NSSN 727: Support the Strikes, fight Starmer’s austerity – Come to NSSN Conference on 5th July

NSSN Annual Conference 2025 – Make the rich pay not workers!  

11am-4.30pm Saturday 5^th July in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Attendance fee – £10  Facebook event

Confirmed speakers so far – Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Steve Wright FBU General Secretary, Annoesjka Valent NAPO National Official

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.  

Model motion and letter for union branches & trades councils to get support for NSSN conference

Peoples Assembly demonstration: Austerity is a political choice, welfare not warfare, stop the far-right, stop the cuts – Saturday 7^th June in Central London   

Support the Unite Birmingham Bin Strike

The NSSN supported the Mega Picket at Lifford Lane Bin Depot on 9^th May, called by Strike Map in solidarity with the indefinite Unite Birmingham bin strike. There was a tremendous turnout, bringing together striking binworkers supported by trade unionists both locally and from across the country. Very quickly, the Labour council closed the depot as hundreds and hundreds assembled outside the gates.

This was a victory against the brutal attack by the council against the income of hardworking binworkers, hopefully giving a boost to the workers, who have been on strike for about 60 days.

The NSSN will continue to give full solidarity to Unite and the striking binworkers and will keep mobilising support for the strike and for any action called to back the workers.

Unite: Birmingham council real plans laid bare as it now announces savage cuts for bin drivers (29 Apr) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has said the council’s decision to now cut bin lorry drivers’ pay shows an escalation in the dispute and the council’s real plans to use workers’ pay as a way to cut costs. Under the council’s plans the pay rate of drivers will reduce from £40,000 to £32,000, a pay cut of £8,000, a fifth of their income. Last week Unite said that it believed that a deal to end the long running bin strike could be “within touching distance” provided the council did not cut the pay of drivers. The council’s decision to cut the pay of bin drivers, exposes public statements made by council leader John Cotton that no worker “need lose pay” as a lie. Unite is calling on John Cotton, leader of the council to be present at the ACAS talks. He can hide no longer. The Labour government has a clear role in this dispute. The council’s financial problems are directly linked to its £3.9 billion debt, which is owned by the government. If the government restructured or reduced the debt the council would not need to cut workers’ pay read more

Sign petition to support binworkers 

Send a message of support to Unite and the binworkers

Donate to the strike fund – Unite WM/7186 Branch, account: 20308397, sort code: 608301. Title donation: BCC Strike Donation 

Twenty-five unions sign open letter calling on government and Birmingham Council to end bin strike read more in Morning Star

Download and distribute our new NSSN Workplace Report    

Affiliate your union branch/trades council to NSSN (£50).   

Renew/donate online (HSBC: 40-06-41, 90143790)   

Cheque (NSSN, 16 Warren Rd, London E10 5QA).   

Affiliation letter    

Union News    

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RMT    

RMT National Dispute Fund     

Rail Freight Future Campaign Launched (16 May) – On Wednesday May 7 we held a round table with MPs in Portcullis House, Westminster, to launch our Rail Freight Future campaign and share with them our factsheet report and asks from the campaign read more

Offshore workers must not be casualties of clean energy transition, warns RMT (14 May) – RMT is demanding urgent action from government to deliver a worker-led transition in the offshore energy sector, warning that rising redundancies among oil and gas workers cannot be ignored. The union which represents workers in the offshore energy sector, has said it is committed to working with the government but has insisted that any green transition must centre around workers, ensuring secure well-paid jobs for the long-term future read more

ASLEF  

ASLEF: Drivers at Hull Trains take strike action tomorrow (17 Apr) – Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, and Dave Calfe, president of ASLEF’s executive committee, will join Nigel Roebuck, ASLEF’s full-time organiser in the north-east of England, and lead officer with Hull Trains, on the picket line at the front of the railway station in Hull tomorrow [Friday]. ASLEF members at Hull Trains are taking industrial action in defence of a driver who has been unfairly sacked and has done nothing wrong read more

TSSA

TSSA opens campaign to protect British Transport Police (14 May) – TSSA has begun a campaign calling on the Westminster government to halt a series of damaging cuts at BTP which would potentially lead to job losses and a drastic reduction in police presence at railway stations. Activists gathered at King’s Cross station in central London to demand a fair funding deal for BTP and received strong support from passengers and the public. TSSA is the only recognised trade union within BTP and represents Police staff all grades including PCSOs. The union is warning that, for instance, the plans would leave no Transport Police presence between Preston and stations in Scotland, exposing both the public and railway workers to greater risk read more

Unite    

Unite welcomes decision to fine British Airways over severe staff injuries at Heathrow (16 May) – Unite, the UK’s leading union representing workers in the airline industry, has today (16 May) welcomed a decision to fine British Airways £3.2m over health and safety failings. Two baggage handlers, both Unite members, were hurt in ‘near-identical’ incidents at Heathrow Airport while using machines used to load luggage into planes. The machines, called televators, had not been fitted with adequate protection such as guardrails to stop workers from falling read more

Notting Hill Genesis tenants hold campaign meeting, SHAC supporting Livv strikers (16 May) – The Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) tenants meeting this week proved to be a great success for SHAC and for Unite. Angry tenants, shared owners and leaseholders met to give voice to their complaints as well as hear from Kev Byrne Unite convenor at Livv Housing. Kev explained the background to the Livv worker’s dispute. The workers have won significant concessions from the company. A vastly improved offer is being put to workers. In addition, Kev was pleased to report the resignation of Livv’s hated CEO, Leanne Hearne, who proudly boasted to workers that she was an enthusiastic Thatcherite. She has now been forced out of Livv but has recently been appointed as a non-executive director at NHG where she will advise on compliance and strategy read more on Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch

Pontefract Superdrug’s ‘disgraceful’ threats against staff losing their jobs (16 May) – Superdrug bosses threatening loss of severance packages if workers disagree with redundancy ‘on the cheap’. Pontefract workers at the soon-to-be-closed Superdrug warehouse have been threatened with losing severance packages if they disagree with the company’s redundancy offer. Superdrug is closing the distribution centre with the loss of around 350 jobs to cut costs. Workers at the site, some with over 20 years’ service, have rejected a severance package offer put forward by the company. The offer was barely above the statutory minimum despite Superdrug last reporting pretax profits of £111.6 million and expecting these to grow. In response, Superdrug supply chain director Chris Warn sent a letter to staff stating that any workers “who voted against accepting the company’s enhanced redundancy pay offer will receive a payment in line with the statutory”. He went on to say that “we would need to reconsider enhanced redundancy pay should industrial action be taken by anyone within a group eligible to receive an enhanced redundancy pay”. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Superdrug’s bully boy tactics are disgraceful…” read more

Union leader blasts ‘outrageous’ National Grid profits (15 May) – Responding to today’s announcement that the monopoly National Grid Plc increased its pre-tax profits 20 per cent to £3.7 billion, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The profits raked in by National Grid lay bare Britain’s broken energy system. Energy profiteers like National Grid are extracting cash for overseas’ shareholders through ever more expensive bills. They have no competition and no one reining-in their greed…” read more

Red Handling strike at Gatwick suspended as Unite members are balloted (15 May) – Industrial action by Red Handling workers at Gatwick Airport over late and missing pension payments have been suspended for two weeks to allow members to vote on new working terms. Over one hundred workers at Red Handling, who are members of Unite and work in areas including baggage handling, check-in and flight dispatching were set to walk out this Sunday (18 May) as well as 25 May, but this has been postponed after Unite received proof of payment of pension contributions from Red Handling to provider Royal London. Red Handling has also agreed to cover the loss of interest on any contributions that were not paid and there will be an independent audit to ensure the situation with missing pensions does not happen again. Some Red Handling workers had also been paid wages late leaving them in financial difficulty – but the new offer would also mean Red Handling would have to give staff a bonus payment if payday was late. Meanwhile, workers had also complained of overwork and not having rest breaks and under the new terms there will be guarantees around this, such as giving staff overtime pay read more

NHS Scotland 8 per cent pay offer over two years accepted by Unite members (15 May) – Union warns reduction in working week needs resolved. Unite the union can confirm today (15 May) that its NHS Scotland membership have overwhelmingly backed the two-year pay offer. By 87 per cent, Unite members accepted the pay offer of 4.25 per cent for 2025/26 and 3.75 per cent for 2026/27. The pay offer comes with an “inflation guarantee” meaning that pay increases will be at least 1 per cent above the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate. The overall package is estimated to be worth £701 million in 2024-25. The trade union has warned the Scottish Government that if there is any attempt to renege on pay increase link to inflation then it will automatically result in an industrial action ballot. Unite members across the NHS includes workers in estates, porters, the ambulance service, medical equipment management, scientists and theatre roles read more

Scottish Water pay dispute boils over as strike action resumes (15 May) – Union criticises Alex Plant for remaining in ‘ivory tower’ after refusing to engage in direct talks. Further strike action is set to shake Scottish Water as the dispute over pay continues to boil over due to no new formal pay offer. Strike action is set to take place on 2 June until the end of 8 June involving Unite’s 500-strong membership at offices and wastewater treatment works across the whole of Scotland. Unite has taken direct aim at the Chief Executive, Alex Plant, for remaining in an ‘ivory tower’ after refusing in correspondence to the trade union to take direct part in pay negotiations despite stating his ‘door is open’. The trade unions including Unite agreed to postpone scheduled action on Friday 2 May and Tuesday 6 May after last-minute talks led to a potential breakthrough in the dispute with ‘clear indications’ that a new offer would be tabled. To date, no new formal has been tabled with Unite in order for it be considered, and then potentially put out to the wider Scottish Water membership for consultation. The trade union claims that Scottish Water executives have ‘deliberately misled’ government ministers, MSPs and the public by stating they have not withdrawn pay offers made to the workforce only to subsequently table an ‘inferior’ offer. The current offer on the table amounts to 3.4 per cent or £1,050 for those on the lowest grades but over a nine-month period. Scottish Water’s counterparts in Northern Ireland in contrast received a £1,500 non-consolidated payment and a five per cent wage rise in December read more

Unite strike action against Veolia to escalate as workers in Cheshire balloted (14 May) – Workers at toxic waste incineration plant in Ellesmere Port furious at low pay. Unite’s long running campaign against anti-union employer Veolia is set to escalate further as workers in Cheshire are being balloted for potential strike action. The union already has a recognition dispute with the company in Sheffield that has seen workers on continuous strike since last autumn. Now workers who do a dangerous and difficult job staffing a toxic waste incineration facility in Cheshire are set to walk out over pay. Nearly 50 workers are furious at the pay offer on the table and are seeking an urgent improvement. They are being balloted for strike action that would cripple the plant and stop incineration taking place, leading to a stockpiling of dangerous and hazardous waste read more

Majority of workers at Sheffield refuse site want Unite recognition agreement (28 Mar) read more 

Unite to fight FedEx closures in Staffordshire and Kent (14 May) – Union to campaign against potential hundreds of job losses across country as warehouses set to close. Unite the union is holding talks with FedEx in a last-gasp bid to try to keep a number of warehouses open across the UK. FedEx has announced they are looking to permanently close sites including in Parkhouse, Staffordshire and Dartford, Kent, as part of an efficiency drive. Hundreds of jobs at all sites could be at risk with some long-serving employees having worked at the site since they left school – and now face the daunting prospect of finding new employment read more

Unite responds to latest ONS wage data (13 May) – Commenting on the latest set of wage data out today (13 May) from the Office for National Statistics, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Workers are still trying to catch up with the cost of living and with real wage growth falling, will wonder how they will afford the ever-soaring cost of essentials as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. Unite will stand behind all of our members who refuse to pay the price for the bad decisions of governments and employers. We will never back down in our fight to improve pay and conditions.” Read more

Strikes at John Crane in Slough escalate as management refuses to engage (8 May) – A pay dispute at Slough-based engineering firm John Crane has escalated, with 40 workers voting to undertake additional strike action. The members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have already been on strike on four dates in April and two this month, after rejecting a three per cent pay rise. It is the first time there has been strike action by Unite members at the firm. Now, the workers are set to walk out from 27 to 31 May and on 5 and 11 June, after management repeatedly refused to come back to the negotiating table. This is despite the fact that 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. John Crane is also highly profitable. It is part of global company Smiths Group, which had an operating profit of £526 million last year read more

