Workers continue to take to the picket lines for the pay rises they need, and increasingly against the cuts, as well as attempts of union-busting by employers. The NSSN sends solidarity to all action from workers and their unions, and you can read about them in our weekly bulletin. Please continue to support the strikes!
NSSN news
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Unite Wales: Pensioners to stage Senedd demonstration over winter fuel cuts on Tuesday 4th February – Pensioners from throughout Wales will be descending on the Senedd on Tuesday (4 February) to protest at the decision by the UK government to cut the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners and the failure of the Welsh government to offer them any additional support.
When: Tuesday 4 February 11:30
Where: The Senedd, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1SN
The demonstration will coincide with the debate at the Senedd on the draft Welsh budget for 2025/26 read more
UCU Cymru rally at the Senedd to fight against education cuts in Wales – Tuesday 4th February 2025 between 12.30-1.30pm outside the Senedd to fight for the future of Higher and Further Education in Wales
Cardiff UCU Press Release against cuts announcement (28 Jan)
Online meeting: The Struggle For The 4-Day Working Week Tuesday 4th February @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – hosted by Troublemakers At Work in collaboration with Tipping Point UK register here
Campaign For Trade Union Freedom Rally: 3 years on from P&O sackings – strengthening the Employment Rights Bill – Join our rally to demand more from the Employment Rights Bill – Saturday, March 22, 11am – 3:45pm, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place London WC1H 9BB details register
Union News
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RMT
RMT Avanti strikes back on!! RMT suspended two days of strike action so that talks could proceed with Avanti on finding a solution and settlement to this dispute … Having cancelled those two strike days Avanti announced that talks would NOT take place – show your anger at being treated with contempt. Show your steadfast resolve to achieve a fair settlement – JOIN THE PICKET LINES! Avanti West Coast RMT Train Managers Strike – Avanti West Coast RMT Train Managers Strike – Picket Lines …
DATES – SUNDAY 9th FEBRUARY 2025
GLASGOW CENTRAL …
RMT Glasgow Central Train Managers Picket line will be formed at the Gordon Street Entrance to Glasgow Central from – 10.00 – 13.00
EDINBURGH WAVERLEY ….
The RMT Edinburgh Waverley Train Managers Picket Line with gather on the Waverley bridge, Edinburgh – 09.40 -11.00
WOLVERHAMPTON ….
Wolverhampton RMT Train Managers Picket Line will Meet near Wolverhampton Station main entrance (near bridge) 10.30 – 13.30
PRESTON ….
Preston RMT Train Managers Picket Line gathers at the top of Butler street, Preston – 10.00 – 13.00
LONDON EUSTON
RMT London Euston Train Managers will assemble their Picket Line near the Eversholt Street Entrance to London Euston – 09.00 -12.00
LIVERPOOL LIME STREET
The RMT Liverpool Lime Street Train Managers Picket Line will form outside Lime Street Station main entrance – 08.30 – 12.30
MANCHESTER PICCADILLY
Our RMT Train Managers at Manchester Piccadilly Picket Line will gather at the bottom of Piccadilly station approach – near cafe Nero from 10.00 – 13.00
HOLYHEAD
The RMT Holyhead Train Managers Picket Line will meet near the Station Clock – Holyhead Station – 09.30 – 13.30
Keep up the pressure … STAND FIRM for a FAIR DEAL … read more
Unipart rail staff strike over union derecognition (27 Jan) – Rail workers at Unipart Rail’s Crewe Depot will strike Tuesday, in protest against the company’s decision to strip RMT of union recognition. The move, described by the union as a disgraceful assault on workplace rights, has sparked outrage among staff, who are demanding the immediate restoration of their right to collective representation read more. RMT: Sign petition: To Neil McNicholas – Managing Director Unipart Rail: Tell Unipart Rail to stop De-recognition of RMT Union
RMT members stage separate strikes on the Elizabeth line (31 Dec) – MTR Elizabeth Line and Rail for London Infrastructure (RFLI) workers are taking strike action today in disputes over pay, working conditions, and safety concerns. Control Room staff at MTR Elizabeth Line will strike from 9:00 PM on December 31, 2024, to 8:59 PM on January 1, 2025, after rejecting the latest pay offer. The union is demanding improved holiday entitlements and reductions in working hours. RFLI staff will strike from 6:00 AM on December 31, 2024, to 5:59 AM on January 1, 2025, citing issues including unsafe rostering, pay progression delays, and safety concerns read more
Sign the petition: To Joanne Maguire, Managing Director ScotRail and Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport – Stop the cuts to ScotRail ticket offices
ASLEF
Levelling Up (1 Feb) – Mick Whelan’s Column – February 2025: Colleagues, if Labour were not in power we would, in all likelihood, still be battling the political strife and will of the previous government – the Tory government – that has left this country and our infrastructure in such a perilous state read more
TSSA
TSSA, Neil Bibby, to campaign against ticket office cuts at Paisley Gilmour Street (31 Jan) – Rail union TSSA and Neil Bibby MSP will join forces at Paisley Gilmour Street station on Friday 31 January at 10am to oppose ScotRail’s plans to drastically reduce the opening hours of 101 ticket offices. TSSA activists and Neil Bibby will warn passengers that ScotRail’s plans mean railway ticket office hours will be cut by a whopping 2745 hours a week across the network. TSSA says that the move will make the railway less safe for women and girls and less accessible for pensioners and passengers with disabilities. Passengers are also likely to pay more for their tickets without the friendly advice of a ticket office worker. In many stations the loss of ticket office opening hours will also mean more anti-social behaviour. Similar plans were widely rejected in England in 2023 read more
TSSA Response to Rachel Reeves Speech (29 Jan) – Transport and travel union, the Transport Salaried Staff’s Association, today welcomed Chancellor Rachel Reeve’s confirmation of the Government’s commitment to the East-West rail. The Chancellor made these comments as part of a speech in Oxfordshire in which she pledged to go ‘further and faster’ to deliver the government’s Plan for Change to kick start economic growth read more
Unite
Justice for Anne Marie: fired for raising safety concerns and union organising at Premier Inn – 1pm-2pm Saturday 1st March, Derby Premier Inn, City Centre Riverlights DE1 2BB
BREAKING NEWS!! Birmingham bin strikes escalate over pay attacks (3 Feb) – Industrial action to intensify across February and March. Strikes by more than 350 Birmingham bin workers will intensify from Tuesday, Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced today. The dispute was sparked by the council’s decision to abolish the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, resulting in pay cuts of up £8,000 for 150 workers. Birmingham’s refuse staff believe the scrapping of the WRCO role is the first step in a broader campaign of cuts across a service that is already on its knees. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “There is no justification for such huge pay cuts to workers’ wages. Birmingham council cannot just ignore this situation and hope that it will go away. It is a line in the sand for our members, who know more attacks will follow if they don’t fight back. Unite is with them 100 per cent.” Strike action will now escalate from four to 12 days in February and from four to 13 days in March (see notes to editors for full dates). The escalation means that the next strike day begins tomorrow (4 February) rather than 7 February. Since the council effectively declared bankruptcy in September 2023, refuse workers have accepted cuts to their pay and terms and conditions and worked with management in good faith to ensure services continued. The council then, however, attacked the safety critical WRCO role. This is despite the service being massively over reliant on costly employment agencies because the council refuses to directly employ enough staff. Disgracefully, a number of refuse workers are employed through agencies, despite having performed the role for over a decade read more
Pensioners to stage Senedd demonstration over winter fuel cuts (3 Feb) – Pensioners from throughout Wales will be descending on the Senedd on Tuesday (4 February) to protest at the decision by the UK government to cut the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners and the failure of the Welsh government to offer them any additional support.
When: Tuesday 4 February 11:30
Where: The Senedd, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1SN
The demonstration will coincide with the debate at the Senedd on the draft Welsh budget for 2025/26 read more
Royal Navy tugboat crews could strike to protect critical naval services (1 Feb) – Devonport, Portsmouth, Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh Serco Marine workers demand consultation over future of Royal Navy’s afloat services. Around 300 Royal Navy tugboat and marine services crews, many with decades of experience, are being balloted for strike action due to being locked out of consultations over the services they provide, despite their vital expertise. As part of their roles, the crews are responsible for the movement of nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and other naval vessels in and out of ports. The proposed service changes would impact on their ability to provide a 24-7 365-day service, including for the continuous at sea deterrent. They are employed by Serco Marine, which is currently in talks with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about renewing its 10-year £1.2 billion contract with the Royal Navy. Officials have indicated they want to reduce the contract by £250 million, putting nearly 100 jobs at risk read more
Council and school staff are overdue a significant pay rise, say unions (31 Jan) – Local government unions representing 1.4m council and school employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are demanding a decent wage rise as they submit their annual pay claim today (Friday). Unite, UNISON and the GMB say a substantial award is essential as staff continue to struggle with rising living costs, having missed out on the higher wage settlements paid out to workers in other parts of the public sector in the past year. This year’s joint union pay claim, which would apply from this April, is for all council employees to receive a wage rise of £3,000 read more
Huddersfield First bus strikes suspended following improved pay offer (31 Jan) – Huddersfield bus strikes by drivers employed by First West Yorkshire have been suspended after an improved pay offer was put forward. Industrial action has been suspended to allow around 170 drivers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, to be balloted on the new offer read more
Knowsley Livv Housing workers step up strikes throughout February (31 Jan) – Hundreds of low-paid workers at Knowsley-based Livv Housing are escalating their pay dispute with strikes taking place throughout February, Unite and UNISON said today (Friday). Repair, maintenance and call centre staff already took strike action in October, November and January. The February strike, beginning on Monday (3 February) and running to Friday 28 February, will be the longest yet, with staff walking out across the entire organisation. More than 13,000 homes will be affected. The dispute stems from years of below-inflation pay increases. The workers have rejected a five per cent pay rise as it fails to reverse the real-terms pay cuts they have endured previously, say the unions. Livv Housing, which manages properties primarily in Knowsley, reported reserves of £110.6 million in March 2024. Additional strike dates will be announced if the dispute remains unresolved. Significant disruption will be caused to Livv Housing’s entire operations, including to tenant services read more
Union targets industry water conference as campaign against Veolia escalates (30 Jan) – Unite activists highlight appalling employment practices to customers in Birmingham. A water industry conference was the site of the latest protest by the Unite trade union against the union-busting activities of Veolia. Veolia’s presence at the industry meeting this week in Birmingham (Jan 28 and 29) was met by a vocal protest by Unite activists highlighting its failure to recognise Unite at its Sheffield waste depot. Furious Unite members working in Sheffield have been on continuous strike for months in order to get their union recognised for collective bargaining read more
Unite files ethical trading complaint against Bakkavor as dispute escalates (30 Jan) – Customers of food manufacturer to be targeted as union continues to campaign for fair pay. Unite has made a formal complaint on behalf of its members to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which ensures compliance with international labour standards in the global supply chains of member companies. Major high street supermarkets are signed up members of the ETI and will now be aware that Bakkavor is paying poverty wages to its workforce. Unite members at the food manufacturer have been on strike since the early autumn to secure better rates of pay. Hundreds of members working for Bakkavor Foods in Spalding, Lincolnshire, are taking industrial action after years of real terms pay cuts. Bakkavor’s management has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations. Instead, they have brought in strike-breakers from other sites. In response, Unite has complained to the ETI which means that it will have alerted all its members to Bakkavor’s appalling behaviour read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]
Unite cautions ‘employers must not be allowed to play fast and loose with workers’ pensions’ (30 Jan) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has urged the government to act with extreme caution following its recently announced plans to allow companies to invest surpluses from defined benefit contribution pension schemes read more
Unite delivers new recognition agreement for advocacy service workers in Aberdeen (30 Jan) – Key workers have foundation to secure better jobs, pay and conditions. Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, has secured a union recognition agreement covering workers based at the Advocacy Service Aberdeen (ASA). The recognition agreement covers over 20 key workers and volunteers who provide vital services for vulnerable residents in Aberdeen. A wide range of support and signposting services are provided to some of the most vulnerable people in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. This includes providing legal, mental health, financial, and advocacy services for people with mental health issues, people with learning challenges, older people, carers, and support for people who are victims of domestic abuse read more
Huddersfield bus chaos as First drivers strike over delayed pay (29 Jan) – Huddersfield drivers angry at having to wait 10 months for pay parity with First West Yorkshire colleagues. Around 170 Huddersfield bus drivers employed by First West Yorkshire will strike in February and March over pay parity. The drivers have rejected a pay deal from First that would see pay rise to £15.43 an hour from April 2025 following incremental pay rises during 2024. This is because wages for First drivers in other parts of West Yorkshire reached over £15 an hour in mid-2024, as did wages for drivers at competitor bus companies operating in Huddersfield. The rejected offer also ties the workers into a pay agreement beginning in April 2024 and ending in October 2026, which will once again result in their wages lagging behind that of their colleagues. The workers will strike from 3 to 16 February and from 24 February to 9 March. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Unite delivers recognition agreement for security workers at Sullom Voe terminal (29 Jan) – Unite delivers recognition agreement for security workers at Sullom Voe terminal. Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, has secured a new recognition deal with Wilson James Security covering workers at the Sullom Voe terminal in the Shetland Islands. The recognition agreement covers around 20 workers providing security services on site for EnQuest to patrol the premises in order to ensure the security and safety at the Sullom Voe terminal read more
Miami Vice: Investment conference hit by protests over sponsor Pemberton’s exploitative employment links (29 Jan) – Unite warns UK and international pension funds over investments in owner of Wrexham Oscar Mayer fire and rehire firm. The Miami Global Alts investment conference has been hit by protests against sponsor Pemberton’s links to exploitative employment practices in the UK. Pemberton Asset Management is the owner of Wrexham-based ready meal maker Oscar Mayer, which is attempting to fire and rehire hundreds of low paid workers to slash wages by up to £3,000. Pemberton is a ‘silver tier’ sponsor of Global Alt and its head of net asset value financing, Thomas Doyle, is speaking at the event. Unite is urging Global Alt attendees – such as the Office of the New York City Comptroller, New York State Common Retirement fund, Norges Bank and the Guy’s & St Thomas Foundation – not to invest in Pemberton until fire and rehire is scrapped at Oscar Mayer. The same call has been made to local council pension funds across the UK, which currently have around £700 million tied up in investments linked to Pemberton. Clwyd Pension Fund, for retired council workers across North East Wales, has already pledged not to invest anymore in Pemberton after discovering that £5.6 million of member funds were indirectly invested in the business read more.
