remains in office, despite pressure from his local Conservative party, as well as mounting public outrage. A petition calling for his resignation has now gathered over 600 signatures. Last Thursday (27th July), firefighters held a rally outside a meeting of Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime scrutiny panel, calling for Stephen Mold to resign or be held to the “highest account”. To date, the scrutiny panel has taken no further action read more
Merseyside firefighters and control staff ballot for industrial action (24 Jul) – Today, 24th July 2023, Merseyside Fire Brigades Union Members will begin voting in a new ballot for industrial action, following six months of action short of strike. This is the latest action in an ongoing dispute with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, in relation to “attacks on terms and conditions” and a reduction in night-time staffing numbers in fire control. Merseyside FBU members outside of fire control will vote on whether to stop undertaking pre-arranging overtime, while members working within fire control will vote on taking discontinuous strike action. Merseyside Fire Brigade Union members will cast their votes until the ballot closes on Monday 21st August 2023. If a yes vote is returned, action will commence no sooner than Monday 4th September 2023 and could last for a period of up to 6 months read more
POA
National Chair update July 2023 (31 Jul) – Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members read more
BFAWU
Post Conference Foodworker 2023
BFAWU members at Allied Bakeries in Liverpool are out on Strike! (31 May) – Our members at Allied Bakeries in Liverpool have taken the difficult decision to withdraw their labour this week over a pay dispute, the picket line over the last 24 hours has had plenty of support from the membership and the public with lots of drivers beeping their horns and waving and passers by passing on their support! Read more Donate to the strike fund
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
NUJ
BBC journalists vote to renew their industrial action mandate over cuts to local radio (10 Aug) – The union now has a mandate for strike action, but will continue talks with management. Under the UK’s onerous and restrictive legislation governing industrial action, the NUJ was required to have another ballot to keep the action alive – members at BBC Local in England, in local radio, regional TV and online, have taken strike action on three occasions and are continuing to operate a work to rule. On a turnout of 64 per cent, 70 per cent said they were prepared to take part in strike action and 83 per cent said they were prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike. This positive result was despite many members being away over August and means the work to rule will seamlessly roll on until a resolution is reached. The BBC’s plans will cut local content by almost half read more
NUJ ballots National World journalists for industrial action (10 Aug) – The union is seeking views from over 300 journalists at the publisher on whether they are willing to take strike action in the dispute over pay. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has issued ballot papers to journalists at National World seeking views on whether members are willing to participate in industrial action. The union is encouraging over 300 journalists to vote yes in response to questions on taking strike action and action short of a strike, demonstrating strong opposition to the recently imposed 4.5 per cent pay award, and other concerns forming the ongoing pay dispute. The company’s pay award had been repeatedly rejected by more than a dozen NUJ chapels representing hundreds of National World journalists, followed by a vote of no confidence in David Montgomery, executive chairman. Despite talks with the publisher including through Acas negotiations urging an improved pay package, uplifts to minimum rates and efforts to improve pay disparities, National World has failed to present an enhanced pay award for journalists read more
NUJ reacts to High Court judgment on BBC pension scheme rules (28 Jul) – The union welcomes the High Court’s judgment on the BBC’s application to seek a ruling on the correct interpretation of one of the Pension Scheme Rules read more
Equity
Equity “welcome” recommendations in new Scottish arts report (4 Aug) – Equity has welcomed the publication of new report commissioned by Scotland’s six producing theatres, which calls for immediate and sustained action to protect the sector in Scotland. Equity has welcomed a new report calling for immediate and sustained action to protect the arts sector in Scotland. The report, titled “The Disappearing Act?”, was commissioned by Scotland’s six producing theatres. It identifies key issues such as declining audiences and funding cuts read more
“One struggle, one fight!” Equity rallies in support of SAG-AFTRA (28 Jul) – Hundreds join Brian Cox, Rakie Ayola, Rob Delaney, John McDonnell MP and more to show solidarity with striking SAG-AFTRA members. Members and trade unionists show their solidarity with SAG-AFTRA. On Friday 21 July, around 400-500 people joined Brian Cox, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Hayley Atwell, Imelda Staunton and more at Equity’s London rally in solidarity with striking SAG-AFTRA members. Organised by Equity, the rally took place in London’s Leicester Square gardens in front of a statue of William Shakespeare, and surrounded by cinemas, street performers and statues from the world of the arts and entertainment. Rally attendees included Equity members, actors, creatives, and members of the public, who chanted “One struggle, one fight, we support SAG-AFTRA’s strike” and “The luvvies united will never be defeated!”. They also held banners reading “Equity stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA”. Rally speakers gave moving, impassioned accounts of the collective threats actors face from exploitation by streaming services and AI, the need for solidarity across borders and across struggles, and the need for reform of the draconian trade union legislation in the UK read more
Equity Announce New Agreements for Directors – We are pleased to announce three brand new four year Agreements for Directors working in Theatre. We are pleased to announce three brand new four year Agreements for Directors working in Theatre, following the submission of our ambitious financial claim early this year with the West End Managers, Commercial Managers and Subsidised Managers. Our claims were intended to build on the success of our previous work during the last set of negotiations of delivering major uplifts to the minimum rates read more
Community
BREAKING NEWS!! Get back around the table, Glen Dimplex (15 Aug) – Community Union has called on management at Glen Dimplex to get back around the table for pay talks as strike action at the firm’s Whiston site on Merseyside enters its second week. Last Monday (7th August) workers from the home appliances factory on Stoney Lane began a course of industrial action over pay after negotiations with management at the Irish-headquartered firm reached gridlock read more
Glen Dimplex workers march for pay rise (9 Aug) – Striking Community Union members from Prescot’s Glen Dimplex factory took their call for a pay rise to the streets today with a march and rally in the town centre. Staff from the home appliance firm received support from members of the public as they marched through the town at lunch time, culminating in a rally at Prescot Parish Church where senior union officials gave their backing to the workforce’s demand for skilled pay for skilled work. The workforce from Glen Dimplex’s site on Stoney Lane began a course of industrial action on Monday following the company’s failure to reach an agreement with the union on pay after some 9 months of talks. Many of the skilled manufacturing workers at the company’s Stoney Lane factory are currently paid the minimum wage. Earlier this summer it was reported that the Dublin-headquartered company had quadrupled its profits last year from €11m to €42.8m Euros; increasing overall turnover to €944m Euros read more
Glen Dimplex workers to take strike action (2 Aug) – Community members at Glen Dimplex on Stoney Lane in Prescot are taking strike action because of no agreement being reached in relation to pay – despite talks being ongoing since November 2022. These workers are skilled manufacturing workers, many of them are earning minimum wage currently. They deserve a pay rise that reflects their service and skillset. The company’s position is to shorten the working week by an hour and keep workers’ pay the same. Community members do not find this acceptable and believe that pay talks should end with a pay rise read more
Community members accept teachers’ pay offer (2 Aug) – Community Union members have voted to accept the UK Government’s offer of a 6.5% pay increase for teachers – but the union has warned ministers that more needs to be done on retention of experienced teachers to prevent ‘an exodus of teachers from classrooms’ read more
UVW
UVW wins right to defend its 2021 race discrimination win against Royal Parks before the court of appeal because it has “a real prospect of success”, says judge (10 Aug) – United Voices of the World’s (UVW) application to the Court of Appeal in our claim against the Royal Parks (RP) has just been given permission to be heard on the basis that it has “a real prospect of success”! This is a major development in our battle to prove that outsourcing mainly Black, brown and migrant workers on inferior pay to mainly white in-house workers is race discrimination as the Court of Appeal is the second highest court in the UK and highest court in England and Wales. If a small union of low-paid, precarious and migrant workers wins this argument for the second time in court against a powerful charity that has government backing, our world could change forever read more
“Pay us our holiday pay” LSE cleaners take bosses to the employment tribunal (8 Aug) – “We took strike action to fight for what we are owed and now we are taking legal action. We won’t stop fighting” – Vilma Villamoros, LSE cleaner of 11 years and UVW member. This week 20 cleaners at the London School of Economics (LSE) launched a legal claim that could amount to thousands of pounds owed over several years following the underpayment of their holiday pay. The cleaners, members of United Voices of the World union (UVW), who work at the LSE Halls of Residence have only been paid holiday pay based on what is considered to be their “basic salary”, instead of taking into consideration the extra hours that constitute the lion’s share of their weekly income read more
Residents at luxury apartments support the striking cleaners and concierge workers (26 Jul) – “We were at the picket line again to show our determination to continue this fight and we won great support from the residents” – Francesco Lombardo, West End Quay concierge, UVW rep and striker. July saw the second round of strikes at West End Quays, the exclusive luxury apartment complex in central London. The 5 day strike action culminated in a picket outside the Hilton Metropole to coincide with the apartment complex’s Right To Manage (RTM) Annual General meeting (AGM). Our members, the outsourced cleaners and concierge workers, had no option but to call for this second round of strike action because invitations to further negotiate were rejected by the facilities contractor Lee Baron and by extension RTM, their ‘client’. The WEQ strikers wanted to appeal to the AGM attendees, WEQ residents, to use their vote at the AGM to authorise contractor Lee Baron to go back to the table to meaningfully negotiate with them read more
