The NSSN celebrates the massive defeat of the Tories in the General Election. Workers have thrown the Conservatives out of office after 14 years of their brutal assault on our living standards and union rights.
Now workers will want the incoming Labour Government to implement policies in our interests.
Last month’s NSSN Conference endorsed the NSSN’s Workers Manifesto of demands and agreed to mobilise for the NSSN rally and lobby at TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 8th September – which will take place 2/3 of the way through the first 100 days of the new Labour Government.
NSSN Rally & Lobby of TUC Congress – Old Ship Hotel Brighton, 1pm Sunday 8th September
Model motion agreed at NSSN Conference:-
This NSSN Conference (and subsequently union branch/trades council) agrees with the need to fight for a workers’ manifesto of policies, to be implemented after the likely election of a Labour Government after 4th July. These include this list that the NSSN has been campaigning for:-
- To repeal Sunak’s ‘Strike Minimum Service Levels Act (MSL) along with Cameron’s Trade Union Act 2016, and all the rest of the Tory anti-union laws, going back to Thatcher and Major.
- To re-nationalise Royal Mail, BT, buses, the energy and utility companies, steel. Immediate re-nationalisation of the railways, rather than waiting for franchises to expire.
- To end privatisation in the NHS and our public services.
- For an emergency funding grant for local authorities to prevent the current and pending Tory council cuts onslaught, ensuring the withdrawal of Section 114 notices. This would be the first step in restoring the 40% cut from council budgets since 2010
- For a real inflation-proof pay rise for workers, that protects our living standards. For a £15/hour minimum wage with no age exemptions
- Abolish Fire & Rehire and Zero-hour contracts
- Workers’ rights from day one of employment
We believe that it essential that the trade unions fight for the implementation of policies in the interests of workers
We welcome the rally hosted by the NSSN before the start of this year’s TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 8th September, which will take place 2/3 of the way through the first 100 days of the Labour Government
We believe that this really will be an important event in highlighting and campaigning for the policies that workers need. We therefore agree to support the NSSN TUC Rally and send members to it and publicise it.
NSSN Devon & Cornwall Meeting: ‘Support Strikes! For a Workers Manifesto!’ – Saturday 13th July, 2pm Stuart Road Social Club, Plymouth PL3 4EB
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
Eurostar members suspend ballot after improved Olympic payments deal (8 Jul) – Transport union RMT, has secured improved fair Olympic payments for Eurostar staff after intense negotiations and a ballot for industrial action. This means the ballot of Eurostar members has ended and no dispute now exists between RMT and senior management. The continental rail company have agreed to significantly improve premium payments for staff working during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Initially, Eurostar proposed a shift-based payment system which RMT rejected for being divisive and insufficient. Instead, the union proposed a one-off post-Olympic payment, encompassing a broader range of employees including, Assistant Duty Control Managers, rostering/planning, and frontline contact centre roles. Eurostar will now provide a one-off payment of at least £650 to eligible employees, replacing the shift-based system. This payment will be made in the September 2024 payroll. However, Head Office Support Function staff will not be included, and Eurostar will clarify their non-inclusion in writing read more
Piper Alpha disaster 36 years on (5 Jul) – RMT will mark the 36th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster tomorrow, which killed 165 offshore workers and two seafarers. This North Sea tragedy led to the Cullen Inquiry, which concluded in late 1990. Before its report, the Thatcher Government introduced new safety regulations in 1989. The disaster was caused by a flawed permit to work system. Workers injected condensate fluid into a pump, unaware a safety valve had been replaced with a non-leak-proof disk. The high-pressure fluid leaked, igniting a fire. An initial explosion breached a weak firewall, causing further explosions and a catastrophic fireball that engulfed the platform on July 6, 1988. In 1997, the UK offshore industry launched Step Change in Safety. Two years later, unions reported Shell for not complying with over 60 of Lord Cullen’s 106 recommendations. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “Piper Alpha shows the dangers of poorly regulated, profit-driven operators. The loss of 167 workers led to crucial health and safety laws. As we mark this anniversary, RMT calls for a review of the offshore safety regime’s effectiveness read more
Tory government fails to protect seafarers as new French legislation comes into force (28 Jun) – Maritime union, RMT has criticised the Tory government for its failure to introduce mandatory protections for seafarers, in stark contrast to decisive action taken by the French government. Effective this Sunday, new French laws will mandate ferry operators like P&O to pay their seafarers the French national minimum wage and enforce limits on seafarers’ time onboard ships read more
RFA members win solidarity from Cammell Laird (26 Jun) – RMT members working for the Royal Fleet Auxillary (RFA) welcomed support yesterday from over 450 workers at Cammell Laird dockyard who refused to cross picket lines in Birkenhead. Following the latest day of strike action, carried out on the International Day of the Seafarer on Tuesday, management have requested a meeting with union representatives next week. Over 500 RMT seafarers at the RFA organised picket lines in Birkenhead, Plymouth and Singapore after the employer had previously
Eurostar strike ballot over Olympics payments (14 Jun) – RMT will ballot Eurostar International members over fair and equal payments for work during the Paris Olympics. The decision follows the company’s failure to meet the union’s demands for equitable compensation during the major sports event. All RMT members at Eurostar International will be balloted for industrial action, including a potential strike and action short of a strike in the form of an overtime ban and no rest day working. The ballot will close on 11 July. RMT will also write to Eurostar contractors Mitie, Churchill, and Rail Gourmet, demanding they match any proposed Eurostar payments read more
Strike action at Hitachi Rail Doncaster (14 Jun) – Bespoke Facilities Management workers at Hitachi Rail Doncaster will take strike action later this month. The action will take place between: 05:59 Friday 28 June and 23:59 Monday 1 July read more
Avanti West Coast caterers to strike over dire rosters and unjust working conditions (6 Jun) – RMT will launch strike action on Avanti West Coast tomorrow in response to the company’s implementation of new rosters that have led to significant stress and exhaustion among employees. Catering staff at Avanti West Coast are incensed by sudden changes to shift schedules, cuts to jobs, and enforced overtime.
These conditions have severely disrupted RMT members’ lives, making it impossible for them to plan family commitments or attend vital medical appointments, resulting in low morale amongst the workforce. The union has also discovered that Avanti management is attempting to undermine the strike by encouraging senior management to cover catering roles. These individuals lack the proper training and cannot deliver the consistent high-quality service that our members provide. Since taking over the West Coast Main Line franchise from Virgin, Avanti has been mired in industrial relations disputes, with the upcoming strike on Friday, June 7, being the latest repercussion of the company’s mismanagement read more
Northern Rail strike by members working for Carlisle Support Services this Saturday (5 Jun) – Super-exploited workers at Northern Rail will take strike action this Saturday June 8 over poor pay and dreadful working conditions. There will be picket lines at Manchester Victoria station (all entrances) from 0900 hrs and at Wigan Wallgate station from 0900 hrs. RMT members who are employed by Carlisle Support Services work at Northern Rail gate lines but are paid less than directly employed staff and cannot enter the company pension scheme or receive sick pay from their employer. The contractor also does not recognise RMT for the purposes of collective bargaining read more
Strike announced to defend unfairly sacked member (22 May) – Further to my previous Circular (IR/123/24, 19th April 2024), all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area are congratulated for standing firm together against injustice during the strike action from 3rd to 4th May. Gerald’s appeal hearing has now taken place but regrettably, LUL upheld the decision to dismiss him rather than taking action to rightly resolve this dispute. This matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee, which has taken the decision to instruct all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area to take strike action and NOT TO BOOK ON FOR SHIFTS THAT COMMENCE BETWEEN: 00:01 hours on Friday 28th June until 23:59 hours on Saturday 29th June 2024. The NEC has also taken the decision to escalate this dispute and ballot all other Station Grades members in the Bakerloo South Cover Group Area. Ballot papers were sent to members at Charing Cross Area, Elephant & Castle Area and Piccadilly Circus Area on Wednesday 15th May and these ballots will close on Thursday 30th May. I will keep Branches advised of all further developments read more
London Underground Jobs, Pensions and Agreements dispute: RMT members smash Tory anti-union ballot thresholds once again (25 Apr) 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
ASLEF
Train strikes announced for May Bank Holiday week – Rail passengers are being warned of disruption during the week of the May Bank Holiday after drivers announced more strikes and an overtime ban. Staff at 16 train companies will take part in rolling one-day walkouts between 7 and 9 May over pay and working conditions. An overtime ban will also take place between 6 and 11 May read more on BBC website
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
London Underground – Further Strike Action (25 Apr) – TSSA will take strike action at London Underground on 26 April. TSSA rail union has announced a further day of strike action on Friday 26 April at London Underground by members working as Customer Service Managers. The walkouts will take place on Friday 26 April where members will not commence work on any shift starting between 00:01 to 23:59 on Friday, 26 April 2024. Accordingly, strike action will also take place on Saturday 27 April 2024 in respect of any members expected to commence shifts before 23:59 on Friday 26 April 2024 whose shifts run into Saturday 27 April 2024. When TSSA Customer Service Managers took strike action on 10 April stations closed at short notice. Similarly, the strikes this week are likely to cause stations to close at the last minute, including late night and into Saturday morning (night tube on Friday night). TSSA Customer Service Managers at London Underground will also take part in an overtime ban from 29 April to 5 May. This overtime ban will again lead to station closures at very short notice read more
Unite
London buses dispute escalates as hundreds more workers ballot for strikes (9 Jul) – Over 2,100 RATP bus workers in South, Central and West London now poised to strike. More than 300 London Transit staff are being balloted for industrial action, bringing the total number of RATP bus workers poised to strike to over 2,100. The London Transit drivers and engineers, who are based at Westbourne Park bus garage in Notting Hill, are angry at a three per cent pay offer. This is a real terms pay cut, as the RPI rate of inflation was 5.1 per cent when the pay increase was supposed to be implemented in December 2023. The dispute is also over an attempt by London Transit to impose an unacceptable scheduling agreement. In addition, around 100 London United engineers based at eight garages providing services for South, Central and West London, have joined 1,600 London United drivers in balloting over pay. The engineers have been offered 3.6 per cent, which again is a real terms pay cut. London United and London Transit are both part of the French state owned RATP Group, which had a turnover of €6.5 billion in 2023. In total, more than 2,100 RATP London-based bus workers are now being balloted for strike action…The London Transit ballot closes on 31 July, while the London United engineers ballot closes on 1 August. London United drivers will finish balloting on 22 July. Strike action will cause severe disruption to bus services in South, West and Central London read more
Wales Valley Vets staff fight profiteering VetPartners in historic strikes (9 Jul) – VetPartners profits over £500m but staff on poverty pay and using foodbanks. Nearly 100 workers employed by Valley Vets in South Wales are to take the first ever strike action at a private veterinary practice, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). Valley Vets has offered its lowest paid staff a derisory pay rise that takes them to slightly above the minimum wage. This is despite 80 per cent reporting that they regularly borrow money to meet basic living costs and five per cent reporting having to use food banks…The workers, who undertake a range of roles including veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, receptionists and animal care assistants, will strike for two weeks from 16 July until 30 July. Industrial action will severely impact Valley Vets operations and will escalate if the dispute is not resolved read more
Guys and St Thomas’ theatre nurses strike over shift time increase escalates (8 Jul) – Exhausted nurses warn extension to shifts risks patient safety and staff wellbeing. Strikes by day surgery theatre nurses at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals over shift times being extended have escalated, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The 50 workers were already chronically overworked and the increase in shift times from 20:00 to 21:00 is now compromising patient safety because they are exhausted. Theatre staff had already had their shifts extended from 19:00 to 20:00 and have had to start working Saturdays to support extra theatre lists. Guys and St Thomas in central London is one of the UK’s busiest NHS trusts with 2.6 million patient contacts each year… The nurses previously took strike action on 27 June and 2 July. The next strike will take place tomorrow (Tuesday 9 July). Further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Labour Tata talks offer hope but time is of the essence, Unite says (8 Jul) – Commenting on talks between Tata and the newly elected Labour government over the future of the company’s UK steelmaking operations, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Labour’s immediate commencement of talks with Tata about its UK operations offers fresh hope for steelmaking in Wales. But make no mistake, time is of the essence – under Tata’s current plans 2,800 steelworkers could lose their jobs in a few short weeks. The extra investment that Unite secured is now available and Tata needs to think again. Now we will fight for a deal with real job guarantees which ensures Welsh steelmaking has a successful future.” Read more
Fresh Tata investment talks results in Unite pausing strike action (1 Jul) – Tata agrees to new negotiations on future investment in South Wales. Unite, the UKs leading union, has today confirmed that its current industrial action at Tata in South Wales has been paused. The decision follows confirmation from Tata, arising from high level talks throughout the weekend, that it was now prepared to enter into negotiations about future investment for its operations and not just redundancies, in South Wales, including at Port Talbot and Llanwern…Unite’s 1,500 members at Tata in South Wales, began an overtime ban and work to rule on 17 June and were due to begin an all-out indefinite strike from Monday 8 July. Both forms of industrial action have been paused read more
Unite statement on Tata Steel industrial dispute (29 Jun) – The UK steel industry stands on the precipice. Overseas owners announced plans earlier this year to close blast furnaces in July 2024 and September 2024, to stop iron production and decimate what remains of the UK industrial base. At a time of rising global tension and fears over security, Unite will not stand by and watch the destruction of another key component of our critical national infrastructure, while at the same time increasing our reliance on steel imports read more
Unite fights for UK steel jobs calls on Tata Mumbai to accept investment (27 Jul) read more
Scunthorpe Steel Town Punks gig sends solidarity to striking Tata workers (26 Jul) read more
TATA STRIKE FUND APPEAL
Unite The Union members employed by Tata steel at Port Talbot and Llanwern will begin all out strike action on 8th July. This is the first industrial action involving steel workers in the UK for 40 years. The action is fighting the decimation of jobs, communities and the steel industry. An initial 2800 jobs are due to be wiped out. This is a campaign we must win. Support and solidarity will be key, especially financial support in light of this being all out, indefinite strike action.
We are therefore launching a financial appeal. Donations will be used to directly support striking members. Below are the financial details. Please reference any donation as “strike fund”. Thank you
Unity Trust, Unite wab 2051 branch, Sort code: 608301 Acc no: 20286655
Messages of solidarity and for further detail contact [email protected]
Find out more about the campaign: www.unitetheunion.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-steel
Unite secures Edinburgh airport pay deal for OCS workers (8 Jul) – Basic wages to rise by 11.9 per cent for over 100 workers. Unite has secured another double digit pay deal this time with the OCS Group for workers based at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland’s leading aviation union, revealed today (8 July). The union has successfully negotiated a basic pay increase of 11.9 per cent for over 100 workers employed at the nation’s largest airport. Minimum hourly pay is rising from £10.90 to £12.20 per hour which is above the real living wage and will be applied from 1 January 2024. Double time pay on bank holidays has also been secured, while agents on permanent night shift fixed term contracts will receive an extra 50 pence per hour read more
Gatwick baggage screening strikes postponed after improved offer (8 Jul) – Strikes by Gatwick baggage security screeners have been postponed following an improved pay offer, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The workers, who are employed by ICTS, have agreed to call all off industrial action scheduled to take place from 12 to 14 July and 19 to 21 July while they ballot on the offer. If it is rejected, fresh industrial action will be scheduled. Strikes on the same dates by 200 Wilson James workers who provide special assistance services for vulnerable passengers are set to go ahead read more
Cambus strikes in Bedfordshire paused after new offer (4 Jul) – Unite members to be balloted on improved pay offer. Industrial action by bus drivers in Bedfordshire has been suspended following an improved offer from the employer, Unite the union announced today (4 July). Over 140 drivers at Cambus were due to walk out on 9-13 July and additional dates in July and August over their poor pay compared to other drivers in the region. Following a new and improved offer from Cambus, a subsidiary of Stagecoach, Unite has paused the industrial action as a goodwill gesture read more
Stagecoach Swindon drivers celebrate 17% pay deal secured by Unite (4 Jul) – Stagecoach bus drivers in Swindon are celebrating a pay deal worth more than 17 per cent secured by Unite, the UK’s leading union. The two-year pay deal was achieved after the workers voted to take industrial action, although the dispute was resolved before strikes took place. The workers voted to accept the deal, which will see pay increase by more than 11 per cent in the first year and by a total of six per cent in the second year. The deal also includes the introduction of an overtime rate and improvements to sick pay read more
London Trams strike ends after Unite secures pay deal of up to 20% (3 Jul) – Strikes by London Trams engineers have ended after Unite, the UK’s leading union, secured an improved pay deal. The workers were in dispute over significant pay disparities between themselves and colleagues on the London Underground performing the same role. Following negotiations with Transport for London, an improved offer was put forward that helped to substantially close the pay disparity, with some London Trams engineering grades seeing an uplift of up to 20 per cent. The deal, which was accepted in a ballot by the engineers, also resolved long running contractual and holiday pay issues read more
Unite confirms strike action to hit half of Scottish councils (2 Jul) – Cleansing and waste workers could begin action in weeks. Unite, Scotland’s largest union, has today (Tuesday 2 July) announced that it has a mandate for its members taking strike action in cleansing and waste services across half of Scottish councils, in a dispute over pay. Unite received the mandates for strike action involving thousands of its members in the following 16 councils: Aberdeen City Council; Angus Council; City of Edinburgh Council; Dumfries & Galloway Council; Dundee City Council; East Ayrshire Council; East Renfrewshire Council; Fife Council; Glasgow City Council; Inverclyde Council; North Ayrshire Council; North Lanarkshire Council; Renfrewshire Council; South Ayrshire Council; The Highland Council and West Lothian Council.
Unite will reveal in the coming days the details of strike action involving waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operators across the 16 councils which could begin in just over two weeks’ time. The union had previously warned major events could potentially be impacted by strike action including the Edinburgh international and fringe festivals similar to the local government pay dispute two years ago read more
Travel disruption ‘inevitable’ at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports as ICTS workers back strikes (2 Jul) – Unite repeats call on airport owners AGS to intervene over impasse. Unite, Scotland’s leading aviation union, confirmed today (Tuesday 2 July) that around 300 ICTS central search members based at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports have emphatically backed strike action in an escalating pay dispute. Strike action was emphatically backed by 98.5 per cent at Glasgow airport involving around 200 ICTS workers. A ballot involving around 100 workers at Aberdeen airport returned a similar result with 89.7 per cent backing strike action. Unite confirmed that unless there is significant movement by ICTS in the coming days then strike action could start mid-July at the peak of the summer holiday rush read more
Concerns Spirit Aerosystems jobs under threat after Boeing takeover (1 Jul) – Unite vows to ensure members’ jobs not placed in jeopardy. Following the confirmation that Boeing will acquire Spirit Aerosystems, Unite which represents the overwhelming majority of the Spirit workforce across the UK, has raised serious concerns about the acquisition of the company. Spirit Aerosystems (formerly Bombardier and Shorts) is one of Northern Ireland’s biggest companies employing approximately 3,600 workers across its sites. Unite estimates that a further 7,000 jobs in Northern Ireland, are dependent on Spirit’s activities read more
Birkenhead workers at Cammell Laird balloted for strike action over outrageous suspension of staff (1 Jul) – Seven staff suspended after hundreds refuse to cross picket line. Hundreds of workers at Cammell Laird shipbuilders on Merseyside are to be balloted for strike action following the reprehensible suspension of seven employees, Unite the union confirmed today (1 July). Unite and GMB members working at the Birkenhead facility refused to cross an RMT picket line last Tuesday (25 June). To avoid a similar problem re-occurring Unite had organised talks with the company providing our members were not targeted. However, on Thursday (27 June), seven members of staff, including Unite’s convener and a further four Unite members were informed they were immediately suspended pending a full disciplinary investigation. Outraged workers convened an emergency meeting and agreed to be balloted for potential strike action over the victimisation of the workers by Cammell Laird management. The ballot for Unite members will open on 8 July and close on 5 August read more
Stagecoach workers in Bedford to strike over pay (1 Jul) – “Strings attached” offer angers drivers on lowest pay in area. Over 140 drivers for Cambus, a subsidiary of Stagecoach, are to strike in Bedfordshire after the company refused to make a decent pay offer, Unite the union said today. Drivers at Cambus earn just £13.46 per hour while other companies in the area are already paying over £15 leaving bus drivers substantially out of pocket. While the company has tabled a new offer it comes with “strings attached” that would see sick pay reduced in an already highly stressful job involving working long hours. Nor was the pay offer backdated to the pay anniversary date of 4 April and it would also see drivers overtime rates reduced. Drivers are angry that their pay demands have gone unanswered and are now taking to the picket line on 9-13 July, 19-23 July, 2-3 August and 5-6 August. Areas affected by the strike include Bedford, Wooten, Flitwick, Ampthill and as far afield as Luton, Stevenage and St Neots read more
Glen Dimplex workforce to be balloted on strike action to save jobs (28 Jun) – Portadown rally hears Unite demands political action to save manufacturing jobs and skills. Unite will ballot its members at Glen Dimplex in Portadown for strike action. The ballot follows a threat by the company to shutdown its sites in Portadown offshoring the production of storage heaters to Lithuania. The threat to jobs is the latest in a series of blows to the local industrial base. More than 500 jobs have been lost at Thompsons Aero seating, more than 100 at BT and Sonoco has also recently confirmed its intention to seek redundancies. Hundreds of workers and the wider local community gathered this afternoon (Friday 28 June) in the town for a Unite rally in defence of manufacturing jobs and skills in the Upper Bann area. The rally was called to demand action from politicians ahead of next week’s general election…The ballot will open on July 15 closing on August 8. Industrial action could take place before the end of the summer read more
Veolia pay dispute ends as workers agree new offer (28 Jun) – Unite confirms strike action called off as members secure vastly improved deal. Unite the union has secured an improved pay deal for its 70-strong Veolia membership at the Grangemouth site, the workers are responsible for waste management at the plant. The improved two year deal will see an increase in members’ pay packet of seven per cent for 2024 and four per cent for 2025 read more
Birkenhead hospital workers increase strike action over pay and grading (28 Jun) – Healthcare staff not being recognised for roles and responsibilities. Healthcare workers at the Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral, Merseyside, are escalating their strikes next week over a continued failure to recognise their workplace responsibilities and pay them accordingly. 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. Workers will walk out from 1-7 July. The vital healthcare workers are being paid a band 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 read more
UCU workers escalate dispute with trade union (27 Jun) – Employees angry over working practices at education union. Nearly 200 workers at the University and College Union (UCU) are escalating their strike action in protest at their employer’s working practices, it was announced today (Thursday). Unite, the UK’s leading union, represents UCU’s staff and they are unhappy over the complete breakdown of industrial relations and the unreasonable approach taken by their employer to negotiations. Unite’s members voted overwhelmingly for strike action. Strikes are due to take place on 1 and 3, 10, 11 July read more
Tyneside British Engines strikes end after Unite pay victory (27 Jun) – Strikes by 170 Tyneside workers employed by historic engineering firm British Engines have ended after Unite, the UK’s leading union, secured an improved pay deal. Workers at three British Engines businesses – BEL Engineering in Newcastle and Rotary Power and Michell Bearings in South Shields – voted to accept the two-year pay deal. The deal includes a 3.5 per cent pay increase backdated to December for BEL Engineering and Rotary Power workers. Michell Bearings workers will receive 3.5 per cent backdated to March and their pay anniversary will be moved from March until December. Workers at all the companies will receive a two per cent increase or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher, from January 2025, with all companies now sharing the same pay anniversary. Furthermore, Rotary Power workers will receive an additional 12 banked hours and three hours paid for hospital appointments per year…The pay deal is an improvement on the original offers where workers had been offered three per cent pay increases read more
Greenwich council housing strikes suspended (27 Jun) – Industrial action paused to allow council to rule out fire and rehire threats. Strikes planned for next week (1-2 July) by over 150 housing maintenance workers employed by Greenwich council have been “paused” to allow the local authority more time to resolve the dispute. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, voted for strike action after the council brought forward plans to cut the workers wages by up to 30 per cent over a four year period, following a highly contentious “benchmarking exercise”. The council had also indicated that it was considering using extremely controversial “fire and rehire” practices to dismiss the workers and cut their pay. However, following the initial strike action earlier this month the council has not progressed its attempts to cut the workers ‘pay or to fire and rehire the workforce. Given those circumstances the workers decided to suspend the planned industrial action to give the council a further opportunity to return to negotiations to resolve the dispute read more
London braced for major bus strikes as 1,600 London United drivers ballot (27 Jun) – Around 1,600 London United bus drivers are being balloted for strike action over pay and other issues, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). The drivers, based at seven garages providing services across South, West and Central London, are in dispute over pay and other issues. They have rejected a four per cent pay offer, which is a real terms pay cut, as the real rate of inflation, RPI, was 5.1 per cent when the pay increase was supposed to be implemented in December 2023. The drivers are also angry that the scheduling agreement and enhancement to terms and conditions put forward by London United are not fit for purpose. London United is part of the French state owned RATP Group, which had a turnover of €6.5 billion in 2023…The ballot for strike action opened this week and will close on 22 July read more
200 Scottish firms back Unite’s ‘no ban without a plan’ oil and gas campaign (26 Jun) – Nearly 200 local firms from Scottish towns dependent on the oil and gas industry have signed an open letter backing Unite’s call for Labour to drop its policy of banning new North Sea exploration licenses until a plan to replace jobs is operational. Business representatives, oil and gas workers and Unite officials will unveil a giant version of the letter on Thursday in Aberdeen read more
Cardiff cab drivers protest at council’s reduction of taxi rank spaces (26 Jun) – Council has broken promise to provide a feeder rank outside train station. Cardiff black cab drivers will protest tomorrow after they were banned for waiting outside the train station for taxi rank spaces they pay to use, which will cause serious damage to their livelihoods read more
Historic victory for Unite members at Barts NHS Trust (26 Jun) – Workers to receive recognition for working during pandemic after lengthy strike action. Hundreds of Unite members working at Barts NHS Trust have won an iconic industrial dispute that saw them take extensive strike action, the union announced today (Weds 26 June). Unite’s members at the time of the pandemic worked for outsourcing company Serco before transferring back into the NHS just after the imposed deadline for staff to receive a lump-sum Covid payment. Nearly 700 Unite members working as porters, cleaners and facilities staff at the largest NHS trust in the UK were demanding the payment worth around £1,600 for working during the pandemic. After months of negotiations, strikes and demonstrations, workers have now accepted a deal from Barts that will see them receive additional “special leave” to the equivalent value of the lump-sum payment. Unite members voted overwhelming to accept the deal in a ballot that closed today read more
Redbridge refuse workers escalate summer bin strikes (25 Jun) – De facto overtime ban put in place as council refuses to acknowledge issues. Refuse workers in the London Borough of Redbridge are to escalate their industrial dispute with a de facto ban on overtime working, Unite the union announced today. Workers for Redbridge Civic Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the council, are subject to terrible working conditions, including non-existent vehicle maintenance and aggressive pressure to work overtime on weekends which is inflicting a toll on workers’ mental health. Their sick pay is also worse than workers employed directly by the council. Unite has seen its membership skyrocket since the dispute began and now has over 100 members. The workers are to enact a ban on working additional hours after their shifts each day. This requirement has become standard practice, despite officially only being required in “exceptional circumstances”. No additional hours will be worked from 8 July until the end of the month read more
Oil platform workers vote to accept pay offer (25 Jun) – Unite secures pay award of up to 12.5% for workers at CNOOC. Unite members working for CNOOC have today (25 June) given their backing to a new pay deal negotiated by Unite. Members voted to accept a pay offer worth up to 12.5 per cent on base pay and a lump sum of £2,000, backdated to 1 April 2024. This offer covers over 140 workers working as technicians and senior technicians on the Scott, Buzzard, and Golden Eagle installations read more
Cornwall facing bus chaos as drivers ballot for strike over pay (24 Jun) – Workers angry profitable Go Ahead is paying drivers elsewhere nearly £3 an hour more. Around 250 Go Cornwall Bus drivers are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The workers are demanding that their wages be brought more in line with their colleagues in other parts of the country. For instance, Go Ahead drivers in Oxford are currently paid £2.84 more per hour than the Cornwall drivers, while drivers in Brighton are paid £1.83 more. Even under Go Ahead’s current 2024 offer for the Cornwall drivers, Oxford drivers would still be earning £2.24 an hour more, while drivers in Brighton would be paid £1.23 an hour more. To narrow the pay difference, the Cornwall drivers are demanding their wages be increased by 6.6 per cent to £16 per hour for 2024, instead of the £15.60 Go Ahead is currently offering…In March, Go Ahead reported revenues of £3.2 billion and profits of £89 million. The industrial action ballot will close on 1 July, strikes, which could begin later next month, would severely impact bus services across Cornwall read more
University Hospital Waterford: Unite warns of dispute escalation amidst management threats (24 Jun) – Health Service Executive accused of violating public service agreement. Trade union Unite, which represents support staff at University Hospital Waterford (UHW), today (Monday) warned that the current work-to-rule by laundry, catering and portering grades may escalate unless the Health Service Executive (HSE) reverses its decision to withhold pay increases due to staff. Workers have been engaging in a work-to-rule since 27 May following the HSE’s failure to include laundry workers at UHW in a regrading scheme and their decision not to award incremental credits to portering and catering workers read more
Support the Sanctuary strikes – contact the Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch to offer support or if you are a housing worker wanting to get organised [email protected]
Unite rally demanding end to hostile environment for unions at ABC council (23 Jun) – Union calls for immediate reinstatement of shop steward. Unite is organising a protest of trade unionists at Craigavon civic and conference centre ahead of this month’s general meeting of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. The protest follows the sacking of a Unite workplace rep last week. The sacking was the latest in a series of actions about which unions have raised concerns. Unite has formally registered a trade dispute with Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and the union is proceeding to ballot members for industrial action in response read more
Merseyside Stagecoach bus drivers escalate dispute with further strikes (21 Jun) – Lack of acceptable offer from Stagecoach has led to fresh walk outs
Nearly 500 Liverpool Stagecoach bus drivers will escalate their pay dispute with further strike action this summer, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday).
The workers are angry over the huge disparity between their pay and that of Arriva Liverpool drivers. Arriva drivers are paid £1.40 more an hour, equating to around £3,000 a year, for performing the same role. Drivers are to strike from 5-8 July and 12-15 July with the threat of an all-out continuous strike if Stagecoach is not prepared to make a pay offer acceptable to members read more
Manchester facing standstill as Metrolink workers ballot for strikes over woeful pay offer (20 Jun) – Manchester is facing grinding to a standstill next month as workers on the city’s tram system, Metrolink, begin balloting for strike action following a woeful pay offer. Over 600 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are angry after Metrolink was only prepared to make a pay offer of a 4.5 per cent increase in 2024 despite years of below-inflation pay increases. Unite members want guarantees of above-inflation rises over the next three years due to accepting less than inflation (RPI) last year and a reduction in the pay progression scales within the drivers and customer service roles. Members’ include drivers, controllers, engineers, customer service representatives, and business support – without their vital, highly-skilled and safety critical jobs, the Metrolink could not function bringing Greater Manchester to a halt read more
Plymouth facing bus chaos as drivers ballot for strike over pay (19 Jun) – Workers angry profitable Go Ahead is paying drivers elsewhere nearly £3 an hour more. Nearly 600 Plymouth Bus drivers are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The workers are demanding that their wages be brought in line with their colleagues in other parts of the country. For instance, Go Ahead drivers in Oxford are currently paid £2.84 more per hour than the Plymouth drivers, while drivers in Brighton are paid £1.83 more. Even under Go Ahead’s current 2024 offer for the Plymouth drivers, Oxford drivers would still be earning £2.24 an hour more, while drivers in Brighton would be paid £1.23 an hour more…In March, Go Ahead reported revenues of £3.2 billion and profits of £89 million. The industrial action ballot will close on 1 July, strikes, which could begin later next month, would completely shut down Plymouth’s bus network read more
Dounreay nuclear station strike postponed following improved pay offer (18 Jun) – Strike action on Wednesday 19 June by around 600 Unite members suspended. Strike action on Wednesday 19 June by around 600 Unite members employed by Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (NRS) at Dounreay nuclear power station has been suspended to allow workers to be balloted on a new pay offer. Unite can confirm that an overtime ban and an end to working voluntary appointments will continue during the ballot process. If the new offer is rejected by the membership, fresh strike action will be announced. The union’s membership previously rejected a pay offer which amounted to a one-off £500 payment on top of a basic 4.5 per cent increase. Unite’s NRS membership includes craft technicians, general operators, engineers, maintenance fitters and safety advisors read more
Drivers at Greater Manchester Accessible Transport forced to strike over ‘poverty pay’ (17 Jun) – Industrial action to take place over failure of company to improve pay offer to acceptable level. Bus drivers in Greater Manchester who transport the elderly and disabled have been forced to take strike action over low pay by Greater Manchester Accessible Transport (GMAT). Members of Unite, the country’s leading trade union, are paid incredibly low wages to do a physically and mentally demanding job. They provide an invaluable service, transporting the elderly, infirm or disabled from their homes across Greater Manchester to vital medical appointments, for essential shopping or for leisure and entertainment… Following a successful industrial ballot, members will be taking strike action for a week from 1 July – 7 July read more
Unite warns of prospect of strike at Northern Ireland Fisheries and Harbour Authority (16 Jun) – Members of Unite who maintain harbours are paid minimum wage by DAERA arms-length body. DAERA minister challenged on his department’s status as an accredited Living Wage employer. Unite has written to Rural Affairs (DAERA) Andrew Muir to seek an urgent meeting on poverty pay afflicting harbour and fisheries workers. The union represents the overwhelming majority of the workers employed by the Northern Ireland Fisheries and Harbour Authority (NIFHA), an arms-length body funded by DAERA. A strike of NIFHA workers would immediately shutdown the ability of Northern Ireland’s fishing fleet to land their catch at the primary harbours of Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie. The union is seeking intervention by the minister to raise pay of all workers initially to the living wage and to provide pay increments which were recommended in an external grading review conducted in 2019 but which were never implemented read more
Basildon CNH tractor strikes suspended for vote on new offer (12 Jun) – Strikes by more than 500 workers employed at CNH Industrial’s Basildon tractor factory have been suspended to allow workers to ballot on a new pay offer. Industrial action scheduled for 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 June will not take place. If the offer is rejected by the membership, fresh strike action will be announced read more
Coventry electric Hackney cab workers to strike over pay (10 Jun) – London Electric Vehicle Company earning billions as wages fall by 20% in real terms. Around 100 workers employed at the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) in Coventry will strike over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The workers have rejected a 3.5 per cent pay rise plus £400 one off payment for those on lower grades. This is a real terms pay cut, as the real rate of inflation, RPI, was 4.9 per cent when the increase was supposed to be implemented in January this year. Adding to the workers’ anger, is the fact that due to years of below inflation pay rises, wages at LEVC have fallen by 19.9 per cent since 2016. LEVC, which designs, develops and produces electric commercial vehicles and is best known for its electric hackney carriages, is wholly owned by the China-based Geeley Auto group. In the year to December 2023, Geeley had a net cash flow of £3 billion and made profits of £584 million… The workers will take an initial day of strike action on 13 June, followed by an overtime ban. Further strike dates will be called if the dispute is not resolved. Industrial action will severely impact vehicle production at LEVC’s Coventry site read more
Jiffy packaging workers in Cheshire to strike over pay and conditions (6 Jun) – Over 50 workers at the Jiffy packaging plant in Winsford, Cheshire, are to strike next month following a pay offer from their employer that Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described as “paltry”. Workers at the plant have been offered a mere 1.5 per cent pay increase despite a cost of living crisis and real rate of inflation (RPI) standing at 4.3 per cent, when the pay increase was due. Workers are therefore receiving a real-terms pay cut. Unite’s members are demanding an eight per cent pay increase backdated to the 1 April 2024. Additionally, workers are furious that they only receive eight weeks of sick pay and want to see an increase to 12 weeks alongside the reinstatement of breaks during the working day and changes to bank holiday working practices…The workers will walk out for nearly two weeks beginning on 1 July and continuing until 13 July. Jiffy Packaging is synonymous with padded envelopes and other packaging materials read more
Ford managers to begin nationwide industrial action (3 Jun) – Hundreds of workers in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood angry at Ford’s approach to pay negotiations. Ford managers at sites across the country will begin industrial action later this month in a dispute over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). The workers have overwhelmingly rejected Ford’s pay offer of only a performance related merit award, which they are not guaranteed to receive. The dispute is being exacerbated by Ford’s refusal to enter into meaningful negotiations, including with the independent conciliation service Acas, even though the workers organised and achieved union recognition in 2023…Strike action may be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Unite the union workplace reps vote to call off strike action scheduled for tomorrow (3 Jun) – Decision comes after ‘meaningful’ progress made in talks between the four education trade unions and the employer side. Unite the union workplace reps met this afternoon and voted overwhelmingly to call off scheduled strike action tomorrow [Tuesday June 4] following receipt of an opening draft offer for workers from the Education Authority and Department of Education this afternoon. The decision follows a similar one on Saturday by Unite workplace reps to call off today’s [Monday 3 June] strike action to provide space for negotiations read more
Unite recommends rejection of local government pay offer (28 May) – Local government representatives of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have agreed to recommend rejection of the local government pay offer, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Unite is now undertaking the process of holding consultative ballots for its workers covered by both the local government green book agreement (the majority of council workers) and the red book (local authority craftworkers). The national employers’ pay offer of a £1,290 flat rate, plus 2.5 per cent on allowances, fails to tackle poverty pay or reverse the years of real terms pay cuts experienced by local government workers read more
Unite will make school support staff campaign for a pay and grading review an election issue (23 May) – Unite leader Sharon Graham visits Northern Ireland school support workers’ picket lines and vows to escalate campaign for improved pay and equality. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham committed her union to make an election issue of the campaign of school support workers to secure a six-year overdue pay and grading review after visiting striking education workers on the picket lines outside Mitchell House school in east Belfast yesterday. 1,500 members of Unite working as school support staff for the education authority were undertaking their third day of strike action. The pay and grading review was instructed for implementation by the national joint council pay body in 2018 but which has been left unfunded in both February’s public pay package and the draft executive budget for 2024-25 read more
Vital healthcare and safety equipment workers in Wrexham to strike over pay (21 May) – Over 150 workers in Ruabon, North Wales are taking industrial action after a failure by their employer, Ceramtec UK, to make a decent pay offer. Unite’s members have been offered a measly 79 pence increase to their basic hourly rate. Considering the National Living Wage has increased by £1.02, workers at the factory expect to match or improve on that increase. Ceramtec produces high-tech ceramics for use in healthcare, safety components within the automotive and manufacturing industry. This includes items such as replacement hips and safety transducers but also advanced ceramic components for medical applications. A typical grade C, day worker, who is responsible for manufacturing ceramic medical equipment such as sensors and transducers currently earns just £11.44 per hour. Strikes are due to take place for four days from 28 – 31 May 2024. Disrupted production of Ceramtec’s products could lead to significant consequences for its customers given the use of ‘just in time’ supply chains read more
Safety critical Guys and St Thomas’ security staff intensify pay strikes (20 May) – Strikes by security staff critical to the safe running of Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals in South London have escalated, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The low paid workers, who protect staff and patients across the two hospitals, are asking for a 96p per hour pay rise. Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, however, is refusing to put forward an increase even though the workers are 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… The 30 security workers will strike for 10 days from 23 May to 2 June. Further strike action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Babcock Marine facing strikes as Clyde nuclear naval base workers balloted over pay (20 May) – Strike action involving 600 workers looming at Coulport and Faslane naval bases. Unite the union confirmed today (20 May) that its membership at the Coulport and Faslane naval bases on the Clyde will be balloted on industrial action in a dispute over pay. The dispute involves 600 Unite members employed by Babcock Marine (Clyde) Ltd who undertake specialist services for the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines. The offer amounts to a seven per cent increase backdated to August 2023, and three per cent for the next pay round effective from August this year. Unite’s membership have emphatically rejected the two year pay offer by 99 per cent. Unite maintains the offer represents a substantial pay cut as the true rate of inflation, RPI, stood at 9.1 per cent when the pay increase was due in August last year. The ballot which runs for two weeks opens tomorrow (21 May) and closes on 11 June read more
Fresh strike dates for workers at GXO Logistics, says Unite (17 May) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is escalating strike action at London’s GXO Logistics, in a dispute over alarmingly low pay. Unite members will now strike from Tuesday 28 May until Tuesday 18 June. New dates for the warehouse worker walkout have been announced to include weekend shifts – causing further disruption to food and beverage distribution across the capital read more
Bosch Rexroth workers back strike action in pay dispute (2 May) – 250 Glenrothes based workers set for 12-weeks strike. Unite has confirmed today (Thursday 2 May) that around 250 members working at Bosch Rexroth in Glenrothes have backed strike action in a dispute over a massive real terms pay cut. Unite’s membership overwhelmingly supported taking strike action by 83.2 per cent on a 66.8 per cent turnout. The trade union can further confirm that the workforce is now set to take 12 weeks of continuous strike action starting on 20 May until the close of play on 11 August. The dispute centres on the German-owned global tech and engineering giant making a rejected 1.25 per cent pay offer which represents a massive real terms pay cut. Bosch Rexroth engineer parts for the construction industry including gears and brakes, as well as parts for forklift trucks read more
CWU
New pension scheme for all will commence from October (8 Jul) – Every Royal Mail worker, with at least one year’s service, will have equal access to the company’s Collective Plan from 7th October, when a scheme that the union and the business have worked together on for several years officially opens read more
