The NSSN sends solidarity greetings ahead of International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) on 28th April, as workers and their unions mark the struggle for safe workplaces and remember all those who have been injured or killed at work.
To help find IWMD events in your area go to the TUC website and follow these hashtags on X (formerly Twitter) – #IWMD #IWMD2024 #IWMD24
‘Remember the dead, fight for the living’
NIPSA: ICTU International Workers Memorial Day Belfast event
GMB: Amazon workers will decide on union recognition (19 Apr) – Amazon workers are one step closer to Europe’s first recognised union at the retail giant. GMB Union has today announced that the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), the Government body responsible for regulating collective bargaining between workers and employers, has ruled in favour of GMB’s application for a union recognition vote at the company’s Coventry Warehouse. After over a year of industrial action and thirty strike days, the CAC determined that, on the balance of probabilities, a majority of the workers would favour recognition of the Union. This paves the way for a legally binding vote of Amazon Coventry’s workforce. Union recognition would mean Amazon would be forced to sit down with GMB on matters relating to pay, hours, and holidays; the first time this has been achieved anywhere in the world outside of the USA. This news comes just weeks after union-busting tactics at the Coventry site were exposed when it was revealed workers had been bombarded with anti-union messages by company bosses. Amazon bosses thwarted earlier attempts by workers to deliver union recognition by flooding the fulfilment centre with over a thousand new staff, in order to sidestep legal recognition thresholds. Despite this, union membership has continued to grow in the company’s Coventry Warehouse. The CAC will now appoint an independent organisation to arrange a legally binding vote of workers, with a ballot timetable likely to be announced in the coming weeks read more
Save our Steel
The NSSN stands in solidarity with steelworkers as steel unions ballot their members for industrial action. We salute the Unite strike vote. We will support any action that they take against Tata Steel’s intention to make 75% of the 4,000-strong Port Talbot workforce redundant. This would also result in thousands more losing their jobs at other Tata steel plants, contracting companies, and threaten related jobs such as on the rails and the wider local economy. And as we did in 2016, when the steelworks were under the same threat, we continue to demand the works be nationalised to save jobs and working-class communities. Recently, the struggle to save Port Talbot steelworks reached a new stage when Tata announced the closure of the coking ovens. The whole of the union movement must come behind the steelworkers and their fight to save steel jobs and defend communities, in Port Talbot and in other steelmaking areas.
Unite: Tata workers in historic vote for strike action over shutdown plans (11 Apr) – Unite members at Port Talbot and Llanwern to fight job losses and blast furnace closures. Around 1,500 Tata steelworkers based in Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern have voted decisively for industrial action over the company’s plan to close its blast furnaces and shed 2,800 jobs. It is the first time in over 40 years that Port Talbot steelworkers have gone on strike read more
Unite ‘Support UK Steel’ petition hand-in to the Welsh Government – 12.30pm Tuesday 23rd April at Senedd in Cardiff
Find out more about the campaign: www.unitetheunion.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-steel
Community ballots for industrial action at Tata Steel (11 Apr) – Community is urging members to take a stand in support of the steel industry as we launches our ballot for industrial action at Tata Steel UK today. We are balloting members in response to Tata’s bad deal for steel, a proposal which would remove the UK’s virgin steelmaking capacity and result in the loss of thousands of steel jobs. The bulk of the job losses would be at Port Talbot and Llanwern, with further losses at Trostre and other downstream sites across the UK read more
NSSN Conference 2024 June 22nd Tories Out – fight for a Workers’ Manifesto
NSSN Conference 2024: Saturday 22nd June, 11am-4.30pm, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL Facebook event. Attendance fee – £8. You can pre-register here https://forms.gle/WjFYyvrn1BXSMJHg9. Email us for more info – [email protected]
This year’s NSSN Conference will be the last before the General Election. Trade unionists are rightly desperate to see the back of the Tories. Over the last 14 years, we’ve been on the receiving end of vicious austerity, pay cuts, the cost of living squeeze and continued attacks on our right to strike through ever more restrictive and undemocratic Tory anti-union laws. And the unions still have to be prepared to fight together if Sunak looks to implement his Minimum Service Levels (MSL) legislation before the election.
But this has also been a period when workers and their unions are increasingly showing that it’s possible to fight back and win. In March 2011, over 750,000 workers marched against the brutal cuts of Cameron, Clegg and Osborne, and that November, the N30 pensions strike saw up to 2 million public sector workers strike together. Over the last two years, we have seen the strike wave – the biggest sustained level of strikes for over 3 decades, with many workers taking action for the first time. Workers want the Tories out, but they also demand real change.
The NSSN has played our part in all the many strikes that have taken place. But in these disputes, we have also argued for policies to defend workers’ interests. This year’s NSSN Conference is an opportunity for union reps, members and activists to again share experiences about our struggles and disputes, but also to set out the programme that we need – a workers’ manifesto.
To repeal Sunak’s MSL and Cameron’s Trade Union Acts, and all the rest of the Tory anti-union laws, going back to Thatcher and Major. To re-nationalise Royal Mail, BT, the energy and utility companies and steel. To end privatisation in the NHS and our public services. For a real inflation-proof pay rise for workers, that protects our living standards. And there is much more to discuss and fight for. Come to NSSN Conference and join the discussion.
Fight the Tory attack on our #RightToStrike
About 5,000 trade unionists marched in Cheltenham on 27th January in opposition to the new Tory anti-union Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 (MSL), and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Thatcher’s banning of union rights at GCHQ in the town.
It was just days after the U-turn by the state-owned LNER train operating company that was reported to have signalled its intention to have used the MSL against ASLEF. The union had reacted to this threat by putting in 5 additional strike days. This apparent retreat was a defeat not only for LNER bosses but for Sunak’s Tory Government.
It showed that workers’ action can smash this vicious Tory attack on our right to strike.
It is now vital that the statement that was passed at the Special TUC Congress in December – setting out a campaign of defiance and non-compliance – is implemented and built upon:-
- We will develop practical solidarity plans for unions actively engaged in strategies of non-compliance.
- Support any worker subject to a work notice, including with support from across the trade union movement, if their employer disciplines them in any way.
- Ensure that where any affiliate is facing significant risk of sanctions because of this legislation, we convene an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee to consider options for providing practical, industrial, financial and/or political backing to that union.
- Call on all employers and public bodies with oversight to oppose this counterproductive legislation. Employers and public bodies from across the public sector and the country have already signalled their opposition to the Strikes Act. All employers and public bodies must reject it
- Refuse to tell our members to cross a picket line.
- Call an urgent demonstration in the event a work notice is deployed and a union or worker is sanctioned in relation to a work notice.
This is the basis for the fighting strategy that workers and unions need and now needs to be enacted.
FBU: Firefighters pressure employers not to implement new anti-union laws (18 Apr)
Defend The Right to Strike – Strike Map and the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom (CTUF) have launched a ‘write to your council campaign’ to seek their commitment to not issue work notices and defend the right to strike as key employers read more in the Morning Star
Stop the attack on Gaza
Many NSSN supporters have joined marches and protests against the escalation of violence in the Middle East, particularly the invasion and bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli government
See Stop the War website for info on protests. The national protest in London is on Saturday 27th April, assemble Parliament Square 12noon
A number of unions have issued statements on the situation in the Middle East, including: the TUC, FBU, RMT, NEU, Unite, Unison, PCS, ASLEF, TSSA, UCU, EIS, CWU, Equity, BMA, NUJ, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)
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
RMT rejects Network Rail pay offer (18 Apr) – RAIL UNION RMT has rejected a below-inflation 2024 pay offer from Network Rail of just 3.5 per cent today (Thursday April 18, 2024) at a time when MPs have handed themselves an uplift of 5.5 per cent. The company offered an increase of just 3.5 per cent, even though the benchmark measure of inflation used for negotiations is the November RPI figure which was 5.3 per cent. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that such double standards were unacceptable and an insult to hardworking Network Rail staff read more
RMT calls for action to save UK train manufacturing (16 Apr) – RAIL UNION RMT called an urgent summit today (April 16, 2024) to save train manufacturing jobs at Derby and blamed rail industry privatisation as being the root cause of the threat to UK train manufacturing. RMT, the largest rail union, called for an urgent summit of unions, the rail industry and the government to thrash out a plan to save the Alstom train manufacturing site in Derby, including the option of nationalisation. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that it was tragic that passengers and the climate were in desperate need of modern and reliable trains and skilled workers and capacity were ready to deliver that, but the government and rail industry had not been able to match up the demand and supply of new trains read more
CrossCountry trains strike suspended after progress (11 Apr) – RMT has suspended planned strike action on CrossCountry this Saturday, after management agreed to intensive talks to resolve the dispute. CrossCountry had refused to recognise RMT at all grades within the company. This is despite written evidence to the contrary. Now the company has agreed to sit down with RMT to address our concerns with no changes to agreements in this period read more
RFA members vote for industrial action over pay (9 Apr) – Seafarers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action over pay. RMT members working as civilian merchant seafarers onboard the fleet of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels which provide the Royal Navy with vital logistic and operational support including humanitarian operations around the world, have rejected a below inflation pay offer from management. RFA have implemented a one-year deal of 4.5% which was totally unacceptable to RMT members. Up to 500 RFA seafarers were balloted for strike action by RMT union, and we will now consider our next steps read more
Eurostar Rail Gourmet workers to take strike action over pay (6 Apr) – RMT members working for Rail Gourmet on the Eurostar contract will take strike action from 19-23 April in a dispute over pay. This follows a magnificent 95% yes vote in our strike ballot, which has given the union a mandate to pursue industrial action to win better pay for low paid members working within the continental rail service read more
Gateline workers to take strike action (15 Mar) – Contracted out gateline workers at Northern will take strike action on Saturday in a dispute over pay, union recognition and working conditions. RMT members working for Carlisle Support Services on the Northern contract will set up picket lines in Manchester, Leeds and Wigan. The strike action will start on Saturday at 12.01am and finish 11.59pm the same day. Among the demands of workers is the ending of zero hours contracts and the removal of the Timegate app which has failed to accurately calculate pay and leave allowance read more
RMT to launch strike ballot on Scotrail over DOO (13 Mar) – Scotrail workers will be balloted for strike action over Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains, RMT can reveal. Bosses at the Scottish government run train company have said Barrhead and East Kilbride routes can run services without a second member of staff at the discretion of the driver. Over a 100 hundred conductors who will be affected by Scotrail’s plans will be balloted read more
Bidvest Noonan cleaners begin 48 hour strike action (4 Mar) – RMT members working for Bidvest Noonan on Alstom NTL and TPE contracts will take strike action from Monday. The cleaners are taking action over pay and working conditions having rejected the latest offer from the company. Strikes will take place in Glasgow and Manchester. Following the conclusion of the strike, RMT members will take industrial action short of strike from Wednesday by not undertaking any biological hazard cleaning read more
Hitachi Rail strike spreads from East Coast to Great Western Mainline (17 Feb) – RMT members at Hitachi Rail will take 48 hours strike action at the end of the month over a pay dispute. Workers who maintain rolling stock and the signalling system will take the stoppages between Thursday 29 February and March 2. The depots that will be taking action are the London North Pole, Doncaster Train Maintenance and Bounds Green and Craigentinny Train Maintenance. Hundreds of workers will join the action which follows a referendum where Hitachi workers rejected a pay offer from the private company. Strike action will now be taking place on depots on the East Coast and West Coast mainlines read more
ASLEF
Train drivers at LNER to strike in row over terms and conditions – Rail services from London King’s Cross will be disrupted by the walkout on Saturday read more on Independent website
TSSA
TSSA – London Underground CSM strike to go ahead (8 Apr) – Strike action at London Underground by members working as Customer Service Managers will go ahead this week. Rail union TSSA has confirmed that strike action at London Underground by members working as Customer Service Managers will go ahead this week after the company failed to compromise in crunch talks. The walkouts will take place on Wednesday the 10th of April – between 00:01 and 23.59, and also Thursday 11th of April in respect of any members expected to commence shifts before 23:59 on Wednesday 10 April whose shifts run into Thursday 11 April. TSSA had been willing to reach a compromise and had engaged in talks with London Underground last week in good faith. However, London Underground failed to compromise and so the planned strikes, involving hundreds of key Station managers who run the Underground stations, will go ahead on 10 April. TSSA’s Customer Service Manager members – who are responsible for running stations – are extremely concerned about the company’s ‘Stations Changes’ proposals, with potential changes to their terms and conditions, job role and location read more
Easter weekend strikes at ScotRail (29 Mar) – Members of rail union TSSA will hold strike action at ScotRail over the Easter weekend in a long running dispute over on call working arrangements. The walkouts take place on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of March by Operations Team Manager (OTM) grades in the latest stage of a dispute going back to late 2021. Similar action took place last December. Since discussions were last held with ScotRail, including in person talks with TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, the company has offered no solution or means to end the dispute which is already having an impact on the network. As part of the dispute TSSA members have withdrawn from the ‘out of hours’ on call period – generally between 23:00 and 07:00 hrs. During this period ScotRail have no first line on call coverage. Earlier this month the safety implications of this situation were highlighted when the driver of an Aberdeen to Inverness train passed a red signal – and therefore had to immediately be relieved of duties while appropriate checks were carried out. With TSSA’s Driver Team Managers staff in dispute, passengers had to remain in the stationary vehicle for three hours until the driver was relieved. The union has now met Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, to urgently highlight concerns, stressing that ScotRail must act to stop this happening again read more
TSSA warns of ‘crippling’ industrial action at Transport for Wales (22 Mar) – Rail union TSSA is to ballot dozens of members in Fleet Management at Transport for Wales (TfW). TSSA warns of ‘crippling’ industrial action at Transport for Wales. Rail union TSSA is to ballot dozens of members in Fleet Management at Transport for Wales (TfW) for possible strike action and action short of a strike. The union is in dispute with the company over so-called ‘bolt-ons’ – additional payments which cover shift work. These have been awarded to other staff outside Fleet Management, and without them, managers would effectively miss out on the accruement of pensionable pay. The ballot will open on the 28th of March and conclude on the 18th of April. The union is warning that a walkout or work-to-rule would seriously hamper the ability of TfW to run trains across Wales. Fleet Management are responsible daily for signing off safety critical work across TfW read more
Looming industrial action at South Western Railway (15 Mar) – Rail union TSSA is warning South Western Railway (SWR) that potential industrial action, including a strike could be on the cards after the two sides have formally failed to agree in an escalating dispute over the imposition of changed working arrangements among Control staff. The union has now officially served a ‘Failure to Agree’ notice to SWR —the first stage of an official process that, without an agreement in the short term, could lead to industrial action by its Train Service Managers. This is despite the union’s efforts to engage in meaningful dialogue over several months and because the company has undermined TSSA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with SWR read more
Unite
Warning of empty shelves at Morrisons as Cheshire and Wakefield logistics workers could strike over pensions (18 Apr) – Hundreds of workers for the supermarket chain Morrisons could be heading to the picket line after their employer forced through changes to their pensions that will leave them worse off by around £500 a year. Approximately 1,000 Unite members working as warehouse stock controllers, cooks, canteen staff, and administrators are being balloted for strike action to protect their pensions and take home pay. Staff are based in warehouses in Cheshire and Wakefield and perform essential roles that ensure lorries are loaded and shelves are filled in the nearly 500 supermarkets and convenience stores run by Morrisons read more
Strikes advance at Lancashire’s ELE Advanced Technologies over pay dispute (17 Apr) – Workers at Lancashire’s ELE Advanced Technologies – who are members of the UK’s leading union, Unite – have voted overwhelmingly for strike action beginning on Wednesday 1 May after failing to reach an agreement regarding pay (video footage and voice note attached to release). Despite the company boasting it provides an “inspiring, supportive, and collaborative working environment for its employees”, ELE Advanced Technologies has refused to fairly increase its workers’ wages. The company has offered the workers a £1,000 pay increase (worth approximately four per cent) from May 2023 and five per cent from May 2024. This amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut, the real inflation rate (RPI) stood at 11.3 per cent in May last year. The 80 plus workers will begin strike action at 06:00 on Wednesday 1 May, with strike action continuing on 2 and 3 May. Further industrial action will be announced unless the company improves its pay offer read more
Birkenhead hospital workers on strike over pay and grading (17 Apr) – Healthcare workers at the Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral, Merseyside, are striking this week and next week over a failure to recognise their workplace responsibilities. Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, who work as recovery theatre practitioners, who care for patients recovering from serious operations, are not being paid appropriately by their employer, the Wirral University Hospital Trust. The vital healthcare workers are being paid a grade below the level of responsibility and duties they are providing. Workers have been left up to £8,000 out of pocket due to being wrongly graded…Having exhausted all avenues of negotiation with their employer, staff have been left with no option but to head to the picket line. The workers were on strike yesterday (16 April) and today (17 April). More strikes are scheduled for next week, 23 and 24 April read more
Tara Mines: Unite says Boliden must commit to long-term future following agreement (17 Apr) – Unions secure core pay for remaining workers, improved voluntary redundancy terms. Unite, which represents craft and staff grades at Tara Mines, today (Wednesday) said that the proposed agreement negotiated last night at the Workplace Relations Commission represents a significant improvement on the scheme proposed by Tara Mines owner Boliden in January. The union said that, if the agreement is accepted by a ballot of workers, the company must commit to the long-term future of Tara Mines read more
Glasgow 13th Note workers win tribunal over shock redundancies (16 Apr) – Unite members at the 13th Note venue in Glasgow have won their protective award claim against their former employer for failing to consult with staff before making them redundant last summer. The tribunal has ruled that the workers be paid remuneration for 90 days – the maximum protective award available. The sudden closure of the iconic music venue in July 2023 came just three days after workers took historic strike action, as the first group of bar workers to take formal industrial action in Scotland for over two decades read more
Unite announces Dounreay power station strike action (15 Apr) – Unite the union confirmed today (Monday 15 April) its 460-strong membership employed by Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (NRS) based at Dounreay power station will take strike action in a pay dispute. Unite’s members will take strike action on 1 and 2 May with more action scheduled for the 15 and 29 May. There will also be an overtime ban in place. The union had previously warned that strike action was ‘inevitable’ in the coming weeks, and it said NRS had a ‘final opportunity’ to resolve the dispute by making a revised pay offer to the workforce. The company has recently changed its trading name from Magnox Limited read more
Glenrothes based Bosch Rexroth workers in strike ballot over pay (15 Apr) – German owned firm makes ‘pitiful’ 1.25% offer. Unite has confirmed that around 240 members working at Bosch Rexroth in Glenrothes are being balloted on strike action over a massive real terms pay cut. The German-owned global tech and engineering giant proposed an offer of 1.25% which was overwhelmingly rejected by Unite’s membership. Bosch Rexroth engineer parts for the construction industry including gears and brakes, as well as parts for forklift trucks. The trade union will now hold a ballot on industrial which opens today (15 April) and closes on 30 April. If the ballot is successful, then strike action could start in May read more
Escalating London Sanctuary Housing strikes hit repairs for 10,000 homes (12 Apr) – Workers report using foodbanks while Sanctuary has over £5.6bn in assets. Fresh strikes by London Sanctuary Housing repair and maintenance workers will continue to hit repairs for around 10,000 homes around the capital, including hundreds in Hackney. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, began striking over pay and union recognition in February, with new strikes across April. The dispute is over a four per cent rise imposed in April 2023, when the real rate of inflation, RPI, was 11.4 per cent – meaning the workers received a significant pay cut in real terms. The dispute has been drawn out because Sanctuary Housing, which has assets of over £5.6 billion, a surplus of £101.3 million and a CEO on £400,000 a year, refuses to recognise unions. New workers are regularly joining the strikes because they are fed up with the association’s treatment of them, with some of the lowest paid reporting they rely on foodbanks…The Hackney-based workers carry out repair and maintenance work for thousands of homes around the capital, including nearby at the huge Gascoyne, Kingsmead and Morningside estates. Fresh strike action will take place on 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 26 April. They will impact hundreds of scheduled repair and maintenance jobs for Sanctuary Housing’s London stock read more. Contact the Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch to offer support or if you are a housing worker wanting to get organised [email protected]
Offshore chemists, heating and ventilation engineers resume strike action in escalating disputes (12 Apr) – Unite members in industrial action against IES Callenberg and SGS UK Limited over rotas and pay. Unite the union confirmed today (Friday 12 April) that around 60 members in the offshore sector including chemists, heating and ventilation engineers will resume strike action next week in escalating disputes over working rotas and pay. Unite’s IES Callenberg membership will take three-days of strike action starting on Monday (15 April) until the end of Wednesday (17 April), while chemists employed by SGS UK Limited will start week-long action on the same day but conclude their action on Sunday (21 April). The IES Callenberg dispute involves around 50 offshore workers who provide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services on offshore platforms operated by BP, TAQA, CNR, Repsol, Serica and CNOOC. The SGS UK Limited dispute exclusively centres on chemists servicing BP’s platforms the Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP and Glen Lyon read more
No food or drink on Gatwick easyJet and TUI flights as catering workers strike (12 Apr) – Dnata Catering’s double-dealing on shift allowances has led to pay cut for its workers. No food or drink will be available on any easyJet flight leaving Gatwick airport during strikes by catering contractors over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). The strikes by Dnata catering staff, which will also impact other airlines including TUI, are over the company’s unilateral removal of a shift allowance for all staff last April. The move has led to all Dnata’s workers receiving a pay cut of between £1,500 and £2,000 a worker. The Emirates Group-owned inflight catering firm is falsely claiming the workers’ union, Unite, agreed to the removal as part of a deal that saw the introduction of a night shift premium…Around 100 workers, including HGV drivers and warehouse workers, will strike from Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April, from Friday 3 May to Monday 6 May and from Friday 10 May to Monday 13 May. Strike action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Northern Ireland: Workers at Balcas Timber Ltd in Enniskillen to ballot for strike action in pay dispute (9 Apr) – Workers reject below inflation pay increase offered by company whose latest accounts reported a dramatic surge in profits.
Unite the union has today notified management at Balcas Timber Ltd, a wood-mill and Combined Heat Power plant employing approximately 280 at Killadeas, Co Fermanagh of its intent to conduct a strike ballot of the workforce. The strike ballot will open onTuesday 16 April and remain open for three weeks closing on Tuesday 7 May. The workforce are paid as little £10.68 an hour, which is only now being increased to £11.44 an hour to comply with national minimum wage legislation read more
Arriva strikes on hold as members balloted on new offer (3 Apr) – Strikes by Unite members at Arriva Northumbria have been suspended after the employer made a new offer, it was announced today (3 March). Strike action by drivers and engineers, unhappy at being the lowest-paid bus employees in the region, was due to begin on Sunday 7 April for one week. Members are being balloted on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 April this week and, regardless of the outcome, strikes the following week have been suspended. Should members accept the offer, all remaining action will also be cancelled. If the offer is rejected, remaining industrial action would resume on 21 April for one week with the possibility of additional dates read more
Strike success after Greenwich and Bromley library workers see sick pay increased by 20% (28 Mar) – Unite has secured an essential improvement for its members employed by Greenwich Leisure Limited following a day of industrial action on Tuesday 26 March. Following a 24-hour walk out, bolstered by a packed picket line outside Woolwich Library, GLL conceded on the first of Unite’s demands. The social enterprise has now agreed to increase sick pay by twenty per cent from April this year. This increment will apply to all GLL employees, including leisure workers across the United Kingdom. This amendment to workplace conditions has been achieved as a direct result of Unite’s campaign work read more. There is a further strike on Tuesday 30th April
Pathology services in London under threat as medical workers balloted over strike action (27 Mar) – Hundreds of pathologists in London are being balloted over strike action after their employer, Synnovis, imposed an unwanted and damaging restructure that puts jobs at risk and severely downgrades working conditions. Synnovis, which is part of SynLab, has a 15 year contract to run the outsourced pathology services for the 6 Hospitals (Guys, St Thomas, Kings College, Princess Royal University Hospital, Royal Brompton & Harefield) across 2 trusts (Kings College NHS Foundation Trust, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust). Synnovis has heavily invested in a new Hub at Blackfriars and plans to migrate the majority of it’s staff there, leaving only skeletal essential services at each of the hospitals. Pathologists were previously employed directly by the NHS but were outsourced and are now working for a private company. This is a stark example of NHS privatisation driving down pay and conditions for workers and leading to serious concerns over patient safety. Over 350 members of Unite are deeply unhappy and concerned over such a move. Job cuts will lead to a deterioration of pathology services across London and a loss of jobs as staff leave due to poor working conditions read more
Unite to protest at Good Morning Britain over NHS pay (14 Mar) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is to lobby at the Good Morning Britain studios on Friday (15 March) as part of its campaign for its members at Barts NHS Trust, over withheld payments. The protests are part of the escalation campaign on behalf of the union’s members at Barts. The chair of Barts, the former home secretary Jacqui Smith, is a regular contributor to the programme. Unite members working as porters, cleaners and facilities staff at the largest NHS trust in the UK, are fighting for a lump-sum payment owed to them. Last year the government awarded a lump sum payment of at least £1,600 to the majority of NHS workers who worked during the Covid pandemic. However, Unite’s members at Barts have been denied the payment. They were employed by the outsourcing company Serco during the Covid pandemic before transferring back into the NHS, just after the imposed deadline for staff to receive the payment. Barts bosses have rejected their demands to receive the payment and have refused to ask the treasury for additional funding to cover the payment read more
Croydon Tramlink strikes suspended after TfL agrees to meaningful talks (22 Mar) – Strikes by Croydon Tramlink engineers have been suspended after Transport for London (TfL) agreed to engage in meaningful talks over pay disparities with Unite, the UK’s leading union. Five days of strikes scheduled to begin this Sunday (March 24) have been suspended. If the talks do not result in an offer that meets the engineers’ expectations, strike action will take place from 5 May to 9 May and 11 July to 15 July read more
New Holland tractor shortages if Basildon CNH workers strike (19 Mar) – 500 workers balloted for strike over broken pay agreement. Around 500 workers employed by CNH Industrial at its New Holland tractor factory in Basildon are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). Strike action would severely compromise the supply of New Holland tractors, which are shipped across the world. The workers are angry that the company has reneged on an agreement struck during 2022 stating pay increases would be calculated by the average rate of inflation over the year. CNH is instead offering four per cent for 2024, rather than the 7.4 per cent it should be under the original agreement. For 2025, the company is offering the rate of inflation as of December 2024. Last month, CNH announced revenues of $24.7 billion for 2023 and a pre-tax earnings of more than $2.38 billion read more
Northern Ireland public transport trade unions agree to re-enter discussions with Translink management (15 Mar) – Joint Trade union release: The three public transport trade unions, UNITE, GMB and SIPTU, have agreed to re-enter discussions with Translink’s management with the aim of achieving a resolution to the ongoing pay dispute over the 2023-24 pay offer. Members of all three trade unions voted last week voted decisively to reject the previous pay offer, which was considered to be inadequate. The unions agreed this approach following discussions with reps and officials. The three trade unions have agreed to not make any further public comments on the dispute ahead of the conclusion of talks read more
Security guards escalate strikes at London’s Guys and St Thomas’ hospital (15 Mar) – Security workers at London’s Guys and St Thomas’ hospital will take fresh industrial action after the trust declined to pay them a wage increase worth £2,000, which equals just 0.96 pence per hour. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said its members will walk out for seven days from 07:00 on Monday 18 March. As a result, safety could be compromised as the officers play a crucial role in protecting staff and patients across two hospitals in South London: St Thomas’ Hospital and Guys Hospital…The latest wave of strikes follows two previous days of industrial action which took place because the security guards are amongst the lowest paid at the hospital. The workers are also paid less than their counterparts at hospitals across London, such as Kings’ College Hospital, where a security officers’ salary starts at £30,000 per annum read more
M25 strike chaos on as Balfour Beatty told to share massive profits (13 Mar) – Vital M25 maintenance workers strike as Balfour Beatty announces £10bn revenues. Around 150 M25 maintenance workers employed by Balfour Beatty have voted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The workers, who provide vital maintenance for the entire M25, are angry at Balfour Beatty’s meagre pay offer of 3.4 per cent. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 4.9 per cent this is a real terms pay cut. Increasing tensions, is the fact that the workers also received a below inflation pay rise last year. Today, Balfour Beatty announced that its revenues for 2023 have increased by seven per cent to £9.6 billion, while underlying profits from operations rose by two per cent to £236 million…The workers operate from depots based at Barnet, Uxbridge, Swanley, Epping and Dartford and strike action will cause serious disruption to journey times. Dates for industrial action will be announced in the coming days read more
Cambridge University revealed to have £6 billion as workers languish on poverty-level wages (11 Mar) – In depth research from Unite, the UK’s leading trade union, has uncovered that Cambridge University is sitting on over £6 billion of cash and investments while trying to maintain it can’t afford to help its lowest paid workers. The revelations coincide with fresh strike action by university workers. Cleaners, librarians, museum workers and many other staff at the university have been in a long-running pay dispute over the failure of the institution to acknowledge the cost of housing in Cambridge as well as the wider inflationary pressure on its lowest paid workers. Some are being paid less than £23,000 per year yet live and work in one of the most expensive parts of the country. Unite has compiled a financial report that shows that Cambridge University is in rude financial health read more
Striking Drax canteen workers escalate dispute on International Women’s Day (8 Mar) – Female strikers say: “Our message on International Women’s Day is – We are fighting back, and we will win.” On International Women’s Day, striking Drax canteen workers, who are predominantly female, have escalated their industrial dispute over fair pay. The workers, who have been striking since early December in a dispute with their employer Baxter Storey and Drax’s management, announced today that they have voted to extend their strike action mandate. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The women at Drax are an inspiration and demonstrate the exact qualities that International Women’s Day celebrates: Empowered women effecting change to better their own lives and those of others. They have the full backing of Unite behind them as they strike for a fair pay rise.” Unite rep at the Drax canteen, Diane Power, said: “On International Women’s Day, we remember women who stood up against the status quo and created meaningful change. Today is particularly important for those of us who are striking at Drax because we are doing just that in our own workplace… Fresh strike dates will be announced in the coming days read more
Biomedical scientists in Merseyside to strike over pay dispute (6 Mar) – Highly skilled scientists working in the microbiology department at a Merseyside hospital are to take substantial industrial action over pay, Unite announced today (6 March 2024). The workers, who are members of Unite the UK’s leading union, based at the Whiston Hospital on Merseyside are to take 36 days of strike action between March and June (see notes to editors), beginning with three days from 14 March. The workers, who covered all Covid testing for the region, have been informed they do not qualify for the essential services payment worth £4,000. The workers, employed by the Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, are taking unprecedented action due to the failure of the trust to pay the scientists in the microbiology team the same £4,000 payment that other members of the pathology department have received read more
DHL exposed of inflicting brutal pay cuts on East Midlands airport workers while company plans 20 billion takeover (28 Feb) – Union preparing to take campaign to German headquarters. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has revealed that its members who are employed by DHL at East Midlands Airport and are currently in a longstanding pay dispute, have suffered a brutal real terms pay cut of over six per cent since 2020. The workers who are responsible for bringing critical medical supplies as well as other cargo into the UK, worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. They played a crucial role in bringing lifesaving drugs and equipment into the UK despite not being issued the required PPE. Despite their dedication DHL has now been exposed of systemically reducing their pay in real terms. The workers, many of whom are paid less than £11 an hour, began an extended pay dispute last month and are set to take 24 days of industrial action during February and March. Speaking to the striking DHL workers during a picket line visit at East Midlands airport today (28 February), Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We will not sit back and watch your employer DHL make millions and refuse to give you a decent pay rise…” read more
Vital Derby rail maintenance workers to strike over failure to make pay offer (26 Feb) – Safety critical workers responsible for maintaining and preparing trains across the East Midlands are to begin strike action next month after their employer failed to make any form of a pay offer, Unite announced today (26 February). Around 70 Unite members at Alstom Engineering based in Derby are taking strike action on four days beginning on Wednesday 6 March. The workers are responsible for service and preparation of trains and carriages, fault finding and logging of incidents online and general problems with the fleet for East Midlands Rail and industrial action is likely to create a shortage of available rolling stock. Alstom has failed to make any pay offer despite the pay anniversary being 1 December with the real rate of inflation (RPI) running at above five per cent at the time adding to a cost-of-living crisis… Initial strike dates are set for 6, 7, 10 and 11 March but further dates are likely to be announced if Alstom fails to return to the negotiating table with an offer read more
Abellio London bus controllers to take further strike action (26 Feb) – Bus company staff in London are to escalate strike action next month after their employer failed to make an improved pay offer, Unite confirmed today (26 February 2024). Around 40 staff who work in the control rooms for Abellio buses (to be known as Transport UK from 2 March) and who control the bus routes, instruct drivers on traffic jams or accidents and ensure overall safety on the routes are to take a further 9 days of action beginning on 7 March… Controllers, managers and supervisors based at both Battersea bus garage and Twickenham bus garage are staging walkouts on the following dates: 7, 8, 9, 17, 19, 22, 27, 28 and 29 March read more
Health visitors in Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board to take historic industrial action over unsustainable workloads (21 Feb) – Unite the union has today (21 February) announced its health visitor members at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board will take industrial action. The health visitors at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board (CTM), have had their request for accurate job descriptions denied on multiple occasions and are faced with increasing and unsustainable demands for their specialist knowledge and expertise. The service is struggling under a tsunami of demands post-Covid alongside the impact of the ongoing economic crisis on families. The 67 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union recorded a 100 per cent yes vote in favour of industrial action. This action short of a strike, includes no unpaid overtime, no statistical reporting for the Welsh government and no covering for vacant caseloads. Action will begin on 26th February and continue until late July. This is the first time health visitors have taken industrial action as a distinct group of workers in Wales read more
Strike action at Newtownards factory to severely impact Lakeland dairies profits (19 Feb) – Workers determined to defend £1 pay an hour differential between skilled grades and bare legal minimum. Strike will bring production to a standstill. Unite the union members working at LE Pritchitt & Co Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lakeland Dairies, which operates the company’s Global Logistics Centre in Newtownards will take a first week of strike action (beginning on Wednesday 21 February) in a mounting pay dispute. Negotiations ended last week without agreement after management refused to provide an increase which maintained a £1 an hour pay differential with the minimum wage for fully trained production operators read more
Strikes by hundreds of Ford white collar workers on cards (14 Feb) – Attend Acas talks or face industrial action proceedings Ford told. Ford is facing the prospect of strikes across its UK sites by salaried and managerial staff, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The company has been told it must attend negotiations with the conciliation service Acas or Unite will begin preparing to ballot its members for industrial action. Offers put forward by Ford for over 3,000 salaried staff and managers have been rejected by over 90 per cent by both sets of workers. The offer for many of the salaried staff is an unconsolidated one-off payment of five per cent of their salary for 2024, meaning their actual wages will not increase this year. Management grades, who have recently organised and achieved union recognition, have been offered a performance related bonus payment, which provides no guarantee of a cost-of-living increase. In addition, the company has proposed changes to the current absence processes, despite acknowledging there is no issue with staff attendance read more
Gloucestershire Lucozade workers to strike over pay (2 Feb) – Over 180 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Suntory Beverage & Food in Coleford, Gloucestershire, will begin a week of strike action on Monday 5 February after management failed to address the cost-of-living crisis. Workers received a two year pay deal effective from April 1 2022, with a commitment from the employer to review the second year’s increase, should inflation exceed five per cent between January to June 2023. The inflation rate far exceeded this but the one-billion-pound Suntory Beverage & Food, which produces household name drinks including Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport and Ribena, has not met expectations in relation to this commitment read more
CWU
Save Enniskillen EE (ex-BT) site – The EE Enniskillen call centre is a lifeline for our community. It’s closure threatens over 300 jobs, eroding the heart of our local economy. This is a community crisis. Local businesses, public services, and the Fermanagh economy stand on the brink of a devastating blow
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]
PCS National ballot opens today (18 Mar) – The postal ballot opens today (18) and runs until 13 May, asking members if they are prepared to take strike action over our national campaign demands. Opening today, 18 March. the postal ballot will run until 13 May, after which the national executive committee will meet to consider the next steps in our national campaign. It is vital that all PCS members take part to ensure we beat the 50% threshold for strike action read more
Court of Appeal judgment on pensions (17 Apr) – The Court Of Appeal has delivered a disappointing judgment today, rejecting the appeal by PCS and other unions against the UK Government’s meddling with the pension cost control arrangements. This has denied members the reductions of pension contributions, which they were due from 2019, amounting to more than £1,000 in most cases. PCS and the other unions involved in this legal case will now be considering the next steps we can take in conjunction with our lawyers read more
Heathrow dispute – strike action called (16 Apr) – Hundreds of PCS members working at Heathrow airport will strike for 4 days from 29 April in response to the Home Office imposing a new roster that would see around 250 members forced out of their role on passport control. The 4-day strike will be followed by a work to rule up to 18 May. Following PCS suspension of planned strike action last week, the Home Office has agreed to further talks. These talks begin this week. However, we have served a new notice of strike action so that if those talks do not bring a satisfactory resolution to our current dispute, we are in a position to take industrial action read more
More strike dates announced at National Museums Liverpool (12 Apr) – The museum and gallery staff will walk out for a further 30 days in their dispute over the unpaid cost-of-living payment. PCS members employed at the seven museum and gallery sites across Merseyside are coming to the end of a period of 56 days of strike action, which started on 17 February. National Museums Liverpool (NML) is the only employer out of over 200 covered by the civil service pay remit guidance to withhold the £1,500 cost-of-living payment. The eight weeks of strike action taken so far have led to widespread museum and gallery closures affecting the Museum of Liverpool, the World Museum, the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum, as well as the Walker Art Gallery, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Although there has been some progress in negotiations, an acceptable settlement has not yet been reached, and the members have voted to take further action to increase the pressure on the employer. PCS negotiators are optimistic that NML will act to end this long running dispute by making a decent offer to its staff who are amongst the lowest paid workers in the country. The members will walk out again on eleven weekends and half term week, from May until July. The dates in full are: 4, 5 and 6 May, 11 and 12 May, 18 and 19 May, 25 May to 2 June, 8 and 9 June, 15 and 16 June, 22 and 23 June, 29 and 30 June, 6 and 7 July, 13 and 14 July and 20 and 21 July. The strike action coincides with the planned opening of new exhibitions at World Museum and at the Walker Art Gallery, as well as the busy half term and spring/summer period read more
PCS rep in Newcastle sacked by HMRC (5 Apr) – Gordon Askew was sacked by HMRC on grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse following strike action taken by the branch. HMRC management at Benton Park View in Newcastle have sacked Gordon Askew, a member of the branch executive committee, on the grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse. PCS members at Benton Park View, alongside HMRC East Kilbride, took part in targeted strike action last year, as well as their members taking part in the three national days of strike action. Following the strike action, the department launched an investigation into two Newcastle-based representatives. The charge against Gordon was a ‘potential’ breach of the department’s IT policy; arising from a Microsoft Teams message sent to a number of PCS members, relating to strike action. The department’s decision maker claimed that Microsoft Teams had been used “without a legitimate business reason”. A second rep is on a similar charge. We understand the decision maker said that they had considered a lesser penalty, but had decided to sack the rep because he didn’t appear to be sorry enough for what he had done. This was despite him having nearly thirty years of spotless service to the department. PCS is discussing next steps with our Legal Department read more
ONS members vote for strike action over mandatory return to the office (4 Apr) – The new policy has been imposed on staff, when previously there had been no requirement to spend a specific amount of time in offices, following the move to home and hybrid-working. PCS members in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action over their management’s insistence that staff be physically present in the workplace for at least 40% of their working time read more
G4S in DWP members meeting (26 Apr) – GMB union is balloting G4S members working on the DWP contract in response to the imposition of an unacceptable pay offer. PCS will hold a G4S members’ meeting on 3 April read more
PCS fighting Imperial War Museum derecognition threat (22 Mar) – PCS is campaigning against the threat of being derecognised as an official union with negotiating rights at the Imperial War Museum, which has 5 sites in England and Northern Ireland. On 6 March, Imperial War Museum Director Francoise Harris wrote to PCS, FDA and Prospect unions confirming that they wish to derecognise PCS and FDA and move forward with only one union – Prospect. Essentially, derecognising PCS constitutes a direct attack on IWM workers’ rights, job security, economic equality, workplace protections, solidarity, and democratic principles. PCS does not accept derecognition and are launching a campaign to maintain recognition at IWM read more
Pensions Regulator strike suspended (13 Mar) – The strike action has been suspended as a result of TPR agreeing to enter into meaningful negotiations with PCS. The strike action which was due to restart today and continue into next week has been suspended as a result of TPR agreeing to enter into meaningful negotiations with PCS over the proposals we have made to end the dispute. Importantly TPR has agreed with the key proposal that they commit to securing the funding for the full percentage pay increase to the overall pay pot suggested by the 2024/25 Treasury Pay Remit Guidance. The have stated that they are already engaging with DWP on the pay strategy for the year ahead. They have also committed to submitting a pay flexibility case for the Pay Remit Guidance in 2024/25 which will guarantee additional money to the basic pay remit pot. TPR have also agreed “to engage in meaningful consultation, on matters relating to TPR’s employee value proposition, including reward, annual leave entitlement and the pay and terms and conditions of staff TUPE transferred to TPR.“ The agreement from TPR management is as a result of PCS members taking over 50 days of strike action since 2023. We have reminded TPR that we still have a mandate for strike action until 8 May and that a failure to progress the issues in good faith and time will result in further strike action. TPR members remain in the PCS national campaign and will be participating in the ballot due to start on Monday 18 March read more
Sign our petition for members in Hinduja Global Solutions to keep their jobs (12 Mar) – Members in HGS in Liverpool have been told they will need to relocate 40 miles to keep their jobs. In November 2023 Hinduja Global Solutions announced a significant restructure on the Disclosure and Barring Service contract, which they planned to take effect from 1 April 2024. Staff were told that the restructure was a direct result of the new contract for services between HGS and DBS. The impact on PCS members in Liverpool has been damaging because the changes mean a 41% reduction in headcount (later reduced to a 26% cut) and withdrawal of all staff from the Tithebarn Street office, meaning HGS would no longer have a presence in the city read more
Prospect
Prospect members at Dounreay to take industrial action for first time in a generation (15 Apr) – Prospect members at Dounreay have voted to take industrial action over pay, starting with two days of strike action on May 1st and May 2nd followed by a work to rule read more
Prospect ballots members at Defence Equipment & Support on strike action (16 Feb) – Prospect union is balloting its members at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), a Ministry of Defence (MoD) agency, on industrial action. The ballot comes after the employer failed to meet the union’s pay claim and imposed an unagreed pay offer for 2023/2024. Under the imposed pay offer, the majority of DE&S employees will receive a consolidated pay increase of 3.25% or less. Prospect is recommending that members vote yes to both strike action and action short of strike (ASOS) read more
Prospect moves to strike action over pay at AWE (10 Jan) – Prospect members at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) are moving to strike action after two months of action short of a strike have failed to produce any meaningful movement from the company read more
GMB
Amazon workers will decide on union recognition (19 Apr) – Amazon workers are one step closer to Europe’s first recognised union at the retail giant. GMB Union has today announced that the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), the Government body responsible for regulating collective bargaining between workers and employers, has ruled in favour of GMB’s application for a union recognition vote at the company’s Coventry Warehouse read more
Asda Lowestoft workers announce strike dates (18 Apr) – Asda workers Lowestoft have announced the dates they will strike. Almost 200 workers are set to down tools for 48 hours from 00:01 on Friday 10 May until 23.59 on Saturday 11 May read more
Stonegate pubs collapse ‘dire warning’ for Asda (17 Apr) – The potential collapse of Stonegate pubs raises huge questions over the future of Asda supermarket, GMB has warned MPs. The pub chain, owned by TDR Capital, has been forced to issue a profit warning as it struggles to refinance its debts. Private equity firm TDR – which also owns Asda – previously told a parliamentary committee it was ‘very confident they would be able to refinance the debt’. Yet as of September 2023 – months before the committee hearing – Stonegate’s accounts showed there were ‘material uncertainty’ over the refinancing plans. In a letter to Liam Byrne MP, Chair of the Business and Trade Committee, GMB says TDR was not up front in answers to Parliament and asks him to recall TDR back in front of the committee. Stonegate’s collapse would put 4,400 pubs and thousands of jobs at risk as well as raising serious concerns for the future of Asda, employer of more than 150,000 people read more
Brighton Asda superstore workers vote to strike (16 Apr) – Workers at an Asda store in Brighton have become the latest to vote for strike action. The ballot, which closed this afternoon [Friday 12 April], was in favour of industrial action at Brighton Hollingbury superstore. The dispute centres around a number of concerns raised by members in the store, including Health & Safety issues and management bullying. GMB members have previously taken strike action in Asda stores in Gosport in Hampshire and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. The Asda strike committee will meet early next week to decide on next steps read more
Underpaid Asda workers deserve apology (16 Apr) – Mohsin Issa needs to apologise and fix the payroll errors at Asda, GMB has said. Issa has been running Asda and has been leading on the change to new payroll and IT systems – leaving the previous Walmart service. This new system has left thousands of retail and distribution workers underpaid. Thousands are still waiting to have the errors rectified, and have yet to receive an apology. These wage errors come as Asda workers are advised by bosses on how to economise read more
Wisbech Asda workers in two day Easter strike (28 Mar) – Asda Wisbech workers will strike this Easter weekend on one of the supermarket’s busiest periods. Around 170 Wisbech Asda workers will walk out from 00:01 to 23:59 on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 March – Easter weekend. The strike has been caused by cuts to hours and an increase in a bullying management culture. Workers are also angry about poor levels of training and support for their job roles, the equal pay claim dragging on for years, health, safety and fire safety issues being ignored and a lack of collective bargaining with GMB Union read more
Cumberland Urgent Care Team in two week strike (16 Apr) – Approved Mental Health Social workers in the Urgent Care Team will walk out from 9am on April 24, 2024 until 9am May 8, 2024. This will be the third time Cumberland’s carers have walked out in their fight for a fair job evaluation. More than 2,500 members of the public has signed a petition backing the Urgent Care Team’s campaign. [1] The Urgent Care Team is on the front line of mental health care– on call across Cumbria 24 hours a day and making on the spot decisions on whether immediate detention is necessary. In July 2022, these dedicated professionals submitted an application for a regrading of their role, believing it was incorrectly evaluated. Cumberland Council denied their request read more
South Western Ambulance Workers balloted over ‘dangerous’ breaks (16 Apr) – South Western Ambulance Trust (SWAST) workers are set to be balloted over a break policy which could be dangerous. Workers are forced to take their break wherever the nearest, often overcrowded, depot is and have been advised to carry their food in their cabs. The union has health and safety concerns over the new policy – including the risk of food poisoning due to a lack of chilled storage and loose food and drink containers posing a risk when travelling at speed responding to an emergency. GMB, the union for ambulance workers, has told SWAST some staff with reasonable adjustments prescribed by occupational health must be exempt from the policy – but management has so far refused to hear grievances. The ballot is due to close on 17 May 2024 and could see members balloted formally for strike action read more
Mersey Care ‘ghosts’ workers fired without redundancy pay (16 Apr) – GMB Trade Union – Mersey Care ‘ghosts’ workers fired without redundancy pay. 50 workers have been fired without redundancy pay by Mersey Care NHS trust. Staff were fired after they could not commit to an 80-mile commute, following a site closure. Other workers have been offered unsuitable roles in a local trust but can’t accept them due to family and caring responsibilities. The workers have not received their P45 forms – affecting their ability to claim benefit support or find new jobs read more
Ambulance workers to strike in South London and Surrey (16 Apr) – Ambulance care assistants employed by Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust have voted overwhelmingly to strike. Members of GMB, the union for NHS and ambulance workers, have voted almost 94 per cent in favour of taking action on a turnout of nearly 80 per cent. The dispute centres around backpay owed on the London Living Wage, with members owed up to £1300 in wages. A strike committee has been formed, with strike dates to be set over the coming weeks read more
Wiltshire Council CEO leaves (16 Apr) – Terence Herbert has announced his departure to take on a new role as Chief Executive of Surrey Council
Bristol Employment Tribunal has ruled an email sent by council Chief Executive Terence Herbert broke industrial relations law back in November 2022 read more
Tribunal rules Wiltshire Council ‘broke law’ in industrial dispute (3 Apr) – Wiltshire Council has been brought into disrepute by actions of Chief Executive Terence Herbert, claims GMB. GMB, the union for Wiltshire Council staff, welcomes the judgement from Bristol Employment Tribunal issued on 27 March 2024 that an email sent by council Chief Executive Terence Herbert broke industrial relations law back in November 2022. The unlawful act was an email seeking to deter GMB members who are traffic wardens from voting for industrial action over a proposed pay cut. The vote was part of a long-running dispute in which Wiltshire Council is seeking to reduce key worker pay by removing contractual out-of-hours pay enhancements read more
Wiltshire Social Workers announce 3 months of strike action (29 Jan)
Birmingham Amazon workers join strike action (27 Mar) – Workers are escalating their campaign for £15 and union recognition at the online retail giant’s Birmingham warehouse. Workers at Amazon’s new flagship HQ in Birmingham, a £500 million site that only opened its doors in October, will down tools this week in an escalation of the ongoing strike action hitting the company. The strike dates come as GMB members at the company submit their application for mandatory recognition to the Government’s Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). Last week workers at the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre walked out, making March the biggest month of strike action in company history read more
Hundreds of gas emergency workers to strike (26 Mar) – Hundreds of gas emergency workers are set to strike across Yorkshire. A majority of 99.5% per cent of workers at Northern Gas Network (NGN) voted to take industrial action on a 97 per cent turnout. Workers are angry after the company failed to implement necessary improvements to terms and conditions and safety changes. GMB has been raising concerns over working practices for a number of years. Concerns include engineers being forced to work excessive hours and a culture of workplace bullying. These concerns were so serious that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stepped in and ordered NGN and other gas distribution companies to limit shift length to a maximum of twelve hours. GMB are concerned for both public and worker safety. GMB representatives have been negotiating with NGN to address the shift length alongside other terms and conditions, but due to NGN’s failure to respond in a timely manner workers took the decision to ballot. The industrial action could potentially take place in the spring read more
Swindon social workers to strike again (19 Mar) – Social workers for Swindon Borough Council will be taking their third day of strike action tomorrow. GMB, the union for social workers, had paused strike action for two weeks to give the council the opportunity to engage in meaningful talks in the ongoing dispute over pay. The council has now confirmed that they are unwilling to engage in talks with GMB to resolve the strike and as such the strike action will recommence from Tuesday [19 March] morning read more
Northern Ireland transport unions re-enter Translink talks (15 Mar) – Unions have issued the following joint statement: “Northern Ireland’s transport unions – GMB, SIPTU and Unite, have agreed to re-enter discussions with Translink management…” read more
Thirty five Birmingham schools facing strike threat (8 Mar) – Council bosses must act urgently to avoid springtime school strikes. GMB Union has today announced the names of thirty-five Birmingham Schools that will begin a formal strike vote next week. The ballot comes after the union accused Birmingham City Council on delay in resolving the equal pay crisis impacting city workers. Nearly ninety per cent of Birmingham workers backed strike action in a council wide consultative ballot earlier this month, with further waves of formal strike ballots expected to be announced read more
Merthyr Tydfil faces library and leisure strikes (29 Feb) – GMB members at Merthyr Leisure Trust voted unanimously for industrial action. Leisure services across the town will be affect, including the beleaguered Rhydycar leisure centre which could see yet another delay for the re-opening of the £6 million swimming pool. Workers are owed a pay uplift in line with local government staff, following a decade old promise. The trusts failure to honour the commitment of around £1 an hour to staff has led to staff striking for owed pay. In a further twist on Tuesday evening, the council announced plans on its Facebook page to offload the leisure trust to a private provider without any consultation read more
NI education faces ‘further industrial action’ (21 Feb) – GMB Union has warned of further industrial action among school workers in Northern Ireland. The union, which represents more than 3,000classroom assistants, kitchen staff, bus drivers, cleaners, admin workers and others, met with Education Minister Paul Givan at Stormont today [Tuesday]. Mr Givan made it clear that within the current public sector pay budget of £684 million there was nothing to address the pay and grading review for school staff, which has been ongoing since 2018. GMB will now go back to members, with a view to taking further industrial action read more
Wiltshire Traffic Wardens Balloted For Further Strike Action To Mark Second Anniversary of GMB’s Longest Running Dispute (13 Feb) – GMB, the union for Wiltshire Council, has called a further strike ballot of traffic wardens opposing the removal of a 10% unsocial hours allowance, that would see each of them lose about £180 per month in take home pay. Social workers who provide the out of hours service are already planning a three-day strike, starting Friday 16th February, over a loss of a 20% allowance that will see them each lose from £500 to £750 per month read more
Brighton Refuse Workers Call For Meaningful Talks To Avoid Escalation Over ‘Service Delivery Issues’ (12 Feb) – Hard-working GMB members at City Clean are frustrated by management not dealing with issues. Brighton refuse workers have called for scheduled talks with the council over a series of service delivery issues affecting residents’ bin collections to be meaningful. A consultative ballot of GMB’s 119 members at the City Clean depot saw 95 per cent in favour of being balloted for industrial action over the changes 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
Stop the Council Cuts – Sign the petition: Save our Services – Nottingham City – started by Nottingham City Unison
Supreme Court judgment stops bad bosses from punishing striking workers (17 Apr) – UNISON’s legal case makes clear employers must not discipline staff for striking. Judges have told employers they’ll no longer be able to discipline their staff for taking part in legal strike action in a UK Supreme Court ruling today (Wednesday), says UNISON. The union, which took the case on behalf of care worker Fiona Mercer, says the government must now act quickly to change the law and ensure no other employees are treated unfairly. Today’s judgment follows a two-day hearing in December. UNISON took the case to the Supreme Court to overturn an earlier Court of Appeal decision. The union had argued this had left the UK in breach of international law and striking employees without proper protection read more
Support Barnet UNISON Mental Health social worker strike – Strike preparations commence for 15 April – Barnet UNISON Mental Health strikers are due to start the next phase of strike action on Monday 15 April. Our strikers have already taken 27 days of strike action and by the end of this next phase they will have taken 72 days of strike which equates to 1,305 lost working days or 13.050 lost contacts with Mental Health service users. We have had two meetings with Acas where we have established that Barnet Council have confirmed that they do have twice the funding they would need to settle this dispute. It is now clear that thus dispute is not about the money and as each day that goes by it feels like this is an attempt by senior officers to break UNISON read more
The strike timetable:-
- From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks).
- From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
- From 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).
Our members are 100% behind UNISONs negotiating team and remain hopeful that a positive resolution can be secured to avoid any further strike action read more Send messages of support to [email protected]
Bedfordshire NHS hospital staff in 48-hour strike over pay (11 Mar) – Staff across two Bedfordshire hospitals say they are being asked to perform medical tasks above their pay grade, such as inserting cannulas. Hundreds of NHS emergency hospital staff are expected to take part in strike action in a dispute over pay and rebanding of roles. Some 400 workers at the Bedford and Luton & Dunstable hospitals will walk out for 48 hours from 07:30 GMT. The union Unison said healthcare assistants were being asked to carry out clinical tasks without extra pay read more on BBC website. Unison: ‘Ripped off’ Bedfordshire NHS staff vote on strike action
NHS staff across Teesside announce strike date in pay dispute, says UNISON (27 Feb) – Around 1,000 healthcare assistants at North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will take strike action next month in a dispute over pay… Staff at the trusts’ seven sites* will walk out for 24 hours from 7am on Monday 11 March as part of their campaign to be paid on a higher wage band which accurately reflects the work they have been doing read more
Yoga instructors pose a strike problem for unbending council (16 Feb) – Together with colleagues teaching Pilates and aerobics, the instructors backed industrial action as Colchester City Council remains stubborn on pay. Yoga, Pilates and aerobics instructors employed by Colchester City Council are to take strike action later this month after nearly a decade without a pay rise, UNISON announced today. The fitness instructors will walk out for seven days from Wednesday 28 February until Tuesday 5 March read more
NIPSA
Education trade unions preparing for industrial action (18 Apr) – Today trade unions met with the Minister for Education, Paul Givan, to discuss the Pay and Grading Review for support staff who work in education. Following the meeting, the trade unions have agreed to commence preparations for further industrial action. Please see the attached joint statement from the unions for further information read more
Royal College of Nursing
RCN members vote to reject pay offer for nursing staff in Northern Ireland (22 Mar) – The results of the RCN’s consultation on the HSC pay offer for nursing staff in Northern Ireland have been announced 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
CSP urges members to respond to consultation on HCPC fee increase (16 Apr) – The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has launched a consultation on a proposed fee rise of £6.98 to their annual registration fee, as well as a rise in other related charges read more
SOR
Scottish NHS pay deal still awaiting government sign-off (5 Feb) – Agenda for Change trade unions and professional bodies reached agreement with government early last year, but delays continue read more
BMA
Donate to support striking junior doctors
Doctors to enter pay negotiations with the Welsh Government (9 Apr) – BMA Cymru Wales has suspended forthcoming industrial action for Consultants and SAS doctors following a constructive meeting with the Welsh government to resolve its pay disputes. As a result of sustained pressure, including three rounds of industrial action by junior doctors in Wales, the Welsh Government has made a significant proposal to form the basis of talks to end the pay disputes with all secondary care doctors including Consultants, SAS and Junior doctors. Since the meeting last week, the committees representing doctors from all three branches of practice have voted to enter pay negotiations based on this proposal. The planned 48-hour strike by Consultants and SAS doctors due to take place from 16th April will now be suspended. Junior doctors have paused plans to announce more strike dates whilst they enter negotiations with the Welsh Government. The Welsh junior doctors committee, Welsh SAS committee and Welsh consultants committee will now each engage in pay negotiations, with the aim of reaching deals which can be taken separately to their respective members read more
Junior doctors in England urge Health Secretary to come forward with new offer as they vote for six more months of industrial action (20 Mar) – Junior doctors in England today urged the Government to present a new and credible offer after voting overwhelmingly in favour of continuing their industrial action in their campaign for full pay restoration. With 98% (or 33,869) of junior doctors voting to continue industrial action on a turnout of 62%, their re-ballot has renewed their mandate for industrial action for another six months. The new mandate lasts from 3rd April to 19th September 2024. The ballot also approved the use of action short of strike (ASOS) read more
Frustration turns to action as junior doctors in Northern Ireland strike for first time (6 Mar) – Doctors earning lowest rate in the UK walk out for 24 hours in fight for pay restoration. It is hard to have a pay dispute when there has not a devolved government to argue with, while at the same time government in Westminster insists your dispute is a devolved issue. Yet this has been the case for junior doctors in Northern Ireland. Even since last month, when the Northern Ireland executive was reformed after two years of stalemate, they have been told the devolved government’s hands are tied until Westminster comes to an agreement with junior doctors in England. Earning as little as £13 an hour, the lowest rate in the UK, BMA members in Northern Ireland had to act. From 8am 6 March, about 2,000 junior doctors walked out on strike for 24 hours as they call for restoration of pay to 2008 levels in real terms, with an above-inflation uplift this year to stem the immediate workforce crisis read more
HCSA
HCSA junior doctors announce five-day strike in February (9 Feb) – Junior doctors from HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union will strike for five days across England in February in the latest step in their pay dispute. This follows the government’s ongoing failure to address pay erosion, which has seen junior doctors’ pay fall by more than a quarter since 2008. Junior doctors will walk out from 7am on Saturday 24th February until 7am on Thursday 29th February read more
NEU
Sutton Trust on school funding pressures (19 Apr) – The Government’s failure to properly fund schools across the country means reduced resources and staffing cuts read more
Cathedral School Llandaff using agency workers during strike (12 Mar) – NEU Cymru considers legal action over CSL’s shock use of agency staff. Today (12th March) as teachers from the school again take to the picket line outside the Cathedral School Llandaff this morning, NEU Cymru is shocked to learn that CSL is using an agency to put on revision classes – a clear legal breach read more
NASUWT
Stark scale of school cuts a mark of shame for this government (19 Apr) – Commenting on the Sutton Trust’s latest polling of teachers on school funding, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said: “These figures provide further evidence of the deepening crisis this government has created in our schools. That so many schools are being forced to cut numbers of teachers, teaching assistants and other essential staff is a mark of shame for this government and its hollow pledges to care about the standard of education in this country and the futures of its young people…” read more
Employer intransigence prompts further strike action at Ascot school (17 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at St Mary’s School in Ascot are taking the first of six further days of strike action today over attempts to downgrade their pensions. This follows an initial day of strike action in March. Teachers are facing the forcible withdrawal of their pensions from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to an inferior Defined Contribution (DC) scheme, which will pay out less in retirement. Teachers have been told that if they do not accept the transfer of their pensions, they will be dismissed from their jobs and reengaged on new contracts which include the DC pension arrangements read more
Industrial dispute escalates at Llangors CiW Primary School (16 Apr) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Llangors Church in Wales Primary School will take two consecutive days of strike action on Wednesday 17th April and Thursday 18th April over adverse management and employer practices, potential job loss, health and safety, working conditions and redundancy. The action is part of eleven days of strike action planned through April, May and June. The first day of strike action took place on Wednesday 10th April read more
Norfolk teachers strike to protect their pensions (16 Apr) – Teachers at Aurora Eccles and Aurora Whitehouse schools in Norfolk are taking strike action after their employer threatened to remove them from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) under threat of being sacked. The Aurora Group runs publically funded schools for children and young people with special needs. The DFE have fully funded councils to pay for increased employer contributions to the TPS and the council has passed this funding onto Aurora. Aurora are however choosing to keep this money instead of passing it on to teachers, which means that teachers would be forced to move to a cheaper, inferior pension scheme. The employer has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the NASUWT, causing great distress to our members. They are left with no action but to take strike action this week and in the coming weeks to protect their pensions and their livlehoods. Further strike action is planned for Tuesday 23 April, Wednesday 24 April and Thursday 25 April read more
Teachers at Boston school strike for a safe working environment (16 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Haven High Academy in Boston are due to begin the first of six days of strike action on Wednesday over adverse management practices, including the failure of the employer to put in place adequate measures to deal with poor pupil behaviour. Teachers at the school feel they are being left vulnerable to abuse and violence from pupils due to a lack of consistent sanctions for students and support from management to manage pupil behaviour read more
Teachers at Chester college strike over pensions attack (15 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Abbey Gate College in Chester are taking a further five planned days of strike action, starting tomorrow (Tuesday) over attempts to make teachers choose between their pension or their pay. The employer is attempting to remove staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and enrol them in an inferior Defined Contribution scheme. If teachers choose to remain in the TPS they must accept a reduced salary. Teachers took an initial day of strike action last month read more
Llangors Primary CiW School teachers strike over concerns with management and governance (9 Apr) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Llangors CiW Primary School in Llangorse, Powys will take strike action on Wednesday 10th April over adverse management and employer practices, potential job loss, health and safety, working conditions and redundancy. Eleven days of strike action are planned through April, May and June. Teachers are striking to bring about the changes needed to safeguard the school read more
Nursery school staff strike over restructure (26 Mar) – A strike will take place at Eastwood Nursery School in Wandsworth on Wednesday 27th March after the employer proposed a restructure that threatens to move two nursery provisions to one site with only one qualified member of staff on duty each day. Further days of strike action are planned for 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th and 25th April read more
Lecturers in Northern Ireland vote to reject pay offer (20 Mar) – Lecturer members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the pay offer for Northern Ireland’s Further Education Lecturers. Lecturers had been awarded 5% plus an unconsolidated payment of £1500. 87% of NASUWT members voted in favour of rejecting the offer, with a turnout of 63%. 71% said they were prepared to take further strike action and 93% said that they were prepared to take further action short of strike action. The NASUWT National Action Committee will now consider the results of the member survey before deciding on the union’s next steps read more
Pension threats prompt strike action at Newcastle school (18 Mar) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Dame Allan’s Schools in Fenham are taking the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow over attempts to downgrade their pensions. Teachers are facing the forcible withdrawal of their pensions from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to an inferior Defined Contribution (DC) scheme, which will pay out less in retirement. Teachers have been told that if they do not accept the transfer of their pensions, they will be dismissed from their jobs and reengaged on new contracts which include the DC pension arrangements. We do not accept that there is any financial necessity for the school to undermine teachers’ financial security in this way read more
Tring Park School teachers take strike action over pension sabotage (12 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts have begun a series of strike days due to a dispute over their pensions. After being offered a pay rise below levels of inflation, teachers at Tring Park School have now been told that if they wish to remain in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme – the standard scheme for teachers across England – they will need to take a pay cut in order to compensate for their employer’s contributions. Their only alternative is to move to a scheme of lower value. Strike action took place at Tring Park School on Tuesday 12th March and will take place again on Wednesday 13th March. Further days are planned on 19th, 20th and 21st March read more
Teachers at Chetham’s School of Music to strike over attempts to downgrade pensions (26 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester are starting the first five planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over attempts to make teachers choose between their pension or their pay. Chethams, which is the UK’s largest specialist music school, is attempting to remove staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and enrol them in an inferior Defined Contribution scheme. If teachers choose to remain in the TPS they must accept a reduced salary read more
NAHT
NAHT urges better pay, improved conditions, and reduced workload as new report reveals surge in vacancies (19 Apr) – Responding to a new TUC report showing that teacher vacancy rates have risen in nearly nine in 10 local authorities in England since 2010 Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The government has failed to hit its recruitment targets – and this is damaging our children’s education…” read more
EIS
EIS-FELA Members Begin Programme of Rolling Strike Action (12 Apr) – The EIS FELA is set to begin a programme of rolling strike action in a long running dispute over pay. This marks a further escalation in the pay dispute, where members of the EIS-FELA have been taking action short of strike since the middle of February. This is in addition to a national day of strike action and six days of targeted strike action within the parliamentary constituency areas of key Scottish Government Ministers read more
Lecturers begin targeted strike action in constituency areas of key Scottish Government ministers (12 Mar) – Lecturers in three Scottish colleges will take targeted industrial action over the coming weeks. With Dundee & Angus College taking the first of two days of targeted strike action, starting Monday, and continuing on Wednesday this week. Fife College lectures are set to take two days of strike action next week followed by Glasgow Clyde College the week after. Each of these colleges sit within the parliamentary constituency areas of Scottish Government Ministers with the responsibility for these public bodies; Dundee & Angus College for the Minister for Higher and Further Education (Graeme Dey), Fife College for the Cabinet Secretary for Education (Jenny Gilruth) and Glasgow Clyde College for the First Minister (Humza Yousaf) read more
UCU
Staff at Myerscough College win pay rise of up to 12.8% (18 Apr) – Workers at Myerscough College, in Lancashire, have won a huge pay rise following strike action and talks at Acas. UCU members at Myerscough only won recognition at the college last year making this year the first time it has had to bargain with the union. UCU said the pay deal is the best staff have seen in years, showing the importance of unionising read more
Staff at North East college group renew strike mandate with yes vote (18 Apr) – Staff at five colleges in Cleveland, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees have again voted to strike renewing their mandate to take action. An overwhelming 94% of members who voted said yes to strike action in a ballot that with a turnout that beat the anti-trade union threshold of 50%. The strike vote is the latest escalation in the long running dispute over the 22/23 pay award. It comes after staff took six days of strike action and rejected employer Education Training Collective’s (ETC) latest offer. This did not include any improvement on pay and was limited to an extra two “wellbeing days” and additional points on the lecturer and course leader pay scales starting on Thursday 1 August 2024. ETC’s position on pay remains that it wants staff to accept a paltry increase of just 3% for 22/23, with an additional 1% from May 2023. ETC, which runs Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy, and Redcar and Cleveland College, has over £6 million in the bank, and in 2022, over £300k went to college principals read more
Strike threat at University of Lincoln as over 220 staff face the axe (18 Apr) – Staff at the University of Lincoln are poised to take a stand against brutal cuts. A consultation over potential strike action is set to begin Monday. The looming threat targets over 220 employees, including one in ten academic staff. Cuts include the phasing out of the fashion degree and ending specialist support for widening participation students in the foundation studies centre. The centre’s teaching team have been notified their jobs are at risk read more
Northern Ireland college lecturers win pay award worth 11.2% (17 Apr) – After taking 16 days of strike action Northern Ireland further education lecturers have won a huge pay uplift worth around 11.2%. The full pay deal:-
- 8.4% backdated to September 2023 + £1k consolidated (equivalent to 11.2%)
- lecturer starting salary uplifted to £30k.
UCU members overwhelmingly voted to accept the deal, which brings an end to sustained industrial action by lecturers, who have been working to rule for the past four years and began withholding marks in January. The Department for the Economy has also committed to an independent examination of pay and conditions to ensure parity with school teachers read more
University of Kent staff vote to strike over course closure “bonfire” as VC quits (5 Apr) – Staff at the University of Kent have backed strike action in defence of jobs. The result comes as the person in charge of the cuts, vice-chancellor Karen Cox, announces she will step down in May, before they are even implemented. An overwhelming 85% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 57%. The vote comes after 58 staff were placed at risk of redundancy as part of a programme that would see courses closed across the university read more
Strike ballot at Sheffield Hallam over “scandalous” cuts programme (5 Apr) – A strike ballot will open on Monday 15 April at Sheffield Hallam University, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. UCU has accused the university of pushing ahead with expensive building projects while launching a wholesale attack on staff and students through an unprecedented cuts programme, severely breaching the post-92 contract and national framework, and attacking on working conditions read more
Goldsmiths marking boycott set to begin this month over “brutal” sackings (5 Apr) – The University and College Union (UCU) today confirmed staff at Goldsmiths University will begin a marking boycott on Friday 19 April over plans to sack more than one in six academic staff. The boycott will cover all marking and assessment, including in writing, online, or verbally. It will also include any assessment-related work such as exam invigilation and the administrative processing of marks. UCU warned that graduations will be impacted unless the university resolves the dispute by halting its plans to cut over 130 jobs. Alongside the boycott, UCU members will take other forms of industrial action including working to rule and boycotting processes related to management’s “transformation programme” of cuts. The boycott follows an overwhelming vote for industrial action against the cuts, which would see more than a third of academics axed in the 11 affected departments in the schools of arts & humanities; culture & society; and professional studies, science & technology read more
Goldsmiths staff vote to strike over “incomprehensible” bonfire of jobs (28 Mar) – The University and College Union (UCU) today announced staff at Goldsmiths University have overwhelmingly voted to take industrial action in a fight to stop the sacking of more than one in 6 academic staff at the institution read more
Staff consulted on industrial action at University of Portsmouth over planned job cuts (27 Mar) – The University and College Union (UCU) today confirmed strike action could be on the cards at the University of Portsmouth, as the union starts a consultation of its members. 398 academic staff are to be put at risk of redundancy, as part of University of Portsmouth’s “academic reset” programme that management says is necessary due to recruitment challenges and increased costs read more
Strike threat at University of Winchester over ‘catastrophic’ job cull (14 Mar) – UCU confirmed strike action could be on the cards at the University of Winchester after its members voted to consult over taking industrial action at a packed meeting last Friday. Staff have been put at risk of redundancy in changes that would see the university close its English language programme; institute for climate and social justice; centre for religion, reconciliation and peace; and managed housing, and see cuts to psychology, acting and apprenticeships. The university claims it needs to make the cuts due to a £6m structural deficit. There are 40 jobs planned to go in the current phase, with fears of further job cuts pending read more
Strike ballot at New College Durham over low pay (11 Mar) – UCU has opened a strike ballot at New College Durham in a dispute over low pay. The ballot will close on Monday 15 April and a successful result paves the way for strike action if the employer refuses to make a realistic offer. The ballot comes after staff voted to reject a paltry pay offer of 4% (from August 2023). According to its most recent accounts the college has over £9m in assets, a £2m increase on the year before, and is rated as having outstanding financial health by the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency, yet UCU’s research shows it spends less of its income on pay than any other college in the region read more
Outrage over ‘callous’ fire & rehire threat at SOAS (29 Feb) – UCU has launched an indicative ballot on taking strike action at SOAS, University of London over fire and rehire plans that place 34 staff at risk of losing their jobs and being rehired on worse terms and conditions. The cuts would eliminate all term time English-language and study skills support for international students. The indicative ballot runs until Wednesday 6 March and a successful result paves the way for an industrial ballot and strike action if SOAS management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies read more
Aberdeen University staff overwhelmingly back industrial action in row over modern languages cuts and job losses (7 Feb) – Staff at the University of Aberdeen have today backed strikes in a dispute over plans to end single-honours degrees in modern languages and put 30 staff at risk of redundancy. In the ballot of UCU Scotland members, 80% of those who voted backed strike action on a turnout of 60%. On 30 November, the same day that the Scottish Government launched its Scottish languages bill, the university announced a consultation with proposals to end single honours degrees in French, Gaelic, German, and Spanish; to end both single and joint honours degrees; or to end all language degree programmes. At the time, amidst widespread criticism, UCU general secretary Jo Grady called the proposals ‘academic vandalism’ read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Firefighters pressure employers not to implement new anti-union laws (18 Apr) – The Fire Brigades Union has launched fresh calls for fire and rescue service employers to refuse the government’s minimum service levels, which amounts to an attempt to ban firefighters and control staff from taking strike action. The FBU is calling on firefighters and members of the public to contact employers directly, pressuring them to protect their right to strike by pledging not to issue work notices under the Minimum Service Levels Act. In a letter sent to all fire service employers in England, the FBU has warned that implementing work notices will “irreparably damage” industrial relations and threaten public safety read more
POA
Circ 018: National Chair Update March 2024 here
NAPO
Unions press management for clarity on the use of the JES process (19 Apr) – The Probation unions are currently in urgent engagement with senior Probation management following receipt of a substantial number of communications from our Programme Facilitator members on the Job Evaluation (JES) appeal (trade union) result read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
BALPA
Bristow helicopters pilots in BALPA to strike in pay dispute (20 Feb) – The British Airline Pilots’ Association has given notice to Bristow Helicopters that it will call on its members to strike in March. BALPA has been in negotiation with the company for months, but Bristow has failed to put forward any offer that its pilots and tech crew could support read more
Nautilus International
Officers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vote for strike action (5 Apr) – RFA employees have faced a real terms pay cut of over 30% since 2010. Nautilus International members at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have voted strongly in favour of industrial action. The ballot followed the rejection by members of a 4.5% pay offer for 2023 that fell far below the rate of inflation. Since 2010, RFA employees have faced real terms pay cut of over 30%, beyond other blue light services, leading to significant challenges in recruitment and retention and low morale across the workforce read more
NUJ
NUJ’s campaign for recognition at PA moves to next stage (19 Apr) – Central Arbitration Committee makes decision. The NUJ’s long-running campaign for recognition for editorial staff at PA Media has taken another step forward. The union’s application to negotiate in an organised way on important issues like pay moved to the next stage following a ruling by the Central Arbitration Committee, the independent body responsible for determining union recognition read more
Fifth anniversary of the death of journalist Lyra McKee marked by the NUJ (18 Apr) – “Her killing deprived us of a brave and challenging voice” says NUJ Irish secretary. The NUJ is among those remembering Lyra McKee today on the fifth anniversary of her death. The 29-year-old freelance journalist was shot dead while observing a riot in Northern Ireland in 2019. Seamus Dooley, NUJ Irish secretary, said: “The thoughts of all NUJ members are with the partner, family and many friends and colleagues of Lyra McKee. On the anniversary of her death we are again reminded of the cruel circumstances of her killing and the great loss suffered by those whom she loved…” read more
Concerns raised by Public Accounts Committee about impact of BBC Local Radio cuts (17 Apr) – Report on BBC’s Across the UK programme criticises corporation. The NUJ has highlighted concerns about the impact of local radio cuts on listeners raised by a Public Accounts Committee report on the BBC’s Across the UK (ATUK) programme. Under ATUK the BBC aims to move a further £700m of its spending outside of London by March 2028 read more
NUJ backs BBC World Service’s urgent UN appeal over abuse of national security and counter-terrorism laws against BBC News Persian journalists (16 Apr) – First time complaint has been addressed to UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism read more
NUJ agrees to postpone tomorrow’s STV strike following pay negotiations (15 Apr) – Day of action on hold pending further talks. Following extensive talks today aimed at resolving the current pay dispute at STV the NUJ has agreed to postpone tomorrow’s planned strike (Tues 16th April) pending talks resuming later this week. The scheduled strike day of 1st May which coincides with STV’s shareholder AGM, is still in place. It follows a successful strike on 28 March at various sites across Scotland read more
Journalists at STV on strike again in dispute over pay (12 Apr) – The journalists say they have had to use food banks, take on secondary jobs such as bar work or move in with parents in order to try and cover their bills read more
Musicians Union
MU Midlands Members Urged to Attend Public Meeting to Fight Birmingham City Council Cuts (17 Apr) – If you live or work in Birmingham as a musician, we urge you to join us on Saturday 27 April for Brum Rise Up to have your say in the campaign to resist the cultural cuts read more
Community
Community ballots for industrial action at Tata Steel (11 Apr) – Community is urging members to take a stand in support of the steel industry as we launches our ballot for industrial action at Tata Steel UK today. We are balloting members in response to Tata’s bad deal for steel, a proposal which would remove the UK’s virgin steelmaking capacity and result in the loss of thousands of steel jobs. The bulk of the job losses would be at Port Talbot and Llanwern, with further losses at Trostre and other downstream sites across the UK read more
MP shows support for Llanwern steelworkers (19 Apr) – Newport East MP Jessica Morden met with Tata Steel members in Newport today to show her support for the steel industry. Jessica Morden was joined at the meeting by Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of Community Union; Alasdair McDiarmid, Assistant General Secretary of Community Union; and Alun Davies, Community’s National Officer for Steel. Community, which represents the vast majority of Tata Steel workers impacted by the company’s decarbonisation strategy, is currently balloting its members at Llanwern, Port Talbot and downstream sites on industrial action. The planned course of action is in response to Tata’s bad deal for steel, which would cut thousands of jobs in the steel industry across South Wales and remove Britain’s capability to produce primary steel read more
USDAW
Supreme Court to hear the Usdaw challenge to Tesco on their use of ‘fire and rehire’ to undermine ‘retained pay’ (18 Apr) – Retail trade union Usdaw and leading law firm Thompsons are challenging supermarket giant Tesco on their use of ‘fire and rehire’ in the Supreme Court. The case will be heard on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 April 2024. This is the final stage of a long running legal battle. A similar case involving workers at the Livingston site has been stayed in the Scottish courts until proceedings have concluded in England read more
Usdaw members at a GXO distribution centre in Swindon start industrial action over pay on Sunday, which could impact B&Q stores (22 Mar) – Members of the retail distribution union Usdaw at a GXO distribution centre in Swindon, which operates a B&Q contract, are starting a 48-hour strike over pay, starting at 2pm on Sunday 24 March 2024. Over 100 drivers and clerical staff are set to take part in the action read more
UVW
Cleaners descend on the Dorchester hotel over the sacking of Peruvian cloak room attendant (9 Apr) – “I want my job back. I want my reputation back. I did nothing wrong. I don’t deserve this treatment. I’m not scared and I want justice” – Teresa Calixto, sacked cleaner and UVW member. On Saturday 6 April, over 50 members and supporters of UVW descended on The Dorchester Hotel in central London to protest against the callous and, we believe, unlawful sacking of our fellow UVW member Teresa, a former cloakroom attendant at the five-star hotel. Teresa Calixto, a migrant cleaner from Peru, was subjected to seven hearings over five months, assaulted at work and asked to work through Christmas without a break before being sacked for trivial issues. She was paid poverty wages. Teresa is bringing legal proceedings against The Dorchester for unfair dismissal read more
Cleaners at the Department for Education launch second strike ballot over equality (28 Mar) – “No sick pay, too much work, no proper holiday cover. We are treated with disdain and we are fed up and stressed but united in our resolve. We can’t wait for our ballot papers” – Gloria Mancera, cleaner of 18 years service at DfE, and UVW member. The brave United Voices of the World (UVW) members who clean the Department for Education (DfE) have had enough of being ignored by their bosses and treated like second class citizens. Yesterday they instructed UVW to launch their second strike ballot in a year over parity of terms and conditions with civil servants read more
IWGB
Workers at debt charity vote to strike following “aggressive intimidation” from management (8 Mar) – Frontline workers at the debt advice charity Rooted Finance will down tools later this month after their ballot to strike passed with a 100% yes vote. The decision to walk out on March 18 and 19 follows what workers have described as “anti-union and intimidatory tactics” from management read more
Find out more about the couriers’ strikes on the X/twitter of the IWGB Couriers’ branch @IWGB_CLB
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU fights for Grandmother dismissed over used socks, wins €15,000 (19 Apr) – A SIPTU member sacked for allegedly taking a pair of used socks from a waste area in a community centre in Limerick City has won her case for unfair dismissal and an award of €15,000 at the Workplace Relations Commission. Geraldine O’Donnell, a 66-year-old mother of five, had been employed on a community job initiative scheme at various community centres for more than 30 years. In November 2022, she was accused of taking without authorisation a pair of children’s socks that had been part of an art project and left with a pile of boxes, thought to be for disposal read more
Other news
WOR BELLA – the incredible story of heroic women footballers during WW1. An out-of-town run at the Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham, before transferring to the prestigious 1200-seat Newcastle Theatre Royal in April. The play features a to-camera cameo by Alan Shearer.
The fantastic women footballers (worldwide) of all ages today stand on the shoulders of these incredible, heroic working class women from over a century ago (before women’s football was banned by the FA in 1921).
www.worbella.co.uk Google: “Wor Bella ed waugh”.
These are the trailers (to date) for the play.
Sign this petition: To the Right Honourable Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister – Make toxic landfills safe – Support ‘Zane’s Law’! Find out more about this campaign here
Affiliate with STAMMA – STAMMA’s Employment Support Service helps people who stammer as well as those who don’t around issues related to stammering in the workplace. Union branches and regions can affiliate with STAMMA to access a range of services and support at a reduced rate.
- £75 for branches and regions
- £125 for national unions with under 400,000 members
- £200 for national unions with 400,000+ members
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Hazards urgently need our support
Many workers were blacklisted because they raised complaints about health and safety or took on the role of a union safety rep. So when our blacklisting campaign was first starting back in 2009, Hazards magazine set up the Blacklist Blog on their website. Alongside our FaceBook page it is the go to online resource for what our campaign has achieved over the past 13 years. www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
Hazards is now in financial difficulty and needs the support of the union movement. Its major funding stream has vanished almost overnight. The magazine and the Hazards centres around the country need union branches or official unions to take out a regular subscription to keep the union movement’s flagship safety magazine in operation. If you or your union committee can afford it, please support Hazards:
PCS rep in Newcastle sacked by HMRC (5 Apr) – Gordon Askew was sacked by HMRC on grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse following strike action taken by the branch. HMRC management at Benton Park View in Newcastle have sacked Gordon Askew, a member of the branch executive committee, on the grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse. PCS members at Benton Park View, alongside HMRC East Kilbride, took part in targeted strike action last year, as well as their members taking part in the three national days of strike action. Following the strike action, the department launched an investigation into two Newcastle-based representatives. The charge against Gordon was a ‘potential’ breach of the department’s IT policy; arising from a Microsoft Teams message sent to a number of PCS members, relating to strike action. The department’s decision maker claimed that Microsoft Teams had been used “without a legitimate business reason”. A second rep is on a similar charge. We understand the decision maker said that they had considered a lesser penalty, but had decided to sack the rep because he didn’t appear to be sorry enough for what he had done. This was despite him having nearly thirty years of spotless service to the department. PCS is discussing next steps with our Legal Department read more
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
(From NUJ) Russia: Journalists Antonina Favorskaya and Olga Komleva detained on charges of extremism (9 Apr) read more
(From NUJ) Pakistan: Prominent exiled Afghan journalist shot in Islamabad read more
Solidarity with the striking textile workers at Ozak in Turkey – read more on Twitter of Solidarity with the People of Turkey @spotturkey
Diary
2024
June
22 NSSN Conference 2024 – 11am Conway Hall, Holborn, London
CONTACT US
PHONE 07952 283 558
EMAIL mailto:[email protected]
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts
FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP or STOP The CUTS Likes page
ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE
