As this NSSN bulletin is being posted, bin workers in Birmingham and their union Unite are under attack from their employer. Disgracefully, the Labour council is giving notice to use strike-breaking measures against workers who are fighting massive pay cuts. All this is on the watch of Starmer’s Labour government. Workers expect better after facing 14 years of Tory austerity. Yet Starmer and Reeves have announced more of the same.
We give our full support to Unite and their members in Birmingham, and we call on the whole trade union movement to act in solidarity with them and oppose this outrageous step, which is an attack on all unions and workers who are fighting back against public sector cuts and the bosses’ offensive.
Tweet messages of support to @UniteWestMids
Sign petition to support binworkers
Donate to the strike fund – Unite WM/7186 Branch, account: 20308397, sort code: 608301. Title donation: BCC Strike Donation
From Unite website: Birmingham council’s major incident is about making lowest paid pay for politicians’ mistakes (31 Mar) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, said Birmingham council is prepared to throw much more cash down the drain with its disgraceful strike breaking major incident plans than it would cost to resolve the dispute. This is an attempt to crush any opposition to attacks on jobs, pay and conditions that are set to extend to other workers across the council.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Birmingham council could easily resolve this dispute but instead it seems hellbent on imposing its plan of demotions and pay cuts at all costs. If that involves spending far more than it would cost to resolve the strike fairly, they don’t seem to care. We can only conclude that this massive pay cut for hundreds of refuse workers is only the start and this is really about stamping out any future opposition to its plans to unleash austerity 2.0 on Birmingham. I urge Birmingham council to rethink this disastrous strategy and to find a way forward that doesn’t involve workers and communities having to pay for politicians’ mistakes. Unite will never accept attacks on our members and we will continue to defend Birmingham’s refuse workforce to the hilt.”
The council is already spending vast amounts extra on expensive agency worker fees within the waste service. Pay and conditions for refuse workers, most earning little more than the minimum wage, had already been cut before the current dispute, including £1,000 in shift pay. Around 150 workers are directly impacted with pay cuts of up to £8,000 by the removal of the WRCO role, which also ends fair pay progression for hundreds of others. Last week, the council confirmed that pay for HGV lorry drivers in the waste service is also at risk of being cut. Throughout the dispute, the council has repeatedly smeared the behaviour of workers on peaceful picket lines and given artificially low figures about the number of workers who are impacted.
Unite believes the government is also being misled by the council and the commissioners regarding the dispute, following a statement on the major incident announcement by minister of state for local government, Jim McMahon, in parliament today. This is reflected by the fact that the council announced its major incident plans, which it had not informed Unite about, while it was in official negotiations with the union.
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “We believe the government is being misled by the council and the commissioners as to the true nature of the dispute. Unite has repeatedly said it is ready and willing to undertake intensive negotiations to end the strikes. But that requires the council engaging in good faith on an acceptable deal and ending its vicious and vindictive campaign against its refuse workers.”
How Can Council Cuts Be Ended? Conference – hosted by NSSN – to debate a needs budget for Birmingham
12pm, Saturday 26th April – Comfort Inn, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY
Starmer & Reeves launch austerity offensive #FightBack
NSSN have taken part on protests and demonstrations over the last week against the announcement in the Spring Statement by Starmer’s Labour government’s £5billion welfare and benefit cuts. Disgracefully, there were arrests at the peaceful Central London protest called by DPAC.
This is on the back of reports of 10,000 job cuts directly related to the scrapping of NHS England and potentially many more in the NHS and civil service. At the same time, local councils continue to make huge cuts, NHS services are under massive pressure and universities and colleges face a catastrophic funding crisis. In addition, public sector workers are in line for a below-inflation pay offer.
The union movement must put itself at the head of the fight against Starmer and Reeves’s austerity, demanding that it is the rich who must pay for the crisis, not working-class people and the most vulnerable in society. It is essential that unions immediately come together to agree a united campaign of opposition, up to and including demonstrations and co-ordinated strike action.
RMT responds to Chancellor’s Spring Statement (26 Mar)
PCS responds to chancellor’s spring statement (26 Mar)
Prospect’s response to the Spring Statement (26 Mar)
GMB responds to Spring Statement (26 Mar)
Unison: UK won’t grow without investment in public services (26 Mar)
RCN: Spring statement ‘missed opportunity for investment in nursing’ (26 Mar)
NEU comments on the Chancellor’s Spring Statement (26 Mar)
NASUWT response to the Spring Statement (26 Mar)
FBU: Spring Statement must not repeat Osborne’s attacks on pay, says union leader (26 Mar)
FBU disabled and neurodivergent members call for government to reverse “cruel” welfare cuts (27 Mar)
NUJ members join protests against government’s welfare cuts (26 Mar)
Equity: Labour not delivering the change voters were promised, says Equity (26 Mar)
Unions must demand Employment Rights Bill is strengthened
Unions are responding to the Labour Government’s Employment Rights Bill, as it reaches an important milestone in its parliamentary progress (TUC, Unite, GMB, Unison, NASUWT, Equity, Community). The Report Stage of the legislation takes place on 11-12 March, as it moves through the House of Lords.
The NSSN welcomes the improvements to the rights of workers and unions that are contained in the Bill.
However, there are still loopholes with regard to zero-hour contracts that employers will look to exploit. Also, a major omission is not to bring in an outright ban on ‘fire and rehire. In this week’s NSSN bulletin alone, there are a whole number of current examples where employers in the private and public sector are using this disgraceful measure to look to smash workers’ pay and terms & conditions.
And while we also welcome steps taken to remove some of the Tory anti-union legislation, it is still short of the promises made by Labour in its general election manifesto. Sunak’s Minimum Service Levels Act (MSL) is to be scrapped but it is not sufficiently clear on Cameron’s Trade Union Act. Along with the MSL, the TU Act with its undemocratic voting thresholds for industrial action ballots, should have been immediately repealed by Starmer’s Government on gaining office last July. The unnecessary delay means that ballots still have to conform to Cameron’s thresholds, at a time when Starmer and Reeves are offering below inflation pay deals in the public sector and threatening cuts.
We also support the demand of the POA prison officers union that the amendment from John McDonnell MP be supported to restore their right to strike.
POA: Reinstate our right to strike demands prison officers’ leaders (4 Mar)
Peoples Assembly demonstration: Austerity is a political choice, welfare not warfare, stop the far-right, stop the cuts – Saturday 7th June in Central London
Turkey’s People Rise Up for Democracy (25 Mar) – Mass protests are sweeping across Turkey as people take to the streets against the oppressive rule of President Erdoğan, which has made life unbearable for many read more on the website of SPOT – Solidarity with the People of Turkey
SPOT Online Public Rally – April 3rd at 7 PM for a crucial discussion: “One-man rule attacks democracy in Turkey.” Watch live on X: @spotturkey
More info: http://spotturkey.co.uk #Solidarity #Democracy
NUJ statement on the deportation of Mark Lowen (27 Mar) – The BBC News correspondent reporting from Türkiye was deported for “being a threat to public order.” Read more
Advanced notice!! NSSN Annual Conference 2025 – Make the rich pay not workers!
11am-4.30pm Saturday 5th July in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Attendance fee – £10
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on the theme ‘Make the rich pay not workers!’ This is when the Starmer New Labour government is looking to slash budgets at the same time as councils make cuts, the NHS is under massive pressure and higher education is in crisis. This is alongside recessionary signs in the private sector, with threats to jobs while the cost of living squeeze remains.
A major part of our conference and our activity will be about the need for the trade union movement to organise against Starmer and Reeves’s austerity and the bosses’ offensive. Our conference will also demand the immediate repeal of the Tory anti-union laws, including the undemocratic voting thresholds, promised by Starmer but still in force despite his government being elected with a 160 seat plus majority last July. It will also be a platform for union reps and members from the growing number of disputes to speak about their action. We will continue to support workers’ struggles and publicise them in this, our weekly NSSN bulletin.
Union News
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RMT
RMT slams Foreland Shipping over pay inequality amid soaring profits and MoD contract windfall (31 Mar) – Seafarers’ union RMT has slammed Foreland and parent company Hadley Shipping for pushing real-terms pay cuts onto maritime staff while raking in profits from a lucrative Ministry of Defence contract. Foreland Shipping operates the Strategic Sealift Service under a long-running Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal with the MoD. Originally set to run for 25 years, the contract was extended in December 2024 to 2031 at a total value of £476 million. The company’s profits have been stable and substantial over the past two decades, with over £154 million in profits and nearly £130 million paid out in dividends to shareholders since 2002. However, RMT members working aboard Foreland’s Point-Class vessels have faced stagnating wages. Since 2020, pay awards have fallen more than 10% behind RPI inflation and significantly trail national earnings benchmarks. The latest offer was firmly rejected by seafarers, who are now demanding a fair pay rise that reflects the company’s financial strength. Meanwhile, Hadley Shipping’s top-paid director saw a 52% pay increase in 2023, taking home £636,878 read more
ScotRail’s 3.8% fare hike is punishing passengers and undermining climate goals (31 Mar) – Rail union RMT, criticised the Scottish Government’s decision to hike ScotRail fares by 3.8% from Tuesday, calling it a blow to passengers, public transport, and Scotland’s climate commitments. The fare increase comes off the back of the Scottish Government signing off on plans to cut hours at the majority of ScotRail ticket offices, undermining accessibility and passenger support across the network. It also follows the reintroduction of peak fares last autumn, further increasing the cost of travel for many commuters read more
RMT urges Avanti to address ticket office staff shortages (29 Mar) – Rail union RMT, is urging Avanti to address ticket office staff shortages on the West Coast Mainline, warning that understaffing is impacting passengers and putting undue pressure on existing staff. Following a successful campaign led by RMT — with overwhelming public support — plans to close ticket offices nationwide were abandoned. However, Avanti has yet to reverse staffing decisions made during the closure threat. Over recent months, the company has not replaced staff who have retired, left, or taken voluntary redundancy, leading to a shortage of workers at key stations including Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, and London Euston. As a result, many ticket offices are now closed during advertised hours, and passengers often face long queues when they are open. Current staff are under significant strain, with increased workloads contributing to rising sickness levels. Instead of addressing these issues by recruiting and training new staff, Avanti is now proposing a rostering review that would effectively lock in the existing shortages. RMT activists will be leafleting Birmingham, London and Manchester to highlight the campaign in the coming weeks read more
RMT welcomes TfL e-bikes ban (26 Mar) – Tube union, RMT has welcomed non-foldable e-bikes being banned from London Underground following a long campaign. Recent fires involving e-bikes with large batteries on the network, have caused safety concerns amongst tube workers and passengers read more
Foreland Shipping seafarers overwhelmingly reject pay offer (24 Mar) – RMT seafarers at Foreland Shipping have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s pay offer in a recent referendum. 85% of RMT members want a better deal and the union has written to the employer calling for an urgent meeting with management in an effort to resolve the matter and avoid the need to move to a ballot for strike action. Foreland Shipping (Guernsey) Ltd is a British company providing strategic sealift services to the UK Ministry of Defence read more
Outsourced cleaners will take strike action on Merseyrail (19 Mar) – Cleaners on Merseyrail will take 48 hours strike action from April 4 after they rejected a pay offer from Churchill. Despite repeated attempts to negotiate, outsourcing firm Churchill Services has refused to put forward an acceptable offer, leaving workers no other option but to take strike action 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
ASLEF
London Underground bans explosive e-bikes! (26 Mar) – ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has warmly welcomed the announcement by Transport for London this morning [Wednesday 26 March] that explosive e-bikes will be banned on London Underground. We have long campaigned for such a ban to protect passengers, and staff, on the network which keeps the capital moving read more
Train drivers all out at Hull Trains (17 Mar) – Drivers at Hull Trains – an open access operator which runs services up and down the East Coast main line – will walk out on strike for eight weeks from Monday 31 March to Saturday 24 May to defend a train driver colleague sacked for doing nothing wrong read more
Elizabeth line strike called off after pay offer (25 Feb) – Almost 500 drivers had been due to walk out on 27 February and 1 March. Planned strikes by train drivers on London’s Elizabeth line on Thursday and Saturday have been called off following a new pay offer. Members of Aslef were due to stage a series of walkouts that would have caused travel disruption in the capital. Aslef said its executive would consider a revised offer from the line’s operators MTR, on Wednesday. Although the strikes planned for Thursday and Saturday have been suspended, no announcement has been made about further strikes days on 8 and 10 March read more on BBC website
TSSA
TSSA welcomes TfL e-bike ban but urges further action (26 Mar) – TSSA today welcomed Transport for London’s (TfL) decision to ban non-folding e-bikes across most of the network, but warns that the ban does not go far enough and is calling for the inclusion of folding e-bikes in the restrictions read more
Unite
Unite holding nationwide day of action over energy bill hikes (31 Mar) – Unite Community members will be going to 40 locations across the UK on April 1 as part of a nationwide campaign of action, with further protests planned over the following two weeks. The day of action coincides with the date the latest energy price cap rise comes into effect, which will see a rise of 6.4 per cent from £1,738 to £1,849 for an average dual-fuel household. The day of action is part of the Unite Energy 4 All campaign, which has been running since 2023 and calls for the eradication of fuel poverty, and the national control of our energy resources. Unite Community and Unite Retired Members Branches are joining with other fuel poverty and pensioner groups to draw attention to the shameful fact that in the sixth richest economy 8 million people struggle to pay their energy bills and on average 7000 people die each year because they are unable to keep warm in their own homes read more
Endless delays” to NHS pay leading to workers leaving the sector (31 Mar) – Radio silence from government on NHS pay uplift. Workers furious at betrayal by government. Unite is calling on the government to immediately start talking to the unions so that an NHS pay increase can be agreed. Endless delays to agreeing and implementing pay increases are seeing workers leave and the staffing crisis in the NHS worsen. Unite , which represents tens of thousands of health sector workers, is calling for action on pay increases on the day that millions of NHS workers across the UK are due a pay uplift – 1 April. However, as has been the case in previous years, there is currently news on when a pay increase will be both agreed and implemented read more
Liverpool lab workers ballot for strikes over patient safety fears (31 Mar) – Unite members working at the microbiology department at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories (which is part of the hospital trust) and play a key role in diagnosing infections at the hospital, analysing blood and tissue samples before a clinician uses the results to decide on a course of treatment such as antibiotics or surgery. But short staffing means some test results are taking three or four days to come back. This is preventing patients from promptly getting the treatment they need and could be putting people at risk of fatal infections such as sepsis, which can kill within 24 hours if left untreated…The Unite ballot closes on 15 April. Strikes could begin in late April read more
Housing workers in Southwark to take further strike action over annual leave disgrace (31 Mar) – 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 will strike tomorrow (1 April) 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. The lowest paid technicians get two fewer days than higher paid colleagues in the housing and estates 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 on 1 April read more
Bus services across Surrey and Hampshire under threat as workers ballot for strikes (31 Mar) – Unite members at Stagecoach to vote on industrial action after colleagues sacked without cause. Over a hundred drivers could take strike action later this spring after colleagues were unfairly dismissed, the Unite trade union announced today. Workers at Stagecoach South’s Aldershot depot who drive buses across Hampshire and Surrey are being balloted on strike action. This follows a campaign by the bus company to harass and intimidate Aldershot Branch officials that has seen two Branch officials unfairly dismissed. Unite members are furious at the treatment of two colleagues, the branch chair and the equalities rep, who were sacked on highly dubious grounds…The ballot opened on 25 March and closes on 14 April. If the ballot is successful, industrial action will take place later this spring. Any strike action will have a serious impact on all bus services running from the Aldershot depot read more
Stagecoach bus services across west of Scotland set to stop in pay dispute (31 Mar) – 500 Unite members reject ‘unacceptable’ pay offer. Unite the union can confirm today (31 March) that 500 Stagecoach drivers are being balloted for strike action in a pay dispute which could bring bus services across the west of Scotland to a stop. Unite members have by 99 per cent rejected a pay offer by Stagecoach West Scotland which amounted to a basic four per cent increase for one-year. Unite has said that the current pay offer would leave the workers one of the poorest paid across Stagecoach’s UK operations. The membership also overwhelmingly indicated that they would be prepared to take industrial action up to and including strike action to secure a better wage deal in a previous consultative ballot held by the union. The ballots opens today (31 March) and closes on 17 April, with strike action likely to start in early May if a mandate for action is secured read more
Majority of workers at Sheffield refuse site want Unite recognition agreement (28 Mar) – Unite, GMB and non-unionised staff at Veolia depot want recognition for workers on strike. A petition signed by nearly 150 workers at a Sheffield refuse depot is proof that Unite members should have their union officially recognised. Unite members at the Lumley Street depot have been on strike since August seeking official recognition of their union by Veolia. The firm have so far refused to allow such recognition on the basis they already recognise another union (GMB). But a petition circulated among all workers at the depot has collected nearly 150 signatories calling on Veolia to recognise Unite. This shows that the petition shows huge support among other union and non-union members of staff…Unite is continuing its campaign of targeting Veolia’s worldwide operations and major shareholders. Activists have previously been in cities across Europe and this week are in Madrid to demonstrate at the offices of Veolia and its financial backers read more
Unite ballots 700 Aberdeen council workers over ‘fire and rehire’ proposals (28 Mar) – Scottish Government accused of ‘ignoring’ bullying tactics by SNP led administration. Over 700 Unite workers at Aberdeen City Council are being balloted on strike action over ‘fire and re-hire’ proposals. The council has tabled a proposal to unilaterally impose a cut of two hours in the working week to 35-hours. The proposal if enacted would cut workers’ wages by up to 104 hours per year, impacting over 3,000 workers in one of Scotland’s largest councils. Unite has warned that widespread industrial action would lead to a significant reduction in provision for some of the city’s most vital services. The ballot opens today (Friday 28 March) and closes on 14 April read more
Heathrow Easter holiday disruption as passenger assistance workers strike (28 Mar) – 500 Wilson James Heathrow workers demand pay parity with Gatwick colleagues. Around 500 Heathrow workers providing assistance to passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) will strike for four days over the Easter holidays. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the workers are angry at being paid an average of 9.5 per cent less than Wilson James staff at Gatwick performing the same role. Wilson James’ reported gross profits of £35.4 million for the year ending July 2024, with the company’s gross turnover increasing by 17.7 per cent from the previous year. Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), meanwhile, reported a profit before tax of £696 million in the nine months to 30 September 2024…The workers will strike from Saturday 5 April to Wednesday 9 April. Industrial action will impact PRM services across the entire airport. Further strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Unite response to British Steel job losses (27 Mar) – In response to the announcement of major job losses at British Steel, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This announcement of job losses is quite simply a disgrace. British Steel is guilty of trying to hold the government to ransom, while using its dedicated workforce as pawns. In discussions with Unite, the government has clearly moved and has made an offer to invest heavily in British Steel (Jingye). This offer comes with long-term job guarantees, anything less would be a complete misuse of taxpayers’ money. British steel now needs to make the necessary commitments…” read more
Scottish Water workers set for strike action as Unite blames ‘executive arrogance’ (27 Mar) – Union criticises public body for ‘watering down’ pay offer
Strike action is set to hit Scottish Water tomorrow (Friday 28 March) as the pay dispute at the public body escalates after a breakdown in talks. 24-hour strike action involving Unite’s 500-strong membership will take place at offices and wastewater treatment works across the whole of Scotland with the union warning more industrial action is ‘inevitable’ read more
Unite to fight for jobs following the takeover of the Nationwide Building Society insurance contract from RSA by Aviva (26 Mar) – The transfer of the Nationwide personal lines insurance contract to Aviva from RSA threatens over 300 jobs, the vast majority in Peterborough. Over 300 staff working for RSA at Peterborough and in other offices have today (Wednesday 26 March) been informed that their jobs are at risk following the transfer of the Nationwide personal lines insurance contract to Aviva. The bulk of the work will move to Scotland where Aviva already has their partnership business, including travel insurance for Nationwide, 28 staff will move with their roles into Aviva read more
Hampshire cable workers could strike over Prysmian’s ‘disgraceful’ plans to offshore BT work (26 Mar) – Prysmian Bishopstoke plans to cut 40 jobs and scrap only department of its kind in UK. Prysmian Bishopstoke telecom cable workers may strike over plans to cut 40 jobs and close the only department of its kind left in the UK, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Prysmian wants to move production for cables primarily for BT from Bishopstoke to Romania. The plan is designed to reduce labour costs despite Prysmian admitting to Unite during initial consultations that the Hampshire factory, which opened as the Telephone Cable Factory in 1967, is profitable. The factory’s workers are set to begin a consultative ballot for industrial action over the plans read more
John Crane workers in Slough set to strike after a decade of below-inflation pay rises (26 Mar) – Unite members at engineering firm John Crane are set to strike from next month over pay. The 40 workers based in Slough have rejected a final pay offer of three per cent. This follows a decade of below-inflation pay increases, as well as receiving no pay award during Covid despite working through it and having their final salary pensions taken away in 2009. However, last year the previous CEO was awarded a 22 per cent increase and his severance package will see him drawing a pay packet until 2026. Strike action will take place on 3, 10, 17, 22 April and 1 and 6 May. The John Crane workers make mechanical engineering seals for bearings and pumps for the oil and gas industry read more
Capita Life and Pensions staff escalate strike action over pay (25 Mar) – Unite members in Glasgow and Manchester begin further walkouts after Capita refuses to make fair pay offer. Workers at Capita’s Life and Pensions division in Glasgow and Manchester will begin a new wave of strike action on Wednesday 26 March in a deepening dispute over the company’s ongoing refusal to make a fair pay offer for 2024. Staff based in Glasgow and Manchester will walk out from 06:00 hours on Wednesday 26 March, with strike action continuing until Monday 7 April at 05:59 hours. The action will then resume from 06:00 on Monday 7 April and continue until 23:59 on Tuesday 22 April. This latest escalation follows 13 previous strike days taken earlier this year (29 January – 4 February and 26 February – 7 March), reflecting growing anger among staff over Capita’s failure to offer a meaningful, consolidated pay increase for 2024. Capita workers were due a pay award in April 2024, but the company postponed negotiations with Unite, promising a pay rise in October which never materialised. A belated, non-consolidated (one off) pay offer was finally tabled but overwhelmingly rejected by Unite members read more
Striking Livv Housing workers march through Knowsley (20 Mar) – Hundreds of striking Livv Housing workers will march through Knowsley demanding a fair pay rise, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers began striking in October, with the dispute stemming 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. Livv Housing, which manages properties primarily in Knowsley, reported reserves of £110.6 million in March 2024…The workers are currently taking strike action until 30 March. Tenant services to more than 13,000 homes are being affected. Unite’s members recently voted to extend their industrial action mandates, meaning strikes could extend well into the summer. The dispute also involves members from the Unison union read more
Exam disruption looming as Liverpool Uni staff ballot for strikes over back to campus diktat (20 Mar) – Students in Liverpool are facing major disruption during key exam and clearing periods as hundreds of members of Unite employed at the University of Liverpool ballot for industrial action over changes to hybrid working. Over 340 professional services staff, including administrative employees who play a key part during these times, are currently being balloted after they were told they must have a minimum of 60 per cent attendance working on-site from 1 April 2025. Since the end of the Covid lockdown, staff undertaking hybrid working have been asked to work from campus two days a week. However, university management, at the behest of the university’s vice chancellor, have “unilaterally” mandated them to increase their time spent working on site, claiming this requirement is necessary for team working, without adequate negotiation with the workers read more
TfL enforcement officers vital for safety and security intensify strike action (19 Mar) – Workers dealing with violence and aggression being paid thousands less than London Underground colleagues doing same job. Pay strikes by hundreds of officers within the Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate (CPOS) at Transport for London (TfL) have intensified. The workers, who deal with violence and aggression across the TfL network to keep the passengers and staff safe, are paid thousands less than their counterparts on the London Underground. In some cases, the difference can be an astonishing £27,000 a year despite the roles being equivalent. Strike action began in December, following the imposition of a pay offer by TfL that had been overwhelming rejected by the workers as unacceptable. Further industrial action was taken in February, with fresh strikes to take place on 20, 21 and 22 March read more
Strike action by infectious disease prevention team at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals escalates (17 Mar) – NHS trust not willing to provide decent facilities for staff to wash themselves after shifts. Senior staff get vastly better conditions. Strike action is to escalate at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) responsible for controlling the spread of infections after the trust refused to improve the appalling facilities the staff have to use after their shifts. Over 40 members of the Unite trade union who work in the RRT are to take part in a second round of strike action after no improvements to their working conditions or commitments to do so have been made by the trust. RRT staff work long shifts in unpleasant conditions, cleaning and sterilising areas of the hospital to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases. Yet the trust has failed to provide adequate welfare facilities such as showers, changing areas, rest areas or toilets for staff to use before, during and after their shifts. Workers will now strike from 17-28 March inclusive to highlight their plight and put pressure on the trust to improve their working conditions. Staff are also unhappy about their job description and grading that means they are among the lowest paid workers in the hospital earning barely above minimum wage read more
Striking Heathrow British Airways cleaners protest at airline’s HQ over poverty pay (14 Mar) – Demonstrations also hit employer OCS as industrial action escalates. Striking workers employed by facilities services firm OCS to clean British Airway’s offices at Heathrow will protest outside the airline’s headquarters in London. The workers, who are on strike over poverty pay, will also stage a demonstration outside OCS’ Feltham offices read more
NI Ambulance workers vote for industrial action in shift dispute (11 Mar) – Management proposals risk leaving areas without adequate ambulance cover and are an attempt to make paramedics pay the price for a staffing crisis they did not cause. Paramedics and ambulance workers in Unite have voted decisively for industrial action in a recent consultative ballot. In total 86 per cent indicated a willingness to take strike action on management proposals to impose a new shift system. The new shifts were to be piloted in the South Eastern health and social care area for a year and would see a significant reduction in ambulance cover at nighttime. While the new shifts are only being trialled in the South East they will impact ambulance services across Northern Ireland. Existing NIAS cover arrangements see ambulances travel from across Northern Ireland to cover shortfalls. The new shifts will increase the likelihood for such long journeys which then has a knock-on impact leaving other areas, especially rural ones, with insufficient cover read more
HSE: Unite serves notice of industrial action over staffing crisis (10 Mar) – Unite, which represents a range of grades across the Health Services Executive (HSE), said today (Monday) that it has served notice of industrial action over the staffing crisis resulting from the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy.’ Last year it emerged that, despite the HSE’s claim that a recruitment ban had ended, vacancies are being benchmarked against the 2024 headcount. The result is that any vacancies unfilled in 2023 have effectively been lost to the health service, leaving a staffing shortfall of over 2,000 posts read more
Royal Navy tugboat crew strikes suspended for talks (6 Mar) – Consultations over Devonport, Portsmouth, Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh Serco Marine services to go ahead. Strikes by around 300 Serco Marine workers providing Royal Navy afloat services have been suspended, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Following talks with the MoD, Serco and the Royal Navy, Unite has agreed to suspend strike action at Devonport, Portsmouth, Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh. Serco has agreed to delay signing its new contract with the MoD to allow for 30 days of union consultations read more
Eurotunnel maintenance workers to take strike action over pay (5 Mar) – Unite members at Eurotunnel to walk out for five Sundays after talks break down. Following a breakdown in negotiations, drivers and maintenance crew working at Eurotunnel Services Ltd are to take strike action throughout March. Around a dozen members will walk out after rejecting a pay offer from the employer. Unite’s members do highly skilled and safety-critical work for Eurotunnel and Le Shuttle ensuring tunnels and track are in good working conditions read more
Ealing council hit by protests over traffic warden union-busting (3 Mar) – Striking Ealing traffic wardens will protest outside the council’s headquarters over union-busting tomorrow (Tuesday 4 March). The traffic wardens, who are employed by Greener Ealing, began industrial action in August 2024 over the council-controlled company’s refusal to recognise their union, Unite. Since then, four wardens have been sacked on trumped up charges while they were taking strike action. Their roles are completely different to the rest of Greener Ealing’s waste management workforce. As a distinct group, they want Unite, which has represented the workers for over a decade, recognised for collective bargaining on their behalf read more. Send messages of support to Patrice 07915 064797 – Unite rep of Ealing Parking Assistants who has been sacked (along with 3 others) for leading strike action
Derby Premier Inn protests over sacking of worker for trade union activities (28 Feb) – Unite member Anne Marie Toal fired on spurious charges for raising health and safety concerns. A protest will be held outside Derby Premier Inn on Saturday (1 March) after a worker was sacked for being in a union read more
Heathrow passenger assistance workers ballot for strikes over pay (26 Feb) – Nearly 450 Wilson James Heathrow workers demand pay parity with Gatwick colleagues. Nearly 450 Heathrow workers providing assistance to passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) are being balloted for strike action over pay. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the workers are angry at being paid an average of 9.5 per cent less than Wilson James staff at Gatwick performing the same role. Wilson James’ reported gross profits of £35.4 million for the year ending July 2024, with the company’s gross turnover increasing by 17.7 per cent from the previous year. Heathrow Airport Limited, meanwhile, reported a profit before tax of £696 million in the nine months to 30 September 2024 read more
Go North East workers consulted for strike action amid reign of terror by management (17 Feb) – Staff threatened with dismissal on spurious grounds. Safety of drivers and passengers in danger. Out-of-control management at a bus company in the North East of England has forced over 1,000 workers to be consulted on next steps, including the possibility of strike action, the Unite union announced today. Drivers and engineers at Go North East, based in depots across Tyneside, Northumberland and County Durham, have been forced to the brink by a dangerous management culture that has seen drivers threatened with dismissal, suspended and sent home from work when health and safety issues are raised. Workers have been forced to resign, and management has imposed what one worker described as a “dictatorship” with “my way or the highway” style practices. Go North East has created a culture of fear to discourage members raising genuine safety concerns on behalf of passengers and drivers. Such behaviours are widely seen by union members as retribution by management after workers won a well-deserved pay rise after a bitter industrial battle in 2023 read more
Wrexham Oscar Mayer fire and rehire workers ballot to extend long running strikes (10 Feb) – Long running strike action at Wrexham’s Oscar Mayer ready meal factory is set to stretch into the summer as workers ballot to extend industrial action. Around 550 Oscar Mayer workers have been striking since last September over the company’s attempt to slash pay by up to £3,000 a year by firing and rehiring them on inferior contracts. The workers are now being balloted to extend strike action over the dismissal of a handful of colleagues during the industrial action. Oscar Mayer disgracefully sacked the workers after they sent a letter stating they would be working under duress under the revised terms the company wants to impose read more
Send messages of support to [email protected]
Send messages of protest to [email protected]
CWU
CWU LIVE – Deliveries: Your Questions Answered with Tony Bouch (Upload Date: March 28) – We got through a mass of Royal Mail delivery related questions with Tony Bouch on this week’s show. You can watch the whole session back here watch video
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
PCS publishes alternative plan for British Council (1 Apr) – A vision for the future financial sustainability of British Council which includes increasing annual UK Government investment by £207m, no operational cost cuts and writing off a loan from the previous government, has been set out by PCS members read more
Celebrating Trans Icons on Trans Day of Visibility (31 Mar) – Trans Day of Visibility is about reclaiming and reframing the image of trans people and showing their real, lived experiences. Join us online at 6pm to celebrate our trans icons. International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is held annually on 31 March and is a day to celebrate and normalise being trans in all the unique ways that trans+ and gender non-conforming (GNC) individuals exist read more
Government cuts may cause debt crisis for forestry members (28 Mar) – Plans to freeze government credit cards will force some of our low-paid forestry workers to pay out of their own pockets for workplace equipment. PCS members working for the Forestry Commission in field-based roles face having to fork out hundreds of pounds to be able to do their own jobs and keep safe. This comes after the government announced that it will freeze Government Procurement Cards (GPC), which are used by members to purchase PPE, first-aid equipment, power-tool fuel, biosecurity supplies, and other tools and equipment. Our members say that centrally procured contracts will cost the taxpayer more as using GPCs reduces administrative costs for the employer. They also don’t cover the full breadth of items that our members require to do their work read more
Strike ballot closes for members in offices threatened with closure (28 Mar) – The members in six officers of MHCLG have voted for strike action and action short of a strike. In a ballot that closed on 26 March, members working for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), whose offices are threatened with closure, have voted in support of strike action and action short of a strike. The dispute covers the closure of their offices, and also the imposition of top-down management policies relating to office attendance and the department’s recruitment strategy. Over 90% of members balloted have voted to support action short of a strike with c. 80% of members voting in support of strike action. This will send a strong message to the senior executive team at MHCLG and to deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who heads up the department. MHCLG members based in other offices are also being balloted in support of their colleagues and in opposition to arbitrary, percentage-based office attendance policies, and changes to the department’s recruitment strategy. Their ballot closes on 9 April read more
Wales conference agrees to oppose austerity cuts to budgets and services (27 Mar) – The motion noted the years of cuts to services in Wales and outlined proposals for opposition, including using the devolved powers of the Welsh government read more
PCS supports Westminster rally against welfare cuts (27 Mar) – The PCS National President addressed the Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) rally outside Downing Street yesterday (26). PCS joined over 2000 disability activists, trade unionists and campaigners outside 10 Downing Street ahead of yesterday’s Spring Statement in which the chancellor confirmed cuts of up to £5 billion from the welfare budget read more
End of first week of strike action for Met Police Intel staff (21 Mar) – PCS members working for the Met Police in Met Intel have been taking strike action in their dispute over a forced return to offices. PCS members working for the Met Police are campaigning against the pulling of an agreed blended working framework and its replacement with an imposed policy which mandates at least 60% a week in an office workplace read more
Met Police strikers ramp up pressure on employer (20 Mar) – Met Police PCS members who are out on strike for 2 weeks are ramping up pressure on their employer to negotiate over imposed mandated office attendance read more
Donations have started to pour into PCS’s fighting fund, from non-striking PCS members who want to support the fight against 60% mandated office attendance, an issue affecting many across PCS. You can make a donation online. Please use our quick form to email the London mayor to ask him to intervene and work with the Home Secretary to find a resolution for our members read more
Members at IOPC vote for strike action (14 Mar) – In the ballot that closed yesterday (13), members at the Independent Office for Police Conduct have voted to take strike action over job cuts, terms and conditions. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is undergoing three years of restructures which has already led to job cuts, down-grading of roles and increased workloads. Management has also imposed mandatory office attendance. In the ballot of over 400 members that closed today (13), 79.25% said they were prepared to take part in strike action. The 400+ workers investigate the most serious complaints against the police. Any strike action is likely to increase the backlog of cases, which already stretches to eleven months read more
Border Force Maritime staff vote to strike (13 Mar) – Over 120 PCS members working on patrol boats in the English Channel have voted for strike action after allowances have been frozen for years. In a ballot of the members, which closed today (13) almost 99% voted for strike action on a 64% turnout. Members in Border Force Maritime who include the Cutters fleet that patrols UK waters 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, will now consider strike action read more
Fujitsu members to take more strike action (12 Mar) – The members will walk out for 22 days in March and April in their dispute over pay. The PCS members employed by Fujitsu Services UK on HMRC contracts will walk out for 22 days from March 21 to April 23. The dispute comes after their employer imposed a 1.5% pay offer while their civil service colleagues received 5% for doing similar jobs. The members took two days’ strike action in January to coincide with the tax deadline for self-employed people; the new round of action is expected to affect time-sensitive work, putting Fujitsu at risk of financial penalties for missing targets. Members are angry that Fujitsu reports large profits from the HMRC account while offering them below-inflation pay rises read more
Support striking CAA members (10 Mar) – PCS members working for the Civil Aviation Authority escalate their pay dispute by taking a further two days of strike action from tomorrow (11). Our members based at Gatwick Airport and Canary Wharf escalated their dispute over pay with well-supported joint strike action last month with Prospect members. Our members also walked out in January. They are angry that while some of them received a pay offer of just 3%, chief executive Rob Bishton last year was given a 32% pay rise read more
Benton Park View Strike action extended until 16 May (4 Mar) – The national disputes committee has agreed a further nine weeks of industrial action at Benton Park View in defence of three reps who were unfairly dismissed by HMRC. PCS members working in Employer Services at Benton Park View have been on strike since 23 December in support of three reps who were sacked by HMRC because of their trade union activity read more. Take action, show your support and send solidarity messages to the reps and branch, email HMRC group secretary Steve Swainston: [email protected] read more. Members can also support the campaign by donating to the fighting fund. Donations can be made to the PCS account with the reference ‘BPV Strikes’ –
- Account name: PCS Fighting Fund
- Levy account number: 20331490
- Sort code: 60-83-01
G4S security officers vote for more strike action (3 Mar) – The members who work in Jobcentres have already taken over six months of strike action in their long-running dispute. In a ballot that closed on Friday (28 February), PCS members working as security guards for G4S on the DWP contract have sent their employer the strongest possible message by voting 97.2% in favour of taking more strike action in their dispute read more
Facilities management action suspended to allow for talks (27 Feb) – PCS is to enter into intensive talks for 2 weeks from Monday (3) aimed at resolving our long-standing disputes with government contractors OCS, ISS and G4S over pay, terms and conditions. The suspension of the action comes because of a proposal to engage with PCS nationally on dispute resolution and will mean planned strike action in the ongoing facilities managements disputes will be suspended from 3 to 17 March to allow intense negotiations to attempt to reach a resolution to the trade disputes. Our members, who work in security, as cleaners, caterers, porters, receptionists, maintenance operatives and post room staff, have shown tremendous effort and resolve in their determination to win their fight for fair pay, terms and conditions. The strength they have shown on their picket lines for many weeks and the impact of their action has forced a concession of the offer of national negotiations read more
ONS workers balloted on continuing industrial action (27 Feb) – The members are already taking action short of a strike including refusing to comply with their employer’s new attendance policy. Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh, have refused to follow an instruction to spend at least 40% of their time in the office and are refusing to work overtime, out of hours and out of grade. Under the current industrial action (short of a strike), members are following PCS’s advice to spend as much or as little time in the office as they choose, rather than meet an arbitrary quota. This action has restored members’ autonomy over hybrid working to match the long-standing arrangements that were in place at ONS since lock-down restrictions were lifted. With their six-month strike mandate running out at the beginning of April, PCS is balloting members for a new mandate to allow the action to continue read more
PHSO members start week of targeted strike action (24 Feb) – The week’s action follows a one day strike by all PCS members at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman earlier this month. 40 members who carry out a range of casework and administrative roles relating to complaints and investigations about the NHS and other UK government bodies are taking five days of strike action this week. The dispute at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is over pay, a compulsory return to the office and proposals that could see extra responsibilities delegated to more junior staff without any extra pay. On 12 February over 200 PCS members at the PHSO held a one day strike. This week’s targeted strike action is being taken by members who work in sections which have a high turnover of work that others rely on. It is anticipated that backlogs of work will build up quickly. The strike involves members who are mainly based at Citygate in Manchester and the branch will hold picket lines outside the offices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-10.30am. Please go along to Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HQ to show your support 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
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
Prospect
Supporting members with monies owed from Aita Films Ltd (27 Mar) – Bectu is supporting members with monies owed who were contracted by Aita Films Ltd to work on the upcoming British film, Angels in the Asylum. If this applies to you, Bectu members can get in touch via: [email protected] 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. NEXT strike action will be on this Tuesday and Wednesday 11-12 March
GMB
Thames Water picks ‘preferred bidder’ (31 Mar) – GMB Union has responded to Thames Water picking US private equity giant KKR as its “preferred partner” to buy the troubled water utility firm. Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said: “The private sector has failed Thames customers, the workforce and the environment. Thames Water should be nationalised before more damage is done.” Read more
Derby Council risk putting taxi owners out of business (31 Mar) – Controversial changes to the City’s taxi licencing regime have caused uproar, says GMB. GMB Union, representing hundreds of Derby City private hire taxi drivers, has today called on Derby City Council to think twice about controversial reforms to the City’s taxi licensing rules. The plans will threaten the licenses of hundreds of drivers using vehicles made before 2021. Council bosses have proposed to slash the licensable age of vehicles from fifteen years old to just five. The Council’s plans will put Derby out of step with neighbouring city’s such as Nottingham, where the licensable age of taxi’s is set at 10 years read more
Sellafield nuclear waste should be used – not buried (28 Mar) – Nuclear waste from the Sellafield site must be used, rather than buried in the ground, GMB Union has said. The Cumbrian site has one of the world’s largest stockpiles of plutonium and the Government’s plan is to make it safe, then bury it in the ground. GMB Union met Lord Hunt – a Minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – is calling for his department to explore its potential role in the UK’s energy future read more
Leeds faces care service collapse (28 Mar) – Leeds faces a complete collapse of its care system as 12 of the cities providers threaten to withdraw their services. The care companies, which represent half the city’s providers, have written to Leeds City Council saying they will be forced to stop looking after their 1,500 service users unless the council stumps up more cash. The cost of care provision will rise by an estimated 8.6 per cent due to National Insurance increases and inflation. Meanwhile the council is only offering a 1.6 per cent increase in funding, leaving a deficit of 7 per cent to be borne by the care providers. The care companies urge the council to reassess the proposed uplift, move towards a neighbourhood model, as used in Bradford and Sheffield and strengthen provider engagement and oversight read more
90 per cent aviation workers suffer abuse in ‘war zone’ airports (25 Mar) – GMB Trade Union – 90 per cent aviation workers suffer abuse in ‘war zone’ airports
Dozens of aviation workers will descend on Parliament today [Wednesday] after shock poll shows almost 90 per cent of them have suffered abuse at work read more
Banks hotels and pubs face money shortage as cash workers strike (24 Mar) – Banks, hotels, ATMs and pubs face a cash shortage as more than 1,000 G4S workers vote to strike over a real terms pay cut. GMB members deliver money to companies such as NatWest, Lloyds Santander, Tesco, Asda, Wetherspoons, McDonalds and Travelodge. Workers have voted to strike with a majority of 91 per cent, on a 59 per cent turnout. They after being offered a deal as low as 1.4 per cent in some cases, while G4S’s directed competitor Loomis offered workers 4.6 per cent earlier this year. Industrial action could take place as early as the Easter bank holiday, with business and ATMs potentially left without cash, while airports may run out of foreign currency read more
River Thames weir and lock keepers set for strike vote (17 Mar) – River Thames weir and lockkeepers are set to ballot for industrial action over safety concerns, GMB has warned the Government. In a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the union says workers are ready to act following ‘budget-driven decisions’ that are ‘putting people and property at risk’. There are only 52 permanent staff on the river, plus 10 temporary posts which expire at the end of this year and have yet to be filled. According to a 2008 EA assessment, more than 100 staff were needed during peak season. Climate change has seen an increase in severe weather and flooding, with workers managing multiple weirs while being denied the required 24-hour or 48-hour rest periods between shifts – posing a safety risk to both the public and staff. GMB members have now told the union they are ready to act read more
Whisky workers vote on strike action after talks bail (5 Mar) – Whisky workers at Inver House distillery will vote on strike action after refusing a 3 per cent pay rise. The Lanarkshire-based company, with distilleries across the Highlands, refused to re-open talks and engage with conciliation service Acas as workers seek a 4 per cent deal. A consultative ballot showed 94 per cent support for a vote on industrial action if talks broke down. The three-week ballot of GMB members on possible industrial action closes on 24 March. Inver House has five distilleries across the Highlands and produces whiskies including Balblair, Balmemach, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney and Speyburn. The company is a subsidiary of ThaiBev, one of the biggest drinks companies in Southeast Asia which recorded profits of £600m last year read more
South London parking wardens stop issuing tickets (3 Mar) – Forced by ‘penny-pinching’ employer, wardens across four boroughs will stop issuing tickets from today. More than 200 parking wardens and environmental officers across four London Boroughs are due to stop issuing tickets as a form of industrial action from today [Monday 3rd March]. This is the continuation of a dispute which has seen GMB members take 14 days of strike action since November. The action is being taken by wardens in Wandsworth, Richmond, Lambeth and Kingston, and will continue indefinitely or until APCOA agree to settle the dispute read more
Britain faces potential Nandos shortage union warns (20 Feb) – Workers supplying the UK’s favourite Peri-Peri chicken are preparing to strike, says GMB. GMB Union has today warned of the potential for Nandos shortages on highstreets and delivery apps across the country. The warning comes as workers at the restaurant chain’s main poultry provider, Avara Foods, are considering strike action. Over 500 Avara workers could join the strike action after bosses threatened de-recognition of their trade union. Avara is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of poultry products to supermarkets and restaurants, including Nandos read more
Strike ballot opens at Tower Hamlets school over planned job cuts (14 Feb) – GMB Union has today (Friday 14 February) opened a ballot for members at St Luke’s Church of England Primary School after the school put forward plans to cut more than 20 per cent of teaching assistant roles. A recent indicative ballot saw over 90 per cent of GMB members at the school vote for strike action. Under the proposals, 6 of the 27 teaching assistants employed by the school would be made redundant. A further 2 agency teaching assistants will not have their contracts renewed. The school, located on the Isle of Dogs, has a significant number of pupils with special educational needs. The proposed redundancies raise questions about how well those pupils will be supported with fewer staff in the classroom. The ballot will close on Tuesday 4 March 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
Delays to health workers’ pay rise causing huge problems for NHS, says UNISON (1 Apr) – It looks like the government is simply repeating the mistakes of the past. The government’s decision to stick with the ‘painfully slow’ NHS pay review body process means yet another lengthy delay before health workers in England* get the annual wage rise they should be due today (Tuesday), says UNISON. NHS staff are meant to receive their pay increase on 1 April every year, but this hasn’t been delivered on time in a very long while, adds the union. And this year is no different with the workforce left waiting once more. Unions had hoped the change of government would signal a break from the past and the poor way Conservative governments had handled NHS pay. Staff too had been banking on a different approach, says UNISON read more
Donate to show solidarity with members at Livv Housing (24 Mar) – UNISON members have been taking action over pay since last October. Christina McAnea joined Livv Housing members on the picket line earlier this year. UNISON is launching a national appeal to support members at Livv Housing on Merseyside, who are taking strike action in a long-running dispute that stems from years of below-inflation pay increases read more
For strike dates, read more on Knowsley Unison website and Facebook page. Please donate to strike funds by emailing [email protected] for details
Staff at Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals start three-day strike over pay (17 Mar) – “Phlebotomists are vital to the health service and deserve much better than the treatment they’ve received.” Read more
Support Manchester Mental Health strikes by Unison and Unite members read more on Mancunian Matters website
NIPSA
Industrial Action by Teaching Staff (12 Feb) – You will be aware that the teaching staff have entered into a period of industrial action by taking action short of strike action in relation to teacher’s pay. NIPSA members are encouraged to support this action and should only undertake work in accordance with their normal duties and job descriptions. Support can be shown by not undertaking any additional responsibilities that may arise directly from the action short of strike action. Please extend solidarity to our teaching colleagues fighting for fair pay read more
Royal College of Nursing
NHS pay: your increase is late (1 Apr) – Government is failing to deliver on promises to nursing – staff must get significant pay rise and pay reform now read more
‘Sort out the nursing crisis’, RCN General Secretary tells MPs (26 Mar) – Scrapping of NHS England must mean tangible improvements for patients and nursing staff, Professor Nicola Ranger said in an appearance at a cross-party committee of MPs read more
RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more
CSP
CSP launches pay survey for NHS members (10 Mar) – The CSP is inviting members employed by the NHS in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to take part in a pay survey read more
BMA
Unprecedented demand: how the NHS has been brought to its knees (31 Mar) – ‘Corridor care’ is endemic in all major emergency departments in Wales, resulting in patient harm and loss of life read more
NEU
Use of teacher pension flexibility for pay (21 Mar) – Commenting on research by the Education Policy Institute suggesting teacher pay increases could be made at the expense of reduced pensions, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said; “The money to pay teachers properly must come from additional Government investment in our education service, not teachers sacrificing retirement benefits which would make the teaching profession less not more attractive. What is needed is a major pay correction to reverse the real terms cuts to teacher pay of around a fifth since 2010, starting with a fully funded above inflation pay rise this year…” read more
NEU launches indicative ballot on pay (1 Mar) – The National Education Union (NEU) has today (Saturday) launched a preliminary electronic ballot on the need for a fully funded pay award that takes steps to address the crisis in recruitment and retention. Around 284,000 teacher members working in maintained schools across England will be consulted over the government’s recommendation to the School Teachers’ Review Body of an unfunded pay rise of 2.8 per cent for teachers in 2025/26. A 2.8 per cent increase is likely to be below inflation and would do nothing to repair the damage to the competitive position of teacher pay against other graduate professions. Teachers face another pay cut. The already critical recruitment and retention problems damaging our education service will get even worse. The pay recommendation is unfunded read more
United Learning ballot (26 Feb) – The National Education Union has begun a formal strike ballot of around 400 teacher members working at 14 of United Learning’s independent schools in a dispute over pay. The employer’s pay offer is between 2-3%, depending on the workplace. This is insulting. If it were to be adopted, this would see teachers’ pay rates in many of the trust’s independent schools fall even further below the levels set by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document for state schools with a number of schools falling below this level for the first time. The union is calling on United Learning to address longstanding pay erosion in the 14 schools with an 8% pay offer. We are seeking a commitment of parity with pay scales in the state sector. This is the first time there has been a national ballot at the trust, one of the largest operators of independent schools in the UK. The ballot opens today (26 February) and closes on 26 March, with action anticipated for week commencing 28 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:-
NASUWT
Female teachers facing more frequent violence and abuse in Scottish schools (31 Mar) – Female teachers in Scotland are more likely to be physically attacked by pupils than their male colleagues and to experience such abuse more frequently, research from NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, suggests read more
Northern Ireland members reject pay and workload offer (28 Mar) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union in Northern Ireland – has today confirmed that its members have voted to reject the recent pay and workload offer, which included a 5.5% pay rise and a Heads of Agreement aimed at tackling workload issues in schools. 56% of NASUWT members voted in favour of rejecting the offer, with 6100 teachers participating in the survey read more
Kent teachers strike over attempts to downgrade pensions (27 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Farringtons School in Chislehurst, Kent, are today taking strike action over changes to their pensions which will make them significantly worse off in their retirement. The fee paying school is seeking to force teachers to accept detrimental changes to their pension contributions. Those wishing to remain in Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) will see cuts to their pay or will have to join an inferior pension scheme. The employer has refused to recognise the NASUWT in discussions over the proposals and members have been left with no other option than to take strike action to seek to protect their incomes and their pensions. Further days of strike action are set to be taken on Tuesday 4 March, Wednesday 5 March, Tuesday 11 March, Wednesday 12 March and Thursday 13 March read more
Stockport teachers strike over violence and abuse from pupils (26 Feb) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Werneth School in Stockport will take the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) over working practices which have led to teachers being unacceptably exposed to poor student behaviour including verbal and physical assaults. Changes to working practices at the start of the autumn term have led to an increase in disruptive and violent behaviour from pupils. Four days of strike action originally due to take place last December were withdrawn to give the employer an opportunity to resolve the dispute. However, despite some changes, members do not feel substantive improvements have been made and have been left with no choice but to reinstate strike action read more
Strike action at Reading school over pensions fire and rehire threat (24 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Leighton Park School in Reading are taking the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over attempts by the employer to make teachers choose between their pension and their pay. 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 accepting a 7% 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
Real-term pay cut prompts strike action at Liverpool schools (21 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Merchant Taylors’ Schools in Liverpool (Merchant Taylors’ Senior Boys and Girls and Stanfield Preparatory School) will be taking the first of five planned days of strike action on Wednesday over teachers’ pay. Members have been given only a 1.14% pay award for the current academic year, in comparison to the 5.5% rise awarded to teachers in the state sector read more
NASUWT members vote for action in sixth form college disputes (11 Feb) – In ballots of teachers in sixth form colleges, NASUWT – the Teachers’ Union, has today announced that members in 23 sixth form colleges have voted in support of strike action and/or action short of strike action in their disputes over teachers’ pay. The Union is in dispute with individual college employers and with the sixth form colleges association over their failure to deliver a 5.5% pay award for 2024-25 backdated to September 2024. As a result of the NASUWT’s decision to ballot members working in sixth form college academies, the employers have confirmed that a 5.5% pay award backdated to September 2024 will now be paid to all teachers. Once the pay awards are implemented, the NASUWT’s disputes in individual sixth form college academies will be resolved. However, where employers of teachers working in non-academy sixth form colleges do not commit to paying in full a 5.5% award backdated to September 2024, NASUWT remains in dispute and members will take industrial action having voted in support with a turnout of 56%. NASUWT has identified significant levels of funding available to sixth form colleges with around £500 million in reserves. In April 2025, colleges will additionally receive a share of £50 million additional funding read more
Teachers at Liverpool school take strike action over adverse management practices (3 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Gateacre School in Liverpool will be taking the first of five planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over concerns about the way in which they are being managed and a failure to recognise workforce trade unions. Members have been subject to a long-standing culture of adverse management practices and treatment which has undermined their wellbeing, health and safety in the workplace. This includes excessive workloads and working hours, the failure to address poor pupil behaviour and excessive monitoring and surveillance of staff. The employer has also failed to agree to any collective bargaining arrangements with education workforce trade unions. Northern Schools Trust, which officially took over the running of the school in December, derecognised workforce trade unions several years ago read more
EIS
Robert Gordon University Lecturers Vote for Strike Action in Fight Against Job Cuts (21 Mar) – Lecturers at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over cuts and redundancies at the university. The ballot, organised by the EIS closed yesterday and resulted in a strong majority vote in favour of strike action, with 83% of those voting backing strike action. The EIS has now notified the university of the result, which gives the EIS a clear mandate to take strike action, should the dispute not be resolved in the near future read more
INTO
Member Update: Revised Pay Offer Update (28 Mar) – NITC today informed Management Side that they are not collectively in a position to accept the revised pay offer from management. NITC remains committed to urgently finding a resolution that is acceptable to all constituent Unions. INTO thanks members for participating in this pay consultation. It is clear from the consultation that members are unwilling to accept the revised offer issued on 19th March 2025. INTO reminds members that Action Short of Strike that began on 10th February remains in place. Details of the action are available on the INTO website and can be accessed HERE. INTO will continue to negotiate on behalf of members for a clear pay offer from management side read more
UCU
UCU Stop the Cuts national, cross-sector demonstration in Central London Saturday 10 May (more details to follow). Sign petition against the education cuts
Strike ballot looms at Kendal College over low pay (26 Mar) – The UCU has today launched a formal trade dispute with Kendal College over its failure to table any pay offer whatsoever this year. This is despite college employer body, the Association of Colleges, making its formal pay recommendation for the 2024/25 academic year six months ago in October 2024. The dispute was declared after an overwhelming 98% of UCU members who voted supported the move, in a ballot that saw over 50% turnout. It paves the way for a strike ballot if management refuses to resolve the dispute read more
Cardiff University staff overwhelmingly vote for strike action (25 Mar) – Cardiff University staff have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in a fight against huge job cuts. A massive 83% backed strike action, while 86% backed action short of a strike up to and including an assessment boycott, in a ballot that saw over 64% of Cardiff UCU members vote. The ballot result means that staff could now down tools unless management agrees to rule out compulsory redundancies. Staff will meet later this week to decide and vote upon next steps including the options of strike action and action short of a strike, which could disrupt student graduations this summer. Management claims it needs to make deep cuts to balance the books, but UCU’s independent analysis of Cardiff University’s finances shows they could draw on £188m in available cash to protect jobs and student provision. Since the cuts were announced, Cardiff University leaders have come under sustained pressure to reverse them read more
University of Kent staff to strike this week over increasing workload and threats to jobs (24 Mar) – Staff at the University of Kent are striking every day this week over management failure to rule out compulsory job cuts, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. Staff at the University of Kent are striking every day this week over management failure to rule out compulsory job cuts, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today (Monday 24 March) read more
Sheffield Hallam staff to strike on Monday & Tuesday over withheld pay (21 Mar) – Staff at Sheffield Hallam University will strike on Monday and Tuesday over management’s decision to withhold part of staff pay for seven months. Staff will be on picket lines outside the Owen building both strike days from 8:30am-11.30am. The dispute is over Hallam management’s refusal to implement the 2024/25 pay award of 2.7% from Thursday 1 August 2024, equivalent to around £100 per month for the average lecturer once pension costs are factored in. The university initially claimed it could not afford to implement the award, but belatedly did so this month, after UCU won its strike ballot. However, management still refuses to pay staff their seven months of lost earnings from August (2024), when the uplift should have come in read more
UEA staff to strike over job cuts (20 Mar) – Staff at the University of East Anglia (UEA) will strike on Wednesday 26 March in a fight against job cuts that saw almost one in six staff put at risk of redundancy, announced the UCU. The strike comes after an overwhelming 82% of UEA UCU members who voted backed strike action in an industrial ballot with a turnout of 67%. Staff will also be taking action short of strike from Wednesday 26 March, which will include working to rule. The dispute is over management’s threat to cut over 190 staff to meet continued budget shortfalls at the institution read more
Industrial action warning over cuts at Edinburgh University (17 Mar) – The University and College Union (UCU) Scotland today (Monday) warned the principal of the University of Edinburgh that strikes and other forms of industrial action are a real possibility if senior management don’t roll back on threats of £140million cuts and take compulsory redundancies off the table. UCU members at the university were asked in a consultative ballot if they would be willing to take strike action if the university didn’t rule out compulsory redundancies. In a turnout of 59%, easily beating the anti-trade union threshold, 75% of members voting said that they would be willing to strike. 85% said that they would also take part in action short of strike which could include working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertake voluntary duties. If the same vote was repeated in a statutory ballot, which could open in the coming weeks, then the university will face the possibility of strikes and other action on campus read more
University of Bradford staff back strike action over 300 job cull (17 Mar) – University of Bradford staff have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a consultative ballot over plans to axe at least 300 jobs in a programme of cuts that will see chemistry and film & television courses shut down. An overwhelming 69% of staff who voted in the consultative ballot backed strike action, with the turnout surpassing the 50% anti-trade union threshold. If the result is repeated in a statutory ballot then the university faces the possibility of strikes on campus. The dispute is over the huge cuts programme university management is attempting to force through read more
University crisis will see over 10,000 staff lose their jobs, fears UCU (4 Mar) – UK higher education faces an unprecedented crisis, the University and College Union (UCU) declared today, with new data compiled by the union showing over 5,000 jobs at risk. The announcement comes as UCU launches ‘Stop the Cuts, Fund Higher Education Now’, a campaign calling for urgent action from the Labour government. So far, this academic year, university employers have announced their intention to cut over 5,000 jobs (5,361), while at least five other universities have asked staff to quit but refused to specify how much they want to cut from their staffing budget. Alongside this the sector has announced over £238m of cuts and declared deficits of at least £30m. Were university bosses to plug these holes solely through axing staff, UCU fears around 5,000 more jobs could go (4,739) read more
Brunel University staff begin strike action over job cuts (27 Feb) – Staff at Brunel University will begin 16 days of industrial action tomorrow in defence of jobs, announced the University and College Union (UCU). The first day of strike action will take place on Friday 28th February 2025, with further dates planned over six weeks. Staff will be on picket lines from 8:00 am to 10:00 am each day outside the Mary Seacole Building. The full strike dates are:-
- Week 1: Friday 28th February (1 day)
- Week 2: Wednesday 12th March (1 day)
- Week 3: Tuesday 18th March and Thursday 20th March (2 days)
- Week 4: Monday 24th March, Tuesday 25th March, and Friday 28th March (3 days)
- Week 5: Tuesday 1st April, Wednesday 2nd April, Thursday 3rd April, and Friday 4th April (4 days)
- Week 6: Monday 7th April, Tuesday 8th April, Wednesday 9th April, Thursday 10th April, and Friday 11th April (5 days)
The dispute arose over management’s plans to make 423 job cuts, 282 of which are compulsory redundancies read more
Strike ballot to open at Durham University over impact of £20m cuts (24 Feb) – Over 1,000 members of staff at Durham University are set to be balloted for strike action at Durham University, over plans by management to cut £20m from the university’s staffing budget. The ballot will open next Tuesday and run until Tuesday 1st April. It comes as management says it intends to axe around 200 professional services jobs by the end of summer with even more staff due to be culled next year read more
15 days of strike action begins today at University of Dundee (24 Feb) – University and College Union (UCU) members at the University of Dundee today (Monday) begin 15* days of strike action over the university’s £30million deficit and the threat to cut jobs including by the use of compulsory redundancies. Staff at the university will strike each weekday for the next three weeks. In an earlier ballot over whether to strike, 74% of those voting backed strike action on a turnout of 64%. Staff will be on picket lines from 8am-11am outside the Tower Building on Perth Road in Dundee read more
University of Sheffield strike ballot opens today over plan to put as many as 1,000 staff at risk of redundancy (24 Feb) – Staff at the University of Sheffield are being asked to vote in support of strike action in a ballot that opened this morning. The strike ballot is over plans from management to threaten as many as 1,000 staff with redundancy. It will close on Monday 31 March, and a successful result would pave the way for strike action as soon as April if management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies. The dispute is over management’s goal of cutting £23m from its staffing budget over this academic year and the next. UCU estimates this equates to over 400 jobs. The union believes as many as 1,000 professional services staff are about to be threatened with redundancy in a restructure of every school within the university read more
UCU: Please sign – Remove Coventry University vice-chancellor from government role
Up to 14 days of strike action to hit Newcastle University in March (14 Feb) – Newcastle University staff will strike for 14 days next month unless management protects jobs. The full strike dates are:-
- Week 1: Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 March
- Week 2: Monday 10, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March
- Week 3: Monday 17, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 March
- Week 4: Monday 24, Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March
Staff will be on picket lines outside university buildings each day of strike action read more
10 days of strike action begins tomorrow at University of Sheffield International College (11 Feb) – Staff at the University of Sheffield International College (USIC) will down tools tomorrow in the first of up to ten days of strike action in a fight to protect jobs. Staff will be on picket lines every day of strike action from 8am-12pm outside the campus building on Solley Street. The full strike days are:-
- Week 1: Wednesday 12 and Friday 14 February
- Week 2: Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 February
- Week 3: Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 February
- Week 4: Tuesday 4 March and Thursday 6 March
- Week 5: Monday 10 March
The strike comes after USIC put 36 staff in the student support and academic teaching teams at risk of redundancy by April 2025. 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 financial situation as a “short-term gap” in communications to staff read more
Staff overwhelmingly back strike action at University of East Anglia over brutal cuts (6 Feb) – An overwhelming 82% of University of East Anglia (UEA) staff have voted in favour of strike action. The ballot resulted in the highest turnout UEA UCU has ever achieved, reaching 67%. 84% of staff also backed action short of strike, which could consist of working to rule. UCU said management now needs to begin meaningful negotiations to prevent compulsory redundancies if it wants to avoid industrial unrest. The dispute is over management’s threat to cut over 190 staff members to meet continued budget shortfalls. 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. This dispute follows over 400 staff leaving UEA in 2023 due to management’s projected £40m deficit in that year read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
FBU disabled and neurodivergent members call for government to reverse “cruel” welfare cuts (27 Mar) – The steering committee of the Fire Brigades Union Disabled & Neurodivergent Members forum has today issued a statement condemning the government’s cuts to welfare read more
POA
National Chair update March 2025 read here
Employment rights bill and prison officers right to strike (13 Mar) – POA Circular 14/2025 explained to members that John McDonnell MP had submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate the basic human right of Prison Officers ability to withdraw their labour. The Executive invited members, their families, friends and others in the Trade Union movement to contact their MPS to support the amendments. As a result of the campaign 1572 people contacted their MP by email, along with many others who contacted their MP by other means. Despite this, MPs were denied a vote on John’s proposal and the Bill has now gone through the Report Stage without John’s amendments included and we will continue to have our basic rights denied. John McDonnell did speak in the House of Commons on his amendments and a link to his speech can be found here. In addition, the following MPs added their name to the amendment: John McDonnell, Mary Kelly Foy, Richard Burgon, Mike Amesbury, Dr Simon Opher, Jon Trickett, Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Kim Johnson, Nadia Whittome, Steve Witherden, Kate Osborne, Imran Hussain, Jeremy Corbyn, Andy McDonald, Ian Byrne, and Zarah Sultana read more
Steve Gillan calls on all MPs to support John McDonnell’s amendments to the Workers Rights Bill (8 Mar) – POA General Secretary Steve Gillan calls on all MPs to stand up for working people by supporting John McDonnell’s amendments to the Workers Rights Bill watch video
Prison officers’ right to strike (4 Mar) – As you are aware, in 1994 the right to strike for Prison Officers was removed by the then Tory Government via S127 of the Criminal Justice Act. The incoming Blair Government committed to reinstating the right to strike in England and Wales but failed to follow through on its pledge. Meanwhile the Scottish Government reinstated the right to strike for Prison Officers there in 2015. The right of Prison Officers to withdraw their labour is a fundamental human right recognised by the United Nations and should be reinstated for all UK Prison Officers. As the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Commons former Labour Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP has submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate this basic human right for Prison Officers in the rest of the UK. Please contact your local MP, urging them to support the amendments. This can be done by following the link below: https://unityconsulting.good.do/prisonofficersrighttostrike/poarighttostrike2025/ read more
Reinstate our right to strike demands prison officers’ leaders (4 Mar) – The right of Prison officers to withdraw their labour is a fundamental human right recognised by the United Nations and should be reinstated for all the UK’s Prison Officers according to the Prison Officers Union. In 1994 the right to strike for Prison Officers was removed by the then Tory Government. The incoming Blair Government committed to reinstating the right to strike in England and Wales but failed to follow through on its pledge. Meanwhile the Scottish Government reinstated the right to strike for Prison officers there in 2015. As the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Commons former Labour Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP has submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate this basic human right for Prison Officers in the rest of the UK read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
Nautilus International
Nautilus meets representatives of Stena Line Pte Ltd to review pay scales/rank structure (21 Mar) – On Thursday 13 March 2025, Nautilus head of industrial Mick Smyth and liaison officers Gareth Battersea, John Mallalue and Russell Marshall visited Stena Line’s offices at Skypark, Glasgow to review the pay scales/rank structure for all officer positions at the company read more
NUJ
NUJ writes to Turkish ambassadors to the UK and Ireland (28 Mar) – The union has raised its concern with both ambassadors over the deportation of Mark Lowen, BBC News journalist. The National Union of Journalists has written to the Turkish ambassadors to the UK and Ireland, expressing grave concern over the expulsion of Mark Lowen, BBC journalist, from Istanbul because of his coverage of anti-government protests, and the ongoing crackdown on media freedom read more
NUJ statement on the deportation of Mark Lowen (27 Mar) – The BBC News correspondent reporting from Türkiye was deported for “being a threat to public order.” Read more
Türkiye: 11 journalists detained in dawn raids (25 Mar) – The union is urging the immediate release of journalists detained across cities by Turkish police. The National Union of Journalists joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the crackdown on journalism in Türkiye read more
Palestine: journalists Hassan Shabat and Mohammed Monsour killed by Israeli air strikes (25 Mar) – NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists in condemning the killing of Palestinian journalists on 24 March read more
Equity
Equity join Ana Matronic, Peaches Christ, Cheddar Gorgeous and Crystal at Justice for Heklina protest (31 Mar) – Protesters marched to New Scotland Yard to call for Justice for Heklina, the drag artist who was found dead at a flat in Soho on 3 April 2023 read more
Win for BBC audio drama campaign (31 Mar) – Audio drama will remain a feature on BBC radio following Equity’s campaign read more
MSPs pledge support for ‘Save River City’ campaign on set of soap as petition surpasses 10,000 signatures ((26 Mar) – Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has backed Equity’s ‘Save River City’ campaign, alongside Jackie Baillie, Neil Bibby and Pam Duncan-Glancy read more
Welsh National Opera chorus vote to renew industrial action mandate (26 Mar) – Equity members of the WNO chorus have voted in favour of further industrial action. Equity members of the Welsh National Opera chorus have voted in favour of industrial action in a re-ballot on the ongoing dispute over proposed cuts to jobs, terms and conditions. The chorus will continue to take action short of strike from 9 April onwards. The mandate for action lasted for six months and as the dispute remains unresolved, a re-ballot took place, closing this week. WNO Equity members have voted 95% in favour of action short of strike and 91% in favour of strike action on a 100% turnout read more
Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club launch fighting fund to save BGWMC (25 Feb) – Friends group are campaigning to save the iconic venue. Equity is encouraging members to support the Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC) as they start fundraising to save the iconic London venue. Equity has backed the campaign by the Friends of BGWMC since last summer when the programming team at BGWMC were given two months’ notice to shut down and vacate the venue read more
Musicians’’ Union
Curriculum Review: Sign the Campaign Letter to Help Make Space for the Arts in Schools (31 Mar) – Following the publication of an interim report from the government’s Curriculum Review, our open letter to ministers highlights the desperate need to make space for the arts in schools read more
Fix Streaming: Making the Case for Session Players (28 Mar) – How can the music industry fix streaming for session players and ensure that all artists get fair pay from music streaming? Musicians’ Union (MU) General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains 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
Statement – British Steel, Scunthorpe (27 Mar) – Steel unions Community, GMB and Unite are calling on the government to do everything possible to secure the future of steelmaking in Scunthorpe. This follows the devastating announcement that British Steel owner Jingye is launching a consultation on closing the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe steelworks this June, or at a later date if an agreement with the Government can be reached read more
USDAW
Usdaw remains baffled by the Tories’ continued opposition to improving workers’ rights (28 Mar) – Retail trade union Usdaw welcomes progress on Labour delivering their manifesto promise of a new deal for workers, as the Employment Rights Bill passes second reading in the House of Lords. It will now go for detailed scrutiny in committee. The landmark legislation seeks to end unfair employment practices and make work more secure read more
Asda Express workers to be paid the real Living Wage as Usdaw negotiates a 4.7% wage boost (27 Mar) – Retail trade union Usdaw has negotiated an above-inflation pay increase for Asda Express, Foodservice and LEON staff, which will put them on the real Living Wage. Pay is increasing in three stages to £12.21 per hour in April, £12.45 in July and £12.60 in October read more
UVW
Victory for UVW: Solace Women’s Aid workers stop devastating job cuts (31 Mar) – “Victory belongs to those who stand against injustice and unfairness, who believe in the power of collective action to create real, lasting change.” – Karina Cuji, UVW member and Independent Domestic Violence Advisor. The workers at Solace Women’s Aid have won! After months of tireless campaigning, the threat of mass redundancies at the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) charity withdrawn has been completely read more
UVW cleaners at the V&A Museum join the fight for a fair wage (26 Mar) – “We need a fair wage. We can’t make ends meet.” Like so many outsourced workers in wealthy institutions, the cleaners at the Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) in London, now members of UVW and mostly migrants from Latin America, are overworked and underpaid. Outsourced to contractor TSS, they keep the world-renowned museum spotless but are treated unfairly compared to directly employed staff. These workers are paid just £11.75 an hour, just pennies above the minimum wage. They get no company sick pay and lose 100% of their pay for the first three days of sickness, only getting £23.35 a day after that. But they have had enough of poverty wages and inferior conditions. They are now demanding £14.50 an hour, full sick pay from day one and an extra week of annual leave read more
Museum strikes paused again as pay offer promised by 1 April – Following talks between UVW and Wilson James earlier this week, the incredible guards at Natural History Museum, London Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum have agreed to suspend daily strikes due to commence on 7 March, following confirmation that a pay offer will be presented by 1 April. The guards are demanding a significant pay rise after years of poverty pay, full sick pay for day one, more annual leave and other benefits. Since last October, 76 days of strike action have been called including periods of daily walks outs.
Strike action will resume in April if the museums fail to deliver UVW Facebook page
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
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU BNM Recycling members defer strike after progress on working conditions protection (28 Mar) – SIPTU members employed by Bord na Móna Recycling, the country’s last publicly owned domestic waste collection service, have deferred strike action scheduled to begin on Wednesday (2nd April) following acceptance by management that their conditions of employment must be protected in any proposed sale of the company read more
Other news
From SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) – Call to Action!
Housing Crisis Workplace Impact Survey:-
To aid our engagement with trade unions, and to expose a well-hidden aspect of the housing crisis, we have a survey about the impact of the housing crisis in the workplace.
The survey is completely anonymous. It asks about the impact of rising rents, as well as stress, illness and injury triggered by bad housing which in turn leads to workplace absences. The survey closes on 31st March 2025.
Please help by filling in the survey if you are in work, and for all to circulate within your networks.
www.shaction.org/housing-in-the-workplace-survey/
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.
See Stop the War website for info on protests. The next national demonstration in central London is on Saturday 17th May 12noon
A number of unions have issued statements on the situation in the Middle East, including: the TUC, FBU, RMT, NEU, Unite, Unison, PCS, ASLEF, TSSA, UCU, EIS, CWU, Equity, BMA, NUJ, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)
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
‘SPYCOPS’ EXPOSED AND DEFEATED – Campaigners have successfully exposed the scandal of 50 years of secret undercover political policing. In fact activists are also celebrating 5 decades of struggles for a better world, despite police spying and repression
Affiliate to the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) here
ITV documentary – https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/itv-spycops-documentary-coming-soon-spring-2025/
www.campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com
https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/
https://tmg-uk.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/?locale=en_GB
https://powerbase.info/index.php/UndercoverResearch_Portal
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
Turkey’s People Rise Up for Democracy (25 Mar) – Mass protests are sweeping across Turkey as people take to the streets against the oppressive rule of President Erdoğan, which has made life unbearable for many read more on the website of SPOT – Solidarity with the People of Turkey
Online Rally: Thursday 3rd April
#SolidarityWithTurkey #StandWithTurkey #FreeThemAll
Please share widely and stand with us! ✊
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
Diary
2025
July
5 NSSN Annual Conference 2025 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall London
12 Durham Miners Gala details
18–20 Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival details