Local community comes out in full force to back La Retraite school’s cleaners striking to save their jobs (20 Jul) – “We are human beings like you, we have families like you, we need rest like you, we need a living wage – we work minimum 10 hours a day to make ends meet. We deserve respect” – Magaly, cleaner and UVW striker. This month cleaners at La Retraite Catholic Girls School in South London took two days of strike action against forced-through changes to their working hours that would lead to many losing their jobs. Over 120 students, parents and members of the local community signed a petition demanding justice for the cleaners, whilst the school management shamefully attempted to divert support for the valiant strikers who are standing together despite the sacking of one cleaner and suspension of three others. Students were particularly keen to sign the petition when the daughter of a cleaner informed them the proposed change in the timetable would mean that her mum wouldn’t get home until 9pm read more
If you want to support these brave workers, you can DONATE and or SHARE their strike crowdfunder.
You can also JOIN their action group for updates on the campaign and details of how to join a picket line.
Get to know the workers and their demands here and SPREAD THE WORD! Or send a letter of protest to their employers. Takes 1 minute!
- Equality now for Streatham and Clapham High School
- Give the Ogilvy night shift cleaners what they need and deserve
- London School of Economics pay your cleaners their holiday pay!
IWGB
Striking frontline workers from UCL and St Mungos stage joint protest in City of London against governing bodies (28 Jul) – Striking workers from the homelessness charity St Mungo’s represented by Unite the Union have joined University College London (UCL) Security Guards represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) to protest a number of banks and offices in the City of London today. Striking workers will target workplaces affiliated with members of their respective governing bodies who have refused to engage with workers’ appeals: the St Mungo’s trustees and the UCL Council. Locations will include the London Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Linklaters read more
Security Guards launch bus protest against UCL fire-and-rehire scheme (20 Jul) – All 256 UCL security guards, agency workers outsourced to subcontractor Bidvest Noonan, are facing a brutal fire-and-rehire over the summer, with 40 workers losing their jobs permanently and the remaining staff facing worse terms and conditions, including pay cuts of up to £13,500 per year. Today, security guards represented by the IWGB began strike action, and travelled across the city of London in a double decker “Protest Bus” visiting the workplaces of four members of the UCL council. The striking workers protested at the Bank of England, workplace of council member Tina Harris; Lincoln’s Inn Chambers, where council member Justin Turner is a lawyer; McKinsey, workplace of council member Tania Holt; and Nomura, where member Victor Chu is a board member. Protests are planned to continue throughout the next 10 days, including a rally outside parliament on Thursday, with MPs including Barry Gardiner set to speak read more
Cycling instructors set for first ever strike after 14 year pay freeze (30 Jun) – London based cycling instructors representing the Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB) will go on strike for the first time ever after a 14 year pay freeze. The strike will take place on Friday afternoon, with further strike action planned for every week in July. Striking cycling instructors are demanding pay restoration, a fair cancellation policy and an end to unpaid admin time read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU to Attend Crunch Talks over Childcare Poverty Pay ‘Crisis’ (11 Aug) – SIPTU representatives will today (Friday, 11th August) attend crunch childcare pay talks at the Early Years Joint Labour Committee, as the union makes clear that poverty pay has caused a “crisis” in the sector read more
SIPTU calls on Government to clarify position on social protection for Retained Fire Fighters (11 Aug) – In the wake of the escalating fire service dispute, SIPTU today (Thursday, August 10th) wrote to the Government to request clarification on whether social protection payments were being deliberately blocked for Retained Fire Fighters. The letter, addressed to Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, highlighted the fact that these payments were a vital lifeline to many Retained Fire Fighters who do not have second jobs read more
SIPTU Retained Fire Fighters to escalate strike action (9 Aug) – The SIPTU National Retained Fire Fighter Committee has today confirmed that union members will escalate their strike action due to the failure of government to respond to their legitimate concerns read more
Other news
Exciting Trade Union courses for Sept 2023 at Conel college in North London
Dear colleague, thanks for continuing to attend our trade union courses at Conel college. I attach our suite of courses we have planned for September. All are available to apply via the TUC courses website https://www.tuc.org.uk/TUCcourses. Just to note our Next steps – stage 2 course in-person is quite full. So are our diplomas. All are on first come basis. We do have a combination of online and classroom based courses. In January 2024 our union reps course will be online kind of alternating. We have also added some booster courses for ICT skills. We also have an excellent public speaking course to help you participate in discussions, debates and all round boosting confidence to speak either to management or at your union conferences. Understanding Pensions course this is to boost knowledge and understanding around this important subject. Please note we do bespoke courses for unions and branches. If you wish to speak about this do contact me directly [email protected]. Hope you and your union colleagues continue to use our facilities and courses. Have a good summer break.