Send messages of support to [email protected]
Send messages of protest to [email protected]
Unite challenges communities minister Gordon Lyons on delay in Winter Fuel support (29 Jan) – Unite has challenged the assurances offered by communities minister Gordon Lyons that a winter fuel payment of £100 will be made “by the end of March”. The commitment offers little comfort to vulnerable pensioners and carers struggling to heat homes. Delaying vital financial support until spring is an unacceptable failure and risks leaving older people in cold homes throughout the harshest months of the year read more
Pensioners missing meals due to winter fuel allowance cut (29 Jan) – Unite protests in Westminster as union survey shows elderly suffering from government policy. Pensioners are missing meals, having to shelter in libraries and are more depressed due to the government’s cuts to the winter fuel allowance, a new survey has found. Research conducted by Unite the union has shown that over two-thirds of its retired members have had to turn their heating down this year, a third are taking fewer baths or showers and 16 per cent have cut back on hot meals due to the increased costs of trying to stay warm. The survey results coincide with protests organised by Unite in Westminster on Wednesday. A banner drop from Westminster Bridge will call on the government to reverse the Winter Fuel Allowance cuts and ensure our most vulnerable pensioners are safe and warm this winter (see notes for editors). Unite is calling on the government to release the statistics for excessive deaths due to cold read more
Reeves Speech: Heathrow expansion welcome but lack of industrial strategy threatens jobs, skills and communities (29 Jan) – Unite the union has welcomed chancellor Rachel Reeves support for a third runway at Heathrow in her speech today as it should boost highly skilled, well-paid, and unionised jobs. However, the union has warned that a lack a coherent industrial strategy and joined up thinking jeopardises the government’s plans for growth and risks alienating workers read more
Capita staff begin strike action over pay (29 Jan) – Workers at outsourcer Capita will today (Wednesday 29 January) begin strike action in a dispute over their employer’s refusal to negotiate a pay award for 2024. There will be ongoing industrial action until 5.59am on Wednesday 5 February. The workers from Capita were due a 2024 pay award last April. The employer postponed the annual pay talks with their union Unite with the assurance that the workers would be given a pay rise in October. This has not materialised despite this part of the business reporting profits and a healthy balance sheet. In December 2024, workers voted overwhelmingly to take strike action across the two Capita sites. This industrial action will start today following the decision of their employer to deny workers a pay increase. The dispute involves around 1,000 employees…The Capita staff in Manchester and Glasgow work on Royal London account which will all face disruption and delays if industrial action takes place…Strike action will start at 07:00 on Wednesday 29 January and pickets will be in place. The picket locations and times on Wednesday 29th January:-
- Manchester: Broadhurst House, 56 Oxford Street, M1 6EU
- Glasgow from 08:00-10:00 at The Skypark, 8 Elliot Place, G3 8EP read more
500 Scottish Water workers balloted on industrial action (27 Jan) – Unite highlights workers ‘poor pay’ offer as CEO Alex Plant earns ‘eye-watering’ £483,000 package. Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, can confirm today (27 January) that its 500-strong Scottish Water membership are being balloted for industrial action following a ‘poor pay’ offer made by the public body. The basic pay offer made in October amounted to 3.4 per cent, or no less than £1,200 depending on salary grade. Standby payments would similarly increase by the same percentage. The offer was overwhelmingly rejected by Unite’s membership. Scottish Water then proposed an additional £200 but the pay round would start from July 2024 – July 2025, and then commence in April for a year. This offer was also rejected by Unite outright. Unite is highlighting how Scottish Water’s counterparts in Northern Ireland in contrast received a £1,500 non-consolidated payment and a five per cent wage rise in December. The union is further drawing attention to the ‘eye-watering’ executive pay levels at Scottish Water. In August 2024, it was reported that Scottish Water executives were awarded £227,000 in bonuses. The bonuses followed water bills in Scotland increasing by 8.8 per cent from April read more
Unite condemns union-busting and offshoring threats from Princes Foods (24 Jan) – Factories across the UK under threat. Princes threatening jobs by moving production overseas. Unite has condemned the union-busting approach of Princes Foods after its chairman threatened to withdraw all pay offers and to move production overseas with the risk of hundreds of job losses. Workers at Princes Food sites across the UK have been taking industrial action after the new owners, Italian conglomerate Newlat, refused to honour a pay rise that had been negotiated with previous owners, Mitsubushi. Today (23 Jan), the chairman, Angelo Mastrolia, announced that in response to the prospect of further industrial action in February, his company will transfer the production of much-loved British foods like Branston beans and Crosse & Blackwell to overseas facilities in retribution. This would also come with the threat of hundreds of job losses for those workers at sites in Cardiff, Lincolnshire, Glasgow, Bradford and Wisbech read more
Housing workers in Southwark to strike over annual leave disgrace (22 Jan) – Workers to walk out as council gives more leave to those on higher salaries. Nearly 160 essential housing and estate services workers in the London Borough of Southwark are set to strike later this month over the council’s disgraceful approach to annual leave. Unite members, who perform vital repairs and maintenance on council-owned housing stock and the council’s own properties get up to 12 fewer days annual leave than management grades in administrative positions at the council and the lowest paid technicians get two fewer days than higher paid colleagues in the same department. Despite negotiations by Unite, the council has refused to compromise or offer additional leave to housing workers to bring them up to the same level. Workers will now head to the picket line to voice their anger from 28-30 January read more
Reading parking chaos continues as strikes escalate (22 Jan) – Modaxo refusing to negotiate on pay. Outsourced traffic officers on worse pay than council staff. Residents of Reading, Berkshire, are to face further parking chaos in January and February as Unite members in the Modaxo enforcement teams take further strike action over pay. Nearly 40 civil enforcement officers are to take part in industrial action from 24-30 January and from 31 January-6 February. They have previously taken strike action in December last year. Reading council has outsourced parking protection to Modaxo. The dispute is in relation to Modaxo’s failure to address concerns around rates of pay. Civil enforcement officers are currently on just £12 per hour which is significantly lower than the rate they would be paid if they were directly employed by the council read more
Bidfood warned Unite takes zero tolerance view to union busting (21 Jan) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has warned that industrial action is probable at food wholesale and distributor Bidfood unless the company reverses its decision to tear up longstanding recognition agreements and derecognise unions. Bidfood is one of the UK’s largest food distributors and has a huge number of high profile clients across the country including schools, prisons, the army, Subway, Five Guys and Manchester United. Last Friday (17 January) Unite and the other recognised union were told without warning that Bidford was tearing up the recognition agreement that had been in place for over 30 years and was immediately derecognising them…Unite believes that the decision to derecognise the union is a precursor to attacks on workers’ pay and conditions. The majority of Unite’s members are based at Bidfood’s depots in Battersea, Birmingham, Plymouth and Salisbury…The GMB union also represents workers at Bidfood and has also been derecognised read more
Strikes looming at Strathclyde university as workers vote on pension attack (16 Jan) – Unite understand workers could be left thousands of pounds ‘worse-off’ every year in retirement despite £100m university pension surplus. Unite Scotland has today (16 January) confirmed that around 350 members at the University of Strathclyde are to be balloted on industrial action in reaction to the threat of detrimental pension changes. The workers are part of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) and are at risk of losing thousands of pounds a year due to the University of Strathclyde proposing to move existing and future workers into an inferior superannuation scheme because the university wants to access a pension surplus of nearly £100m. Unite is highlighting that the University of Strathclyde is proposing to make around 1,100 workers ‘worse off’ in retirement using the drop in overseas students as the pretext for an attack on the pension scheme. Unite is aware of no other education institution that is part of the wider SPF proposing a similar detrimental move for staff read more
Unions warn Belfast council of leisure centres strike threat (13 Jan) – Patience of leisure workers at end, Greenwich Leisure Limited must provide clarity and transparency. Trade unions Unite and NIPSA have met Belfast city council management and warned them of the prospect of disruptive industrial action by leisure centre workers. The workforce is in a pay dispute with outsourced management company Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). Following disputes in late 2023, GLL recommitted to an updated recognition agreement with both unions. Despite this, management failed to engage with the unions and instead imposed a pay settlement for 2024. This month a new employee absence policy was imposed for GLL staff in the face of opposition by both unions read more
Birmingham bin workers to strike in new year over pay attacks (19 Dec) – Birmingham bin workers will undertake extensive strike action from early next year after the council refused to reverse or even delay the implementation of attacks on workers’ pay. The dispute will involve over 350 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, and is a result of the council’s decision to abolish the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role. The 150 affected workers face losing £8,000 a year and the cut could also reduce future pension payments. Many of the affected workers have decades of service at the council. Talks broke down on Tuesday when the council unexpectedly refused to delay the implementation of the cut in the WRCO role and was not even prepared to wait for the competition of the council’s own job evaluation process on the loader role which is set be completed in February… From Thursday 2 January an overtime ban will be in place as well as a work to rule which will mean workers adhering to official start and finish times and returning to the work yard for their 15-minute break and 30 minute lunch period. This will cause considerable disruption. In addition, there will be 12 days of full strike action with the first strike on Monday 6 January read more
Remaining Synnovis strike dates suspended (18 Dec) – London based pathologists to return to work while negotiations with employer continue. The remaining three days of strike action at privatised pathology lab, Synnovis, have been suspended to allow talks to continue. Over 500 pathologists were due to strike 16-20 December over a restructure that had introduced threats of redundancy, downgrading and reduced staffing levels that would put patient safety at risk. Strike action today (Wednesday) and for the rest of the week has now been suspended while talks between Unite and Synnovis continue read more
Knowsley Livv Housing condemned as Scrooge employer as strikes extend into Christmas (18 Dec) – Livv Housing CEO cancels Christmas parties and tries to break strike by offering pay deal to workers who confirm they are ‘non-union members’. Pay strikes by Livv Housing workers in Knowsley will extend into Christmas, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The strikes will continue despite Livv Housing CEO Leanne Hearne offering workers in a company-wide email on 3 December a pay rise of five per cent before Christmas if they confirm they are “non-union members”. Unite believes this is an attempt to try and get workers to give up their union membership in order to weaken the strike. Hundreds of Livv Housing workers began striking in October after rejecting the five per cent offer, which does not reverse the real terms pay cuts they have experienced after many years of below inflation pay rises. Livv Housing, which manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily in the Knowsley area, reported reserves of £110.6 million in March 2024 read more
Luton Stellantis factory workers protest ‘totally unnecessary’ closure plans (16 Dec) – Move to shut profitable factory should be shown the door with failed CEO Tavares. Luton Stellantis workers will hold a two-day protest and a rally over the company’s plans to shut its profitable electric van factory, Unite, the automotive workers’ union, said today (Monday). A protest from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs will be held on Tuesday 17 December and Wednesday 18 December. A rally will also take place at 12:00hrs on Tuesday 17 December. The protest will be at Gate 1, Vauxhall (IBC Luton), Kimpton Road, Luton, LU2 0JX. Unite is calling for Stellantis to halt its plans to shut the Luton factory following the shock departure of CEO Carlos Tavares just days after the proposal to close the site was announced. Tavares suddenly left Stellantis at the beginning of this month after his ruthless cost cutting to drive up short-term profits damaged the company’s global operations read more
Petrol shortages predicted at West Midland’s Tesco garages as tanker drivers strike (13 Dec) – Drivers taking industrial action over pay. Drivers elsewhere in the country earn up to £11k more. Around 20 tanker drivers in the West Midlands are taking strike action in the run up to Christmas that could see petrol run dry at Tesco garages across the region. Drivers contracted to XPO Bulk UK Ltd deliver petrol from refineries to Tesco stores across the West Midlands. Unite members at XPO are taking strike action from 19-24 December of the lack of a fair pay offer from their employer. Tanker drivers in other parts of the country earn up to £11,000 more read more