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 remembers US union organiser Jane McAlevey (8 Jul) – Jane McAlevey, stalwart of the international labour movement, died on 7 July at her home in Muir Beach, California at the age of 59, after a long battle with cancer. Jane will be remembered by thousands of union organisers across the world, not only as an academic and scholar of organising, but as a sister and an activist who raised expectations about what we, as workers, should aspire to – a decent job, a quality of life, dignity in old age and a world to offer our children read more
PCS Efra members tell ministers they get the environment they pay for (8 Jul) – PCS members in Efra group handed in a letter calling for fair pay and conditions today to the new secretary of state’s on their first Monday in office. The open letter, signed by around 1,400 members congratulated Steve Reed, expressing their commitment to delivering the new government’s agenda, while noting this simply isn’t possible in the current pay climate read more
PCS responds to Labour election win (5 Jul) – Reacting to today’s landslide election victory for the Labour party, PCS calls on the new government to value its own workers and end endemic low pay, privatisation and attacks on our pensions read more
Outsourced and underpaid: security guards shut down job centres (4 Jul) – Hundreds of members of PCS working as security guards at DWP sites turned out on strike as voters go to the polls. This morning more than 300 hundred PCS members swelled the ranks of GMB pickets begun this week. At least 16 pickets across England had already forced a reduced DWP service with several further offices and JobCentres shut down by today’s action. The strikers are employed by the multinational G4S as security guards for DWP read more
PCS and fellow unions continue campaign over pensions injustice (1 Jul) – PCS is fighting on over the pensions injustice – a battle that that has been strung out by the government for five years, to the great detriment of our members. The union is fighting on over the pensions injustice – a battle that that has been strung out by the government for five years, to the great detriment of our members. The Court of Appeal delivered a disappointing judgement in April, rejecting the appeal by PCS and other unions against the UK Government’s meddling with the pension cost control arrangements. PCS will support a bid to take this case to the Supreme Court read more
Compensation agreed for widow of jobcentre member killed in crash (1 Jul) – A DWP member received a significant compensation settlement after her husband – also a member who worked in the same jobcentre – was killed in a head-on car crash read more
PCS signs two trade union recognition agreements with G4S (25 Jun) – PCS members employed by G4S have won 2 trade union recognition agreements covering the Cabinet Office and related sites and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, covering approximately 150 security officers read more
New ballot of ISS workers in Whitehall shows chaos of outsourcing (24 Jun) – PCS members employed by ISS as cleaners and security guards at BEIS have launched a ballot for strike action. The nearly 60 PCS members work as cleaners and security guards at two BEIS offices in Whitehall. These are workers who are typically exploited for profit by outsourcing companies, but they are adamant that their pay and conditions should reflect the hard work and value they contribute to the running of the civil service. The PCS members are demanding £17 an hour and while PCS has met with ISS managers, ISS has failed to make a serious offer. In addition, the members are asking for improvements to conditions that go some way towards matching the contracts of civil servants working in the same building. The ballot runs from 24 June to 8 July read more
Use the e-action to fight de-recognition of PCS at the Imperial War Museum (12 Jun) – The e-action sends an email to the director general asking her to halt plans to derecognise PCS, and preserve workers’ voices and rights. 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. The three unions, Prospect, PCS, and FDA have a constructive and collaborative relationship and all three have appealed to management at the IWM not to derecognise PCS and FDA read more
Protesting Welsh culture cuts (4 Jun) – Protesters took to the streets of Cardiff, joining PCS members from Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales, to march and rally against Welsh culture sector cuts read more
Liverpool museum workers vote to accept pay offer (3 Jun) – PCS members at the National Museums Liverpool have voted to accept an improved pay offer, bringing to an end their long-running dispute. The staff took more than 60 days of action over the employer withholding a £1500 cost-of-living payment, which was part of the government’s pay offer for 2022/23. The action led to widespread gallery closures affecting the Museum of Liverpool, the World Museum, the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum, as well as the Walker Gallery, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Planned action last week was suspended so NML members could vote on an offer from management, and yesterday they voted to accept an offer of a one-off £1,200 cost-of-living payment, two extra days’ holiday a year and a 35% discount in museum cafes read more
Vibrant picket line kicks off latest round of Heathrow walkouts (31 May) – The first day of the latest Heathrow Border Force strike action got off to a brilliant start with reps and members out on a vibrant and playful picket line. More than 500 PCS members in Border Force at Heathrow airport started 3 days’ strike action today in an ongoing dispute over a new roster that has been imposed. It will be followed by 3 weeks of action short of a strike that will include a work to rule and overtime ban running from 4 to 25 June read more. Sign the petition to support striking Heathrow workers
Conference deplores dismissal of HMRC reps (23 May) – Conference deplored the actions of HMRC in dismissing two PCS reps from Benton Park View, and in recent weeks, for launching a further two conduct and discipline cases read more
PCS strike ballot results published (15 May) – The ballot papers have been counted in our strike ballot that closed on 13 May. Our ballot of 171 civil service and related areas for strike action over our national campaign demands closed on Monday, 13 May. The ballot papers have now been counted. The total percentage of members voting yes for strike action was 83.7% of those who voted. But while a large percentage of members voted for action, the number of people who can strike is severely limited by the Tories’ anti-union laws. We achieved over 50% (the turnout required by law for strike action) in employers including DVSA, HM Land Registry, DEFRA, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Rural Payments Agency. This means that in those areas we have a legal mandate to take strike action. The turn-out figures in the areas that were below the 50% needed for action still place us in a strong position for negotiating with the government in those specific areas and more generally across the civil service. The PCS national executive committee (NEC) is meeting today to discuss the results and our annual delegate conference in Brighton next week will decide on the next steps in the campaign. Reports of decisions made at conference will be posted regularly on the PCS website read more
PCS members to begin industrial action at ONS (25 Apr) – The action short of a strike from 8 May will take the form of non-compliance with the mandatory return to the office directive. PCS members in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will begin action short of a strike on 8 May over the organisation’s introduction of a mandatory workplace attendance policy. Members voted overwhelmingly for strike action and action short of strike in a ballot that closed on 2 April, in response to an instruction that staff spend at least 40% of their working time in an office, with effect from the start of April read more
Sign our petition for members in Hinduja Global Solutions to keep their jobs – 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
Firefighters at Jersey Airport to be balloted for industrial action over pensions (1 Jul) – Firefighters at Jersey Airport are to be balloted for industrial action by their trade union Prospect in a dispute over pensions read more
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
GMB
Amazon protest take place across UK as historic ballot begins (8 Jul) – Protests will take place at Amazon warehouses across the UK as voting begins in a historic workers’ rights ballot. Demonstrations in the North and South of England, Wales and Scotland mark the day workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse cast the first votes in their bid to force Amazon to recognise a union for the first time in the UK. A separate rally outside Amazon’s London HQ will see TUC Assistant General Secretary Kate Bell joined by Amazon workers and supporters. The vote in Coventry follows a three-week period which saw union representatives granted access to Amazon’s Coventry fulfilment centre by the Government’s Central Arbitration Committee. More than 3,000 workers will take part in the ballot – if a majority of them vote yes, Amazon will be forced to negotiate pay, terms and conditions with GMB Union. The vote runs until Saturday 13 July, with a result expected on 15 July read more
Amazon becomes $2 trillion company but workers treated with contempt (27 Jun) – Company bosses are celebrating the financial milestone whilst denying their own staff dignity at work, says GMB. GMB union, the trade union representing Amazon workers in the UK, has today responded to the news that Amazon has reached a company value of $2 trillion for the first time read more
Northern Ireland mass education strikes could be at an end (3 Jul) – Northern Ireland’s mass education strikes could be at an end after GMB members accepted a pay deal. More than 3,000 GMB members, including classroom assistants, drivers, bus escorts, catering staff, cleaning staff, administrative, building supervisors have taken several days of industrial action in a dispute over pay and grading. But today [Wednesday] a majority of 83 per cent of GMB Members voted to accept the new pay and grading proposal from the northern Ireland Executive. The Executive has now committed a financial package to implement Stage one of the proposal. GMB will now wait for the results of other unions’ ballots read more
Belfast Sprit Aerospace workers ‘in limbo’ (3 Jul) – Workers at Spirit Aerosystems in Belfast have been left ‘in limbo’ over their future. It was announced today [Monday] that Boeing had taking over Spirit, with Airbus taking over the part of the business that makes the wings and fuselage for its A220 jet. The future of more than 60 per cent of the workforce who are not involved in Airbus production has now been left in doubt. Aerospace is a vital element of Northern Ireland manufacturing and has a global footprint. Every major commercial aircraft programme in the world depends on structures, components and services sourced from Northern Ireland. The sector is valued at £1.9 billion and employs 10,000 workers, including those in sub-supply chains read more
Tata must step back from ‘irreversible’ closure (3 Jul) – GMB has responded to reports Tata will close blast furnaces next week read more
Virgin media sack chronicaly ill worker (3 Jul) – Virgin Media has sacked a chronically sick worker in a ‘blatant violation of the Equality Act’. Pawan Paul 23, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease, has worked for Virgin Media in Brentford since he was an 18-year-old apprentice. Mr Paul, who lives in Hayes, was hospitalised in September and told he may have to wear a bag for the rest of his life. Despite being prescribed very strong steroids and painkillers, he returned to work full time at the end of the month read more
Almost 1,500 Job Centre security guards walk out as dispute escalates (1 Jul) – Almost 1,500 Job Centre security guards begin a week long walk out today. The guards – employed by private outsourcing giant G4S – will walk out from Monday 1 July – Saturday 6 July across the UK. The workers do a difficult, dangerous job; GMB research shows more than 80 percent regularly suffer abuse, including being savaged in the neck by dogs, punched, attacked with screwdrivers and customers behaving ‘like wild animals’. In total, 90 per cent of the guards are now paid just the minimum wage. Meanwhile the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has shelled out £211 million to G4s since Dec 2022 – despite staff costs being just £161 million during the same period, a difference of £50 million. ACAS is attempting to arrange talks to settle the dispute, but the DWP is refusing to participate read more
Leicestershire schools risk school dinners on the cheap (26 Jun) – Two of Leicestershire’s largest school Trusts are to outsource the provision of school meals
Plans from the RISE and Discovery Academy Trusts, which collectively run almost forty county schools, would see school dinners outsourced to a private contractor. GMB union has raised the alarm after it was revealed companies in the running to deliver pupil meals could refuse to honour the pay, terms and conditions of catering staff at the schools long term. Staff at the schools have also aired concerns that changes will strip them of their ability to be represented by their recognised trade union read more
Industrial action woes escalate for defence giant Rolls Royce (11 Jun) – Workers will refuse overtime work in the ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
GMB union has today announced that members at Rolls Royce’s submarine programme in Derby have backed an escalation in the ongoing industrial action facing the company. Workers will now engage in an overtime ban, meaning company managers will not be able to call on staff to fulfil already groaning order books outside of contracted hours. An overtime ban will come into place from Friday 31 May for one month read more
More than 130 NHS workers strike at Liverpool hospital (10 Jun) – More than 130 porters cleaners and catering staff will walk out today. Workers at Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital will start day two of strike action today [Monday]. The NHS staff were employed by an arms length provider – which means they missed out on a lump sum payment given to other health worker colleagues. The strike, which could go on for another eight days, comes after their first day of action Friday (7 June) read more
Stonehenge School rocked by strike ballot (5 Jun) – Wiltshire school close to famous landmark being balloted by GMB union. GMB, the union for school support staff, is balloting members at The Stonehenge School in Amesbury, Wiltshire over changes to working practices. More than a dozen members of support staff are being balloted over changes to working practices, including additional duties interrupting the lunch breaks enjoyed by some colleagues for 17 years. The ballot opens on Monday 10 June and closes on Monday 1 July read more
Strike set to ‘decimate’ services at Orpington’s Princess Royal Hospital (28 May) – More than 100 workers at Princess Royal University Hospital are set to down tools from early morning on Wednesday 29 until midnight on Thursday 30 May.
Members of GMB, the union for healthcare workers, voted to take action over a number of workplace issues, including regularly delayed pay and non-payment of a Covid bonus paid to other colleagues on site. The striking workers are employed by the hospital’s private contractor ISS as cleaners, caterers, porters and security staff. Anyone wishing to visit the picket line can do so any time from Wednesday 29 May 00:01 to Thursday 30 May at 23:59, with a demonstration photocall between 9am and 10am on Wednesday. The demonstration will be outside the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough Common, Orpington, BR6 8ND read more
Asda Brighton Hollingbury Bank Holiday Weekend strike set to cause barbecue chaos (24 May) – Customers will have to cross a picket line to get barbecue and picnic supplies. More than 100 workers at Asda’s Brighton Hollingbury superstore are set to down tools from 20:00 on Friday 24 May until 15:00 on Saturday 25 May 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
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
Nottinghamshire hospital workers announce more strikes (24 May) – Private contractors at three of Nottinghamshire’s biggest hospitals are set for two more days of strikes. Employed by Medirest, a private contractor in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust, workers are furious as company bosses refuse to keep terms and conditions in line with colleagues employed directly by the NHS. Strike action will take place from 06:00 on Thursday 30 May through to 05:59 on Saturday 01 June. Nearly three hundred workers, including porters, cleaners, security staff, catering workers and reception teams will take part in the walkout at King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark Community Hospitals read more
Birmingham faces school strike escalation (22 May) – GMB Union will ballot members in 35 additional schools. Along with the thirty-five that took part in strike action earlier this month, this brings the total number of Birmingham schools facing equal pay strike distribution in the city to 70. Workers including teaching assistants, catering staff and grounds maintenance workers will take part in the ballot. The vote comes after the union slammed council bosses for delays and broken promises on settling GMB members claims for equal pay read more
BCP Council hit by GMB union strike ballot (20 May) – Council workers being balloted over non-disclosure of information relating to job re-evaluation. Members of GMB, the union for BCP Council, are now being balloted as part of a long-running dispute, centred around the council’s job re-evaluation and regrading process. The workers are based within the council’s waste, recycling and street services and are based at the Southcote Road and Hatchpond Depots. The council is aiming to harmonise pay across the council, after the coming together of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Borough Councils on 1 April 2019. Despite several meetings with GMB union since members first rejected the council proposal in mid-March, council staff are still not being allowed to see data informing them of how changes will affect them personally. The formal ballot, scrutinised by Civica, is now open and will close on Wednesday 29 May, meaning any strike action could take place as early as mid-June read more
Cheshire nuclear workers vote to strike (13 May) – Nuclear workers in Cheshire have voted to strike in a dispute over pay. Around 500 staff at the Urenco Nuclear site in Capenhurst voted for industrial action after pay talks broke down. Unions GMB, Unite and Prospect will now meet with members to discuss strike dates read more
Swindon Borough Council faces strike vote over ‘colonial era work practices,’ says GMB (24 Apr) – Social workers at Swindon Borough Council are set for a strike vote over ‘colonial era working practices’, GMB Union claims. Staff – many recruited directly from India – were handed a contractually agreed £8,000 signing on bonus and a £7,000 recruitment and retention bonuses spread over three years. The recruitment and retention bonus has now been stopped but they are still being told if they leave Swindon Council within three years, they will have to pay back the £8,000. The move only affects staff recruited from India – with no equivalent reduction of money for social workers from the UK. All 14 workers have written writing to management but have been ignored, while Jim Robbins, Labour leader of the council, has not responded to GMB Union. The ballot closes on Friday 26 April 2024 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
Support Barnet UNISON Mental Health social worker strike – Mental Health Social Worker Strike Escalates! (17 May) – UNISON has sent a strike notification to the soon to be departing chief executive stating that our members will be on strike for the period between 3 June and 14 June. Our previous strike timetable was as follows:-
- From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks). Already taken.
- From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
- From 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).
The strike notification in effect means our members will be on strike continuously from Monday 13 May until Friday 12 July a total of nine weeks read more
Barnet UNISON: “BANNERS HELD HIGH” lobby : Tuesday 9 July 6 pm – On behalf of our mental health social worker strikers, in solidarity with the 40th Anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, Barnet UNISON is inviting supporters to our: “BANNERS HELD HIGH” lobby of Barnet Council Full Council – Tuesday 9 July 6pm outside Hendon Town Hall, NW4 4BG. The nearest tube station is Hendon station on the northern line. Turn right out of the station for a 10-minute walk up the hill then turn right at the top and the Town Hall is a one-minute walk on the left. In 2015, our branch had the honour to march through Thatcher’s back yard with the late Davey Hopper and the Durham Miners banner, and the iconic LGSM banner.
Send messages of support to [email protected]
Watch video!! #BarnetUNISON mental health social workers speaking out against strike breaking
Please sign this statement of solidarity in support of striking Barnet Unison mental health social workers – On behalf of Barnet UNISON mental health social workers who have taken 61 days of strike action over a ten-month period I have a solidarity request.
First could you sign this statement, and second could you circulate to those who would also sign this statement.
Solidarity, John Burgess, Branch Secretary Barnet UNISON
‘Left behind’ Surrey and Sussex healthcare staff to strike, says UNISON (8 Jul) – More than 350 staff at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) will begin two days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) in a dispute over their employers’ failure to pay the full rate for the work they do read more
Low-income NHS staff paying the price for wage delays (2 Jul) – Staff earning least in the NHS are losing access to schemes to reduce or spread their costs. Government delays on NHS pay have resulted in thousands of the lowest-paid health workers being removed from financial schemes aimed at making their travel to work and childcare bills more affordable, says UNISON today (Tuesday) read more read more
Health workers across Teesside win long-fought dispute over grading and back pay (26 Jun) – Hundreds of healthcare assistants are to receive a substantial wage rise and back pay after their campaign to achieve fair pay brought the employers to the negotiating table. Hundreds of healthcare assistants are to receive a substantial wage rise and back pay after their campaign to achieve fair pay brought the employers to the negotiating table. Staff working for North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were due to walk out for a fifth time earlier this month but strikes were suspended when the trusts agreed to talk with the union read more
NIPSA
Branch Consultation On 2024/25 NI Civil Service Pay Claim (8 Jul) – from Carmel Gates General Secretary: The branch consultation on the pay claim for 2024/25 has now concluded and members have overwhelmingly endorsed the claim. The following claim will now be submitted to the NICS management on behalf of members in the NICS and in those ALBs that mirror NICS pay read more
Message Received Loud And Clear – Industrial Action In Health And Social Care (5 Jul) – from Kevin Kelly Assistant Secretary: Dear member, Firstly, on behalf of NIPSA and the wider membership I wish to thank all those who took part in the recent industrial action in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. These members set out to send a message to the Department of Health (DoH) and the Minister that staffing levels within Social Work has hit a crisis point and urgent action needs to be taken. They stood on picket lines in Lisburn, Ards and Downpatrick facing weather conditions of a typical NI summer of 4 seasons in one day. This did not deter them nor the various supporters from other Branches and HQ Staff. They followed this up with a protest to the Secretary of State’s office at Erskine House, today Friday 5 July 2024. As a result of this action the DOH have made direct contact with NIPSA and they are now seeking discussions to address these issues in a more meaningful way. This is by no means an end to the dispute but it shows that our message has been heard loud and clear and for that reason, everyone should be proud of the stance that they have taken read more
Urgent: All Members Working In Education Under NJC Terms (25 Jun) – from Patrick Mulholland Deputy General Secretary: Please see linked below documents detailing the proposals for resolution of our current industrial action in education. I would ask that you give these documents your attention and that you attend consultation meetings. Details to follow
PSNI members ballot for industrial action (3 Jun) – NIPSA’s members in the PSNI are participating in a ballot for Industrial Action and Action Short of Strike Action. This is in relation to the years of stagnation whereby police staff are given significantly less than their Police Officer counterparts in what is widely known as “danger money”, formally named the “Revised Environmental Allowance” (REA). IPSA members face similar threats as their Officer counterparts on a daily basis yet are only afforded 1/7th of the financial reward of their colleagues in green. This threat is solely linked to being employed by the PSNI and our members are considered ‘legitimate targets’ by those who wish to disrupt society and threaten peace read more
Health Strike (30 Apr) – NIPSA, the largest trade union in Northern Ireland, has issued notice to the Belfast Health Trust that strike action will commence on May 8 and continue until May 10. This action is being taken in Family and Childcare (social services). The strike action will run in parallel with action short of strike action and will be expanded to other health trusts over the next few weeks. Approximately 40 NIPSA members will take part in the strike action read more
Royal College of Nursing
RCN calls on new government to work in partnership to tackle national health emergency (5 Jul) – Our letter to Sir Keir Starmer says nursing staff have the solutions to overcome the significant challenges facing health and social care. Investment in staff must be his priority as PM read more
New government must take action to prevent NHS Long Term Workforce Plan failure (3 Jul) – RCN survey shows half of nursing students considering quitting read more
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
RCM
‘The country has voted for change, so let’s work together to change our maternity services for the better,’ says RCM (5 Jul) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) today will be writing to the new Secretary for State for Health and Social Care on their first day on the job to ensure improving UK maternity services is top of their agenda. The RCM says action on safety and staffing is urgently needed, not only for those using maternity services, but for the staff that are working in them read more
RCM launches snap poll for members in Northern Ireland (22 Apr) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling all its members in Northern Ireland to take part in its snap poll on additional hours worked which launches today. The RCM wants to know how many unpaid extra hours its members worked during last week, 15-21 April. Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) can let the RCM know by taking this quick poll here. Earlier this month RCM members in England, Scotland and Wales told the RCM that they had worked 136,834 extra unpaid hours to keep services running safely. The RCM says that now members in Northern Ireland have voted to accept the pay offer, it’s their turn to tally up the extra unpaid hours they’ve been working read more
BMA
Donate to support striking junior doctors
(From the Mirror) Talks begin next week to end junior doctors’ strikes as Labour gets to work (5 Jul) – As his first act in office, Wes Streeting says he has spoken to the British Medical Association (BMA) to re-start negotiations in a bid to end the dispute over pay and working conditions read more on Mirror website
Doctors in Wales vote to accept pay offers (28 Jun) – The BMA’s consultants, junior doctors and SAS (specialist, associate specialist, and specialty doctors) committees in Wales have all accepted the Welsh Government’s pay offers after members voted in favour of the deals, putting an end to the three separate pay disputes for doctors working in secondary care read more
(From BBC website) Hospital consultants suspend strike action in NI (19 Jul) – Senior doctors have suspended taking any strike action for now. Consultants in Northern Ireland have suspended their forthcoming industrial action. The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that the Department of Health have put forward a credible pay offer that it wishes to explore further. The senior doctors were due to take part in a 24-hour walk out from 26 to 27 June. The decision had been voted for as part of a long-running dispute over pay read more on BBC website
Urgent action demand on pay in Northern Ireland (6 Jun) – Junior doctors begin another round of industrial activity. Junior doctors will gather at Stormont today in a rally to mark the latest round of industrial action in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of junior doctors are expected to take part in the event at the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly to call for urgent action to reverse years of real-terms pay decline read more
Strike for fair pay commences (22 May) – Rejection of demand for full pay restoration forces walk-out in Northern Ireland read more
HCSA
HCSA announces first ever Northern Ireland strike ballot (7 Jun) – HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union has today announced plans for its first ever ballot of consultant and SAS grade members in Northern Ireland on strike action over pay. The union’s ruling Council voted overwhelmingly to move to a formal ballot after an indicative vote showed strong support against a backdrop of years of real-terms pay cuts, staffing shortages and rock-bottom morale. Senior doctors in HCSA will be asked whether they agree to strike action and action short of strike when the vote opens on June 19th read more
NEU
Labour Party election win (5 Jul) – The NEU stands ready to work with Labour to ensure that we have the policies and funding in place to give every child the education they deserve read more
Support the following action:-
| Action Date Contact Oulton Academy / Leeds (Transfer of Employer) 8-9 July Terry Bambrook/Mary Owen [email protected] [email protected] St Anne’s School & Sixth Form / East Riding (Conditions of Service) 8-11 July Damian Walenta [email protected] Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill / Southampton (Conditions of Service) 9-11 July Bruno Russell [email protected] Baird Primary / East Sussex (Redundancies) 9-11 July Phil Clarke [email protected] Burgess Hill Academy / West Sussex (Redundancies) 9-11 July Anne Barker [email protected] Hastings Academy / East Sussex (Redundancies) 9-11 July Phil Clarke [email protected] Robsack Wood Primary Academy / East Sussex (Redundancies) 9-11 July Phil Clarke [email protected] St Leonard’s Academy / East Sussex 9-11 July Phil Clarke [email protected] QEGS Mat Schools / Derbyshire (Conditions of Service) 9-11 July Kieran Picken (City of Derby) [email protected] Dan Bracken-Neale(Derbyshire) [email protected] Benson Primary School / Birmingham (Conditions of Service) 9-11 July David Room [email protected] Highgate Wood School / Haringey (Conditions of Service) 10-11 July Efe Kurtluoglu [email protected] Connaught School for Girls / Waltham Forest (Conditions of Service) 11-12 July Pablo Phillips [email protected] Sandra Faria [email protected] The Deepings School / Lincs (Conditions of Service) 11-12 July Ken Rustidge [email protected] |
NASUWT
Teacher pensions raid prompts strike action at Palmers Green school (5 Jul) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Palmers Green High School in Enfield are taking two days of strike action next Monday and Tuesday over attempts to erode teachers’ access to a decent pension. Teachers at the school are being asked to choose whether to accept a real-terms pay cut and stay in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) or agree to move into an inferior Defined Contribution pension scheme which will offer less financial security in retirement. In addition, new staff joining the school will have no option at all to join the TPS read more
Further strike action by teachers at Chester college over pensions attack (4 Jul) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Abbey Gate College in Chester are taking further strike action next Monday and Wednesday over attempts to make teachers choose between their pension or their pay. Teachers have taken six days of strike action in the ongoing dispute as the employer has refused to negotiate over plans to remove staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). Instead, hard working and dedicated teachers have been told that if they remain in the TPS their salaries will be reduced read more
Manchester teachers strike over sacking of union rep (24 Jun) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union are starting the first of eleven planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at William Hulme’s Grammar School in Manchester over the decision by employers to select the NASUWT’s workplace rep for redundancy and other adverse management practices. NASUWT maintains that the employer has failed to provide a legitimate reason or business case for redundancy and that there is evidence of discrimination on the grounds of trade union membership. The dismissal of a trade union rep is the latest in a pattern of adverse management practices at the school which are impacting the wider staff. These include the way in which staff absence is being managed and the use of support plans read more
Teachers at Ealing school strike over pensions attack (18 Jun) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at St Benedict’s School in Ealing are starting the first of eight planned days of strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) 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 scheme which will offer less security in retirement. If teachers choose to remain in the TPS they must accept a pay cut to stay in the scheme read more
Strike action in Northumberland schools over jobs threat (5 Jun) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union are starting the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) at three middle schools in Northumberland where approximately 50 to 60 teachers are at threat of losing their jobs over reorganisation plans. From the outset, Northumberland County Council committed to protect staff from Job losses, but they have so far failed to honour this pledge. Northumberland County Council plans to close Glendale, Tweedmouth and Berwick Middle Schools as part of a move to a primary and secondary school system. Currently, the Council is refusing to consider either redeployment or voluntary redundancy schemes for affected teachers read more
Llangors Church In Wales primary teachers shunned by Powys LA (5 Jun) – Now in their 13th week of industrial dispute over adverse management, governance and avoidable redundancy through financial mismanagement, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Llangors Church in Wales Primary School are due to take their 11th day of strike action (Thursday 6th June). Powys County Council’s persistent failure to negotiate with NASUWT continues and the reduction of the teaching workforce is still proceeding, despite the ending of a dismissal process by compulsory redundancy of a member of staff read more
Wembley teachers strike over forced academy plans (3 Jun) – NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is taking the first of eleven planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at Byron Court Primary School in Wembley over plans to force the school to become an academy. Removing the school from local authority control threatens teachers’ jobs and their terms and conditions. Parents as well as school staff oppose the forcible academisation of the school, which follows an Ofsted inspection late last year and the triggering of an automatic academy order by the Department for Education read more
Cheadle teachers fight pay and pensions attack (14 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Lady Barn House School in Cheadle are taking the first of six planned days of strike action on Thursday after they were threatened with being fired from their jobs unless they accept a pay cut to retain access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The employer is threatening teachers with ‘fire and rehire’ to force through new and inferior contracts which impose a 3.5% pay cut in return for remaining in the TPS. Despite current financial forecasts from the school stating they can afford to continue paying pension contributions up to 2028, the employer has refused to delay the imposition of contractual changes on staff read more
EIS
Lecturers strike back against “deeming” of pay by college employers (1 Jul) – Lecturers at two Scottish Further Education Colleges have voted in favour of strike action in protest at college employers ‘deeming’ (i.e. withholding) pay from lecturers engaged in industrial Action Short of Strike (ASoS). Lecturers at Ayrshire College and South Lanarkshire College were balloted by the EIS, following colleges managements’ decision to withhold pay from lecturers engaged in ASoS. The result was a powerful vote in favour of strike action in protest at the action by the colleges, and in order to recover salaries withheld by deeming read more
Pay Settlement Delay Unacceptable – Statement by SNCT Teachers’ Panel (24 Jun) – The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) has met today to consider the lack of response from local authority employers, following the failure to acknowledge the Panel’s unanimous rejection of an unacceptable pay offer made at the beginning of June. The moving of the implementation date for a pay settlement to 1st August 2024 had been previously agreed, at SNCT, by both COSLA and the Scottish Government as part of the previous teachers’ pay settlement read more
Glasgow teachers vote YES to industrial action (12 Jun) – Glasgow teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action with 96% voting Yes to Action Short of Strike and 90% voting for Strike action, in a ballot organised by the EIS. The Consultative Ballot of more than 5000 EIS members in Glasgow was conducted as the next stage in the dispute the EIS lodged with Glasgow City Council (GCC) on March 15th which called for a reversal in the proposal to cut 450 teaching posts over GCC’s three-year budget read more
INTO
Non Teaching Staff Strike Action 03 June 2024 – INTO acknowledge that our sister unions must pursue their objectives in ways most appropriate to their members. The interests of INTO and our non-teaching trade unions are not dissimilar, and to be clear, the INTO supports their endeavours. Our non-teaching education staff are essential and vital to the running of our schools. Indeed, our schools simply would not function without them. Our members have reported, over many years, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff to the many essential non-teaching roles in schools. This is directly related to their salary and how they are valued. Our children need these workers to be appropriately remunerated for the essential role they fulfil. Therefore, we stand fully behind them in this dispute and will take no steps to undermine their campaign. INTO members should not reduce the efficacy of the industrial action of classroom assistants. Our members should undertake no duties that would be untypical of that day read more
UCU
General election result a win for workers (5 Jul) – Labour’s general election win is the result trade unionists needed after ‘fourteen long years of Tory misrule’, said UCU read more
UCU sends its solidarity to teachers at the British Council Taiwan balloting over low pay (13 Jun) – On behalf of the 125,000 members of the University and College Union in the United Kingdom, we send solidarity greetings to our colleagues in the Teachers at the British Council Taiwan regarding your current strike ballot over pay read more
Staff vote to strike at University of Lincoln over job cuts (6 Jun) – UCU has today announced that members at the University of Lincoln have voted to take industrial action over drastic cuts to over 200 jobs. 80% of members who voted supported industrial action, on a turnout of 55%. Dates for strikes will be announced in due course, but may be as soon as next month which could impact clearing and open days. The looming threat targets over 220 employees across the university, including one in ten academic staff. This is despite the most recent accounts showing that in 2022/23 the university ran a £3m operating surplus and had £46m in cash reserves read more
UCU declares academic boycott of Goldsmiths over job cuts (3 Jun) – UCU today announced a global academic boycott of Goldsmiths, University of London over the institution’s plans to cut jobs. Staff at Goldsmiths are already undertaking a marking boycott in a dispute over management’s attempt to sack more than one in six academic staff. With Goldsmiths and its boss Professor Frances Corner refusing to back down from these devastating plans, UCU’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) has approved escalation to an academic boycott, beginning today read more
University of Winchester staff to strike tomorrow (3 Jun) – University of Winchester staff will strike tomorrow over brutal job cuts. Staff will be picketing the university from 8am tomorrow morning. They will then begin action short of strike on Wednesday (5 June), including working to rule and refusing to cover for absent colleagues. The action follows an overwhelming 79% of UCU members voting to strike on a turnout of 59% in a fight against plans to cut around 40 academic staff and increase workloads. UCU fears the changes will lead to unmanageable working hours read more
Staff vote to strike at Sheffield Hallam University over ‘vicious job cuts’ (3 Jun) – UCU today announced that members at Sheffield Hallam University have voted to strike over drastic cuts and erosion of terms and conditions. 87% of members who voted have supported industrial action, on a turnout of 53%. Dates for strikes will be announced in due course. UCU has accused the university of pushing ahead with expensive building projects and satellite campuses, while launching a wholesale attack on staff and students through an unprecedented cuts programme, severely breaching the post-92 contract and national framework, and destroying working conditions read more
Staff to strike at North East college group open day (2 May) – Staff at five colleges in Cleveland, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees will strike on Thursday 16 and Wednesday 22 May in a long running dispute over low pay that has already seen staff down tools for eight days. On Thursday 16 May staff will picket the open day at Redcar and Cleveland College campus and on Wednesday 22 May they will picket Stockton and Riverside College campus. The strike action is the latest escalation after staff rejected employer Education Training Collective’s (ETC) most recent 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 read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Fire Brigades Union responds to 2024 general election result (5 Jul) – The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called on the new Labour government to end years of “misery” under the Tories and deliver on their promises to working people following the party’s win in the general election read more
Firefighters call for “urgent action” to save lives as soaring temperatures trigger heat alert (29 Jun) – The Fire Brigades Union has called for “urgent action” from the next government to prepare the UK for rising temperatures following this week’s heatwave. Warnings for heat and wildfires have been in force across much of the country. The union’s general secretary warned that the UK fire and rescue service was “fragmented, overstretched and chronically underfunded.” Climate change is resulting in record breaking temperatures, with an increased risk of heatwaves. Firefighters warn that urgent investment is needed to prevent a repeat of July 2022, when fire and rescue services were pushed to breaking point read more
Merseyside fire authority postpones vote on “dangerous” crewing policy after firefighters’ uproar (26 Jun) – FBU members gathered outside Merseyside fire authority meeting. Merseyside fire authority has today postponed a vote on proposals to send firefighters to incidents in crews of three on a fire engine, as firefighters rallied outside the meeting in opposition to the “dangerous” policy. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) says that a minimum number of five firefighters is needed to respond to incidents safely and professionally. A fire engine with three firefighters on board cannot deploy breathing apparatus and must wait for back-up to arrive to safely respond to a range of incidents, including when lives are at risk. FBU representatives, including general secretary Matt Wrack, attended this afternoon’s fire authority meeting, voicing opposition to crews of three as well as the Community Risk Management Plan outlining the removal of watch managers from fire engines and reintroducing downgraded ‘small fires units’, which the union argues will put firefighters at greater risk. The Labour Party has committed to national standards for fire and rescue in its manifesto, including firefighter crewing levels. The fire authority has said that proposals will be discussed at the next fire authority meeting, which will take place on a date after the general election read more
POA
National Chair update June 2024 read more
NAPO
In-House Contested Breaches (5 Jul) – As you are aware, the trade unions are opposed to the proposal that court PSOs prosecute contested trials. When we surveyed our court members on the subject earlier this year, there was very strong opposition to the plans, as was communicated to the employer at the time read more
Facilitator JES Update (3 Jul) – The Dispute Panel met last Friday to discuss the trade unions’ concerns in relation to how the JES process for facilitators has been managed. Following a day of detailed discussions, it was decided that the role is a new role (there have not been facilitator job descriptions previously), and (disappointingly) they felt that the scoring of the role should not be set aside and for it to be redone read more
FCS TOIL and Workloads Survey (28 Jun) – In May 2024 Cafcass announced there had been a further reduction in average caseloads across the organisation. While this news was welcomed by Napo, we were conscious that our members were continuing to report very high caseloads, they were struggling to find time to complete all the expectations that Cafcass had of them and were still working significantly above their contracted hours read more
Enough is enough – a consultative ballot on pay and workloads read more
How to vote in the Consultative Ballot – NAPO’s consultative ballot on pay and workloads closes at 12 noon on Friday 5th July and we have made some improvements to the voting process which should make it quicker and easier for you to get involved read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
BALPA
BALPA sends message of solidarity to Aer Lingus pilots (27 Jun) – Through our links with IFALPA, BALPA is part of a global family of pilots. Today we are sending messages of support to members in our sister association IALPA (Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association). BALPA has been informed by IALPA that Aer Lingus pilots served formal notice to Aer Lingus management informing the airline that they will take part in an eight-hour strike from 0500 to 1300 on Saturday 29 June 2024. This is in addition to the already served notice of an indefinite work-to-rule. Aer Lingus members in IALPA have been engaged in negotiations with their employer for 22 months. These negotiations have not led to an appropriate offer by the company. As a pilot community BALPA is committed to offering support read more
Bristow Helicopters Dispute Update Statement (16 May) – In response to the latest Bristow Helicopters statement to media, BALPA General Secretary Amy Leversidge said: “We appreciate Bristow Helicopters management finally acknowledging that pilots and tech crews are critical to the success of the company and indicating they want to come back to the table to negotiate with us. However, they need to accept that in a ballot of our members 95% rejected the current offer on the table. After the ballot we entered back into ACAS talks and after over a week of trying to get movement from Bristow management they tabled an offer that was virtually indistinguishable from the rejected offer. There is no confusion or misunderstanding on our part, our members are clear and resolute – we need an offer that is just focused on pay and is not reliant on reducing terms and conditions…” read more
Nautilus International
RFA: Nautilus presses new government for action (8 Jul) – The appointment of a new Secretary of State for Defence is an opportunity to resolve the pay dispute at the RFA with a settlement that is fair for members after years of austerity read more
RFA: industrial action gets MOD back around the table (26 Jun) – Nautilus members at the RFA began industrial action after 14 years of pay austerity, which has seen their salaries drop by 30% in real terms due to inflation. Image: Nautilus International. The Ministry of Defence has agreed to return to the negotiating table with Nautilus International following industrial action short of strike by members at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). For 25 days Nautilus members have undertaken work responsibilities commensurate with their job title and have not provided cover or acted in a capacity above or below their job title. The industrial action has affected ordinary operations across the RFA flotilla and shore-based establishments. Nautilus members continue to work as normal during active operations and continue to work in full compliance with all safety guidelines and policies read more
NUJ
NUJ says plans to deprive local newspapers from carrying public notices will push the industry to the brink (3 Jul) – Members of the Senedd have been urged by the National Union of Journalists to scrap a clause in the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill which would push the newspaper industry, already on the brink of collapse, over the edge read more
Springer Nature pay dispute ends (2 Jul) – The union and Springer Nature have issued a joint statement as the two sides reach an agreement read more
Response to RTÉ crisis must not undermine public services values (30 Jun) – The NUJ has challenged the philosophy underpinning the five-year strategy for RTÉ announced this week read more
Equity
Oldham Coliseum Saved! (8 Jul) – The historic theatre will reopen thanks to a successful campaign read more
Equity responds to general election results (4 Jul) – Paul W Fleming, General Secretary of Equity, comments on the formation of a new government saying “our new government must get to grips with the performing arts and entertainment.” Read more
Equity calls on Scottish politicians to save arts funding (3 Jul) – Equity members protested in Glasgow to draw attention to the arts funding crisis, as research reveals millions of pounds cut from the city’s arts funding read more
WNO chorus campaign to save jobs (28 Jun) – Singers from WNO are campaigning to save the jobs at risk of redundancy at the WNO read more
Equity begins negotiations with PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) (27 Jun) – We’re negotiating with PACT to secure a new collective agreement with improved pay and working conditions in film and TV read more
Musicians’’ Union
RWCMD Petition Hits 10,000 Signatures and is Discussed at Senedd Petitions Committee (4 Jul) – More leading figures from music and the arts sign the Union’s open letter in support of Young RWCMD, as the Senedd Petitions Committee call for urgent action to protect the programme read more
Protect the Junior RWCMD department: Sign the Petition – Members at the Junior RWCMD department are campaigning to keep the college’s junior music and drama programmes open read more
MU Ballots Welsh National Opera Members for a Mandate for Industrial Action (25 Jun) – The MU is balloting its members in the Welsh National Opera (WNO) orchestra for a mandate for industrial action read more
Protect Welsh National Opera: Sign the Petition Now – Musicians at Welsh National Opera orchestra are campaigning to keep the orchestra full time and secure the company’s future read more
Community
Closure of Blast Furnace 5, Port Talbot (5 Jul) – Last night the life of Blast Furnace 5 at Port Talbot Steelworks was brought to a close after 65 years read more
Union votes for strike action over Tata job losses (9 May) – Community said 85% of its members backed industrial action. Members of the largest steelworkers’ union, Community, have voted in favour of industrial action over Tata Steel’s restructuring plans. The union said 85% of those who voted supported the move. Workers were balloted after Tata Steel announced 2,800 job losses across the UK as part of the closure of Port Talbot’s blast furnaces and a transition to greener steelmaking read more on BBC website
USDAW
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
The digital class struggle in peril: Facebook and X/Twitter shut down uvw accounts (2 Jul) – United Voices of the World (UVW) is facing a troubling AI-driven crackdown on our digital presence. Both X/Twitter and Facebook have taken unprecedented actions against UVW’s accounts, silencing our voice and hindering our efforts to advocate for workers’ rights. UVW had used the social media platforms to rally support for our actions and raise tens of thousands of pounds to support the strikes of predominantly migrant workers. UVW had over 20,000 followers on X/Twitter and 13,000 followers on Facebook prior to the social media platforms deleting and unpublishing the accounts read more
The movement is growing: caterers AT DFE join the fight! (27 Jul) – “Confidence has been crucial in my journey. It all started with the courage of my colleagues in the cleaning team. One year ago, they sparked a movement within the Department for Education, the Government Property Agency, and our former contractors, OCS (…) When I faced my own issues with OCS, I knew I had to reach out to the United Voices of the World” – April, assistant catering manager at DfE’s Sanctuary Buildings, UVW member and striker read more
Cleaners at Dulwich private school ballot for strike action (18 Jun) – “We are ready to strike because losing five weeks of work per year is deeply unfair… We can’t just find another job to make up for such a significant income loss, especially with scattered weeks off throughout the year” – Gloria Chalaco, cleaner at JAGs and UVW member. Cleaners at prestigious James Allen’s Girls School (Jags) in Dulwich are preparing to vote on strike action after being informed by JAGs contractor DB Services of changes to their terms and conditions, and without entering into a consultation process read more
IWGB
Find out more about the couriers’ strikes on the X/twitter of the IWGB Couriers’ branch @IWGB_CLB
SIPTU (Ireland)
National Advocacy Service strike action resumes (7 Jul) – SIPTU members employed in the National Advocacy Service will return to the picket lines tomorrow (Monday, 8th July) following a failure by management to adhere to an agreement to honour a Labour Court recommendation on pay and conditions for the workers who provide vital services for people with disabilities read more
SIPTU calls on Stryker to engage with the Union (5 Jul) – SIPTU has written to the management of the Stryker plant in Carrigtwohill, County Cork, highlighting to it a call by the Taoiseach, Simon Harris, for the company to ‘take seriously’ statutory agencies recommendations for it to engage in collective bargaining with its workers’ trade union read more
Other news
Affiliate with STAMMA – at the NSSN Conference, Gary Clark retired CWU Royal Mail rep and a member of the NSSN Steering Committee spoke about 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
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
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.
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)
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:
Strike announced to defend unfairly sacked member (22 May) – Further to my previous Circular (IR/123/24, 19th April 2024), all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area are congratulated for standing firm together against injustice during the strike action from 3rd to 4th May. Gerald’s appeal hearing has now taken place but regrettably, LUL upheld the decision to dismiss him rather than taking action to rightly resolve this dispute. This matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee, which has taken the decision to instruct all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area to take strike action and NOT TO BOOK ON FOR SHIFTS THAT COMMENCE BETWEEN: 00:01 hours on Friday 28th June until 23:59 hours on Saturday 29th June 2024. The NEC has also taken the decision to escalate this dispute and ballot all other Station Grades members in the Bakerloo South Cover Group Area. Ballot papers were sent to members at Charing Cross Area, Elephant & Castle Area and Piccadilly Circus Area on Wednesday 15th May and these ballots will close on Thursday 30th May. I will keep Branches advised of all further developments 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
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
China: journalists arbitrarily arrested and sentenced (4 Jul) read more on NUJ website
Nigeria: journalist charged over reporting on local businessman (4 Jul) read more on NUJ website
Solidarity with the striking textile workers at Ozak in Turkey – read more on Twitter of Solidarity with the People of Turkey @spotturkey
Diary
2024
September
8 NSSN TUC Congress Rally & Lobby – 1pm The Old Ship Hotel Brighton
October
5 Troublemakers At Work Conference Central Hall in Manchester details
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