Best regards, Jonathan
PS we will be advertising a communication skills course but dates yet to be advertised.
Jonathan Jeffries – Curriculum Manager for Trade Union Education Tel: 0208 442 3189. The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London www.conel.ac.uk
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Support Lee Fowler – Another blacklisted construction worker sacked after making complaints about safety on site read more about Lee’s case
Support the ‘Murphy 4’ Campaign to reinstate sacked Unite members read more
Felixstowe 4’ protest demands justice at CK Hutchison AGM (18 May) read more
UK facing taps and pipes shortage as Warrington based GXO drivers strike over sacking of Unite rep (12 May) read more
Protest as Hackney Unison chair amongst those handed compulsory redundancies in libraries shake-up: 6pm Wednesday 17th May Hackney Town Hall Read more on Hackney Citizen website
#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement
Construction blacklisting: Evidence sought in union officials’ collusion inquiry (11 Apr) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is stepping up its search for information into the possible collusion by trade union officials into the blacklisting of construction workers. In April 2022 Unite established an independent inquiry into allegations that some union officials may have colluded with the blacklisting of construction workers. Unite has instructed a legal team of Nick Randall KC (Matrix Chambers), John Carl Townsend (33 Chancery Lane Chambers) and Paul Heron from (Public Interest Law Centre), to examine and investigate whether any union officials from Unite or its predecessor unions (T&G, UCATT, Amicus, AEEU or MSF), were involved in the blacklisting of construction workers. The inquiry is now entering its next stage and an online portal has been launched to allow anyone who has any information relating to the inquiry to submit information 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. You can catch up on disputes at Strike Map UK. Also, check out Organise Now! – Support for new worker organising.
International
UVW union calls on Colombia’s President to investigate labour rights abuses against trade unionists by global food company Colombina S.A. (7 Aug) – Today, United Voices of the World, UVW, sent a letter to Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro denouncing the labour rights abuses carried out by the global food company, Colombina S.A, and calling on him to look into workers rights’ violations against trade union members at their factory in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Fourteen members of our sister union SINALTRAINAL Zarzal were dismissed on 19 and 20 July at the Colombina plant in the Valle del Cauca immediately after presenting their demands for essential improvements in terms, conditions and treatment. Colombina S.A. is hiding behind bogus “procedural fault” allegations to justify the sackings read more on UVW website
From NUJ website: Pakistan – journalist killed in Khaipur by unknown assailants (10 Aug) – NUJ condemns targeted killing of journalist Ghulam Asghar Khand and urges authorities in Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice read more on NUJ website
From NUJ website: India – journalist detained by state authorities (7 Aug) – Badri Seshadri has been charged with offences following remarks about India’s chief justice read more on NUJ website
From NUJ website: Palestine – journalists interrogated by armed driver in Israeli ambulance (7 Aug) – NUJ calls for urgent investigation following reports of an armed driver in an Israeli ambulance threatening journalists in the occupied West Bank read more on NUJ website
Diary
September
10 NSSN TUC Rally Liverpool 1pm
October
1 Demonstrations at Tory Party Conference 12noon:-
- Peoples Assembly – Assemble on Oxford Road
- Stand Up To Racism – Assemble Central Manchester
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