Sheffield bin strikes to continue following Veolia betrayal (12 Dec) – Refuse workers have deal pulled from table at the last minute. Sheffield refuse workers at outsourcing company Veolia have been left angry and dismayed after the company backed out of an agreed recognition deal at the 11th hour. Unite members have been on strike for months seeking a recognition agreement as they make up a majority of the workforce at the Lumley Street depot. A deal had finally been reached following months of painstaking negotiations by Unite representatives. Unite members voted on the picket line on a proposal that the company put forward and this was agreed. This agreement was relayed to Veolia. Unite representatives were meeting to discuss the return-to-work agreement, a common issue following strikes and a further indication that a recognition agreement had been reached. However, at the last minute, Veolia has reneged and backed out of the deal leaving Unite members on the picket line furious at such a betrayal read more
Fare free-for-all in London as enforcement officers take strike action (6 Dec) – Compliance staff at TfL to strike over unacceptable pay offer. Hundreds of operations officers within the compliance unit at Transport for London (TfL) are to take strike action this month that will see London descend into a free-for-all fare scenario. Nearly 300 officers in the Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate (CPOS) are to head to the picket line after rejecting a pay offer from the company. Unite members voted for strike action after the company refused to make a percentage increase offer for staff and instead simply offered a lump sum payment. Additionally, the company is refusing to deal with pay parity issues with equivalent London Underground staff who earn considerably more…Unite has announced strike dates on 12,13 and 14 December and then the 20,21 and 22 December read more
Hampshire bus workers set to strike over pay (5 Dec) – First Bus drivers and supervisors to walk out over lack of fair offer. Over 140 drivers and supervisors at First Bus in Hampshire are set to strike this month after the company failed to make a reasonable fair pay offer. Workers based at the Hoeford depot who operate across Gosport, Fareham, Portsmouth and into Southampton will take to the picket line to demonstrate their anger at the pay rates on offer. Staff are now being paid barely above the minimum wage for a skilled and stressful job. Strikes are due to take place from 19-27 December meaning that bus services over the Christmas period will be close to zero. First has offered workers just a four per cent pay deal and has also refused to reinstate many of the terms and conditions that were removed during the Covid pandemic read more
Shortage of Christmas turkeys in West Midlands as drivers strike (5 Dec) – Drivers at Culina who deliver chilled poultry to strike after company plays Scrooge with no pay increase. Residents in the West Midlands could see empty tables this Christmas as HGV drivers who deliver chickens and turkeys to supermarkets go on strike this month. Around 40 drivers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are taking industrial action after their employer, Culina, failed to offer them any pay rise this year. Culina’s contract is with Avara Foods Hereford who supply Tesco and Marks & Spencers to deliver poultry from abattoirs to supermarket warehouses. Despite being in pay negotiations since April, no offer has been made to drivers who have been left with little choice but to take industrial action read more
Support the sacked TGI Fridays workers: Sign this petition – On 7th October, over 1000 TGI Fridays workers were given 57 minutes notice of a call with their CEO at which they were all sacked. 35 sites across the company were padlocked and workers locked out of their workplaces with valued possessions inside. Support our national petition to demand legal, financial and political justice for these workers
Support the Sanctuary workers – contact the Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch to offer support or if you are a housing worker wanting to get organised [email protected]. “At Sanctuary Housing we are also campaigning for recognition. Sanctuary is a massive employer. It has 14,000 members of staff but currently recognises no union. Scandalously this organisation receives millions of pounds in public money. Shamefully much of this money comes from Labour authorities. No Labour authority should hand out contracts to union hostile employers! You can help us in our fight by dropping a few Join Unite@Sanctuary leaflets at your local Sanctuary care home, supported living or estate office. Message me via this platform, personally or via email if you can help. [email protected]. You can search your nearest Sanctuary workplace via this link: https://www.sanctuary-supported-living.co.uk/
Please sign this letter to Lizzie Hieron, chief customer officer: Shame on Sanctuary – Rents up, bills up. Wages down. Fair pay and union recognition now! Support Sanctuary Housing repair workers!
CWU
CWU LIVE – Everything You Wanted to Know about The USO w/ Tony Bouch (30 Jan) – Tony Bouch (Outdoor Assistant Secretary) explains the USO trial and takes members questions from the comments read more
Santander members to vote on inflation-busting pay deal (8 Jan) – CWU members at Santander are being urged to back an above-inflation pay deal fought for by the union. Members are being urged to back the deal in a consultative ballot, following a strong recommendation from the Santander National Committee (SNC) read more
Tesco Mobile and VM02 workers to vote on pay rise starting today (23 Dec) – CWU members at Tesco Mobile and VM02 are set to vote on an inflation-busting pay offer starting today. The workers, who work on Capita contracts at the phone giants, will see ballots land today (23rd December) on whether to accept a deal from their employer. For Capita members on the minimum wage, an hourly increase to £12.66 an hour – a real-terms increase of 9.52% – will be in effect from 1st January 2025. For those who are above the Capita minimum rates, it will mean a 5.5% uplift from January 2025. It was also confirmed that the pay agreement applies until the next round of discussions, which will take place in April 2025. The offer comes following the union’s negotiations with Capita, and after the union began plans to ballot workers for industrial action. If the ballot is successful, Capita has confirmed that the increase will be paid in January’s salary read more
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
BREAKING NEWS!! Benton Park View strike action extended until 14 March (3 Feb) – PCS members at Benton Park View in Newcastle will take a further 4 weeks of strike in defence of 3 reps from their branch who were unfairly dismissed for their trade union activity. Our union’s national disputes committee today agreed to extend the strike, which started on 23 December and had been due to run until 14 February. Members working in Employer Services on the site will continue to take strike action throughout the period unless HMRC is willing to enter into talks aimed at resolving the dispute read more
Civil Service Pension Scheme to miss 2015 remedy deadline (3 Feb) – Along with other public service schemes Civil Service Pensions will not meet the 31 March deadline indicated in the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act to complete the 2015 remedy read more
Support our striking facilities members (31 Jan) – PCS members working for ISS and G4S will be holding picket lines during the next two weeks in central London. Nearly 300 PCS members employed by outsourcing companies G4S and ISS as security, cleaners, porters, receptionists and post room staff will be starting another six days of strike action next week. The strike action is part of our ongoing dispute with the outsourced facilities management companies over their failure to improve pay, terms and conditions for the members, who are employed on far less favourable terms than civil service colleagues working in the same buildings. The members have already taken a substantial amount of strike action, including over Christmas and into the new year. This next round of walk outs for the ISS members will run from 4 – 13 February. For the G4S members it will run from 3 – 12 February or 4 – 13 February, depending on where they work. Picket lines will be held as follows:-
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 22-26 Whitehall – 3, 4, 11 and 12 February, 8-10am (ISS and G4S
- Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall – 3,4, 11 and 12 February, 7:30-10am (G4S)
- Department for Business and Trade, Old Admiralty Buildings – 4 February 8-10am, 5 and 6 February, noon-2pm, 11 February, 8-10am (G4S and ISS)
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 3-8 Whitehall/55 Whitehall – 4 February 8-10am, 5 and 6 February noon-2pm, 11 February 8-10am (ISS)
- Canary Wharf Hub, 10 South Colonnade, 4,5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 February, 11:30am-1:30pm (G4S) read more
G4S members in Jobcentres to be balloted for fresh strike action (31 Jan) – The security guards took strike action over six months last year in their dispute. Jobcentre security guards are to be balloted for fresh strike action in their ongoing dispute with outsourced employer G4S. Over 650 PCS members working at jobcentres as security guards are demanding a real living wage, an end to zero hours contracts and access to sick pay from day one. The ballot for strike action comes after G4S refused to meet to discuss their demands. The ballot will open on 7 February, with the result expected on February 28 read more
First day of Fujitsu strike off to a strong start (31 Jan) – The members in Telford are on strike on 30 and 31 January over the imposition of a 1.5% pay rise. More than 300 PCS members employed by outsourced Fujitsu Services UK at Telford and offices across the UK are on strike today (30) and tomorrow (31) after being offered a pay rise of just 1.5%. Their civil service colleagues employed directly by HMRC got 5% this year for doing similar jobs. The two days of strike action take place on the two days prior to the self-assessment online tax return deadline read more
Show support for striking Met Police staff at an online rally (30 Jan) – The online rally at 1pm on Tuesday (4) is the same day that more than 300 PCS members working on referencing and vetting for the Metropolitan Police start a 2-week strike in a dispute over a new attendance management policy. PCS members had voted to take action short of a strike in the form of non-compliance with the new attendance policy. However, management threatened to deduct a full day’s pay for any day on which a member of staff worked from home when they had been instructed to attend the office. PCS has therefore announced that our members in referencing and vetting will stop work from 4-17 February read more
Strike dates announced for PHSO members (30 Jan) – All members at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will walk out on 12 February followed by a week of targeted strike action. PCS members at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman last week voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute over pay, a compulsory return to the office and proposals that could see extra responsibilities delegated to more junior staff without any extra pay. Around 200 workers, who investigate complaints about the NHS and other UK government bodies, will strike for one day on 12 February. This will be followed by a week of targeted action from 24-28 February read more
Border Force officers at Heathrow to be balloted for more strike action (29 Jan) – The members took industrial action last year over the imposition of a new, inflexible roster. Over 550 Border Force officers at London’s Heathrow Airport are to be balloted for more strike action after managers refused to address their concerns over a new roster system. In 2024 PCS members took 11 days of strike action and 53 days of action short of a strike in protest at the imposition of the new roster, which forced staff into a complicated pattern of long shifts with a lack of flexibility and disproportionately affects those with caring responsibilities read more
PCS members’ two–tier workforce highlighted in Westminster (29 Jan) – A debate in Westminster Hall today (29) highlighted the problems faced by PCS outsourced members. A Westminster Hall debate today (29) brought by Andy McDonald MP on outsourcing in government departments, highlighted some of our ongoing facilities management disputes and the deep-rooted issues with outsourcing read more
HMRC Benton Park View action receives support from across the movement (29 Jan) – The 3 PCS reps at Benton Park View in Newcastle who were unfairly dismissed for their union activity and the strikers whose action is demanding their reinstatement have received backing from a number of unions and from across our union. PCS members have been taking part in ongoing strike action since 23 December which is due to run until 14 February in defence of the reps who were unfairly dismissed for their trade union activity. Members of the branch have welcomed donations to the PCS Fighting Fund which is helping ensure members maintain the 8-week long action read more. Strike fund donations – donations to support the strikers can be made to the following account with the reference ‘BPV Strikes’: account name: PCS Fighting Fund Levy, account number: 20331490, sort code: 60-83-01
CAA members to take further strike action (28 Jan) – The members at Gatwick Airport will take a day of joint strike action with members of Prospect. PCS members working for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) took two days of strike action on 16 and 17 January after rejecting the pay offer imposed by their employer. The CAA imposed a pay offer of 4% for the lowest-earners, and 3% for other grades. They have made an offer of a £1000 non-consolidated payment to be made in April 2025, which was immediately rejected by both PCS and Prospect, but have confirmed they will not reopen pay negotiations for the year 2024-2025. PCS and Prospect have therefore decided to take a day’s joint strike action on Thursday 6 February. The joint action will see around 450 members of the two unions being asked to withdraw their labour. This action, including the previous two days, is the first industrial action in the CAA since the late 1980s. If the CAA refuse to make an acceptable pay offer, more combined strike days will follow…There will be a picket line from 7:30-10 a.m. on 6 February at the Civil Aviation Authority, Aviation House, Beehive Ringroad, Crawley, West Sussex RH6 0YR read more
ISS GPA strike ballot – Vote YES (22 Jan) – Vote today, attend one of our online members’ meetings and read our Frequently Asked Questions. Members working for ISS delivering cleaning, catering and logistics services to the Cabinet Office, Canary Wharf Hub, and the Department for Education have been sent a strike ballot paper as part of our escalation of the ongoing disputes around pay and conditions read more
Land Registry Action Short of a Strike begins (22 Jan) – Nearly 4000 PCS members in England and Wales have begun an indefinite work to rule. PCS members in Land Registry began their action short of a strike (ASOS) yesterday (21) in pursuit of the objectives voted for in their industrial action mandate read more
Fujitsu members to take strike action over pay (16 Jan) – PCS members employed by Fujitsu Services UK voted by 87% for strike action. More than 300 workers employed by outsourced Fujitsu Services UK at Telford and offices across the UK will take strike action on January 30 and 31 after being offered a pay rise of just 1.5%. Their civil service colleagues employed directly by HMRC got 5% this year for doing similar jobs. The two days of strike action will take place on the two days prior to the self-assessment online tax return deadline. Members voted by 87% for strike action and by 95.6% for action short of a strike on a turnout of 79.5% read more
Further strikes announced by G4S members in East Kilbride (13 Jan) – The members at the FCDO will take strike action for another five weeks. G4S members working as security officers at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) building at Abercrombie House in East Kilbride have already taken an extended period of strike action in their dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The new strike dates run from 24 January to 28 February. PCS met with FCDO management last week and we have another meeting scheduled, which we hope will be positive, but until the dispute is settled the strike action will continue. So far G4S has failed to make a pay offer that lifts members out of poverty pay and delivers any significant improvements to terms and conditions read more
Successful two-day strike at DBS (10 Dec) – The PCS Disclosure and Barring Service picket line in Liverpool was well supported during the strike action this week in the dispute over the imposition of a new customer contact system. Striking workers held picket lines on both strike days (9 and 10) outside their workplace at Shannon Court in Liverpool where they spoke to the public and other staff from the building and made themselves visible with their placards and banner. The strike action affected people requiring DBS checks for their employment as our members routinely help customers with email queries about their DBS check, help with barring referral disputes, and deal with complaints from the public. Introduced without proper consultation, the new customer contact system, “Max Contact” would not only force members to carry out work they’ve not been required to do before, but has also been beset by early technical problems and will fail to offer customers the resolutions they need. The two-day strike by our members in DBS Customer Services will now be followed by a work to rule up to 24 December. PCS has a further meeting with DBS on Thursday morning to discuss the new system. Show your support for the strikers by emailing [email protected] read more
Heathrow members to decide on the future of their dispute (6 Dec) – Border Force officers have already taken eleven days of strike action in their dispute over enforced rota changes. 650 Border Force officers have taken 11 days of strike action and 53 days of action short of a strike against a roster imposed in April as a result of Priti Patel’s disastrous tenure as Home Secretary… The members are now being surveyed to ask about the continuing impact of the rota and whether they want to vote for more strike action in 2025. The survey opened today (6) and closes on 24 December 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
English Heritage embarks on redundancy consultation (31 Jan) – English Heritage has told staff that it is looking to restructure the organisation in a move that will result in significant redundancies read more
New contracts at Draken highlight need for better pay deal (29 Jan) – Minister Maria Eagle visited Draken in Teeside on 29 January to announce a contract extension and a new contract at the aerospace company read more
Prospect members at the CAA to take strike action (28 Jan) – Prospect members working at the Civil Aviation authority (CAA) will take strike action in a dispute over pay. Aircraft maintenance mechanic with a flash light inspects plane engine in a hangar. This will be the first time Prospect members have taken strike action there in 40 years. Strike action at CAA HQ in Crawley will be for 24 hours on 6 February.
Industrial action short of a strike, which has been ongoing since 20 January consisting of working to rule and an overtime ban, will pause for the duration of the strike, resuming on 7 February. Ongoing action short of a strike could cause delays across the industry to things like fleet refits, the introduction of new models, licensing of new hanger facilities. The CAA imposed a 3-4% pay offer on staff after going through the motions of negotiating – an offer which neither kept pace with the industry nor civil service (The CAA is a Non-Departmental Public Body) read more
Vital Navy support workers to go on strike (27 Jan) – Prospect members working at Serco Marine will take strike action over a refusal of the company to engage with members on the parameters of a new contract with Ministry of Defence read more
Prospect members working at Draken Europe to take strike action (15 Jan) – Prospect members working at aerospace company Draken (in Hurn, near Bournemouth, and Teesside) will take strike action from the 20th to 21st of January inclusive read more
GMB
Asda equal pay ruling leaves women workers on cusp of justice (3 Feb) – But thousands more face appeal. Tens of thousands of women Asda workers are on the cusp of equal pay justice after a landmark ruling – but thousand more face taking their case to appeal. The Employment Tribunal has found in favour of 12 out of 14 ‘lead claimant’ Asda workers in the biggest private sector equal pay claim in history – paving the way for a potential £1.2 billion pound pay out read more
Time For Strategy to Secure Shipbuilding On The Torridge (28 Jan) – Steady pipeline of work needed to stop the boom and bust cycle at Appledore. Navantia group has completed their takeover of Appledore Shipyard. GMB Union warns that there must be a steady stream of work at the plant to secure the UK’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities. After the collapse of Harland and Wolff, 250 jobs at the site, and the future of North Devon shipbuilding, hung in the balance. Appledore Shipyard, and the wider community that relies on it, has suffered from years of uncertainty and several takeover bids in recent memory. GMB now calls for the government to secure a strategy for the yard’s long-term future read more
Subway and Five Guys food workers face ‘P&O style’ threat (20 Jan) – Workers delivering food for Manchester United, Five Guys and Subway face a ‘P&O style’ fire and rehire threat, Unions have warned. Thousands of staff at Bidfood – a company which also delivers food for the army, prisons and schools across the UK – could now be sacked and reemployed on worse terms and conditions. Workers at the company have been left exposed to fire and rehire after bosses tore up a long-standing recognition deal with unions GMB and Unite at the firm. The deal between unions and Bidfood goes back thirty years – but management this week ripped it up with immediate effect, without the standard notice period. GMB and Unite will now talk to members to discuss next steps, which will likely include a strike vote read more
Strike action looms at major HGV company (15 Jan) – Workers manufacturing spare parts for Volvo and Scania Heavy Goods Vehicles will walk out next month. GMB Union have today announced that workers at CNC Speedwell have voted overwhelmingly to support strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay. Workers at the Walsall based company manufacture key components for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), including Volvo, DAF and Scania. Staff are furious after company managers rejected demands for a pay rise of just £1. Industrial action could take place as early as February, with around 150 workers expected to walk out read more
Christmas chaos across South London streets as traffic wardens strike (20 Dec) – Streets in Kingston, Lambeth, Richmond and Wandsworth face gridlock in two days before Christmas. GMB, the union for local government, are warning of Christmas chaos across the streets of South London as parking wardens across four London Boroughs take two days of strike action. The members employed by Apcoa work within the boroughs of Kingston, Lambeth, Richmond and Wandsworth and are taking action in a dispute that has already seen them strike for a week in November. The parking wardens will not be working on Monday 23 or Tuesday 24 December, which will see little or no civil enforcement across the boroughs on the two days preceding Christmas read more
BCP Council plots ‘Scrooge-like’ plan to fire and rehire 5000 workers for Christmas (3 Dec) – Council’s written threat to staff must be withdrawn after members expressed worries about costly new job evaluation scheme, says GMB union. GMB, the union for local government workers, is warning Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council not to fire and rehire its entire workforce – a plan set to be unveiled at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday 10 December. BCP Council Chief Executive Graham Farrant has written to all employees announcing all workers will be dismissed and reengaged on new terms – leading frightened staff to contact GMB with worries they will be dismissed. This tactic, also known as ‘fire & rehire’ was roundly condemned by the Labour Party when P&O Ferries dismissed all its staff in 2022. The party will now seek to ban the practice in legislation soon to go before parliament. BCP Councill’s ruling Liberal Democrat ruling group will decide at the 10 December meeting whether to proceed with the Chief Executive’s preferred option of dismissing the whole workforce or to potentially go to ACAS, who may be able to independently mediate. GMB believes the council may have wasted millions of pounds on a new, unfit-for-local-government job evaluation scheme when such money could have been spent on the residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 Unison
Neighbourhood policing won’t improve unless money is put into staff roles (31 Jan) – Sorely needed extra funding must be used for vital roles. Commenting on a government announcement about £100m in increased funding for community policing, UNISON national officer for police staff Ben Priestley said today (Friday): “Neighbourhood policing has been shattered after a decade and a half of cuts under previous Conservative governments. Extra cash is welcome and sorely needed. But forces must do everything possible to use this money to properly fund all police staff roles. It’s a false economy to focus spending on officers at the expense of other vital jobs…” read more
Council and school staff are overdue a significant pay rise, say unions (31 Jan) – A rise of £3,000 is needed at all pay points. Local government unions representing 1.4m council and school employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are demanding a decent wage rise as they submit their annual pay claim today (Friday). UNISON, GMB and Unite say a substantial award is essential as staff continue to struggle with rising living costs, having missed out on the higher wage settlements paid out to workers in other parts of the public sector in the past year. This year’s joint union pay claim, which would apply from this April, is for all council employees to receive a wage rise of £3,000 read more
Staff and students mustn’t bear brunt of university funding crisis, says UNISON (28 Jan) – Announcing job cuts as the applications process for 2025 closes is not a good look. Commenting on job losses announced by Durham and Cardiff universities today (Tuesday), UNISON head of education Mike Short said: “Universities, like other public services, were starved of cash under the previous Conservative governments. Persistent underfunding has left many institutions in financial crisis, but essential support staff shouldn’t be bearing the brunt of budget woes. This is already an anxious time for students. Announcing job cuts just as the applications process for 2025 closes is not a good look for universities…” read more
Swansea Bay health workers’ strike suspended following new pay offer, says UNISON (10 Dec) – A strike by hundreds of NHS staff at hospitals in Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot set for this week has been suspended after health board managers made an improved pay offer, says UNISON today (Monday). Healthcare support workers were due to walk out at eight hospitals in the local area from 7am tomorrow (Tuesday) until 7pm on Wednesday. The union says it is now to put the improved offer to the healthcare assistants over the next two weeks to establish whether they want to accept or reject the proposals. The dispute centres on Swansea Bay University Health Board’s refusal to pay staff for extra work they have been doing. Hospital workers say their wages should reflect the more complex extra tasks they’ve been doing for years and that they should have been paid at a higher salary grade read more
Workers at Livv Housing continue to strike as pay and conditions row heightens – HUNDREDS of workers at a housing association will be next on strike in Unison and Unite are continuing their strike action this month. For strike dates, read more on Knowsley Unison website and Facebook page. Please donate to strike funds by emailing [email protected] for details
Support Manchester EIS Strike by Unison and Unite members – Mental Health workers in Early Intervention in Psychosis will be on strike. It’s not over pay, which is not enough, but over serious concerns for the service, it’s users, & the community. Show your support. @MancStrikeNHS.
Health workers in East Suffolk and North Essex launch strike appeal (26 Nov) – More than 350 workers at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) have launched three weeks of strikes to stop their jobs being outsourced. On Monday 25 November, cleaners, porters, housekeepers and other facilities staff started three weeks’ worth of strike action to keep their jobs in the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT). The dispute comes after the trust wrote to staff in April to tell them their jobs could be outsourced. In May, the chief executive of the trust, Nick Hulme, was filmed telling workers lobbying a board meeting that the decision to outsource had already been made. Staff fear the sell-off will threaten their pay and conditions and pose a serious risk to patient safety. As an example, outsourced staff in Ipswich get fewer days of annual leave and less sick pay than their colleagues directly employed by the NHS. They also missed out on the extra one-off payment of £1,655 that NHS staff received in the last financial year. Now, more than 350 workers, employed at Colchester Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital and several other ESNEFT community sites have walked out until Friday 13 December – or until the trust abandons plans to outsource their jobs. They had already taken more than 20 days of strikes and ahead of this week’s strikes, staff had to hold a second ballot to renew their legal mandate to take industrial action. Workers again voted 99% in favour of strikes in results announced on Friday (22 November) read more. Sign petition Write to the Board. How to donate to the strike appeal: UNISON Colchester & Ipswich Area Health, UNITY Bank, Sort code: 60-83-01, Account number: 20403881, Reference: STRIKE
Grimsby maternity support workers launch strike appeal (26 Nov) – Maternity support workers at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby are fighting for proportionate backpay and need your support. Maternity support workers at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby have just completed two weeks of strike action in their fight to secure proportionate back pay for carrying out clinical duties beyond their pay band for years. Although the NHS trust re-banded them from Band 2 to Band 3 in October 2023, the trust is currently refusing to make an equitable offer of backpay. As things stand, the current proposals would see some maternity support workers, who have nearly forty years’ service, and have worked high levels of unsocial hours, receiving less backpay than someone who has been at the trust for only four years. The support workers took two days and then one week of strike action earlier in the year and started a two-week strike as of Monday 11 November read more. How to donate: Unity Trust, Sort Code: 60-83-01, Account Number: 20337627, Account name: Grimsby Goole Scunthorpe health branch
NIPSA
Members in Health: Update 2024/25 Pay Award (24 Jan) – Following correspondence from the Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt, additional monies have now been found in the January monetary round, to impose the pay award from 1 May 2024. As a result, management have also confirmed that the arrears of this award will be paid in March 2025 salaries. Please note that NIPSA are continuing to pursue the remaining monies owed in order to seek full parity for 2024/25 pay read more
Royal College of Nursing
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 publishes results of pay consultation with members in Northern Ireland (27 Jan) – Midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) working in the HSC in Northern Ireland have had their say on the overdue 5.5% pay award announced in December. Following a two-week consultation the RCM says 76 percent of its members who voted said the 2024/25 award is acceptable as a step towards addressing the long term pay cuts they’ve suffered, while 24 percent have voted to say they feel this pay award is unacceptable. The RCM says the consultation was crucial in gauging the feelings of its members and has thanked all those who took the time to respond read more
RCM publishes results of pay consultation with members in Northern Ireland (27 Jan) – Midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) working in the HSC in Northern Ireland have had their say on the overdue 5.5% pay award announced in December. Following a two-week consultation the RCM says 76 percent of its members who voted said the 2024/25 award is acceptable as a step towards addressing the long term pay cuts they’ve suffered, while 24 percent have voted to say they feel this pay award is unacceptable. The RCM says the consultation was crucial in gauging the feelings of its members and has thanked all those who took the time to respond read more
Campaign to improve pay for RCM members continues (22 Jan) – Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) were in London this week giving oral evidence about the lived experience of midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) to the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB). They were joined by RCM staff who also urged the PRB to consider the bigger picture when it comes to pay and staff retention. The RCM has told the PRB that the 5.5% pay award for 2024/25 was just a start to addressing the years of real terms loss of pay. Describing the 2.8% figure that the Westminster Government has deemed to be affordable for NHS pay this year as ‘not good enough’, the RCM has warned that this will worsen the current staffing issues. Not only does this impact on staff, but also the quality and level of maternity care women are receiving read more
CSP
CSP raises concerns over cuts to NHS targets (28 Jan) – CSP has raised concerns over drastic cuts to NHS England targets – including the rollout women’s health hubs across England read more
Government risking below-inflation pay rise for NHS staff in England, CSP warns (15 Jan) – It is ‘simply implausible’ to make much-needed reforms to Agenda for Change within a cost envelope also intended to deliver a pay rise for NHS staff, the CSP has told the pay review body read more
SOR
‘Uplift to minimum wage shouldn’t shortchange everyone else in the NHS pay award’ (31 Jan) – SoR joins other healthcare unions in criticism of government’s approach to increasing minimum wage read more
STAC submits 2025/26 pay claim to Scottish government seeking ‘pay modernisation’ (23 Jan) – The Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee Staffside has this week submitted its collective pay claim read more
HSC pay award delays in Northern Ireland to have ‘devastating impact’ on waiting lists (14 Jan) – Health and Social Care pay awards in Northern Ireland are unlikely to reach employees until late in the pay year, the SoR has said read more
NEU
BREAKING NEWS!! “The strike action planned for Thursday 6 February and Friday 7 February has been suspended while we consult members in non-academised sixth form colleges on the pay offer from SFCA, now that we have received firm assurances around future pay parity.”
Ofsted consultation (3 Feb) – Commenting on the launch of Ofsted’s consultation on new inspection proposals, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The proposals outlined in today’s consultation will make matters worse, not better. It will not deliver better information for parents or school leaders…” read more
Strike ballot in 18 Harris schools and colleges (20 Jan) – The NEU’s formal strike ballot of over 700 members in 18 Harris secondaries and sixth form colleges opens today (Monday) and closes on 28 February. The ballot concerns excessive and unhealthy levels of workload, an unfair and punitive pay progression system, and the unfair treatment of Caribbean and other overseas trained teachers. Members’ terms and conditions in Harris-run schools and colleges are clearly having an impact on teacher retention. At the end of Summar Term 2023, a quarter of teachers (27%) in Harris schools left. This is far higher than in local authority maintained schools where only one in seven (15%) teachers left their school. Teacher retention at Harris schools has been in the bottom 10% of multi-academy trusts for 9 out of the last 10 years. The strength of feeling amongst staff is so great that our indicative ballot that has led to this formal ballot had an 80% turnout with a 92% yes vote for strike action. The question on the formal ballot paper reads: “Are you prepared to take part in sustained and discontinuous strike action in furtherance of this dispute?” read more
Further Sixth Form College strike days announced (16 Jan) – National Education Union non-academised sixth form college teachers have announced further strike action in their ongoing dispute with the Secretary of State for Education, over the enduring failure to provide funding to non-academised colleges for a fair, fully-funded pay award that constitutes a meaningful step towards pay restoration. This has resulted in a differential pay offer for the earlier part of the academic year (September 24 – March 25) put forward by the SFCA, in which academised teachers would receive a 5.5% pay increase, but their colleagues in non-academised colleges doing the same work were offered only 3.5%. Unions have since rejected this offer on the basis that it would constitute a two-tier pay award. With the continued absence of guaranteed funding from Government to ensure that all colleges can implement the same pay award, over 2,000 National Education Union teacher members working across 32 non-academised colleges will be taking further strike action across the following dates: Wednesday 29 January, Thursday 6 February,
Friday 7 February. This follows seven days of strike action already taken as part of this dispute. While £50 million has been made available by the Department for Education to FE colleges for pay, including sixth form colleges, this is only for the period April 2025 to July 2025 and includes no firm guarantees that this will ensure that all sixth form colleges will be sufficiently funded to enable them to offer the same pay award. Nor does it address the negative pay differential suffered by non-academised sixth form college teachers between September 2024 and March 2025 read more
NEU announce indicative ballot on pay (9 Jan) – At a special meeting of the national executive of the National Education Union, held this week, the union has agreed to proceed with a preliminary online ballot of teacher members in England. This is to gauge the strength of feeling about the Government’s recent recommendation to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) of an unfunded 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26. The NEU will commence an indicative ballot of members from 1 March which will close on 11 April read more
NEU Cymru to ballot members for strike action (8 Jan) – Members of the National Education Union Cymru at Ysgol Robert Owen in Newtown have asked their union to ballot for industrial action following proposals for massive redundancies. Ysgol Robert Owen opened on September 1st 2024, at a cost of £22m, and yet within months staff have been told that up to one in six of them face redundancy and the state-of-the-art Hydro Pool may never be used read more
Please support the following strikes:-
Action | Date | Contact |
Cottingham High School / East Riding | 3-6 Feb | [email protected]; [email protected] |
Ealing Virtual School / Ealing | 4-5 Feb | [email protected] |
Gateacre School / Liverpool | 4-5 Feb | [email protected] |
LIPSA Sixth Form College / Liverpool | 4-6 Feb | [email protected] |
Farnborough Spencer Academy / Nottingham | 5 Feb | [email protected] |
George Dixon Primary School / Birmingham | 5-7 Feb | [email protected] |
Plumstead Manor / Greenwich | 5-7 Feb | [email protected] |
Sixth Form College Farnborough / West Hampshire | 4-5 Feb | [email protected] |
New City College (BSix) / Hackney | 6-7 Feb | [email protected] |
NASUWT
NASUWT comments on proposals for Ofsted reform (3 Feb) – Commenting on the proposals for reform of inspection published by Ofsted today, Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “It is to be welcomed that the Chief Inspector has committed to a genuine consultation around essential reforms to the inspection system in England. No one should be in any doubt that reform is necessary and long overdue. However, it is deeply regrettable that the proposals published by Ofsted highlight how far away we still are from developing a fit-for-purpose approach to school accountability that serves the public interest whilst respecting, supporting and valuing the work of the teaching profession…” read more
East Dunbartonshire teachers to take action over failure to tackle abuse and violence (29 Jan) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Kirkintilloch High School in East Dunbartonshire are to begin a programme of industrial action over the failure of their employer to act to address poor pupil behaviour and abuse of teachers. Members are to begin taking action short of strike action from Wednesday 5th February which will initially consist of refusing to cover classes for absent colleagues. Members will also refuse to undertake any additional voluntary duties such as extra-curricular clubs, trips or study classes which are outside of their contracted working hours. Concerns include regular verbal abuse and swearing at teachers and some violent incidents, pupils being allowed to roam around corridors and shared spaces in the school when they should be in class, no serious consequences for poor behaviour and an overuse of ineffective restorative approaches to managing incidents of abuse. Furthermore, neither the school nor the local authority appear to have done anything significant to embed the key points of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour announced by the Cabinet Secretary last August read more
Teachers at Coventry School Foundation to take further strike action over attack on pensions (27 Jan) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at the Coventry School Foundation (Bablake Senior, Bablake Junior, King Henry VIII Senior and King Henry VIII Junior) are taking further strike action this week as a result of the failure of the employer to withdraw attacks on their pensions. Members are due to take strike action tomorrow (Tuesday), Wednesday and Thursday this week. Twelve further days of strike action have been pencilled in for late February and March. Members have already taken six days of strike action. Teachers have been told they must make a choice between moving to an inferior pension scheme or remaining in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) but taking a pay cut. Furthermore, teachers have been threatened with being fired and reemployed on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept these changes read more
Ballots open over sixth form pay dispute (13 Jan) – An industrial action ballot of members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union working in sixth form colleges opens today. The ballot is over the failure to offer teachers working in sixth form colleges a fair and equitable pay offer for 2024/25. The ballot will run until Monday 10th February. The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) has offered a 5.5% pay award to teachers working in sixth form college academies, but only on the condition that teachers working in non-academised sixth form colleges accept a pay offer of 3.5% from September 2024 to April 2025. These teachers would only receive 5.5% from April 2025 – seven months later than their colleagues read more
Teachers send united message as they vote for industrial action (16 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action in a dispute in relation to pay for the 2024-25 Academic year. 92.7 % of those returning ballot papers voted in support of strike action, with 99.0% in support of action short of strike action. Teachers in Northern Ireland have yet to receive a formal pay offer for this academic year while teachers in England and Wales received a 5.5% pay uplift read more
Members strike over school closure plans (10 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Lewis Girls School, Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, are taking strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) over plans to close the school and merge with Lewis Pengam School. The decision over the closure is being made without any consideration to the impact the changes will have on members’ workload, working conditions and the welfare of members. Members have been given no assurances that they will not lose their jobs read more
Striking teachers protest at the Senedd over pupil behaviour (10 Dec) – On Thursday 12th December, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, at Ysgol Nantgwyn, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and Ysgol Abersychan in Pontypool will take strike action over poor pupil behaviour and will be taking their protest to the steps of the Senedd. At 11am on Thursday, striking members from both schools will gather in front of the Senedd to express their concern over the lack of progress on this crucial issue read more
Essex teachers threatened with school lock out (9 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Gable Hall School in Thurrock are being threatened with being locked out of the school and prevented from teaching their pupils after they voted to take industrial action in an ongoing dispute over workload and working practices. Members at the school are due to begin action short of strike action from Wednesday over concerns about adverse management practices which are resulting in unsustainable workloads that are undermining teachers’ health, safety and wellbeing. NASUWT members have sought to minimise any disruption to pupils’ education at the school. However, the employer has responded by threatening to lock out more than three-quarters of the teaching staff at Gable Hall School. Despite making every effort to avoid industrial action, the employer is refusing to engage in genuine negotiations and has now threatened teachers with a lock out. Mossbourne Trust Management is currently running the school and will formally take over as of the 31st December from The Ortu Federation read more
EIS
Clock is Ticking if Formal Dispute Over Teacher Class Contact Promise is to be Avoided (9 Jan) – The EIS has reiterated that the clock is ticking if a formal dispute over teacher class contact time in schools is to be avoided. Last month, the Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) issued a warning that a dispute will be declared, if no concrete proposals on the delivery of the promise to reduce teachers’ maximum class contact time is forthcoming by the 3rd of February. With just 24 days to go until that deadline, there has been little or no movement from the Scottish Government and COSLA towards delivery of a plan read more
Glasgow Strike Ballot will Test Government and Council Commitment on Teacher Numbers (20 Dec) – The EIS, has announced that it will open a statutory ballot for strike action in Glasgow schools, if Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government do not confirm the reversal of teacher cuts in Glasgow. The planned ballot, set to open on the 6th of January, will be a key test of the recently announced Scottish Government / COSLA budget agreement, a component of which is a pledge to return teacher numbers to 2023 levels read more
INTO
Member Update: Pay Offer Explained (1 Feb) – Pay offer explained. The Industrial Action Ballot result of 16 December 2024 was in relation to pay only read more
Member Update: Consultation with INTO Members on Pay Offer (31 Jan) – A short period for consultation with members will begin from today, Friday 31 January to Wednesday 5th February at 5pm. Following this survey Northern Committee will make a final decision on the offer, and will communicate this to Management Side and Members. The survey link was emailed to members on Friday 31 January – titled ‘NI Member Update – Consultation with Members on Pay Offer’. In the meantime, actions will be taken to protect the Industrial Action ballot result from 16 December 2024 read more
Member Update – Statement on Suspension of ASOS (14 Jan) – The Northern Ireland Teachers Council entered a pay claim in June 2024. In August 2024, the STRB recommended that teachers in England should receive a pay uplift of 5.5%; this was accepted by the British Government and fully funded. At the INTO local branch meetings last term, members made clear to officials and Northern Committee members present, the strength of their feelings that they had not been awarded the same pay as that which had been given to their English counterparts. There were numerous calls, in the face of the silence coming from the Minister’s Office, for the INTO to ballot members on this issue, to try to persuade the Education Minister, Paul Givan to make the same award, or better, to teachers here. Led by members’ depth of feeling towards the current pay disparity, the Northern Committee, at its November 2024 meeting, voted to ballot INTO members for ASOS and Strike Action on pay. This was overwhelmingly ratified by the governing body, the Central Executive Committee. Ballot papers were sent to members, the first line of which explained to members exactly what the purpose of the ballot was: “Given that the Department of Education has failed to bring forward an adequate offer in relation to resolving the issue of teachers’ pay, the Central Executive Committee of INTO has taken the decision to ballot all of our members within the Educational Sector in Northern Ireland for Industrial Action”. INTO members sent back a resounding return – 97.27% of INTO members voting in favour of Industrial Action on the issue of pay. In response to this huge vote, members were issued on Monday, 6 January 2025 with details of ASOS, due to commence on Monday, 13 January. At a meeting of the Teachers Pay Group on 9 January, the Union Side received a request from Management Side to postpone ASOS for a period of four weeks to enable intensified negotiations on pay,– in accordance with Article 117 (1) (b) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (NI) Order 1995. The threat of ASOS by the four teaching unions has brought about negotiations with a definite time frame of four weeks read more
UCU
Cardiff UCU Press Release against cuts announcement (28 Jan) – Cardiff University senior management today announced cuts to departments, and degree programmes on a scale that is unprecedented in UK higher education. Cardiff UCU, the recognised representative trade union for academic and academic-related staff at the University, condemned the plans as cruel and unnecessary, vowing to ballot for strike action and fight compulsory redundancies tooth and nail read more
Big pay win for PGRs on UKRI stipends (30 Jan) – UCU today celebrated the biggest real-term increase in the stipend for UKRI-funded postgraduate researchers (PGRs) in over two decades as a major win for its ‘PGRs as staff’ campaign, and called on other funders to confirm they will now match it read more
Staff vote for strike action after 36 threatened with job cuts at University of Sheffield International College (29 Jan) – Staff at the University of Sheffield International College (USIC), run by the private company Study Group, voted overwhelmingly to take strike action over job cuts. With a turnout of 72%, 100% of those who voted backed strike action. The result comes after USIC put 36 staff at risk of redundancy by April (2025) in the student support and academic teaching teams. The employer has claimed the cuts are necessary due to a fall in student numbers this academic year, which it says has hit the company’s finances, but it has also described the situation as a ‘short-term gap’ in communications to staff read more
‘Dearth of Black professors’ shows university employers not doing enough to remove barriers, says UCU (29 Jan) – Responding to the latest staff data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘The dearth of Black professors within UK academia and overuse of insecure fixed term contracts shows the barriers preventing underrepresented groups from progressing remain rampant across higher education…” read more
Strike ballot opens at University of East Anglia over swingeing job cuts (14 Jan) – A strike ballot has opened at the University of East Anglia (UEA) after almost one in six staff were put at risk of redundancy. The ballot will run until Tuesday 4 February, and a successful result will pave the way for strike action to begin later that month unless management rules out compulsory redundancies. The dispute is over management’s threat to cut over 190 staff to meet continued budget shortfalls at the institution. According to the business case published in November (2024), management intends to cut at least 30 staff in the faculty of medicine & health sciences, 25 in the faculty of science, 22 in the faculty of arts & humanities, and at least 90 from departments across professional services at the institution. This dispute follows over 400 staff leaving UEA in 2023 due to management’s projected £40m deficit in that year read more
Staff under redundancy threat at Sunderland University “gagged” by management (13 Jan) – Staff threatened with a restructure by Sunderland University management have been told they cannot tell colleagues they are at risk of losing their jobs. Last week, upon returning from their Christmas break, a small team of academic staff were told they would be restructured and that at least one post would be deleted. However, university management forbade impacted staff from having any “discussions with students, alumni or colleagues.” When UCU challenged the university’s decree, management said gagging impacted staff would prevent “unnecessary unrest”. This latest restructure comes just a few months after the university announced plans to seriously reduce its workforce read more
Strike ballot to open at Newcastle University over the impact of £35m cuts (13 Jan) – Over 1.000 UCU members will be balloted for strike action at Newcastle University later this month over £35m in cuts management is slashing from the university’s budget. The ballot, which opens next Monday (20 January), is over the impact of huge cuts across the institution. These include cancelling promotions, restricting travel, and asking staff to quit the institution via a voluntary severance scheme. The university has also refused to rule out compulsory redundancies. The university claims it needs to make the cuts due to a shortfall in international student numbers, but UCU said staff should not pay the price for financial mismanagement from those at the top. A UCU survey on the impact of cuts showed their detrimental impact, especially for those staff on precarious contracts read more
Strike ballot on the cards as 300 staff threatened with sack at Coventry University (17 Dec) – Coventry University has threatened more than 300 staff with the sack. Those who remain will be forced to work through a subsidiary company on behalf of the university, and any new starters would be unable to access the industry-standard Teachers’ Pension Scheme. From correspondence it has received from university management, UCU estimates over 100 staff could lose their jobs and more than 200 could be contracted over to Peoples Futures Limited (PFL), a company owned by the university. UCU said its Coventry University members are meeting this week to decide how to fight the punitive proposals and that they will likely begin balloting for strike action read more. UCU responds to Coventry University VC government appointment (20 Dec)
UCU calls on Open University to withdraw fire and rehire threat (13 Dec) – The University and College Union (UCU) has today reiterated its call for the Open University (OU) to scrap plans to fire and rehire staff. In a letter sent to the OU’s vice chancellor and chair of council, the local branch has expressed their shock at the institution’s plan to threaten a group of Associate Lecturers with fire and rehire proceedings. The OU first began consulting on fire and rehire plans in 2023 and expects to fire over 20 lecturers in the early part of 2025 if those staff refuse to have their working hours and pay reduced. Many of the 160 staff initially threatened with fire and rehire have confirmed they only signed up to reductions in hours and pay because of that threat. The tutors under threat (who provide tuition and academic support to students) have a high workload, often because they have agreed to do additional work in areas the university has found it hard to recruit in read more
HE offer 2024/25: member consultative ballot – Following a decision by UCU’s higher education committee, we are running a formal electronic consultation of HE members in participating institutions on the final pay and conditions offer for 2024/25. This launched on Tuesday 12 November 2024 and closes on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at 17:00. UCU’s higher education committee recommends that you:-
- vote to REJECT the pay element of the offer, and
- vote to ACCEPT the terms of reference on the pay-related elements (contract types/casualisation, workload, equality pay gaps, pay spine review).
This consultative electronic ballot launches on 12 November and closes on 3 December read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Labour’s growth plans only possible with workers’ rights, warns trade union leader (30 Jan) – The newly elected Fire Brigades Union general secretary has warned Rachel Reeves against invoking Thatcher, calling for the government to deliver manifesto commitments to workers’ rights in full read more
FBU demands “significant above-inflation” pay rise ahead of talks (10 Dec) – The Fire Brigades Union has written to fire service employers to start the process of negotiating a pay rise for the UK’s firefighters and fire control staff. After more than a decade of real terms pay cuts under the Tories, the union is looking to the Labour government to make funding available for an above-inflation rise. Last year’s pay settlement saw a rise of 4%, as well as a boost to on-call firefighters’ retainers, and a minimum of six months’ paid maternity leave across the UK. In 2022 and 2023, the threat of strike action forced rises of 7% and 5%. Unlike many other parts of the public sector, the fire and rescue service has collective bargaining, meaning that the union will sit down with employers to negotiate a pay rise. Fire service pay is negotiated July to July read more
POA
National Chair Update January 2025 read more
Prison officers and operational support staff need a pay rise say union (28 Jan) – Prison Officers and those working in Operational Support Grades in England and Wales need an urgent pay rise to help address recruitment and retention problems across the prison estate. The Union representing over 32,000 Prison Officers submitted its pay claim calling for action to address the decline in the real terms value of their pay. The POA has submitted a pay claim for 6.5% for each of the next two years read more
NEC Minutes January read more
General Secretary update (13 Dec) read more
Spotlight on the right to strike (17 Dec) – The debate over giving prison officers back their ‘industrial muscle’ is heating up, reports Charley Allan. The ban on prison officers taking any form of industrial action has been raised many times in Parliament in recent years, often in the context of exploitative pay, terms and conditions. Back in December 2020, Labour’s Grahame Morris highlighted how “it is a criminal offence even to suggest that they should, for example, start working to rule” when attacking the then Tory government for rejecting the pay review body’s recommendation of a £3,000 rise for Band 3s, which he described as “an abuse of power” read more
NAPO
Update: Ongoing Business as Usual (BAU) Pay Discussions (17 Jan) – This is a reminder regarding the content of our previous communication (JTU 62-2024 Pay Update). We want to emphasise that we are continuing to address Business As Usual (BAU) pay issues separately from the ongoing pay negotiations for 2025 read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
Nautilus International
Nautilus awaits Stena response during pay review (3 Dec) – Nautilus International is awaiting a response from Stena Line Pte Ltd after ‘respectfully’ rejecting the company’s offer at the 2025 pay and conditions review read more
BALPA
BALPA Secures Landmark Court Victory Against Ryanair Over Illegal Blacklisting Practices (17 Jan) – The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has achieved a significant legal triumph in the Court of Appeal, securing a landmark judgment that not only delivers justice for Ryanair pilots but also sets a powerful precedent for the entire trade union movement. The Court’s ruling today firmly established that Ryanair’s practice of putting pilots who exercised their legal right to strike in 2019 on a blacklist in order to withdraw their travel benefits constituted a breach of the Blacklisting Regulations. This decision underscores that such retaliatory actions against workers who take part in lawful industrial action are both unacceptable and unlawful read more
NUJ
Committees urge “sufficient resources” for BBC World Service (31 Jan) – Chairs of three House of Commons committees have highlighted the soft power value of the BBC and its role in supporting high quality journalism, amid calls for action to ensure the World Service income becomes less reliant on the licence fee read more
Bad for the BBC, bad for Britain, and bad for the world (30 Jan) – The NUJ BBC World Service branch has passed a motion opposing job cuts in the UK and overseas announced by the broadcaster this week read more
McCullough publishes progress report of PSNI Review (30 Jan) – Angus McCullough KC has issued a Progress Report in relation to the work of the Review that he is conducting into the conduct of the PSNI arising from concerns raised in relation to surveillance of journalists, lawyers and other groups read more
World Service cuts yet another blow to journalism, says NUJ (29 Jan) – The BBC has today announced its plans to make £6m in savings within the World Service to close the shortfall caused by the freezing of the licence fee read more
NUJ denounces arrest of journalist Ahmed Serag in Egypt (28 Jan) – Concern at spike in detention of media workers. The NUJ is backing the International Federation of Journalists in urging Egyptian authorities to release journalist Ahmed Serag read more
NUJ pledges support for campaign to return detained Yemeni journalists (28 Jan) – IFJ condemns “climate of fear” for media workers in the country. The plight of missing Yemeni journalists has been highlighted by the International Federation of Journalists, which is seeking their release read more
NUJ joins IFJ’s call for investigation into death of journalist Alejandro Gallegos León in Mexico (28 Jan) – Condemnation for killing of columnist and academic. The NUJ is backing the International Federation of Journalists’ call for an investigation into the death of journalist Alejandro Gallegos León in Mexico. The 51-year-old columnist and academic was found dead on 25 January in the Mexican state of Tabasco having been reported missing and last seen the day before, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists read more
NUJ condemns the death of photographer Ibrahim Ajaj in Syria (28 Jan) – Backs the IFJ in seeking investigation and justice. The NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists in condemning the death of photographer Ibrahim Ajaj in Syria and calls for an investigation read more
Equity
Employment Tribunal win shows importance of recording working hours (31 Aug) – Equity recently supported a member with a successful Employment Tribunal claim against Quantum Theatre read more
Creative Scotland multi-year funding – Equity responds (30 Jan) – Announcement signals ‘optimism for the arts’ read more
Welsh National Opera Chorus strike action update (8 Nov) – Industrial action short of strike is ramped up and strikes planned for February. Equity members of the Chorus at Welsh National Opera today agreed to postpone planned strike action set for Friday 15 November, but other industrial action will continue. Further talks are expected and both sides hope to build on progress made in recent weeks. However, Equity members are clear that the situation cannot drag out, and strike action is now planned for 6, 7 and 8 February 2025 if the dispute is not resolved, in addition to further industrial action short of strike. The 30-strong Chorus are taking action to save jobs and prevent compulsory redundancies. Industrial action short of strike has seen Chorus members wear campaign t-shirts on stage during curtain calls, make speeches to the audience from the stage, demonstrate outside venues, and hand out campaign leaflets as audiences arrive read more
Musicians’’ Union
MU Meets With Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for Industry Update (30 Jan) – MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl met with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy, to discuss a range of topics including our fix streaming campaign, the need for protection of creators’ rights in relation to AI, and more read more
MU Members at Welsh National Opera Renew Mandate for Industrial Action (15 Jan) – MU members at WNO have voted to renew their mandate for industrial action read more
Community
HelloFresh workers protest mass dismissals (18 Oct) – Workers and members of the community gathered in Birmingham today to protest HelloFresh’s decision to dismiss 79 workers from its Nuneaton warehouse. The company dismissed workers via email last week following concerns being raised about the dire working conditions on site read more
USDAW
Tesco proposes restructuring measures that could put jobs at risk – Usdaw will enter into consultation talks (29 Jan) – Retail trade union Usdaw is to enter into consultation talks with supermarket giant Tesco over their plans to restructure the business, which could put jobs at risk read more
Sainsbury’s restructure – Usdaw to enter into consultation talks over the company’s plans (23 Jan) – Retail trade union Usdaw will now go into consultation talks with Sainsbury’s after the supermarket giant announced plans to cut more than 3,000 jobs, which amounts to around 2% of the company’s current workforce read more
KP Snacks strike suspended after negotiations with Usdaw (9 Dec) – Usdaw has suspended strike action at the Ashby-de-la-Zouch site of KP Snacks in Leicestershire, which was due to start today (9 December), this follows a restart in pay negotiations read more
UVW
UVW Stands in Solidarity with Courageous Fruit Pickers Fighting for Justice (29 Jan) – UVW was proud to stand in solidarity with our courageous members Juli, Aida, and their fellow fruit pickers outside the Home Office on January 24, alongside the Land Workers’ Alliance (LWA), the Solidarity Across Land Trades union (SALT), and other organisations to demand justice for seasonal workers from Latin America. The workers were lured to the UK with false promises, only to face harassment, discrimination and abuse. The conditions were so appalling that they took the historic step of organising the first-ever strike of UK seasonal workers read more
Solace Women’s Aid workers set to strike to save Tower Hamlets’ domestic abuse support services (22 Jan) – “Domestic abuse, violence against women, and girls is a national emergency. The staff at Solace Women’s Aid do amazing work” – A Solace worker and UVW member. Independent domestic violence advisers from Solace Women’s Aid in Tower Hamlets, who are members of United Voices of the World (UVW), are balloting to strike over significant and imminent redundancies, jeopardising the critical support services provided to vulnerable residents, especially women, across the borough. The proposed redundancies will cut the team by a third. Tower Hamlets ranks second-highest in London for domestic abuse cases, almost 70% of the victims of which are female, with one in three women and girls experiencing gender based violence in their lifetime. Between April and December 2024 alone, the Solace team managed 1,339 referrals and supported 519 victim-survivors. The proposed staff reductions could leave countless individuals without essential, life-saving support during their most vulnerable times read more
Striking security guards visit V&A trustee Amanda Levete to demand fair pay and sick leave (22 Jan) – “We’ve had no response from her. How would you feel if your boss ignored you or your questions for five months?” — Urzula, UVW striker and representative for the guards at the V&A. Frustrated after 22 days of strike action and months of being ignored, security guards from the Natural History, Science, and V&A Museums took their fight for dignity and equality directly to the doorstep of V&A Trustee Amanda Levete. On Monday, 20 January, around 40 guards and their supporters visited the central London office of Amanda’s architectural firm, where she is a founder and director, to hand-deliver a letter outlining their demands for fair pay, better sick leave and equal terms and conditions with other museum staff. Amanda had previously ignored repeated emails, so the guards decided it was time to speak to her face to face. The office workers at the architectural firm kindly allowed the group to enter the reception area and passed on the message to Amanda. Unfortunately, Amanda didn’t come down to meet them. “All we want is to speak to her for two minutes, and we will leave peacefully and quietly,” Urzula, UVW striker and representative for the guards at the V&A, explained. “We’ve had no response from her. How would you feel if your boss ignored you or your questions for five months?” read more
Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office has been targeted in a break-in! (10 Jan) – Overnight, laptops, essential equipment and other valuables worth several thousands of pounds were stolen, disrupting critical support for low-paid, migrant and precarious workers. This won’t stop our fight for justice. The theft comes as UVW leads critical campaigns with hundreds of workers taking strike action across London. Please support UVW during this critical time. Help replace stolen equipment and ensure campaigns for dignity and equality continue. Every donation makes a difference. Donate now: https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/donate. Read more on UVW Facebook page
Department for Education security guards to join mass strike on 21 December (17 Dec) – “We all saw how the cleaners and caterers were treated, and how UVW stood up for them. They were able to win their demands, and it was their fight that inspired me to join UVW. Morale is high despite G4S’s response, which really showed they don’t seem to care about us. They say they won’t negotiate with UVW, even though all the guards have joined. We do not accept that they want to negotiate with a union that doesn’t represent us. We are ready to strike” – Dele Bodumde, who has served as a security officer at DfE for 12 years and is a UVW member. Security officers employed by G4S at the Department for Education (DfE), who are members of United Voices of the World (UVW), will strike on Saturday 21 December in a fight for fair pay and sick pay parity with civil servants. The guards, who work at Sanctuary Buildings in central London, are demanding a minimum pay rate of £15 per hour, a comprehensive sick pay scheme in line with directly employed DfE staff, improved annual leave entitlements and better quality uniforms read more
Hundreds of Harrods workers to strike over pre-Christmas weekend and boxing day as store refuses talks (10 Dec) – “As one of the world’s leading luxury department stores, Harrods should be setting the standard for retail and hospitality workers. Instead, we are earning the living wage and denied basic benefits such as a food allowance and Christmas bonus – something which should be commonplace in a company accumulating millions of pounds in profit year on year” – Alice Howick, Harrods waiter and UVW member. Hundreds of retail, restaurant, kitchen, and cleaning workers at Harrods will walk out of their jobs on the weekend of the 21 and 22 December as well as Boxing Day – the busiest retail dates of the year – if the luxury store continues to deny them a Christmas bonus and improved working conditions read more
IWGB
Falkirk foster carers confront council over cuts to their holiday (31 Jan) – Foster carers in Falkirk are set to meet with local councillors today to raise ongoing concerns over insufficient financial support and cuts to their holiday allowance. The meeting, organised by the IWGB Foster Care Workers Union, comes years after the majority of Falkirk carers sent a petition to the council with demands including a raise to fees in line with inflation and the reinstatement of the holiday allowance that had been cut read more
RESPEITO E DIGNIDADE: Support the eCourier strike! – “For years, our company, eCourier, has been denying me and my colleagues our basic rights by illegally misclassifying us as independent contractors. In 2017, eCourier, owned by Royal Mail, were found to have broken the law in not classifying as workers, and committed to an internal investigation. Since then, no investigation has taken place. Every time workers at eCourier try to speak out, we are met with bullying and harassment from management, led by CEO Malcolm Fullick. We’ve tried to go through the courts to take back what is rightfully ours, but we’ve come to realise that no one is coming to save us. If we want to transform our workplace, it’s our job to make that happen ourselves. We’re taking the fight directly to eCourier, demanding worker status, dignified pay, a fairer workplace and an end to bullying and harassment. We’re balloting for strike action, and we won’t back down until we win what we deserve. We’re up against huge companies like Royal Mail, with deep pockets and institutional power, so we’re going to need all the help we can get to achieve justice. Help us win our fight by joining us on the front lines, fighting against lawlessness and exploitation in the gig economy. Please sign our petition and donate to support the campaign
Mandate (Ireland)
Tesco Workers Begin Protests for Respect & Representation (12 Dec) – Members of the Mandate Trade Union have today (Thursday, 12th December 2024) launched public protests following Tesco management’s decision to deny workers their right to be represented by their trade union and refusing to agree to an adequate pay increase. The first protest took place at Ardkeen in Waterford at 10am. According to Mandate, the protests will continue until Tesco agree to “respect their workers” read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU calls on Kent Playgroup Ltd to rethink closure of vital childcare service (31 Jan) – SIPTU – The Early Years Union has called on the management of Kent Playgroup Ltd to rethink a decision to end an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme at its facility in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, which is strongly opposed by workers and families which use the service read more
Dublin Firefighters call out Government pensions betrayal (28 Jan) – Younger members of Dublin Fire Brigade, who feel betrayed by the new Government due to its failure to honour commitments on pension reform, delivered a letter to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dublin 1, at lunchtime today calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue which is resulting in many considering leaving the service read more
SIPTU Section 39 workers to ballot for strike over Government inaction on pay (17 Jan) – SIPTU’s Health Division is to begin a ballot of up to 5,000 members working in Section 39 Organisations for strike action due to the failure of the Government to honour a pay agreement struck at the Workplace Relations Commission in October 2023 read more
SIPTU considers strike action to save bin collection service (10 Jan) – SIPTU members employed by Bord na Móna Recycling will meet later this month to consider industrial action, up to and including a strike, to safeguard the future of the country’s last publicly-owned domestic waste collection service read more
Other news
Latest from Keep Our NHS Public: complete this survey for local NHS activists up and down the country to tell us about their work, and how they can be better supported by the national Keep Our NHS Public team; London and southern region Keep Our NHS Public is calling an emergency rally outside Parliament on Wednesday 26th of February from 12-14:00 hrs. More information coming soon!
STAND UP FOR THE MINERS! A night of comedy marking 40 years since the Miners Strike, in support of the Durham Miners Gala. The 100 Club, Oxford Street, London Saturday 8 February 2025 7pm – 10.30pm Facebook event (The 139th Durham Miners Gala takes place on Saturday 12 July 2025)
Alan Hardman ‘Need not Greed’ – Alan Hardman’s razor-sharp political cartoons collected for the first time. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, Need Not Greed is a career-spanning collection of visual art by one of Britain’s greatest unsung political cartoonists. Alongside Alan Hardman’s essential work, the book also includes a contribution from former President of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, as well as a foreword by Jeremy Corbyn order a copy – £45 each
Can you help? Crowdfunding to tour a production and exhibition of The Grunwick Strike Autumn 2025 – 2026 – We wanted to get in touch to let you know we are crowdfunding for a new production and interactive exhibition. The theatre show will tell the story of Jayaben Desai – the inspirational leader of the 1976-78 Grunwick Film Processing Factory Strike. We need your help to get this production and exhibition on the road, any donation you make will mean we are one step closer to getting this very important story out there performing to audiences across the UK. Any money raised will be matched by other funders. We’ve just got eight weeks to reach our target. Please find the link for our crowdfunding campaign HERE. Link to our Crowdfunding video Here. www.cramlingtontrainwreckers.co.uk
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
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. This has now escalated and widened.
See Stop the War website for info on protests. The next national demonstration in Central London will be 12noon on Saturday 15th February details
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)
Gaza protest on Saturday 18th January in Central London: oppose the arrests, defend the right to protest – the NSSN stands in solidarity with all those who have been arrested, including Stop The War Coalition’s Chris Nineham. It is outrageous that as a ceasefire is announced, protestors were denied the right to march, particularly under the watch of a Labour government and Labour London Mayor. We demand justice for all those arrested – with the immediate dropping of all charges Stop the War Coalition statement
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Blacklist Support Group New Year message: 2025 – the year when justice finally arrives?
Happy New Year to all our supporters. It is more than 15 years since the Consulting Association blacklist was exposed. Yet despite a select committee investigation, a public apology in the High Court and new legislation, union members who were repeatedly denied employment are still fighting for truth and justice. No senior executives from the multinational construction companies who oversaw the secret conspiracy, nor the police and union officials who colluded with the employers have been held accountable for their actions. 2025 is set to be a year where at least some elements of the hidden underbelly of the blacklisting scandal are brought into the public domain. Here’s what to expect:
Independent Collusion Investigation
The independent investigation into collusion by officials from UNITE and predecessor unions that was set up by Sharon Graham is set to publish its findings early in 2025. Nick Randall KC and John Townsend, assisted by solicitors from the Public Interest Law Centre have gathered oral and documentary evidence from around 90 individuals, searched the union’s electronic archive and sought permission from the High Court to use documents never before placed in the public domain.
The Blacklist Support Group and the Construction Rank & File publicly fought for an investigation that was independent from UNITE to be set up, and three blacklisted activists have acted as an oversight committee throughout the investigation.Neither BSG nor the oversight committee have any knowledge of what will appear in the final report, but we have faith in the independence of the lawyers, and in the robustness of their investigation.
Spycops Inquiry
Core participants in the union strand of the undercover policing public inquiry, the Blacklist Support Group (BSG), UNITE, FBU, NUM, and seven individual activists (Steve Acheson, Frank Smith, Dan Gilman, Steve Hedley, Lisa Teuscher, John Jones, Dave Smith) were scheduled to give evidence in April 2025. This has now been pushed back to a date later in the year. Spycops who infiltrated and gathered intelligence on trade unions, plus the managers and politicians who oversaw the political spying operation will also be giving evidence.
The BSG opening statement made specific allegations that the police and security services passed on intelligence to major employers and the blacklisting organisations; the Consulting Association and the Economic League, and about undercover officers acting as agent provocateurs, and state interference in the internal democratic processes of trade unions (in breach of ILO conventions).
The public inquiry has already published an interim report that slated the human rights violations of the Special Demonstration Squad, concluding that the police unit should have been closed down in the 1960s. However, blacklisting was specifically omitted from the interim report. The evidence hearings in 2025 will be the first time the judge led inquiry properly considers the BSG and union concerns.
Retraining Fund
As part of the settlement of the High Court trial, the major blacklisting employers placed over £220,000 in a fund administered by UNITE, to be used to pay training costs for blacklisted workers who were claimants in the litigation. For the first few years, those overseeing the fund turned out multiple applications. But in late 2023, the fund was relaunched and in 2024 tens of thousands of pounds has been paid out to blacklisted workers. The money has been spent on updating certificates for work on the railways, offshore and in the High Voltage sector, but also in costs for career changes such as teaching. If any High Court claimant has paid out for any training since 2016, please claim the money back from this fund.
Labour government pledges
The government has announced proposals for new laws on blacklisting. You might think that as the primary victims of the UK’s biggest blacklisting scandal ever, that the BSG might be consulted on the proposals. Yet, despite having directly contacted Angela Rayner on this subject, and despite BSG secretary, Dave Smith having co-authored a pamphlet published by the Institute of Employment Rights about the need for new legislation on blacklisting. To this date, the BSG has not been contacted to be part of the consultation on the new blacklisting laws. Its hard to imagine politicians not talking to the victims of the Post Office scandal about possible new legislation. Perhaps it takes a TV drama before MPs take notice.
Affiliate to the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) here
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 SOLIDARITY – END THE ATTACKS ON DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS! END THE ‘TREASON’ TRIAL AND DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST ADARAMOYE MICHAEL LENIN AND OTHER #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTERS
The ‘treason’ trial of Michael Lenin and 10 other #endbadgovernance protesters was scheduled to commence on 29th of January after its postponement last year.
Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others would be arraigned in Court on trumped up charges of treason and terrorism financing which could potentially earn them a death penalty if not quashed.
Further details on www.NigeriaSolidarity.com/Events
Germany: Request for solidarity message for German strikers who are mainly responsible for cash transport – They are in the ver.di trade union in Berlin-Brandenburg. The drivers have very precarious conditions (some have 10 to 11 hour shifts without a real break as they are not allowed to leave their vehicles) and are generally on a low wage. The bosses are blocking improvements and demand changes for the worse which has heightened anger. The latest strike saw over 2000 of the 10,000 workers nationally striking. Next strike starts on 11 November. Email messages of support via [email protected]
Diary
2025
July 5 NSSN Annual Conference 2025 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall London
CONTACT US
PHONE 07952 283 558
EMAIL mailto:[email protected]
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts
FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP or STOP The CUTS Likes page
ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE