We headline this week’s NSSN bulletin with the vote by members of the Royal College of Nurses in England top reject the Government’s pay offer. We send them and their union our support and solidarity.
RCN: NHS pay consultation in England – members vote reject (23 Sept)
Two-thirds of members who voted said the 5.5% pay award isn’t enough.
RCN members working for the NHS in England have voted to reject the 2024/25 pay award from the UK government. A record 145,000 eligible members cast a vote with two-thirds (64%) of them saying they didn’t accept the 5.5% award.
The pay award was announced by the Chancellor in late July as she accepted the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB), awarding a 5.5% consolidated pay increase across all bands. This is expected to be paid next month and will be backdated to 1 April 2024.
As this is a pay award rather than a pay offer, the results of our consultation will not directly affect employers’ payment of it. However, it shows our members’ strength of feeling that something fundamental must change for nursing pay.
Our consultation was not a vote on the issue of strike action. By law, a new statutory ballot by post would be needed to authorise industrial action.
The government must now demonstrate its commitment to nursing staff by showing that its NHS reform plans will transform the profession as a central part of improving patient care.
Our General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger is in Liverpool at the Labour Party conference where she is talking to ministers about the consultation results and the fact that nursing staff want – and deserve – bolder change.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, she said: “We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the determination of nursing staff to stand up for themselves, their patients and the NHS they believe in…” read more
The NSSN TUC Rally says: make the rich pay NOT workers!
Up to 120 union reps and activists attended the NSSN TUC Congress rally and lobby on Sunday 8th September. While celebrating the smashing of the Tories in July, the overwhelming message to the new Labour government ahead of their first budget next month was make the rich pay NOT workers.
We gave a platform to a number of union leaders and rank and file union reps and members who can be seen on these videos – Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Ian Lawrence NAPO General Secretary, Daniel Kebede NEU General Secretary, Mick Whelan ASLEF General Secretary, Marion Lloyd PCS NEC (personal capacity), Suzanne Muna SHAC – Social Housing Action Campaign & Unite Executive), April Ashley Unison NEC (personal capacity), Matt Webb Brighton & Hove Trades Union Council, Rob Williams NSSN Chair plus there was an open mic for union reps and members to speak. Chair: Katrine Williams NSSN Secretary
The rally called for support for motions and amendments at TUC Congress which set out a fighting strategy.
These included the EIS-led composite motion: ‘End of the hostile environment towards workers and unions’ which included an amendment from PCS – “Congress notes the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto committed to implementing ‘Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering a New Deal for Working People’ in full – introducing legislation within 100 days. If the government has not legislated within the first hundred days, a special TUC congress will be called to discuss next steps.”
Also, the POA motion ‘Repeal Section 127 Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994’ – calling for the restoration of the right to strike for their prison officer members was passed as well. This should be the fighting approach that unions take forward.
Workers Unity to stop the far-right
The NSSN stands with the rest of the union movement against the violent protests whipped up by the recent racist far-right and the fascists. Our supporters have taken part in the many counter-protests that are taking place.
The far-right are looking to exploit the horrific incident in Southport this summer for their own ends. We send support and solidarity to all those affected by that attack, especially the families of those killed and injured.
With absolutely no evidence and on the basis of deliberate misinformation, the far-right have targeted refugees, migrant workers and the Black and Asian and Muslim communities.
It is essential that the trade union movement plays the leading role in building a united movement against the far-right. This is especially the case as history has shown, the far-right and fascist forces have targeted unions and striking workers.
With 6.5million members, across all working-class communities, the unions have the authority and power to unite workers against racist division which weakens our movement and only assists the bosses.
The strike wave over the last few years has shown that workers and their unions are prepared and able to fight to defend jobs and living standards, and when they do so, they become a pole of attraction for all those suffering from austerity.
Therefore, we believe that the TUC and the unions should call a national Saturday demonstration to bring together workers in a united response to the far-right.
And where the racists call local protests, the union movement should take the lead in organising counter-protests, linking up with migrants, refugees and any targeted communities as well as anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations. All protests must be well stewarded by trade unions to guard against any threat from far-right groups.
We welcomed the motion passed at TUC Congress in 2018 that launched a “Jobs, Homes, Not Racism campaign to unite the wider trade union movement and to campaign effectively against the far right” as it is vital that the labour and trade union movement takes on racist division by giving an alternative to the decades of austerity and anti-worker policies of successive governments.
The union movement has responded to the far-right protests with statements including the following – TUC, Unite, RMT, CWU, PCS, Unison, NIPSA, CSP, NEU, UCU, FBU, NUJ, Equity, BFAWU, ASLEF, GMB, RCN, CSP, UCU, NAPO, POA, Musicians Union, Community, USDAW, IWGB, Prospect, SOR, BMA, HCSA, INTO, UVW
Join the counter-protest to Tommy Robinson – central London Saturday 26th October. For details of this and other protests, such as this Saturday 12pm Trafalgar Square, see the Stand Up To Racism website.
NSSN news
Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it and/or making an additional donation to help our work. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month via a standing order.
You can either pay online to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790.
Or you can pay by cheque to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ and post to NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE.
Feel free to use this affiliation letter.
And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Katrine on [email protected]
The NSSN is developing a campaign pack for social care, which we hope to make available in the not-too-distant future for supporters to use in their localities. As part of this, communications officer Dave Gorton is keen to hear from supporters who:
(1) work in social care (either local authority, private or independently provided)
(2) represent social care workers for a trade union
(3) are in need of social care provision themselves or act as an (unpaid/underpaid) carer for a family member
Dave can be contacted in the first instance via [email protected]
Union News
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RMT
RMT members vote to accept pay deals (25 Sept) – Today RMT members delivered a strong vote in favour of accepting the latest proposals on the train operating companies and Network Rail. This means the national rail dispute is now concluded. This outcome reflects the collective efforts of our membership in defending their jobs, working conditions, pay, and pensions from the attacks of the previous Tory government and their private contractors. We thank our members for their efforts during this long but successful campaign read more
RFA campaign at Labour Party Conference (23 Sept) – RMT took the campaign against low pay at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to the Labour Party conference meeting in Liverpool. The colourful protest was addressed by RMT general secretary Mick Lynch and RMT president Alex Gordon who called for action against low pay which has dogged the vital service for years read more
Fair Pay For RFA – Please write to your MP. Please take a minute to write to your MP and join the call for fair pay for RFA
Heathrow Express 48-hour strike action begins on Monday (20 Sept) – Heathrow Express staff will take 48 hours of strike action, from Monday, in response to a pay offer that was overwhelmingly rejected by members. Despite mulitple attempts to resolve the dispute, members will take the action next week read more
Pay ballot papers out on 3rd September – (From Mick Lynch RMT General Secretary): RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2024 – TRANSPORT FOR LONDON & LONDON UNDERGROUND (TFL/0001 & LUL/0001). BALLOT PAPERS OUT on TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER. VOTE ‘YES’ TO STRIKE OVER PAY. Further to my previous Circulars (IR/221/24, 23rd July 2024 & IR/229/24, 26th July 2024) RMT is conducting separate ballots for TfL and LUL members over the failure to table a suitable pay offer for 2024 and the insistence from both companies that the increase will only be paid as a non-consolidated lump sum to any member at the top of their pay band. Ballot papers will be posted out on Tuesday 3rd September and the closing date for the ballot is Tuesday 1st October 2024 read more
Solid bus strike action at First South West (12 Aug) – RMT bus driver members working for First South West took further solid strike action against low pay today (Monday August 12) at depots across Cornwall and Somerset. Speaking from a picket line at Penzance, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that it was the fourth day of action in the dispute which had prevented buses from operating across the region. “This union has put forward three different proposals following local consultations to prevent further strike action, but the bus company has refused to negotiate to end to the dispute. First South West’s parent company is raking in profits of £204 million while bus drivers at First South West are some of the lowest paid in the country…” read more
Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper staff vote for strike action (8 Aug) – RMT members working on key Scottish rail services have voted for strike action following a ballot. Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper workers were separately balloted after rejecting pay offers from both companies. Workers at Scotrail returned an 85% ‘yes’ vote for strike action on a 64% turnout. And Caledonian Sleeper members produced a 90% yes vote on a 66% turnout. The union will be speaking to both employers in order to come to a negotiated settlement read more
Avanti West Coast caterers to strike Friday and Saturday (25 Jul) – Rail union RMT, will take strike action on Avanti West Coast this Friday and Saturday due to imposed rosters causing widespread stress and fatigue among staff. Caterers at Avanti West Coast face short notice changes to shifts, job cuts, and enforced overtime, impacting their ability to plan family commitments and attend medical appointments. Despite negotiations recently, no breakthrough was found, meaning industrial action remains on read more
Bespoke cleaners strike at Hitachi Rail (19 Jul) – Cleaners working at Hitachi Rail in Doncaster are on strike today after rejecting the latest pay offer. RMT members working for Bespoke who has the Hitachi Rail contract, overwhelmingly said ‘no’ to the offer from the contractor read more
Rail Gourmet Eurostar strikes suspended after new offer (19 Jul) – Rail union, RMT has suspended strikes on Eurostar catering after accepting a new pay offer from Rail Gourmet which runs the contract. RMT members in Rail Gourmet will now get a 7.6% uplift in pay which has only come about due to strike action and strong negotiating stances from union reps and officers. The union has pursued active discussions with Rail Gourmet management to address significant disparities in pay and working conditions read more
Continued Industrial action called – fight back against ‘flash and dash’ (18 Jul) – REMOVAL OF DETRAINMENT STAFF – LONDON UNDERGROUND. The National Executive Committee has considered this matter and congratulated all members for continuing the mandate for action in this dispute. The NEC has taken the decision to instruct all members on the Bakerloo Line, District Line, Central Line, Hammersmith & City Line, Jubilee Line and Victoria Line to continue taking part in industrial action to physically check their train before detraining until further notice. I urge you all to support this action and fight back against the Company’s dangerous imposition of the ‘flash and dash’ procedure for detrainments read more
ASLEF
LNER strike action suspended (29 Aug) – Strike action due to take place at weekends between the end of August and mid November 2024 has been suspended. Drivers working at LNER were due to strike after a long dispute with the company which saw existing agreements broken by the employer. ASLEF members have consistently worked to negotiate with the company and explain why the breaking of agreements is unacceptable but the company continued to operate inappropriately, including paying driver managers a premium to drive trains, not recruiting enough drivers to run a full service, and trying to push drivers to work outside of agreed rostering systems. The railway is a safety critical environment and procedures are in place to ensure safe operation. ASLEF had raised safety concerns regarding driver managers ‘dual-rolling’ ie driving trains when they should have been available for on-call duties in the case of any incidents read more
Train Drivers’ Union to Ballot ScotRail Members (16 Jul) – ASLEF’s Executive Committee has today agreed to ballot its ScotRail members for action short of strike and strike action read more
TSSA
TSSA tells Chancellor to reconsider withdrawal of winter fuel payments (26 Sept) – Labour affiliated travel and transport union TSSA has called on the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to ‘step back from the brink’ and reconsider her plans to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners. The move comes after a vote at Labour’s Annual Conference, led by the unions, was passed calling on the government to reverse its planned cuts to the payment. Last month TSSA’s General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, wrote to Reeves expressing ‘deep concern’ and urging a reconsideration of ‘the devastating impact’ of removing the payment. Now, in the light of the Conference vote the TSSA leader is again demanding a U-turn read more
TSSA Confirm Acceptance of ScotRail Pay Offer (25 Sept) – TSSA confirmed that they have accepted the 4.5% pay offer from ScotRail, however their dispute regarding on-call working, which led to industrial action last Christmas, continues read more
TSSA Backs Starmer Over Public Railways (24 Sept) – Transport and travel union TSSA today welcomed Keir Starmer’s commitment to returning transport to public hands in his keynote speech to Labour’s Annual Conference in Liverpool read more
TSSA London Underground members balloted over pay, terms and conditions (18 Sept) – London Underground’s latest offer is 3.8% plus £300 for all grades. This is below the rate of inflation for February, which was 4.5%, and means yet another real term cut in pay compared to the cost of living. In addition, in recent pay talks London Underground has stated that any percentage pay rise will not automatically apply to pay bands, and that any increase to the maximum or the minimum of any pay band will be made entirely at their discretion. They have made it clear that they intend to freeze many pay bands read more
TSSA ballots ScotRail for strike action – warns of looming “Summer of discontent” (30 Jul) – TSSA has warned of a “summer of discontent” as it ballots members in ScotRail for strike action over pay today (Tuesday). TSSA will be balloting around 500 members working in a variety of white collar, managerial, professional and technical grades within ScotRail. Members have rejected a three-year pay deal offering rises below the rate of inflation and are angry that ScotRail has yet to make a “meaningful offer” to resolve their existing dispute regarding on-call working. TSSA is also looking for an agreement from ScotRail to move towards a transparent pay structure for management grades read more
Unite
Seagate engineering specialists vote for representation by Unite (26 Sept) – Second historic vote by workers for union recognition at Springtown-based hard-drive manufacturer. Around 270 workers employed as engineering specialists by Seagate, at Springtown in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly for collective representation by Unite. The vote is the second by a large group of workers at the Springtown-based hard drive manufacturer. Last year, in what was a groundbreaking success for a union in the sector, Unite secured collective bargaining rights for 550 manufacturing specialists. Engineering specialists play a vital role in the company, maintaining processes, buildings and equipment at the factory. The vote opens the door to a formal recognition agreement being concluded quickly as management at the factory have already committed that if workers vote for collective bargaining they will engage with the union read more
Biomedical scientists in Yorkshire to strike over unsustainable workloads (26 Sept) – Unite members in York and Scarborough hospitals to walkout over fears about patient safety. Biomedical scientists at hospitals in York and Scarborough are to take strike action this autumn in protest over unsustainable workloads that are putting patient safety at risk. Microbiologists at York Hospital and blood scientists at Scarborough & Bridlington Hospital, both part of the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, have been forced to continually deal with workloads far beyond safe levels. Following a successful ballot, they will be taking strike action on 30 September, 7 October and 11 October 2024 read more
MEBSCA dispute: Picket set for National Children’s Hospital tomorrow (26 Sept) – EBSCA employers make approach following determined action by Unite members. Unite members working as plumbers, fitters, welders and apprentices for employers who are members of the Mechanical Engineering & Building Services Contractors’ Association (MEBSCA) will mount a picket outside the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin tomorrow (Friday 27 September) read more
Striking Wrexham Oscar Mayer workers in Manchester protests (25 Sept) – Demos against fire and rehire at Oscar Mayer owner Pemberton Asset Management and client Co-Op. Striking Wrexham Oscar Mayer workers travelled to Manchester today to protest against fire and rehire outside firms associated with the company. The workers, who produce ready meals, protested outside Pemberton Asset Management, which owns Oscar Mayer, and the headquarters of the Co-Op, which is major client of the company. More than 550 workers began striking on 12 September over the company’s plans to remove some paid breaks, reduce other breaks and eradicate any enhanced payments and days off in lieu for working bank holidays. Oscar Mayer is threatening to fire and rehire the workers on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept the changes, which will see their take home pay plummet read more
Labour conference: Unite general secretary winter fuel allowance speech (25 Sept) – Unite general secretary Sharon Graham today moved the motion on winter fuel allowance at Labour party conference. The full text of the speech is here
Veolia Sheffield dispute escalates with Paris and Yorkshire protests (24 Sept) – Refuse Workers to lobby the Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust Board of Directors in Leeds. Striking Veolia refuse workers will be joined by Unite members representing different parts of the region in lobbying the Leeds and York Foundation Trust Board of Directors about their financial partnership with Veolia through the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative funding framework (NOE CPC) and against Veolia’s treatment of their employees by refusing to recognise their union for collective bargaining. This is the beginning of an escalation of the dispute as there have been stories of intimidation and the sacking of Unite members in the Veolia depot in Sheffield who are involved in legitimate and lawful industrial action. Sheffield refuse workers and Unite delegates visited Paris on Friday last week to deliver a clear message to Veolia HQ as their campaign for union recognition enters a new phase. Noisy protests took place at the new Veolia headquarters in Aubervillier on the northern edge of Paris read more
Unite delivers inflation beating pay rise for Wincanton drivers (23 Sept) – 10 per cent two-year deal at Bellshill. Unite the union confirmed today (Monday 23 September) that it has delivered an inflation beating pay boost for Wincanton drivers based at Bellshill. Around 30 HGV drivers will benefit from an increase over two years amounting to 10 per cent. The first part of the deal will see a seven per cent increase being applied which will run from September until April 2025. In year two of the deal running from next April to April 2026, a three per cent increase will be applied to the drivers who deliver kitchens on the Howdens contract to centres across Scotland. The deal represents the first pay negotiation since Unite secured trade union recognition with Wincanton at Bellshill in November 2023. The deal was emphatically backed by 100 per cent of Unite’s membership at Wincanton read more
Llanelli Gestamp auto workers ballot for strike over poverty pay (19 Sept) – Industrial action would severely impact Nissan, BMW, JLR, Aston Martin and INEOS. Strikes by Llanelli Gestamp workers would severely impact the supply of critical parts to Nissan, BMW, JLR, Aston Martin and INEOS, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Around 200 workers on various grades are being balloted for strike action over unacceptably low pay offers by Gestamp. The Spanish-based company brought in revenues of €12.3 billion in 2023 and reported a profitability (EBITDA) of €1.4 billion. Despite Gestamp’s huge wealth, many of the workers at the Llanelli factory earn the national minimum wage and will only be taken slightly above it under the company’s current offer. Adding to the workers’ anger over poor pay is the fact that starter rates at Gestamp’s sister site in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, will rise to £13.77 in January 2025 read more
Unite comment on Welsh Government pay award for NHS staff (11 Sept) – Following the announcement that the Welsh Government has accepted the Pay Review Body’s (PRB) recommendation that pay for NHS staff should increase by 5.5 per cent for 2024/5, Unite, has issued the following statement. Unite regional officer Daryl Williams said: “Welsh NHS staff have suffered real terms pay cuts and have seen their living standards fall for over a decade. This has created huge recruitment and retention issues, which is a direct result of staff being thousands of pounds worse off in real terms. NHS workers across Wales deserve a restorative pay award and today’s announcement must be the beginning of Welsh Government honouring its 2023 commitment to pay restoration. Unite regional officer Daryl Williams said:
“Unite’s health members will have the final say on whether they believe this is an acceptable pay offer through a ballot.” Read more
Bakkavor workers in Spalding to take continuous strike action over low pay (18 Sept) – Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose facing shelf shortages. Over 700 workers in Spalding, Lincs, are to take continuous strike action beginning this month in protest at a derisory pay offer from their employer, Bakkavor Group. Members of Unite work in food preparation and manufacturing at Bakkavor. They make and prepare meals, soups, dips, salads, desserts, pizzas and breads for Bakkavor’s customers which includes Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose. Unite members will be taking part in continuous strike action from Friday 27 September read more
Striking Ealing traffic wardens protest at MP meeting and council cabinet (17 Sept) – Labour council using agency labour to break strike over union recognition. Striking Ealing traffic wardens will protest tomorrow outside of local MP Deirdre Costigan’s meeting with constituents as well as at the council’s monthly cabinet meeting read more
Cardiff Valley Vets petition reaches 50,000 as poverty pay strikes escalate (10 Sept) – Historic strike taking on profiteering business model that harms animals and workers. The first ever strike at a private veterinary practice in the UK will escalate this week – as a petition in support of the striking workers grew to 49,503 signatures. Around 100 staff at Valley Vets in Cardiff, many of whom earn little more than the national minimum wage, have been on strike since July over poverty pay. Most support staff (80 per cent) report regularly borrowing money to make ends meet and five per cent report having to use food banks. VetPartners, owned by £138 billion private equity fund BC Partners, claims it cannot afford to give the lowest paid workers at Valley Vets the real living wage of £12 an hour. But in 2023, the company reported gross profits of £553 million. VetPartners says it is running at a loss despite its extremely healthy cash flow. This is because the company, which has more than 400 UK sites, has a policy of loading itself with debt to fund aggressive market expansion to increase its sale value. BC Partners bought VetPartners for £700 million in 2018; the company is now worth an estimated £3 billion…The workers have taken approximately six weeks of strike action since July. The next 24-hour strike will begin at 08:00 hrs on Friday 13 September read more
School staff to strike in Greenwich over job cuts and restructure, say unions (9 Sept) – Mulgrave School workers will walk out over threat to their livelihoods. Dozens of support staff at a London primary school are to strike on Wednesday (11 September) over a proposed restructure that would lead to 14 job cuts. Teaching assistants and other workers at Mulgrave School represented by Unite, GMB and Unison are walking out in response to Greenwich Council plans that involve scrapping flexible working arrangements, creating additional unpaid duties and cutting the pay of remaining workers. Staff represented by the three unions are furious at the plans and will be on the picket line to make their voices heard. The school and local authority have repeatedly failed to disclose the accounts to justify any restructuring and have called in neighbouring Hackney council to help support the restructure due to a lack of resource and expertise within Greenwich council read more
Unite will escalate ABC council dispute (5 Sept) – Bin workers based at Armagh depot suspend strikes but union members stand ready to defend reps. ABC council senior management have presided over a ‘hostile environment’ for union reps and their behaviour is ‘shameful’. Unite members employed in waste collection at the Armagh depot have voted to suspend a seven-week strike taken in response to the sacking of their union rep. Unite has vowed to continue to pursue justice for its sacked shop steward through all available avenues, including at employment tribunal where the council will have to justify its decision. The strike action will be suspended from midnight [Thursday] tonight with employees returning to work tomorrow. In a meeting notifying management of the decision to suspend, union officials demanded the council conduct an audit into its industrial practices, which they have agreed. The union has described the behaviour of senior council management at Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon (ABC) council towards its team of workforce reps as ‘shameful’ and warned that any further aggression towards its reps or to the jobs, pay, terms and conditions of its members will be completely opposed by workers read more
Striking Guys’ and St Thomas’ nurses intensify safe staffing dispute with series of protests (2 Sept) – Nurses says NHS staffing crisis and underinvestment cannot be cured by crushing workers with unsustainable workloads. Guys’ and St Thomas’ day surgery theatre nurses will hold a series of protests across London this week as they continue striking over safe staffing. Around 100 nurses are striking over unsustainable increases to shift times. Anger amongst the workforce is such that since the dispute began in June, the number of Guys’ and St Thomas’ theatre nurses who are Unite members has nearly doubled. During the strike days of 3, 4 and 5 September the nurses will protest outside: Downing Street, The Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and London Bridge Hospital read more
Ammanford car seat manufacturer workers ballot for pay strikes (2 Sept) – Strikes by low paid Pullmaflex workers could impact Toyota, Nissan, VW and Stellantis. Around 200 workers employed at car seat manufacturer Pullmaflex’s Ammanford factory in Carmarthenshire are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Many of the workers are only paid the national living wage and have been offered no pay rise for 2024 except to ensure they are not being paid below the legal minimum. Workers on higher grades have had an imposed 3.8 per cent rise, which is a real terms pay cut, as the RPI rate of inflation was 4.9 per cent when the increase was due to be implemented in January. Adding to tensions, is the fact that workers’ finances have been squeezed year after year due to wages continually falling behind inflation at the company. The dispute is also about Pullmaflex’s attempt to make permanent a two-year temporary freeze of shift pay from percentage payments calculated on hours worked to one off payments. This breaks a collective agreement signed with Unite in 2022 read more
Sheffield bus fuelling and cleaning strikes to impact services (2 Sept) – First Bus real living wage employer but Bidvest Noonan contractors on poverty pay. Sheffield First Bus services will be impacted as workers responsible for fuelling and cleaning buses at the UK’s second largest bus depot strike over pay. Workers employed by Bidvest Noonan on behalf of First South Yorkshire at the Olive Grove depot will strike after being told their wages will not be increased above the legal minimum. Bidvest Noonan is part of the Bidvest Group, which earned £278 million in profits in the half year to December 2023. In April, First Group announced that it had become an accredited real living wage employer paying all workers at least £12 an hour. First stated that ‘includes workers employed through third party contractors’…Strikes will take place on 4, 12, 20, 24, 30 September and 8, 9,16, 17, 24 and 25 October. Industrial action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved. Strike action will impact operations at the depot causing problems for bus services in Sheffield read more
Unite local government members prepare to ballot for autumn strikes as pay offer rejected (30 Aug) – Members of Unite, employed by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, have overwhelmingly rejected, the local government employers’ pay offer for 2024/5. Members, who cover many frontline roles including refuse collection workers, housing workers and care staff, returned a 85 per cent rejection of the pay offer which is worth a £1,290 flat rate, plus 2.5 per cent on allowances. This offer fails to tackle poverty pay or reverse the years of real terms pay cuts experienced by local government workers…Unite is now undertaking a full industrial action ballot for its local authority members. Balloting will begin today (30 August) and if workers vote for industrial action then strikes could begin later this autumn. Local authority workers have endured over a decade of pay freezes and below inflation pay increases which has seen their pay decline by over a quarter in real terms read more
National Education Union staff to strike over unacceptable workloads (28 Aug) – Employer unwilling to meet with staff to address concerns. Nearly 30 workers at the National Education Union (NEU) headquarters in London are to take three days of strike action due to the attitudes of their employer and its failure to address concerns over workloads. Unite members working in administrative roles at the NEU will walk out on 11 September and 2-3 October after management refused to meet with them or engage in meaningful negotiations over their concerns. Staff have repeatedly raised the alarm over workloads that are causing high levels of stress and sickness among staff. Further issues over workplace bullying and how this is addressed by the NEU’s management have been ignored. Having exhausted internal procedures and with an intransigent management, staff have been left with no option but to take to the picket line read more
Eaton mess as Hampshire aerospace workers to strike after poor pay offer (28 Aug) – Workers at Eaton Ltd manufacturing to walk out over pay. Approximately 150 highly skilled aerospace workers in Fareham, Hants, are to take strike action after their employer, Eaton Ltd, failed to make a pay offer that would bring them in line with industry averages. Unite members at the company voted overwhelmingly for strike action at the factory which produces essential parts and products for the aerospace sector. Fitters, technicians, supervisors and other staff will strike on the following date: 29-30 August; 16, 20, 27, 30 September read more
Knowsley housing workers vote for strikes over pay (19 Aug) – Over 200 workers employed by Livv housing have begun for strike action in a dispute over pay. The dispute is a result of Livv housing forcing workers to accept below inflation offers for many years, causing severe pressure on personal finances. The workers have rejected a five per cent pay increase, as this does not reverse the real terms pay cuts they have experienced. The ballot which involves members of both Unite and Unison opens today (Monday 19 August) and closes on Tuesday 17 September. If members vote for industrial action then walkouts could begin later this autumn read more
Edinburgh Tram workrs back strike action over lack of toilet breaks (14 Aug) – Unite says it’s ’running out of track’ to resolve health concerns before strike action. Unite can confirm that its Edinburgh Trams membership have emphatically backed strike action in a dispute over late running times to the nation’s largest airport which is preventing workers from taking comfort breaks. Over ninety per cent of tram workers in the ballot supported strike action. Over 160 Unite members could now take strike action in a matter of weeks, if comfort breaks and wider health concerns impacting the workers are not swiftly addressed. Unite believes there is a shortfall of between 5-6 minutes in the running time from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven. Each round trip takes on average two hours to complete. The maximum driving time before a scheduled break is five hours, and many tram workers go this length of time without hydration or toilet breaks. This is due to running late and having to make up the time read more
Glen Dimplex workers in Portadown to begin industrial action (12 Aug) – Dispute is a result of planned site closure, Unite has notified employer of work-to-rule, training and overtime ban. The workforce at Glen Dimplex will commence the first phase of industrial action including a work-to-rule from 00.01am on Friday 16 August. The industrial dispute is a result of plans by Glen Dimplex’s management to offshore work to Lithuania which will lead to redundancies and the potential closure of the site in Portadown… The work-to-rule will proceed indefinitely and will see workers refuse to undertake overtime, refuse to mentor or train new staff, and they will work to contractual terms and conditions and their job description only read more
Over 1,500 Ford white collar staff involved in nationwide industrial action (9 Aug) – Staff in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood in dispute over pay and contract changes. Around 1,200 Ford office staff are joining hundreds of managers in taking industrial action over pay at sites across the country, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Yesterday, the office staff voted in favour of strike action and will begin action short of strike action on 22 August. Ford managers already have a strike mandate and are currently engaging in industrial action short of strikes. Both sets of workers, who are based in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood, are in dispute with Ford over unacceptable pay offers and contract changes. Coordinated strike action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Continuous strike action announced at by Unite members at UCU (7 Aug) – Unite the union staff working for the University and College Union (UCU) have today announced they will take all out continuous strike action in an escalation of industrial action. Around 200 members will indefinitely strike from 2 September if their employer doesn’t resolve their dispute over workplace racism, repeated breaches of their collective agreements, and broken industrial relations read more
Jiffy workers escalate strike action over “pathetic” pay offer (5 Aug) – Summer of discontent at north west packaging company. Over 50 workers at the Jiffy packaging plant in Winsford, Cheshire, are escalating their strike action this month following a pay offer from their employer that Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described as “pathetic”. Workers at the Cheshire factory are striking from today (5 Aug) until 17 August. They previously walked out for two weeks in July but with Jiffy management still unwilling to come back to the negotiating table, staff have been left with little choice but to ramp up their industrial action campaign. 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 read more
University Hospital Waterford: work-to-rule deferred pending talks on management proposals (29 Jul) – Proposals would see laundry workers included in regrading scheme. Unite welcomes management’s decision to engage, but warns action may be resumed if agreement not reached. Trade union Unite, which represents support staff in University Hospital Waterford (UHW), has deferred a work-to- rule by laundry, catering and portering grades. The union said that the action, which has been ongoing since the end of May, was being deferred from noon today to allow for talks regarding proposals received from UHW read more
Redcar chemical plant workers to strike over ‘serious’ public safety concerns (26 Jul) – Huntsman Polyurethanes’ plan to reduce staffing levels raises toxic gas leak fears. Redcar Huntsman Polyurethanes’ Production Process Technicians (PPT) have voted in favour of strike action over the company’s plans to ‘dangerously’ reduce staffing levels at the chemical plant. The company is not proposing redundancies but will not replace retiring workers so that it can reduce the workforce as part of a drive to cut costs. The nearly 50 PPTs manage the safe operation of the plant on a 24/7 basis at the Wilton site, which produces hazardous chemicals, and ensure it can be shutdown and contained safely in case of emergency. Huntsman is justifying the headcount reduction by claiming shutdown procedures at the plant will be safe. Unite members strenuously contest this and fear the site will be unsafe to operate read more
Ellesmere Port dock workers balloted to strike over unfair sacking of colleague (16 Jul) – GAC fired worker after change in hours prevented him caring for disabled mother. Ellesmere Port dock workers employed by GAC at the Queen Elizabeth II dock are being balloted for strike action after their colleague was fired because a change in hours meant he could not care for his disabled mother. GAC sacked the worker for “refusing a reasonable working request” after he informed the company he could not comply with the new rota due to being the primary caregiver for his disabled mother. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “GAC has behaved appallingly towards our member. The company knows full well that he is the primary caregiver for his disabled mother and should have offered a workable solution. This is a cruel and totally unjustified decision that has incensed the workforce and it will not go unanswered by Unite.” GAC provides integrated shipping, logistics and marine services to the energy and shipping industries. The workers, who are jetty operators, are being balloted for industrial action from 17 July to 30 July. Strikes will impact vessels supplying components to the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall plant, as well as ships who rely upon the Manchester Shipping Canal, including oil tankers using the discharging jetties at Eastham Locks for Stanlow Essar read more
Sanctuary housing posts big surplus and bumper margins (16 Jul) – Management could meet strikers demands with ease. Sanctuary Housing has posted financial results showing a group revenue of over a billion pounds this week. The overall operating margin is 19.8% and the social housing operating surplus margin stands at a bumper 31.1%. This year’s results confirm that management could meet the demands of their striking maintenance staff with ease 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]
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
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
CWU
Save Enniskillen EE (ex-BT) site – The EE Enniskillen call centre is a lifeline for our community. It’s closure threatens over 300 jobs, eroding the heart of our local economy. This is a community crisis. Local businesses, public services, and the Fermanagh economy stand on the brink of a devastating blow
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
Continued OCS strike action having an impact (26 Sept) – PCS members working as cleaners and caterers at the FCDO in East Kilbride have been on strike for three days this week. PCS members who are employed by outsourcing company OCS as cleaners and caterers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in East Kilbride are in dispute with their employer over pay, terms and conditions. They took two days of strike action on September 18 and 19 and have taken three days this week, on 24, 25 and 26 September. If the dispute remains unresolved they will follow this with eight more strike days in October read more
PCS rejects Ministry of Defence final pay offer (25 Sept) – The MoD published its initial offer to staff a few weeks ago and has now moved to their best and final offer which was published on MoDNet today read more
One week left to vote in ONS ballot (24 Sept) – PCS members at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have one week left to vote to renew their mandate to take industrial action over mandatory workplace attendance. Covering both strike action and action short of a strike (ASOS), the ballot, which opened on 10 September, closes next week at noon on 1 October. With the current mandate due to expire on 2 October, members are being urged to vote to extend the dispute to maintain pressure on management to enter talks to address our concerns. The ballot to continue industrial action by ONS members reflects the continued failure of ONS management to engage with PCS to resolve the dispute, which was prompted by the introduction of a mandatory workplace attendance requirement of at least 40% from April 2024 read more
Strikers give G4S defiant message at DWP picket lines (23 Sept) – Our campaign for fair pay for G4S DWP security staff continues, was the defiant message from striking PCS members who turned out in number in often wet conditions as the latest round of action began today read more
Consultative ballot to open for members on the DWP G4S contract (5 Sept) – PCS members working for G4S in jobcentres will be asked to vote on whether they want to reject the pay offer made to GMB members. PCS G4S members working on the DWP contract have been clear in meetings with PCS that the pay offer made to the GMB is not enough. Although GMB have suspended their strike action, PCS members will strike for two further weeks commencing 9 and 23 September, as the dispute has not been resolved for our members. PCS will now undertake a consultative ballot which will be run by independent balloting organisation Civica Election Services to ensure a fair and democratic test of members’ opinions on the pay offer. The ballot will run from Tuesday 17 to Friday 27 September and will be online for all G4S members that we hold an email address for. All other members will receive their ballot in the post read more
PCS members working for G4S to be balloted for strike action (23 Sept) – The ballot involves members working as security officers at various government buildings across London. PCS members working for G4S are to be balloted for strike action in an escalation to their dispute over pay, terms and conditions following receipt of a derisory pay offer that does not meet PCS’s demands. The ballot covers security officers providing services to Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the civil service hub in Canary Wharf. The ballot will run from 30 September to 14 October and asks members if they are prepared to take strike action over pay and a refusal to offer improvements to terms and conditions read more
Strike ballot announced for ISS workers at several government departments (21 Sept) – PCS is running a strike ballot from 26 September for cleaners, post room staff, porters, catering and reception staff employed by multinational ISS who work in several government departments. Our members are demanding increases in pay and improvements to terms and conditions to end the two-tier workforce with staff directly employed by the civil service in the buildings where they work on superior pay and terms and conditions. ISS, failed to make any offer in response to the workers claims of these workers at Old Admiralty (Department for Business and Trade), 10 Victoria Street (Department for Science Innovation and Technology an Cabinet Office), 22-26 Whitehall (DSIT) and 8 Salisbury Square (the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Competition Service, an agency of DBT). The Department for Business and Trade, whose secretary of state Jonathan Reynolds is responsible for the flagship Employment Rights Bill, is now facing possible strikes should members vote for industrial action in the ballot which runs until 14 October read more
G4S and DBT facing strike ballot (16 Sept) – PCS members working on the G4S security contract at 3 government departments will be balloted next week for strike action in a dispute over low pay. The ballot will run from 23 September until 7 October, and will include the G4S security members at Old Admiralty and 10 Victoria Street in London, home to several major government departments. These include the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT). We issued the ballot notice today after G4S failed, despite repeated attempts, to respond to our members’ claim for improvements to their pay and terms and conditions to bring them closer to the terms and conditions of the civil servants where they work. They are also calling for funding from their employer for Security Industry Authority licences, required to undertake the key duties and functions of their roles. This ballot comes on the back of increasing strike action by our G4S members across DWP offices read more
Trade unions support for sacked PCS reps (13 Sept) – Sacked PCS reps at HMRC Benton View Park are receiving widespread support from the trade union movement. At this week’s TUC Congress, over 100 signatures were collected from visitors to the PCS stall for the petition calling for them to be reinstated. This included TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak who signed to show his support read more. Email your local MP to ensure they add their support to the campaign
Enforced roster changes leave Heathrow Border Force members feeling suicidal (3 Sept) – PCS members working at passport control at Heathrow Airport have reported major adverse impacts to their family life, physical and mental wellbeing as a result of enforced roster changes. Amongst over 250 responses to our survey, PCS members were unequivocal in their condemnation of the changes to the roster, with several members reporting that not only were they finding it difficult to maintain a work life balance, but that several had lost access to their children completely…Members on the picket line at Heathrow airport during the four days of strike action that finish today have been holding signs with personal testimonies, including: “I’m so tired that I’m scared I’ll make a mistake” and “The shifts are so long that I just never feel like I have a break from work.” After a solidarity visit to the picket line from Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell, , members are more determined than ever. Plans are in place for more parliamentary work to help bring the dispute to the attention of the new government. The members will now follow a work-to-rule and overtime ban until 22 September read more
National campaign update for members (16 Aug) – Following the publication of the civil service pay remit guidance, the national executive committee (NEC) met on 12 August to consider the way forward for our national campaign read more
Cuts to jobcentre security staffing (14 Aug) – G4S, the private contractor that provides security to jobcentres, has announced plans to cut the number of security guards. PCS has written to the DWP permanent secretary to express serious concerns about plans by G4S to cut the number of security guards across the Jobcentre network. The letter asks the DWP to stop any planned reductions and to restore the number of security guards where they have already been removed. We believe that it is scandalous that the DWP are allowing G4S to reduce security staffing at a time when there are increasing numbers of serious incidents in Jobcentres and public safety is being threatened by the rise of violent activity by the far-right. DWP have allowed G4S to undertake “risk assessments” in sites where they are proposing that numbers of guards are reduced or removed, but have failed to consult with PCS health and safety representatives as is legally required. PCS has consulted with members in Sudbury and Mildenhall in Suffolk where the security guards have been removed entirely. Members in these sites have been subjected to serious incidents in the past and feel very vulnerable as a result of the closure of local police stations, meaning that members can no longer rely on a swift intervention by the police. Following the consultation, members have indicated that they are prepared to take industrial action in support of their security guard colleagues facing redundancy and for their own safety. PCS is hoping to meet with DWP officials to discuss the situation and find a solution that avoids the need to formally ballot members facing safety concerns. However, if a satisfactory outcome cannot be achieved, we will ballot members for industrial action read more
Use the e-action to fight de-recognition of PCS at the Imperial War Museum – 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
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
FDA
CPS must have additional resourcing to increase RASSO prosecutions, Parliamentary event hears (17 Sept) – Last week in Parliament the FDA launched a new report – The CPS’s role in increasing prosecution of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) read more
GMB
Nottingham Goose Fair transport chaos as strike confirmed (26 Sept) – Revellers face huge travel disruption at this year’s event. GMB Union have today announced that workers on Nottingham’s tram network will go ahead with strike action in the ongoing dispute at the company. The news is a blow to event organisers coming just 24 hours before the Nottingham Goose Fair, one of the city’s busiest weeks, is due to begin. Over 200 workers on Nottingham’s tram network, including, drivers, maintenance teams, ticketing, and security staff, will take part in the walk out. Strike action will begin tonight at 00:01 and last for ten days read more
School staff lose £4,000 a year thanks to term time only deals (25 Sept) – Low-paid school support staff miss out on up to £3,860 every year thanks to ‘punishing’ term time only contracts Labour conference will hear today [Wednesday]. Support staff, which includes catering and administration staff are only paid for 44 weeks a year – and can’t claim benefits during the school holidays – while teachers are paid a salary for the entire year. GMB analysis shows if school support staff were paid for the full 52 weeks of of the year, their wages would increase by up to £3860. Labour has pledged to reintroduce the School Support Staff Negotiating Body and one of GMB’s first demands will be for school staff to paid for the whole year. The figures will be revealed at Labour Conference today [Wednesday] GMB is moving a motion on making work pay in public services read more
At least 300,000 carers lose up to £3,968 in pay last year (25 Sept) – At least 300,000 care workers lost out on up to £3,698 in pay last year as their wages fall below inflation, GMB analysis reveals. ONS figures show that in April 2010 the average annual salary for care workers and home carers was £12,879, of which half of workers will be paid even less. This salary was worth £21,549 in April 2023 in real-terms, yet only rose to £17,851 – real terms pay cut of £3,698 last year. GMB estimates real terms pay cuts have affected more than 300,000 care worker and home carer employees identified in the ONS Labour Force Survey. This follows a decade of underfunding which has left the care sector on its knees. A GMB survey last year also revealed that 9 in 10 carers can’t afford time off sick. GMB has long campaigned for care workers to earn a minimum of £15 an hour and has welcomed the Government’s plans for a Fair Pay Agreement that will raise the pay floor through sectoral bargaining with unions in care read more
159 MPs write to Asda bosses over sex discrimination (23 Sept) – More than 150 MPs have written to Asda bosses calling for an end to pay discrimination of its supermarket workers. The politicians call on ASDA’s majority owners TDR Capital, headed up by Manjit Dale and Gary Lindsay, to settle the legal battle which has seen tens of thousands of supermarket workers bring their equal pay case to the Employment Tribunal. The letter, which comes as Asda hosts drinks at Labour conference, is signed by 159 Members of Parliament and points out ‘women workers on the shop floor earn up to £3.74 per hour less than their male counterparts in warehouses.’ Asda’s retail workers are currently owed more than £2 billion in back pay, it adds. At least 60,000 predominantly female Asda supermarket workers have been locked in a 12 year legal tussle to be paid the same as the predominantly male warehouse workers. The second stage of the hearing is currently being heard in the Manchester Employment Tribunal. Supermarket workers roles have been independently assessed as being equivalent or equal to the work of warehouse workers, meaning the roles should be paid equally read more
Amazon scoops £1billion taxpayer contracts despite ‘union-busting’ (23 Sept) – Amazon has been awarded taxpayer-funded public sector contracts totalling more than £1 billion in the past year – despite facing a legal challenge over union busting. GMB will raise the issue in a motion to Labour conference today [Monday]. The total award value of contracts from the likes of the Home Office, HMRC, DWP and the MOJ to Amazon during the 12 months to September was £1.04 billion read more
Ramadan headscarf craft workers vote to strike (23 Sept) – Staff at Lappets Manufacturing have started voting on strike action, GMB announces today (Friday). The workers, whose tasks include intricate sewing and quality control, need years of experience to meet required standards. With high pressure from bosses to meet targets, workers feel undervalued and overworked. They are urging bosses to come to the table – to discuss fairer pay and more reasonable targets read more
More than 700 gas emergency workers vote to strike (23 Sept) – More than 700 gas emergency workers have voted to strike as GMB warns of a looming crisis in the sector. Almost 750 Northern Gas Network (NGN) workers are set to walk out over workplace issues which they say pose a serious health risk to the public. Emergency gas engineers work around the clock fixing gas leaks across the north of England. But they are being forced to work such long hours fatigue is a serious issue – a clear danger when working with flammable, toxic gas leaks. Meanwhile those with covid are not given sick pay – and told to wear masks, even when working in care homes with vulnerable residents. GMB members have raised these issues with management, but their calls have fallen on deaf ears. Strike dates will be announced in the coming days – industrial action could see towns and cities across the north facing major disruption if gas leaks cannot be fixed read more
Farmfoods faces frosty future as workers down tools (19 Sept) – Workers at fast growing food retailer will take strike action on Monday. GMB Union has today announced that Farmfoods workers at a Solihull distribution centre will take part in a two-day walkout in a dispute over pay, conditions and union rights. The campaign to improve conditions has already seen work rates fall by over 15%, but workers are furious after company managers have turned down requests for union recognition and fair pay. The strike action will take place on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 September, with around 100 workers expected to take part read more
Tetley faces first ever strike (18 Sept) – The first ever strike by workers at Tetley’s has sparked fears of a tea shortage. Almost 150 GMB members working at Tata Consumer Products, which makes Tetley Tea in Teesside, voted to walk out in anger at ‘poverty pay’. Industrial action begins will take place on Friday [20 September] and Monday [23 September] read more
Asda Skelton faces strike (18 Sept) – Asda Skelton faces strike action after workers voted to walk out. More than 110 staff at the store will talk industrial action in anger at health and safety issue, a loss of working hours in the store and the wider fight for equal pay. A protest will take place outside the store tomorrow [September 19] at 11.30am. The ballot saw a total of 575 per cent of GMB members vote to walk out. Strike dates will be announced in the coming days read more
Consultative ballot open for Wexham Park Radiographers (17 Sept) – Stakes rise as radiographers at Wexham Park Hospital vote to protect NHS service provision. Members of GMB, the union at NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust, are voting in a consultative ballot in a dispute against the outsourcing of radiology services. The proposed contractor, InHealth, already provide some Diagnostic and Imaging Services to the NHS and run contracts worth over £300 million per year. The union members are employed as Radiographers, Radiology Assistants and associated support staff at Wexham Park Hospital near Slough. A grievance has previously been submitted to the Trust’s Chief Executive Lance McCarthy and Chairman Bryan Ingleby, with a formal meeting date to discuss concerns yet to be scheduled. The ballot opened on Friday and remains open until Friday 27 September and may lead to a formal industrial action ballot, pending the result read more
Leicestershire faces waste chaos as strike action looms (11 Sept) – Workers in the County’s tips are balloting for industrial action. GMB Union has today announced that workers in Leicestershire waste and recycling centres will begin balloting for strike action. The news comes after Leicestershire County Council announced plans to slash wages by as much as £1300 for workers at the sites in a bid to cut spending. Around 50 workers are expected to take part in the vote read more
Concrete makers escalate strike as fat cat bosses wine and dine (6 Sept) –Dozens of GMB members at Acheson & Glover’s (A&G) Toome are escalating industrial action. Further strike action comes after ‘fat cat’ bosses were wined and dined and a swanky awards ceremony. The workers, who make up more than 70 per cent of the workforce at the plant producing pavers and flagstones, will begin their fifth week of strike action on Monday [9 September]. The dispute arose when staff were offered a 2.5 per cent pay increase for 2024/2025, representing a real terms pay cut with RPI inflation at 3.1 per cent. The company announced pre-tax profits of £3.4m, while this week bosses wined and dined each other at a lavish awards ceremony read more
DWP G4S strike: GMB national reps receive improved offer – agree to ballot and suspend action (23 Aug) read more
Brighton Asda Bank Holiday strike action suspended after last minute offer (22 Aug) – Members at the Hollingbury superstore have suspended action to consider an offer from ASDA. Members of GMB, the union for Asda, have this morning suspended their strike action planned for this weekend. Following on from strike action which took place over Whitsun Bank Holiday at the end of May, more than 100 members in store were due to strike from 10pm tomorrow to 10pm on Saturday. Previous talks before the first strike date had failed to result in any agreement between GMB and ASDA, but the employer has made a last-minute offer which will be discussed next week read more
Asda Lowestoft workers announce new strike (26 Jul) – Asda workers at Lowestoft have announced a new strike. More than 170 Asda workers will walk out of the store from 03:00 to 22:00 on Friday 9 August 2024 read more
Fifteen more Birmingham schools begin equal pay strike vote (22 Aug) – Second wave of Birmingham Equal Pay school strikes could be imminent. GMB union has today announced that fifteen additional Birmingham City Council schools are set to vote on joining industrial action, following the Council’s ongoing failure to resolve the City’s equal pay crisis. The escalation comes after support staff in thirty five schools across the city downed tools and took strike action earlier this year. Council bosses are facing criticism for the lack of meaningful progress towards a resolution. This week a body of accountants and researchers have called for an independent inquiry into the Council’s issuing of two Section 114 Notices, effectively declaring itself bankrupt. Over 250 school workers will take part in the new ballot which would bring the total number of Birmingham schools facing strike action to fifty. Balloting will begin today [Thursday 22 August] with a result expected mid-September read more
London City Airport faces first ever strike after workers shun pay deal (20 Aug) – GMB Union today (Wednesday) warns that London City Airport is facing the first major stoppage in its 37-year history following a 100 per cent rejection of the employer’s pay offer in July. Workers are demanding that management at Gatwick Ground Services (GGS), must offer pay parity with counterparts working at Gatwick Airport who are paid at least 17 per cent more, and enjoy other fringe benefits that the City Airport workers are denied. Management at GGS has delayed getting back to the negotiating table, giving rise to additional frustration and anger among GMB members working at the airport read more
Bathroom workers back strike action (20 Aug) – Ideal Standard’s Rugeley factory workers have backed strike action over years of real term pay cuts. Workers have been left disappointed by a suggested pay uplift that would not correct previous below inflation pay read more
Nottinghamshire hospital strikes suspended (31 Jul) – Strike action by private contractors at three of Nottinghamshire’s biggest hospitals has been suspended
Industrial action by nearly three hundred workers employed by contracting giant Medirest had been due to down tools at King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark Community Hospitals later this week. Action was scheduled for Thursday 1 and Friday 2 August in the ongoing dispute over the terms and conditions of private contractors in the NHS. The news comes after talks between GMB Reps and Medirest reached an agreement today. Workers will now take part in a ballot to decide on suspending future industrial action, with a result expected later this month read more
Pontypridd jelly workers strike over poverty pay (31 Jul) – GMB members at gelatin manufacturer PB Leiner will strike today. Almost 50 GMB members will also walk out tomorrow [1 August] in anger over an 13 per cent real terms pay cut. Workers at the Pontypridd based company [see notes for address] have seen a 6 per cent real terms cut in their wages this year, following a 7 per cent cut the year before. GMB union has vowed to escalate the action if the company continues their refusal to meet read more
Kent waste contractor hit by GMB strike ballot (29 Jul) – Suez, who only took over the contract in March, is already facing industrial unrest over pay rates. GMB, the union for refuse and recycling, is balloting members across two local authorities as their new employer is failing to offer pay parity. Suez Recycling and Recovery Ltd took over the waste contract from Biffa in March 2024 across Ashford, Swale and Maidstone Councils. The company is offering employees working in Swale and Ashford a pay deal in some cases more than £1 per hour lower than that offered to those working in Maidstone. GMB’s ballot opens today and will close on Monday 19 August 2024 read more
Briar Chemicals faces strike vote (11 Jul) – Workers at Briar Chemicals in Norwich are voting on strike action in a dispute over pay. GMB Union has been negotiating with the company since November 2023, currently the only offer on the table is for a dental plan. More than 160 workers feel they are not being taken seriously and a vote for industrial action is the only way to make the company listen. GMB members are asking for an 8 per cent pay rise over two -years. The strike ballot runs until 23 July read more
More than 250 Bentley workers back strike action (10 Jul) – Bentley car workers in Crewe have overwhelmingly backed industrial action. The vote comes after workers were offered 3.5 per cent and a one off non-consolidated payment, while bosses were offered bonuses of over £14,000. Now 86 per cent of workers have backed strike action. The employer has not come forward with any new offer to avert strike action. Management at Bentley Motors also tried to force through a new Fit for Work policy – which would have impacted sick and disabled workers. This was stopped through worker action 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
Opinion: Why you should vote ‘yes’ to strike in councils and schools (23 Sept) – Mike Short, head of local government, explains the situation for council and school staff pay in England and Wales, and why UNISON is asking members to vote to strike read more
Plans by Essex trust for mass outsourcing of NHS services are out of order (18 Sept) – Staff have made it abundantly clear they want to stay within the NHS because that’s the best way to ensure patient needs are met. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea and hundreds of striking health workers are urging the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust to abandon its plans for a large-scale outsourcing of NHS services, the union says today (Wednesday). Cleaners, porters and housekeepers at Colchester hospital and other community sites are walking out for a twelfth day today over the trust’s plan to move their jobs out of the NHS read more
Local government strike ballot could be extended to more workers (10 Sept) – Scotland’s largest local government union is considering widening its strike ballot to more than 90,000 staff in councils and associated services over pay. The move comes after all council workers in the union overwhelmingly rejected Cosla’s latest pay offer in a consultative ballot a week ago read more
Council workers vote overwhelmingly to reject latest pay offer (3 Sept) – Council staff in Scotland belonging to UNISON have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest pay offer from local government employers, says the union today (Tuesday) read more
Strike ballots to be issued to staff working in social care charity (6 Sept) – Hundreds of staff working for Enable, one of Scotland’s largest charitable social care providers, are to be asked if they’re prepared to strike over pay, UNISON says today (Friday). UNISON has written to the charity to say that if its workers back industrial action there could be mass walkouts by Enable Scotland’s social care staff later in the autumn. The union says this is the first strike ballot for over a decade in Scotland’s charitable social care sector and shows the deep dissatisfaction that exists over pay read more
Local government employers must improve pay offer to avoid strike threat (4 Sept) – Council and school staff strike ballot begins. More than 360,000 council and school support staff across England and Wales will begin voting today (Wednesday) on whether to take strike action over pay, says UNISON. The 2024/25 flat rate pay offer of £1,290 from local government employers falls short of what council employees need and has also been superseded by the deals achieved by some other public sector workers, says the union. This year’s pay deal was due from April, but the disappointing offer has delayed the process, UNISON says. When the union consulted workers, more than four-fifths (81%) of those who took part opted to reject the sum. Now social workers, teaching assistants, refuse collectors, caretakers, planning officers and other staff at more than 4,000 organisations will be asked if they’re prepared to strike. The six-week ballot will begin today (Wednesday) and closes on Wednesday 16 October. Meanwhile, the union is urging employers to improve their offer and is calling for central government to help fund an improved deal and look at the longer-term investment it gives to councils read more
Colchester Hospital support staff vow to keep striking against outsourcing (2 Sept) – Hundreds of cleaners, porters, housekeepers and other support staff will follow an August strike with a further five days in September, in bid to remain in-house read more
Lancashire County Council – Social Care Support Worker Strikes (16 Aug) – The Chair of the Social Work Forum has sent a message of support to staff in social work teams across Lancashire who are taking a second round of strike action over salary grades and working cover read more
Solidarity appeal for healthcare assistants on strike this summer (30 Jul) – Healthcare assistants are calling for solidarity donations to support their strike. Healthcare assistants (HCAs) at five hospitals across Leicester and Northamptonshire will be on strike throughout August, escalating a dispute over back pay that has already led to 19 days of strike action. The employer refuses to negotiate, focusing instead on breaking the strike, including threatening leaders with disciplinary action. Despite these tactics, UNISON members remain steadfast in their fight for fair back pay, seeking recognition for years of being overlooked and performing tasks beyond their grade read more
Recap: Three days on the Derriford picket line in Plymouth (22 Jul) – Over 140 healthcare workers were treated to warm weather and blue skies. Hundreds of healthcare workers at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth took three days strike of strike action last week in their dispute over pay. Healthcare assistants, maternity care assistants, imaging care assistants and clinical support workers at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust walked out at midnight on Wednesday 17 June for 72hours. Over 140 healthcare workers were treated to warm weather and blue skies while they stood strong on the picket line from 7am – 1pm everyday read more
Swindon healthcare workers balloted for strike action in row over NHS pay deal, says UNISON (17 Jul) – “These dedicated staff keep NHS services running in Swindon”. Hundreds of the lowest-paid workers at Great Western Hospital are to be balloted for strike action after being denied a pay rise worth at least £1,655, says their union UNISON today (Wednesday). An industrial action ballot will open next week (Wednesday 24 July) and could see strike action take place in the autumn. The ballot will close on Wednesday 21 August read more
Lewisham Council faces unrest over union busting, racism and £25m cuts
• Protesters slam “shocking and blatant union busting” as Lewisham Council moves to sack union reps
• Move comes as Council prepares to implement £25m of cuts
• Strike action on the cards, say union officials
Protesters gathered outside a Lewisham Council meeting on Wednesday evening in response to the Council’s attempts to sack both of its UNISON branch secretaries. Campaigners say that senior managers are using the sackings to hamstring Lewisham UNISON as the Council prepares to make £25m of cuts, with children’s services and adult social care set to take the worst hit. Justine Canady is the youngest UNISON branch secretary in the UK, and has transformed the branch since her election last year. After initially pulling back from plans to sack her, Lewisham Council is now moving ahead with the deletion of her post. The Council is also moving to sack Jay Kidd-Morton, alongside the rest of her team in the legal services department. She was previously Black Members’ Officer and had lodged a whistleblowing complaint about discriminatory practices. In an email to members earlier this month, Lewisham UNISON described the moves as “a shocking and blatant attempt at union-busting.” It added: “The Council has now moved to dismiss both of your union’s joint Branch Secretaries in exceptional circumstances, with 5 people in total likely to lose their jobs very soon. There is now a case not only of anti-trade union victimisations, but also of racism.” Union officials have stated that UNISON could move towards strike action if the sackings are not called off. The protest on Wednesday drew wide support, with trade unionists attending from across London. Solidarity greetings were read out from UNISON’s national president and its national executive. For more information, please email [email protected]
Barnet UNISON Mental Health social work strike update (16 Jul) – On Monday 15 July our members returned to work after taking 81 days of strike action. UNISON have suspended strike action and are in the process of agreeing some dates for further talks with Barnet Council read more
Send messages of support to [email protected]
‘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
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
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
Royal College of Nursing
NHS pay award in Wales: our consultation is now open (25 Sept) – Two weeks ago, the Welsh government announced a 5.5% pay award for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts in Wales. As an award, this will be implemented in November and backdated to April 2024 read more
NHS pay consultation in England: members vote reject (23 Sept) – Two-thirds of members who voted said the 5.5% pay award isn’t enough read more
Result of RCN Scotland consultation on NHS pay offer (23 Sept) – RCN members have voted to accept the pay offer to NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts read more
RCN Wales responds to Welsh government’s 5.5% NHS pay award for 2024/25 (10 Sept) – RCN Wales Board is now considering next steps for members 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
RCM urges members in Wales to have their say on pay award (23 Sept) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling on all its members working in NHS in Wales to have their say on the 5.5% pay award announced by Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan earlier this month. The call comes as the RCM today opens a two-week consultation with midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Wales. The RCM says it’s pleased the award is above inflation which meets the asks set out in its pay claim and that it’s on a par with what midwives and MSWs will receive in England read more
RCM members in Scotland vote to accept pay offer (20 Sept) – Midwives and maternity care assistants (MCAs) working in the NHS in Scotland have voted to accept a 5.5% pay offer. The RCM’s consultation with its members resulted in 83 percent of eligible members voting to accept the offer, saying it was a step towards addressing long term pay cuts. Meanwhile 17 percent said that the offer was not acceptable. The offer the RCM says meets the above inflation ask of the RCM’s pay claim and it’s now calling for swift implementation read more
RCM publishes results of pay consultation with members in England (5 Aug) – Midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) working in the NHS in England have had their say on the recent 5.5% pay award announced by the new Government. Following a two-week consultation the RCM says 60 percent of its members have said the 2024/25 award is acceptable as a step towards addressing the long term pay cuts they’ve suffered, while 40 percent have voted to say they feel this pay award is unacceptable. The consultation the RCM says was crucial in gauging the feelings of its members and has thanked all those who took the time to respond read more
CSP
NHS pay across the UK (24 Sept) – As pay for 2024-25 moves forward in three of the four UK countries we look at the latest information read more
Scotland – members overwhelmingly vote to accept offer
Wales – members should look out for their opportunity to have their say
England – the majority of members feel the award is acceptable
Northern Ireland – awaiting Executive response to PRB recommendations
SOR
Pay award consultation for Scottish SoR members open now (4 Sept) – The Society wants to hear responses from members in Scotland over the proposed 5.5 per cent pay increase read more
BMA
GPs prepare to take collective action after overwhelming ballot result (1 Aug) – GPs across England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking collective action. More than 8,500 GPs in England took part in the ballot and 98.3% voted in favour of taking part in one or more examples of collective action 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
HCSA
HCSA resident doctors vote to accept government pay offer (23 Sept) – HCSA resident doctors have voted to accept the government pay offer by 69.3% read more
NEU
Snap poll launch (20 Sept) – NEU snap poll launches to consult members on Government pay offer to teachers. This month NEU members are being asked to take part in a snap poll on the recent Government offer of a 5.5% pay award to all teachers and leaders in England. Schools will receive an additional £1.2 billion to fund the pay rise. The poll runs from 21-30 September and asks one question: “Do you Accept or Reject the Government’s 5.5% pay offer?” The NEU held a Special Executive meeting on 5 August at which it was agreed to recommend that members accept the offer. The vote is by email or text and will be sent to approximately 300,000 members who are serving teachers in state schools in England read more
Support the following NEU strikes:-
| Support the following NEU strikes:- Swanshurst School / Birmingham (Transfer of Employment) 30 Sept, 3 Oct David Room [email protected] The Deepings School / Lincs (Conditions of Service) 1-2 Oct Ken Rustidge [email protected] Baylis Court / Slough (Conditions of Service) 1-3 Oct Damien Randall [email protected] Chetham’s School of Music/ Manchester (TPS) 1-3 Oct John Morgan [email protected] Palmers Green High School/ Enfield (TPS) 1-3 Oct Claire Docherty [email protected] Shoreham College / West Sussex (TPS) 2-3 Oct Anne Barker / Mike Spain [email protected] [email protected] |
NEU Cymru welcome public sector pay offer (11 Sept) – A 5.5% pay award is a necessary first step in the reversal of the real terms pay cuts inflicted upon teachers and school leaders during recent years read more
Support staff pay – NEU members voted overwhelmingly (92% in England and 96% in Wales) to reject the offer. Similar consultations in NJC recognised unions led to Unison and Unite also rejecting the offer, though GMB have accepted it. NEU have already conducted an indicative ballot that indicated a willingness to take industrial action in support of the NJC claim alongside others, as well as a willingness to take industrial action on pay and funding alongside NEU teacher members. The vote and turnout strongly suggest that a formal ballot of support staff would return a legal mandate to take action in both scenarios. Therefore, we are approaching Unison and Unite to discuss co-ordinated action in pursuit of the claim. The ‘snap poll’ of state funded teachers in September may also open possibilities of co-ordinated action in schools in the next academic year. More details and the latest support staff newsletter are available here
NASUWT
NASUWT members welcome teachers’ pay offer (12 Sept) – NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union agrees to accept the latest pay offer for teachers, but insists that more needs to done urgently to address teachers’ workload concerns read more
NASUWT comments on Wales teachers’ pay award announcement (10 Sept) – Commenting on the announcement from the Welsh Government of an above-inflation 5.5% pay award for teachers, exceeding the 4.3% recommended by the IWPRB, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary for NASUWT, said: “NASUWT welcomes the confirmation form the Welsh Government that it will exceed the recommendation of the pay review body and ensure teachers in Wales receive at least an equivalent pay award as their counterparts in England…” read more
EIS
EIS Urges First Minister to Act on Local Authority Education Cuts (20 Sept) – The EIS has written to the First Minister today, calling on the Scottish Government to intervene over planned local authority education cuts read more
EIS to open statutory industrial action ballot in Glasgow Education cuts dispute (26 Aug) – The EIS has notified Glasgow Council that the EIS will open a statutory industrial action ballot one week from today (Monday 2 September) over the Council’s plans to axe 450 teaching posts from Glasgow schools over a 3-year period. EIS members in Glasgow will be urged to use their vote in the ballot to back a programme of industrial action, up to and including strike action, to force the Council to scrap its damaging and dangerous proposals read more
EIS-ULA Consultative Ballot Opens at Robert Gordon University (8 Aug) – The Robert Gordon University (RGU) branch of the EIS University Lecturers’ Association (EIS-ULA) has opened a consultative ballot in response to cutbacks, including lecturers’ jobs, at the university, following a reported £11.1 million recurrent deficit for the 2023/24 academic year. Members are being asked in a consultative ballot if they are willing to take industrial action up to and including strike action in defence of jobs as the university seeks to reach an £18 million savings target with £10.5 million in staff savings. The consultative ballot will run from the 1st of August until the 22nd of August read more
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
UCU
New strike date at five North East colleges (25 Sept) – The University and College Union (UCU) has today announced a further strike date at five colleges in Cleveland, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees. UCU members at Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy, and Redcar and Cleveland College will down tools on Thursday 10 October as part of a long running dispute over pay read more
UCU calls on Open University to withdraw fire and rehire threat (20 Sept) – UCU today called on the Open University (OU) to scrap its plans to fire and rehire staff. The OU first began consulting on fire and rehire plans in 2023 and expects to cut up to 26 tutor jobs by January 2025, if the tutors refuse to have their working hours and pay reduced. If tutors are fired and rehired, they would have the reduction of hours and pay imposed, without compensation read more
University of Hull carbon neutral campus plans go ‘up in smoke’ as strike ballot opens (30 Aug) – A strike ballot will open on Monday 2 September at the University of Hull over plans to sack up to 127 staff. The latest round of cuts comes after the closure of a voluntary severance scheme in May (2024) that led to 107 employees already leaving the university read more
Joint statement on this week’s New JNCHES dispute resolution meetings (23 Aug) – UCEA and the five trade unions (EIS, GMB, UCU, UNISON and Unite) met in two dispute resolution meetings on Monday 19 August and Thursday 22 August 2024 read more
Staff at Sheffield Hallam University set to strike (9 Aug) – Staff at Sheffield Hallam University will take four days of industrial action in September in defence of jobs and employment conditions, the UCU has announced today. Members of UCU at the university will strike from Monday 23 September until Thursday 26 September following a ballot that saw 87% of those voting agreeing to take action read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Time to deliver: FBU national rally and lobby – it’s time for the Westminster government to deliver a fire and rescue service ready for the risks we face
When: 11:30am, Tuesday 8 October; Where: Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW
“Labour must tax the rich”: unions call for reversal of winter fuel cut (25 Sept) – Labour conference delegates have voted for the government to reverse the cut to winter fuel payments. Around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales will lose their winter fuel payments, worth between £100 and £100, this Autumn under new plans announced by Rachel Reeves. The motion, put forward by Unite the union and seconded by the Communication Workers Union, called for the government to tax the wealthy instead of cutting pensioners’ fuel payments read more
Labour conference demands urgent action to prevent another Grenfell tragedy (24 Sept) – Labour Party conference has unanimously passed a motion demanding urgent government action to tackle the building safety crisis in the wake of the damning Grenfell Tower Inquiry report. The motion, submitted by the Fire Brigades Union, condemns deregulation and austerity as central causes of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It demands that the Labour government prioritise justice for Grenfell and to begin implementing urgent measures to ensure all homes are safe. Seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire, half of the 4,600 known buildings of 11 metres or more with unsafe cladding have not started remediation. Measures outlined in the motion include investing in local government and fire and rescue services, including fire inspectors; ending the privatisation of building control, fire testing and research; and establishing a statutory advisory body, including the FBU, to oversee fire safety policy, research, training and guidance read more
POA
General Secretary update: September 2024 here
National Chair Update August 2024 read more
Launch of POA Briefing – “the right to strike” – Please find attached a letter from the Prime Minister and my response, together with a copy of “The Right to Strike” Briefing here
Prison officers demand the right to strike – POA publish briefing paper for TUC and Labour Conferences 2024 – Read the POAs briefing paper for TUC and Labour conferences 2024 here
POA demand equal treatment on trade union rights (6 Aug) – The POA welcome todays Government announcement regarding their intention to repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act,2023. However, the repealing of this Bill does not affect POA Members who are still subject to some of the most pernicious legislation which removes the rights of Prison Officers to take any form of Industrial Action read more
NAPO
In-House Contested Breaches (24 Sept) – Napo and our sister Unions met with the Organisation to advise of our many concerns regarding the delivery of In-House Contested Breaches. We had previously put in a pre-dispute letter to the Employer for them to answer our questions. To date we have not had a response. However, we then met with the Employer and on 05 September 2024 we were informed that a pause has been granted till January 2025. This appears to be a small win for us and once we receive any further information we will share that with our members read more
Government agree to re-open pay talks (2 Aug) – Napo’s Probation Negotiating Committee met yesterday to consider a pay offer that had received the personal endorsement of the new Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood. While the PNC noted that the offer does not wholly satisfy the terms of Napo’s current trade dispute on pay and workloads, it follows the joint unions’ campaign to re-open the three year pay award to give probation staff more pay now. The unions submitted a claim to get more pay back in 2023, which HMPPS rejected in April this year. But following votes in the UNISON and Napo consultative ballots of members which showed strong support for consideration of industrial action, the change of government, the escalating prison overcrowding crisis and the embarrassment of probation pay falling further and further behind prison pay, HMPPS finally agreed to re-open the award and offer more money in this final year of the Multi Year Pay Deal MYPD to our members. Of course, It would have been better if the employer had done this much earlier, but their hands were tied by the previous Conservative government. The HMPPS offer would not have happened without the unions’ campaign to re-open the pay talks over the last year and a half read more
BFAWU
Unions, Academics, Campaigners, Football Fans and Clergy Tell Starmer to End Foodbank Britain (18 Sept) – As Labour prepares for its first party conference in Liverpool since winning the election a coalition of trade unionists, academics, football fans, right to food campaigners and the Bishop of Liverpool have written an open letter to Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, calling for an end Foodbank Britain and warning him not to normalise food banks. Organised by the Food and Work Network (FAWN), the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) and the Right to Food Campaign, the letter is calling on the Government to end the reliance on food charity and food banks by driving up wages, improving working terms and conditions and re-establishing a compassionate system of genuine social security read more
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
Nautilus International
Mounting pressure on government to resolve RFA pay dispute (23 Sept) – Members of Nautilus International working for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary stepped up their dispute with employers on Sunday 22 September with a rally outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. The protest was part of the ongoing dispute between RFA officers and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which oversees the service. Nautilus members are demanding the government end years of stagnating wages, and cuts to vital services leaving many feeling overworked, underpaid and undervalued read more
Historic RFA strike action resumes in Portland and Birkenhead (20 Sept) – The strike follows two other strike days and a long period of action short of a strike. Officers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are continuing their historic strike action today, Friday 20 September, for three days, ending on the first day of Labour Party Conference. This is the third period of strike action since 15 August, when officers staged the first ever walkout in the 120-year history of the service read more
NUJ
NUJ strongly condemns Israel’s closure of Al Jazeera office in Ramallah (22 Sept) – Soldiers conducted a raid on 22 September, seizing equipment and documents as they demanded the office shutdown read more
NUJ repeats call for the release of Jimmy Lai (20 Sept) – The Apple Daily founder faces life imprisonment and has been held in solitary confinement since December 2020 read more
NUJ urges fair pay for Newsquest journalists following company’s £34m profit reports (20 Sept) – The union has called on the publisher to ensure a fair pay regime for its journalists following publication of the company’s group accounts revealing pre-tax profits of £34m read more
Equity
Welsh National Opera chorus take Action Short of Strike (23 Sept) – Equity WNO chorus members took action during the opening night of Rigoletto. Equity members in the chorus of the Welsh National Opera (WNO) have taken their first day of action short of strike (ASOS) during the opening performance of Rigoletto (21 September). The chorus leafletted audience members before the performance, explaining why they were taking the action, and wore Equity t-shirts during the curtain call. Equity members were joined in taking ASOS by members of the WNO’s orchestra, represented by the Musicians’ Union. Strike action scheduled for 21 and 29 September was paused last week following productive discussions with WNO management. For now, the third date in the planned strike action on the 11 October is still in place read more
Equity supporting members through Royal Exchange A Midsummer Night’s Dream axe (20 Sept) – Company to be paid in full, talks with theatre management continue read more
Over 1,000 sign open letter opposing WNO job cuts ahead of strike negotiations (12 Sept) – Over 1,000 people have signed an open letter to the Chair of the Welsh National Opera’s Board of Directors. Over 1,000 people have signed an open letter to the Chair of the Welsh National Opera’s Board of Directors calling on her to intervene with WNO management to save jobs in the company’s chorus. The WNO’s Board of Directors oversee the company’s affairs, with Chair Yvette Vaughn Jones heading up the group. The letter comes ahead of negotiations between WNO management and Equity – the trade union representing WNO chorus members – tomorrow (Friday 13 September) and the first strike date of Saturday 21 September read more
Equity rally prompts talks with Scottish Culture Minister (6 Sept) – Over 300 people attend vibrant rally outside First Ministers’ Questions prompting talks with Scottish Culture Minister read more
Hundreds join Holyrood rally against arts cuts (5 Sept) – Over 300 Equity members and supporters have staged a rally outside Holyrood to protest the Scottish Government’s cuts to arts funding read more
Musicians’’ Union
Welsh National Opera Orchestra Take Industrial Action Over Proposed Pay Cuts (24 Sept) – Musicians in the Welsh National Opera orchestra took Action Short of Strike on Saturday 21 September 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
UK Government statement on Tata Steel (11 Sept) – Further to the Business Secretary’s statement in the House of Commons on Tata Steel this afternoon, Community Union and GMB Union have issued a joint statement read more
USDAW
Tesco distribution workers at eight sites reject a less than 5% pay offer – Usdaw consults members on industrial action (28 Aug) – Retail distribution trade union Usdaw has launched a consultation ballot, asking Tesco workers at eight sites across Great Britain if they are prepared to take a dispute over pay to industrial action. Members at all eight sites overwhelmingly rejected Tesco’s pay offer of between 2% plus £500 and 4.4%, depending on contract, along with some additional enhancements. The eight sites affected are: Hinckley, Magor, Southampton, Daventry Clothing, Goole, Lichfield, Livingston and Peterborough. The consultative ballot will run from 9 to 24 September 2024 read more
UVW
Fighting for fair pay is a matter of principle (24 Sept) – “I believe that every long journey begins with a single step. I also believe we are making history—for ourselves, our families, and future generations of security officers—by striving to improve the social and economic conditions of the sector” – Mohammed Abed, UVW member and outsourced museum security officer. Mohammed Abed is a UVW member and one of the security officers outsourced to Wilson James at the Science Museum in London, currently being balloted for strike action in the fight for better pay and conditions. Security officers at both the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum are faced with low wages, excessive hours, and the constant pressures of maintaining security and visitor welfare. They have taken a principled stand for fair treatment. Mohammed writes about these workers’ reasons, resilience, and solidarity in the pursuit of justice through collective action read more
Strike ballot opens for security guards at the Science and Natural History museums after a pitiful pay increase (9 Sept) – Outsourced security guards at the Natural History and Science museum are balloting to strike in a fight for better pay and conditions. The security guards are asking for a wage of £16 an hour and full sick pay from day one. Their bosses, Wilson Wilson James reported making over £7 million profit after tax read more
Current Harrods employee who complained of sexual harassment this year says “perpetrators are being covered’ (23 Sept) – A UVW member and current Harrods employee, who complained of sexual harassment this year, has accused the luxury department store of treating ‘victims like perpetrators and perpetrators of such being covered’, whist continuing a culture ‘secrecy, corruption and the normalisation of sexual harassment.’ Read more
Harrods’ workers reject claim that “Harrods is today a very different organisation” (20 Sept) – United Voices of the World (UVW) union statement on the sickening revelations about former, and now deceased, Harrods’ billionaire boss and predator Mohamed Al Fayed, and the claim that “Harrods is today a very different organisation”. As the union for Harrods’ workers in cleaning, retail and restaurants we are disgusted and outraged to learn that since Al Fayed took control of Harrods in 1985 he raped, attempted to rape, assaulted and groomed over 20 women and counting, including his personal assistants, a minor and teenagers read more
IWGB
JOIN THE RALLY TO END OUTSOURCING AT CITY UNIVERSITY! Join our joint protest rally with Unison to demand an end to outsourcing and equality for City University’s cleaners!
When? Tues 1st Oct, 12pm
Where? Outside University Building, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB
Find out more about the couriers’ strikes on the X/twitter of the IWGB Couriers’ branch @IWGB_CLB
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU members in Becton Dickinson in Drogheda commence industrial action today (25 Sept) – SIPTU members employed in the Becton Dickinson manufacturing plant in Drogheda, County Louth, commenced a ‘work-to-rule’ industrial action today due to the failure of management to meaningfully engage with their Union concerning the threatened closure of the facility read more
Citizens Information Service staff vote in favour of strike action (23 Sept) – SIPTU members employed in the Citizens Information Service have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay in a ballot counted this morning in Liberty Hall, Dublin read more
Other news
Affiliate with STAMMA – at this year’s 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
From Strike Map – Our final instalment of the ‘Industrial Unionism’ series with Manifesto Press is here. Building on this success of our other pamphlets- which has sold over 2,000 copies, our next pamphlet in our series is the infamous ‘A Manual of Industrial Unionism’ by William Z Foster. Click the button here to pre-order your copy for you and your organisation
NEW Play: Cramlington Train Wreckers – Following the national success of Wor Bella (about WW1 women footballers), Tyneside-based playwright Ed Waugh will present his new work in November, which is about the Cramlington Train Wreckers. Ed, who has the distinction for a local writer of having had a record five plays produced at Newcastle’s prestigious Theatre Royal, writes about forgotten working class stories and his latest play is set during 1926 General Strike when striking miners uncoupled a rail on the mainline Edinburgh to London railway. As we rapidly approach the centenary of Britain’s only General Strike, the most notorious incident of that societal unrest in May 1926 happened when miners inadvertently derailed the Flying Scotsman on the mainline Edinburgh to London railway at Cramlington in Northumberland. The Cramlington Train Wreckers, which is supported by Arts Council England, will tour the North East in November. For further details visit www.cramlingtontrainwreckers.co.uk
Stop the attack on Gaza
Many NSSN supporters have joined marches and protests against the escalation of violence in the Middle East, particularly the invasion and bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli government
See Stop the War website for info on protests. The next central London Saturday demonstration is 5th October assemble 12noon
We have received a request from South East Kent Palestine Solidarity Campaign if anyone can donate towards the cost of the bus they are running to the October 5th demo:-
Their bank account details are:
South East Kent Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Sort Code: 30-98-97
Account: 39753062
In solidarity, Diane Langford On behalf of SE Kent PSC
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
1. Arthur Murray R.I.P.
Blacklisted workers are sad to hear the news of the death of Arthur Murray, one of the jailed Shrewsbury Pickets who fought for 5 decades to overturn a notorious working class miscarriage of justice. In 2021, the Blacklist Support Group and the Construction Rank & File presented Arthur with a ‘working class hero’ award (see photos). The TUC remembered Arthur at their Congress in Brighton last week. BSG send condolences to Arthur’s family, friends and comrades.
https://www.pilc.org.uk/blog/rest-in-power-arthur-murray
FUNERAL DETAILS
1pm Monday 30th September
Northop crematorium
Oakenholt Lane
Northop
CH7 6DF
2. Blacklisted Construction Workers Retraining Fund
The Blacklisting High Court litigation resulted in the major contractors placing £230,000 in a fund to be used by litigants for retraining. Since the fund was relaunched last year, tens of thousands of pounds have been paid out to blacklisted workers to cover the cost of upgrading their qualifications and professional development training. The fund will cover new training courses in construction or in any other sector, and will cover the costs of any training costs paid by blacklisted workers themselves since 2016. BSG encourage all blacklisted workers who were part of the High Court litigation to apply for the funds – its your money!
3. Collusion investigation update
BSG have received multiple enquiries regarding the independent investigation into union collusion in blacklisting. We are not at liberty to provide detailed detailed updates, but we are able to say that the lawyers have made progress in taking evidence.
4. Spycops public inquiry update
This week there was a protest at the Home Office by activists spied on by undercover political police, calling on the new Labour government to rescind the former Conservative instruction for the inquiry to be closed down by 2026. Campaigners argue that this truncated timetable will mean the more recent examples of human rights abuse by spycops will be glossed over, and those spied on will be denied the opportunity to challenge the police narrative, let alone justice.
The public inquiry resumes taking oral evidence again on 7th October.
Keep the faith
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
Nigeria: Support the campaign to demand the release of Adaramoye Michael (Lenin), Babatunde Oluajo(Sankara), Mosiu Sodiq and 1 other person abducted by the state. They are not criminals! They were leaders of the #Endbadgovernance protests in Abuja. You can make donations through the link below to support the campaign for their release.
Model motion – https://linktr.ee/nigeriansolidarityuk
Taiwan: First strike in the country’s maritime history read more via LabourStart
Italy: APPEAL As GKN factory occupation in Florence passes three years, help us fund rank and file contingent to first international assembly on 12-13 October. New Reel News film out today with all the details of this visionary struggle,as GKN workers mark three years in occupation with an incredible outdoor concert followed by a huge demonstration through the centre of the city – at 2 o’clock in the morning. And with major steps forward in the most important just transition struggle anywhere in Europe, we’re asking for your help to fund a rank and file contingent to go over to Florence for the first international shareholders assembly from Reel News
Diary
2024
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