Liverpool hospital lab workers to strike over patient safety fears (7 May) – Over fifty workers responsible for testing samples at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital will walk out this month due to concerns that burnout and understaffing is putting patients at risk. Strikes are set to take place on 22, 23 and 27 May. The members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, work in the microbiology department at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories (which is part of the hospital trust). They play a key role in diagnosing infections at the hospital, analysing blood, tissue, and many other samples before a clinician uses the results to decide on the correct course of action for the patient. However, problems in the department such as poor staff retention and workers often being unable to arrange sufficient rest time to spend with their families means members have overwhelmingly voted for strike action, as they fear without change patients’ lives will be at risk. Members are especially concerned that overworking can put them at high risk of making mistakes. Meanwhile the short staffing also means some test results are taking far longer than they should, potentially leaving patients exposed to fatal infections such as sepsis, which can spread quickly and kill within 24 hours if left untreated read more

Disruption expected at Gatwick Airport as strikes intensify (2 May) – Unite members at Red Handling and Redline Oil will take industrial action in the coming weeks including May half term. There will be double the disruption at London Gatwick Airport in May and June as workers represented by Unite at two firms are set to strike, with some overlap in the industrial action. Plane refuellers from Redline Oil Services Ltd, who work for airlines including easyJet, are walking out in a dispute about pay. Gatwick is the low-cost airline’s biggest hub. The Redline workers have voted to strike after rejecting an offer of 3.5 per cent over two years. The two sets of four-day strikes by the Redline staff, who perform essential work ensuring aircraft have the necessary fuel for their flights, will lead to cancelled and delayed flights including in the early part of the May half term – a peak travel period for Gatwick Airport. The first strike will begin on 16 May. Meanwhile, following the Easter weekend strike by Red Handling, over a 100 workers from the company including baggage handlers, check-in staff and flight dispatchers will walk out again for four consecutive Sunday’s (see notes to editors for full dates) including those on either side of the May half term. With the first strike occurring on May 11 read more

Unite launches hotline for tenants let down by Knowsley based union-busting Livv Housing – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has today (30 Apr) launched a hotline for residents of union-busting housing association Livv Housing Group. Tenants of Livv Housing, based in Knowsley, Merseyside can register their concerns with Unite by calling 07586982889, scanning a QR code on a leaflet or emailing [email protected]. Residents of the social housing firm, whose management are currently at the centre of a dispute with Unite over pay, have previously complained of issues with the quality of repairs and responses to complaints, as well as long delays in fixing reported issues – and now Unite are offering them a forum to get in touch. It comes on the back of Unite general secretary Sharon Graham visiting the picket line in Knowsley to address and support striking Livv Housing yesterday (29 April)… The workers are currently undertaking 11 days of strike action between mid-April and the end of May. Further industrial action is likely if the dispute is not resolved read more

Sign petition to support binworkers 

Send a message of support to Unite and the binworkers

Donate to the strike fund – Unite WM/7186 Branch, account: 20308397, sort code: 608301. Title donation: BCC Strike Donation 

TotalEnergies workers balloted for strike action (25 Apr) – Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms at risk of major disruption. Unite the union announced today (25 April) that offshore workers employed by TotalEnergies are being balloted for strike action. Around 50 Unite members based on the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms are involved in an escalating dispute after the overwhelming rejection of an unacceptable pay offer. The dispute centres on the pay claim for 2025 which should take effect from 1 January. TotalEnergies originally offered a 1.5 per cent basic salary increase, which after being overwhelmingly rejected by the workers, was minimally increased to 1.75 per cent. The latest offer which also amounts to a real terms pay cut was similarly rejected. The ballot covering the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms opens on 29 April and closes on 2 June read more

Hundreds of Dundee university workers back strike action (25 Apr) – Unite steps up campaign in defence of jobs at STUC Congress next week. Unite the union can confirm today (25 April) that hundreds of Dundee university workers have overwhelmingly backed strike action in the fight for jobs and the institution’s long-term future. Unite represents hundreds of workers at the university in professional services roles including technicians and student support. Unite is backing demands for the Scottish government’s external taskforce involving unions and other key stakeholders to spearhead measures to protect hundreds of livelihoods and sustain the future of the university. As part of the initial discussions, the union has welcomed the removal of an initial threat to workers that they could face redundancy as the university grapples with a £35m deficit. The interim principal Shane O’Neill stated in a recent letter to the Scottish parliament that over 700 jobs could be at immediate risk…On Tuesday (29 April) following an emergency motion on the crisis facing Dundee university tabled by Unite at the STUC Annual Congress, a rally outside the Caird Hall involving trade unionists, community activists, students and workers will take place. A march involving trade unions and students will also assemble at the university’s Tower Building at noon which will then set off to join STUC delegates for the rally at 12:30 PM outside the Caird Hall read more

Passenger assistance staff at Heathrow escalate strike action (23 Apr) – Workers at Wilson James head to picket line – now joined by managers. Around 500 Heathrow Wilson James workers providing assistance to passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) are taking further strike action beginning tomorrow (24 April). The Wilson James workers are angry at being paid considerably less than their colleagues at Gatwick despite performing the same role. Wilson James workers at Heathrow walk an average of 13 miles a day while providing transport across the airport, emotional reassurance and kindness to passengers who are often stressed and overwhelmed…The Wilson James PRM staff will be on strike on the following dates: 24, 25, 29, and 30 April 2025. Additionally, their managers will be joining the strike action starting on 1 May 2025, after they also voted in favour of industrial action read more

Stagecoach bus services across west of Scotland to stop in May as pay dispute escalates (23 Apr) – No breakthrough in talks after 500 Unite members reject ‘unacceptable’ pay offer. Unite the union can confirm today (23 April) that 500 Stagecoach drivers are set to bring bus services across the west of Scotland to a stop. Unite members voted by 98 per cent to undertake industrial action on a high turnout following the rejection of an “unacceptable” four per cent pay offer by Stagecoach West Scotland. Unite has said despite ongoing talks with the company a significantly improved pay offer has not been put to the drivers who operate out of several depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan, Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Stranraer. Strike action will now take place over a series of days including 2, 6, 9, 12, 16, 19, and 23 May read more

Striking Ealing traffic wardens protest outside Parliament over local MPs’ inaction (22 Apr) – Demonstration held as letters of complaint against MPs Deirdre Costigan and James Murray sent to standards commissioner. Striking Ealing civil enforcement officers will protest outside of parliament tomorrow (23 April) over union-busting, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers are angry at the ‘disgraceful’ lack of support from their local MPs Deirdre Costigan and James Murray. The civil enforcement officers, 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 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  

Bus services across Telford under threat as workers ballot for strikes over pay (4 Apr) – Bus services in Telford, Shropshire could stop from next month, as over a hundred drivers ballot for strikes over pay, Unite has announced. The drivers have not had a pay rise during the last year and currently earn £13.36 an hour – 11 per cent less than the West Midlands average of £14.93. They have also had years of below-inflation pay rises, leaving them feeling ‘shortchanged’ by their employer but work long hours as well as early, late and weekend shifts…The ballot closes on 17 April. If it is successful, industrial action could take place in early May. Any strike action will have a serious impact on all bus services running in the Telford area read more

Unite general secretary joins Manchester Capita picket line (2 Apr) – Unite general secretary Sharon Graham will be joining striking workers employed by Capita on the Royal London contact in Manchester tomorrow (Thursday 3 April)… The workers are employed in Capita’s life and pensions division where they work on the contract for insurance giant Royal London. The dispute is a result of the failure of Capita to make a pay offer for 2024, effectively attempting to force a pay freeze on its workforce…The current strike action began on Wednesday 26 March and continues until Monday 7 April. There will then be a separate period of action which begins on 7 April and continues until Tuesday 22 April. Prior to the current industrial action, the workers had already taken 13 days of industrial action, which began at the end of January 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 

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 

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 

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  

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 SPECIAL – Posties Speak Out: USO, Kretinsky, Pay – An Unfiltered chat (May 15) – In place of this week’s usual CWU Live show, we bring you a full-length special filmed at Southend Delivery Office – one of the pilot sites for changes to the Universal Service Obligation. NEC member Luke Elgar sits down with long-time rep Rob Bartlett and newer member Olivia Barnard for an open, honest conversation covering the USO, the Křetínský takeover, pay talks, and the future of Royal Mail. No scripts. No spin. Just real talk from the people delivering the service every day watch video

Capita BBC Audience Services members to vote on inflation-busting pay offer (8 May) – The CWU is recommending that Capita members working on the BBC Audience Services contract accept an inflation-busting pay offer being offered to them this week. After ongoing pay discussions where the union raised the question of the current financial situation, which remains volatile and uncertain, it was agreed that the company would offer a 5% wage increase for all employees, as well as an additional day of annual leave (which must be taken before December of this year). This is the first result – and a major one – of the new bargaining unit established for the group of workers, who manage public questions, comments, complaints and general feedback for the public broadcaster read more

PCS    

You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:    

Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490    
Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]

Defra announces closure of Newcastle office (14 May) – Lancaster House in Newcastle, which houses over 1200 staff, will close from September. Yesterday (13) May, Defra announced the closure of Lancaster House in Newcastle from September. Lancaster House is one of the four main Defra hubs and has over 1200 staff from Defra, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), and Rural Payments Agency (RPA), and is the MMO’s headquarters. The staff will be moved a short distance to Tyneside House. This is a much smaller building; we believe the maximum capacity to be 500 staff. PCS condemns this rushed decision, caused by Defra’s £600 million deficit due to the Spending Review. It fails to consider staff as anything but headcount, with those with caring responsibilities and accessibility concerns most obviously impacted read more

PCS responds to plans to move civil servant roles out of London (14 May) – The government has today announced that thousands of civil service jobs will be relocated to 13 towns and cities across the UK as part of its “Plan for Change” with 11 central London offices closing and 12,000 fewer jobs in the capital read more

The value of women’s work: under paid and exploited (13 May) – Two recent pieces of research give data for systemic workplace sexism. In the last few weeks, TUC research into the gender pay gap and into zero-hours contracts has shown yet again that women face systemic injustice in the workplace read more

HMRC Benton Park View strike extended (2 May) – Strike action in defence of the three sacked PCS reps will now continue until Friday 6 June. 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. Gordon Askew, Rachel Farmer and Joel Hamilton were dismissed at the end of last year because of their trade union activity. PCS has informed HMRC that the strike action will now continue until Friday 6 June. Members working in the branch report that backlogs continue to grow and the services to the customer continue to deteriorate, while members in other areas have reported calls being received from agents who would usually have called the Employer Services (ES) Helpline but who have become frustrated by long waits and even calls being blocked due to the volumes of outstanding calls 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

Ofgem staff balloted for strike action (1 May) – Members working for Ofgem are in dispute over pay, jobs, office attendance and industrial relations. Hundreds of PCS members employed by the energy regulator in Glasgow, London and Cardiff are being balloted for strike action. The ballot opened today (1) and closes at noon on 12 June. PCS has taken the decision to ballot its members at Ofgem following a series of provocative moves by the energy regulator over a number of issues read more

Strong support for MHCLG strike (23 Apr) – There has been a great turnout by striking PCS members in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Members working in the Newcastle office, which is under imminent threat of closure, have led the strike with 9 days of industrial action which started yesterday and ends on 2 May. Members at other offices threatened with closure — in Birmingham, Exeter, Sheffield, Truro, and Warrington — also began a 4-day strike yesterday. There has been strong support on picket lines in Newcastle and Sheffield by reps and members in the department and by colleagues across PCS, in particular from members in the Home Office, Department for Education and NHS England read more

ONS members vote to escalate industrial action (2 Apr) – PCS members in the Office for National Statistics have voted for strike action in their dispute over a forced return to workplaces. In a ballot that closed on Monday (31 March), 68% of Office for National Statistics (ONS) members taking part voted to take strike action while 91% voted to take action short of a strike (ASOS), on a 71% turnout. Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the ONS in various locations (Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh) have been taking action short of a strike by refusing to comply with the new attendance policy. They 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. This action had no tangible impact on the ONS’s outputs, proving PCS’s argument that there was nothing to be gained by the attendance policy change. To increase the pressure on the employer, members had been working-to-rule since 27 August 2024. By extending the strike mandate by a further six months, this ballot result will allow PCS to further ramp up the pressure on ONS management over their insistence that staff spend at least 40% of the time in a designated workplace 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  

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  

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  

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  

Prospect  

New growth plan for Defence warns sector is ‘disproportionately affected’ by skills shortages (16 May) – A plan to help boost growth in the defence and aerospace sectors has been published in a joint report from the ADS trade association in partnership with Prospect and GMB unions read more

Prospect sets out its stall for 2025 pay talks with MOD (9 May) – Prospect and fellow MOD Civil Service Unions have submitted a position paper to MOD, paving the way for this year’s pay talks, but which also highlights the imperative to address both short-term issues, as well as long-term structural problems in need of urgent repair 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.

GMB 

Derby taxis descend on council HQ in dispute over licensing (15 May) – Drivers are furious over the council’s plans to ban older vehicles on Derby roads, says GMB.

Almost 100 Derby Private Hire Taxi drivers joined a union rally outside Derby City Council this week, in the ongoing campaign against the authorities plans to slash the licensable age of vehicles from 15 years old to just 5 for new license applications. GMB, representing thousands of private hire taxi drivers, raised the alarm that licensing changes could risk putting drivers out of business. The events come after Derby’s private hire drivers called on Conservative Chair of the City’s Licensing Committee, Cllr Alison Holmes, to reverse the decision read more

TfL urged to deliver ‘a more sustainable industry’ for taxi and private hire drivers (15 May) – A meeting at City Hall today [Thursday 15 May] has seen TfL criticised for not putting sustainability at the heart of their Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan. GMB Union – the UK’s largest private hire union – is calling for measures that enhance driver earnings and safety, ensuring the wider transport network is environmentally and economically sustainable. Among the specific measures the union is asking for is a limit on private hire vehicles to reverse a decline in drivers’ earnings. In 2024, 55 per cent of members using driving apps claimed that their earnings were significantly lower and over 80 per cent claimed that their earnings were either the same or lower compared to 2023. GMB also welcomes a debate on measures that can address market saturation, thereby providing fair protection for London-licenced drivers. Mayors in Manchester and North Yorkshire have already started the debate and TfL risks getting left behind read more

More than 150,000 council and school workers vote on pay offer (6 May) – GMB Union has recommended more than 150,000 members working for councils and schools reject the local government pay offer. Local authority and education workers across England and Wales have been offered a 3.2 per cent pay rise for 2025/26. GMB’s Local Government and Schools Committees has unanimously recommended a rejection and to seek support for industrial action to secure an improved offer. The consultative ballot – which will include a commitment to industrial action – opens on 12 May and closes on 20 June read more

River Thames weir and lockkeepers in strike vote (6 May) – River Thames weir and lockkeepers have begun voting on strike action over safety concerns, GMB has said. Workers will decide whether to take industrial action over ‘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 90 staff were needed during peak season. The ballot opened on Friday [2 May] and closes on 23 May read more

Dozens protests Basingstoke cab office after union rep stood down (9 Apr) – The rep was discriminated against for carrying out trade union duties. More than 50 drivers at Basingstoke’s Alpha Cars protested outside the firm’s office on Monday. The drivers, who are members of GMB Union are angry that their colleague whom they have elected to be their union rep has been stood down by the company. Since the drivers are self-employed, the driver could not be sacked but has been told he will not be used by the company going forward read more

Strike action begins at Tower Hamlets primary school over staff cuts (1 Apr) – School support staff at St Luke’s Primary School in Tower Hamlets are today [Tuesday 1 April] starting strike action over reduced staffing levels. A further walk out will take place on Thursday this week. The strike ballot saw 100 per cent of participating members vote in favour. A restructure at the school will cut the number of teaching assistants from 28 to 21 – a reduction of 25 per cent – while the overall workload is unchanged. The school – which has a large proportion of pupils with special educational needs – has failed to demonstrate how these staffing levels will work in practice. To date, the school has not shared a risk assessment outlining the impact of these cuts on the safety of the staff or children 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  

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  

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   

BREAKING NEWS –

Over 800 HCAs at East Lancashire NHS Trust have secured rebanding to be appropriately paid for the work they do and back pay to 2018!

UNISON members at Greater Manchester Mental Health Early Intervention Service have received an offer from GM Mental Health FT & the ICB to settle the Early Intervention dispute that’s been ongoing nearly 9 months. Members have agreed to stand down action next week whilst members are balloted on the offer. For more info, follow @Unisongmmh @NorthWestUNISON on X/Twitter

The inspiring St Luke’s school strikers E14 are back on the picket line this Thurs 1 May. UNISON Teaching Assistants and NEU Teachers are striking together to demand a safe school. Rally at 8.40am & are doing a call out to activists to join us read more on Tower Hamlets Unison website

Pay Fair for Patient Care: Nottingham University Hospitals – Hundreds of healthcare support workers at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) will take strike action over pay. Staff at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital are set to walk out on Thursday 10 and Friday 11, with further strikes planned for 17, 22 and 28 April. In a recent ballot, 94% of those who voted backed strike action read more.

*To donate to the strike fund: pay online to Unison NUHT 20122 Branch, acc no. 20370066, sort code 60-83-01 or pay be cheque to Unison NUHT 20122 Branch and post to Unison East Midlands – Unit E, Nottingham One. 154 Canal Street. Nottingham. NG1 7HG

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 strike over pay – “Phlebotomists are vital to the health service and deserve much better than the treatment they’ve received.” Read more.

Please show phlebotomists your support and solidarity by donating to their strike hardship fund:

Make a donation via SumUp

UNISON Gloucestershire DHC Branch 21311

Sort code: 60-83-01

Account number: 20301750

Reference: strikefund

Support Manchester Mental Health strikes by Unison and Unite members

NIPSA  

Travel and Subsistence Allowance Scheme (15 May) – Following the formal proposal from management to make key changes to employee terms and conditions, NIPSA Education members have received notice of review of their mileage or notice that it is being removed completely. These notices were released despite our objections and completely against the industrial relations agreements in place. NIPSA continue to hold the position that the proposal to make changes to the Travel and Subsistence Allowance Scheme constitutes changes to staff terms and conditions and should be part of a full negotiation process, not limited consultation. The actions to date in this process, have jeopardised industrial relations which have recently been recovered following the resolution to the pay and grading dispute. A meeting with management takes place this afternoon where NIPSA will demand that the EA honour their obligations to not implement changes to terms and conditions without agreement with Trade Unions read more

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    

An ‘explosion’ in nurse lecturer cuts risks nursing jobs and patient safety (15 May) – We’re calling for urgent government action to protect nursing courses now read more

RCN members in Scotland vote to accept NHS pay offer (15 May) – RCN members in Scotland have spoken on pay and accepted offers for the next two years read more

Migrant nursing staff plan to leave UK due to low wages, abuse and ‘hostile environment’ (14 May) – Meanwhile the RCN says government plans to reduce immigration into the UK could accelerate the nursing staffing crisis read more

Confirm NHS pay rises now, RCN tells government (15 Apr) – The Pay Review Body’s report was delivered to the UK government late last week, but details on the 2025/26 NHS pay awards still haven’t been confirmed read more

RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more    

RCM

RCM urges members in Scotland to have their say on pay offer (16 Apr) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling on all its members working in the NHS in Scotland to have their say on the pay offer announced last week. The call comes as the RCM today opens a three-week consultation with all Agenda for Change (AfC) midwives and maternity care assistants (MCAs) and maternity support workers (MSWs). The offer the RCM is asking its members to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ is a two- year pay offer which equates to an uplift of 4.25% for all NHS in 2025-26 and 3.75% for 2026- 27. This is a cumulative uplift of 8.16%. Crucially the RCM have ensured the offer is protected from any rises in inflation by securing a commitment that each year of the pay deal will be one percentage point higher than the average CPI inflation rate of that year read more

CSP  

Scottish members accept two-year NHS pay deal (15 May) – CSP members working for NHS Scotland have voted to accept the Scottish government’s pay deal with increases of 4.25 per cent in 2025/26 and 3.75 per cent in 2026/27 read more

SOR

SoR members in Wales urged to sign petition to end corridor care (12 May) – The petition has been submitted to the Welsh government for consideration. SoR members based in Wales are being urged to support a petition from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales and the British Medical Association (BMA) Cymru Wales to end corridor care. Corridor care is the practice of treating patients in areas not designated for treatment, such as hospital corridors or waiting rooms. This is usually the result of a lack of resources or high demand for treatment. An email has been sent to all SoR members based in Wales encouraging them to sign the petition, which the RCN and the BMA have submitted to the Welsh government. The email explains how corridor care affects radiology patients specifically and calls for an end to the practice to ensure dignity and comfort for patients read more

BMA

Resident doctors in England announce ballot for industrial action (2 May) – Resident doctors in England have announced dates for their ballot for renewed industrial action over pay. With three weeks having passed since they warned the Government of the consequences of the absence of a reasonable, timely pay offer, the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC) has chosen to ballot its members for strike action. The ballot will open on 27 May and close on 7 July 2025 read more

NEU  

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  

Please support the following strikes:-  

NASUWT  

Westbourne Academy teachers strike over constant disruptive behaviour (12 May) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union members at Westbourne Academy in Ipswich will begin strike action on Tuesday 13th May due to untenable levels of classroom disruption. A large group of pupils at Westbourne Academy are refusing to attend lessons and instead choose to roam the school, disrupting other lessons and engaging in threatening behaviour towards staff and other pupils. Teachers have sought help from school leadership but no plan has worked in practice, with teachers often waiting for most or all of their lessons for urgent assistance read more

Academy trust with £21 million in the bank condemned over redundancies (6 May) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union today condemned a London Academy Trust which is seeking to force dozens of teachers from their jobs and using underhand tactics to try and shut out unions from any meaningful consultation process. Harris Federation, whose Chief Executive Sir Dan Moynihan is the highest paid academy boss and earns over £500k a year, is trying to make 45 teachers redundant and refuses to hold a collective consultation with trade unions, including NASUWT. Alongside refusing to hold a collective consultation, Harris have failed to provide a business case for the redundancies or any financial justification at all. At the end of the last academy trust financial year the Trust had reserves of £21.5 million read more

Epsom teachers strike to protect pensions (6 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Ewell Castle Senior and Prep Schools in Epsom are starting the first of seven days of planned strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) after being threatened with dismissal from their jobs unless they agree to new contracts that would leave them worse off in retirement. The Employer is seeking to withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and impose inferior pension arrangements on teachers which would adversely affect their future financial security. Teachers have been threatened with fire and rehire if they do not agree to sign new contracts amending their pension entitlements read more

Northern Ireland FE college members vote for industrial action (16 Apr) – The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Northern Ireland, has welcomed the result of a ballot of its members in Further Education (FE) colleges, which showed strong support for industrial action in response to ongoing disputes over pay, workload, and conditions. In the ballot, 74.3% of members voted in favour of strike action, while an overwhelming 98.6 % supported action short of strike, demonstrating deep frustration over the failure to address long-standing concerns 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  

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  

Lecturers at the Robert Gordon University to take Further Strike Action and Lecturers at the University of the West of Scotland deliver a strong message against compulsory redundancy via a consultative ballot (15 May) – The EIS has issued notice today to Robert Gordon University and its members there for two days of strike action in order to try to stop the University from making staff redundant. Strike action will take place on 29th and 30 May, 2025. Separately, lecturers at the University of the West of Scotland have voted in favour of pursuing industrial action in their dispute over compulsory redundancy at the University. The indicative ballot, organised by the EIS, closed last week and resulted in a strong majority vote in favour of industrial action, with 85% of those voting backing industrial action read more

EIS to consult members on industrial action in teacher class contact dispute (9 May) – The national Council of the EIS has today agreed to open a consultative industrial action ballot of its members, as a dispute over teacher class contact time intensifies. A formal dispute was declared three months ago, as a result of the failure of government and employers to deliver any progress towards the Scottish Government’s 2021 manifesto commitment to address longstanding issues with teacher workload by reducing teachers’ maximum class contact time to 21 hours per week. With no proposals forthcoming from the Scottish Government and local authorities on the delivery of this commitment, the EIS will now move to ballot its members and seek their views on industrial action in pursuit of a resolution to the dispute read more

INTO  

Public Consultation On Proposals To Strengthen Inspection Legislation (16 May) – Schools will have received yesterday a notification from Paul Givan, Minister of Education as he launched a public consultation on the proposals to strengthen inspection legislation. The issuing of this consultation is not a surprise. The Minister had previously referenced and sign posted this within the TransformED NI document and in his discussions from the Assembly floor. INTO intend to make a response to the consultation. We advise all our members to make their own personal and individual responses to the consultation as well read more

UCU    

UCU Stop the Cuts campaign

Sign petition against the education cuts 

‘Rogue employer’ University of Greenwich could axe over 300 staff (15 May) – The University of Greenwich intends to axe up to 319 staff, around a quarter of its total workforce (319/1245), in a bid to slash payroll, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The university wants to get rid of staff by August, and the cull will fall on the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences (FLAS), the Faculty of Engineering and Science (FES), and the Greenwich business school (GBS). Every single hourly paid lecturer in FLAS (151 in total) and GBS (45 in total) is set to be axed. In FLAS, they will be replaced by a pool of 50 part time workers, equivalent to just 17 full time posts read more

Suspension of University of Greater Manchester’s vice-chancellor ‘long overdue’ says UCU (14 May) – Responding to reports that the University of Greater Manchester’s vice-chancellor has been suspended, UCU general secretary Jo Grady today (Wednesday) said: ‘The University of Greater Manchester’s suspension of vice-chancellor George Holmes and two further members of staff is long overdue and comes after our members overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence in him and his executive leadership team…’ read more

Statement from UCU general secretary following the news that the Cardiff University strike has been called off – Following the news that the Cardiff University strike has been called off after agreement has been reached for no compulsory job losses to take place this year, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘This is a significant victory for our members at Cardiff University. Their collective action and unwavering commitment have led to a crucial assurance that protects jobs and upholds the integrity of academic provision…” read more

University of East Anglia staff begin strike action today over threat of compulsory redundancies and lack of financial transparency (1 May) – Staff at the University of East Anglia (UEA) will begin nine days of strike action today (Thursday 1 May) in a dispute over compulsory redundancies, financial accountability, and transparent governance. Pickets will be in place from 8:00-11:00 read more

UCU declares academic boycott of Brunel University over mass redundancies (15 Apr) – The University and College Union (UCU) has declared an academic boycott of Brunel University London in response to the institution’s continued pursuit of mass redundancies. Brunel University has already overseen significant numbers of voluntary redundancies and is now pressing ahead with plans to impose further compulsory job cuts. UCU believes that the future of entire academic departments are under threat. The union has condemned the university’s refusal to engage meaningfully with staff representatives and warned that these actions could cause irreparable damage to Brunel’s reputation. The union’s higher education committee (HEC) has unanimously backed the boycott, also known as ‘greylisting’, which is the most serious sanction the union can impose. The boycott will begin on Tuesday 15 April 2025, unless the university withdraws the threat of compulsory redundancies, provides transparent financial information, enters collective conciliation talks through Acas, and reinstates those already involuntarily dismissed read more

Brunel University staff begin strike action over job cuts (27 Feb)

Keele University staff vote to strike over brutal cuts programme (11 Apr) – Staff at Keele University have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a fight to protect jobs and student provision, announced the University and College Union (UCU). An overwhelming 75% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 55%. While 89% also backed taking action short of strike, which could include working to rule. Strike action is now set to take place on Monday 28 April, Tuesday 29 April, Thursday 1 May, Tuesday 6 May and Thursday 8 May read more

Overwhelming vote of no confidence in Truro & Penwith College principal over job cuts (4 Apr) – Staff have called on the Truro and Penwith College management to stop the threat of compulsory job cuts after delivering an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the principal and senior management team, announced the University and College Union (UCU) on Thursday 3 April. In a ballot organised by UCU and its sister campus unions, over nine in ten UCU members (95.6%) said they have no confidence in Truro and Penwith’s principal Martin Tucker and the senior management team to manage the finances of the college. In addition to the vote of no confidence around three quarters (73.6%) of UCU members said they would be prepared to take strike action in order to prevent compulsory redundancies. Under Tucker’s watch, the college has seen an alarming slide of surpluses, resulting in an eyewatering deficit budget of £4.2 million in 2024/2025, just short of 10% of annual turnover, despite higher student numbers read more

Durham University UCU members overwhelmingly back industrial action in the fight against huge job cuts (2 Apr) – UCU members have voted in favour of strike action with a majority of 72%, whilst 81% have backed action short of a strike up to and including an assessment boycott, in a ballot that saw 64% of Durham UCU members vote. The ballot result means that staff could now down tools unless management agrees to rule out compulsory redundancies. Members of UCU will now meet to decide and vote upon next steps including the options of strike action and action short of a strike and is calling on Durham University leaders to listen to its workforce, and work with the union to avoid compulsory redundancies and prevent industrial unrest on campus read more

Northern Ireland college staff vote to take industrial action over pay ‘betrayal’ (1 Apr) – Staff at all six further education colleges across Northern Ireland have voted to take industrial action for fair pay, the University and College Union (UCU) has announced. Belfast Metropolitan College, Northern Regional College, North West Regional College, Southern Regional College, South Eastern Regional College and South West College educate more than 63,000 students between them. The ballot was open for three weeks and was conducted via Royal Mail with 90% voting in favour of strike action, and 98.5% voting in favour of action short of a strike (ASOS), with a 49% turnout read more

Sheffield University staff back strike action in dispute over 1,000 jobs at risk (1 Apr) – Staff at the University of Sheffield have voted to take strike action in a dispute over drastic restructuring plans that put up to 1,000 jobs at risk, the University and College Union (UCU) announced today (Tuesday 1 April). The dispute centres on the university’s intention to slash staffing costs by £23 million over the next two years. In November 2024, the Vice Chancellor announced plans to cut £9 million in staffing costs in 2025 and a further £14 million in 2026. Relatedly, the university recently launched its ‘New Schools’ proposal, which has involved reducing the number of academic departments from 45 to 21 and restructuring Professional Services staff across all schools read more

Canterbury Christ Church University staff and students deliver vote of no confidence in vice chancellor, senior management and governors (1 Apr) – Staff and students at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) have overwhelmingly delivered a vote of no confidence in the university’s vice chancellor, senior management team (SMT), and board of governors. The vote, organised by the CCCU branch of the University and College Union (UCU), was passed by 359 (96%) votes to 16 (4%) following growing anger over the institution’s handling of current financial and strategic decisions. The result comes amid an ongoing dispute between CCCU UCU and university management regarding the failure to rule out compulsory redundancies (CRs) in both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years read more

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 

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  

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  

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 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 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  

UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.    

FBU  

FBU responds to the deaths of Jennie Logan and Martyn Sadler (May 17) – The Fire Brigades Union has responded to the deaths of two firefighters at a fire incident in Bicester, Oxfordshire. A member of the public died at the same incident. All three have now been named. Two more firefighters, both FBU members, are still in hospital read more

FBU responds to fatalities at Bicester fire incident (16 May) – Responding to the fire incident at Bicester Motion on Thursday 15 May, Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: “The Fire Brigades Union is aware of a tragic incident at Bicester, in which one member of the public and two firefighters have been confirmed dead. Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and colleagues. The Fire Brigades Union will provide whatever support is required in the days ahead, and in time we will investigate what happened” read more

FBU recommends pay deal to members as union leader warns Labour it must reverse austerity (24 Apr) – The executive council of the Fire Brigades Union is recommending that members accept a pay offer of 3.2%, with additional commitments to discuss pay progression and other additional payments. However, Steve Wright, the union’s general secretary, has warned that “inflation-level pay rises will not be enough”, and that the government must invest to protect the public and fund bigger pay increases in the future. Unlike many other sectors, pay in the fire service is negotiated directly between the Fire Brigades Union and national fire service employers at the National Joint Council (NJC) read more

Firefighters back Birmingham bin workers and will not clear waste, says FBU (7 Apr) – The Fire Brigades Union has offered its support to striking bin workers in Birmingham. Councillor Roger Harmer, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Birmingham, last week argued that the army or fire service should be brought in to clear obstructions and waste. The FBU said it would advise members not to carry out any strike-breaking work and has described Cllr Harmer’s remarks as “clueless”. FBU general secretary Steve Wright also declared the union’s “full solidarity” with bin workers “in their fight to defend their pay, jobs and conditions” and called on the council to settle the dispute read more

POA    

POA RESPONDS TO PRISONS MINISTER’S CONFERENCE SPEECH (15 May) read more

National Chair update April 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  

NAPO

MOJ – Data Leak 2020 (16 May) – Napo has been contacted by members affected by a historic data incident which occurred during February and March 2020 concerning the legacy Justice Academy Platform. The incident affected staff across the MOJ read more

Unions lodge Pay Progression Dispute (1 May) – The Probation Unions position is that the trade unions and employer previously reached an agreement that, under the Competency Based Framework, on the 1st of April each year eligible staff would achieve incremental progression – i.e. moving up one pay point within their bay band. Also, that this process is completely separate to the outcome of any pay negotiations between the employer and trade unions, which can result in increases in the value of employee’s pay. Our view is that there exists a wealth of evidence, much of it previously issued by HMPPS to its staff, that they were – at least until recent months – of the same view read more

BFAWU    

Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more    

Nautilus International

Fruitful discussion between Nautilus and CalMac at 17th JCC meeting (13 May) – Nautilus International met with representatives from Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) in Gourock on 17 April 2025 for the 17th Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting read more

NUJ  

PA chapel expresses ongoing dismay over management’s position on job cuts (16 May) – A new statement by the PA chapel relays the anger and upset among journalists caused by the company’s “inflexible approach and seeming refusal to consider the views of experienced and dedicated staff.” Read more

Advice on covering protests (16 May) – The union will always stand firm for the right of bona-fide newsgatherers to do their jobs without fear of threats to their well-being read more

Cuts to BBC World Service would be “music to the ears of dictators”, says NUJ (15 May) – The union’s BBC World Service branch has passed a motion highlighting ongoing concerns over funding, whilst calling for an end to the “annual cycle of uncertainty around budgets.” The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is alarmed at reports the BBC World Service has been asked to consider significant budget reductions over coming years. A motion passed today by the union’s BBC World Service branch highlights the detrimental impact cuts at the broadcaster have had on the ability of audiences to access the trusted, independent journalism it produces read more

John McDonnell MP, urges UK government action on the release of journalist Ali al-Samoudi (14 May) – The secretary of the NUJ’s Parliamentary Group has urged the UK government to engage with the Israeli government on both the whereabouts and release of Samoudi, detained by the Israel Defense Forces read more

NUJ PA chapel statement on job cuts (12 May) – The chapel has confirmed it will consult members to discuss next steps, which could include industrial escalation if no movement is made by the company read more

Equity  

Improve access to EU for performers, Equity urges government (15 May) – Equity has written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy asking her to prioritise improved access to Europe for performing artists and creative workers read more

BBC Scotland has a duty to protect Scottish TV production, Equity tells Holyrood (15 May) – Equity gives evidence on River City to Holyrood 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 

Musicians Union

Why the Cultural Sector Needs Trade Unions: Join the MU and Others for a Free Event in Bradford (16 May) – Discover the vital role of trade unions in the cultural and creative industries – with expert advice from the MU, Equity, Bectu, and more, at this free event on 3 June for freelancers and employees working across Yorkshire read more

Northern Ballet and MU Continue Orchestra Contract Negotiations (15 May) – An update for members regarding ongoing contract negotiations for orchestral musicians at Northern Ballet, following the company’s decision to use non-Union agreements for some performances read more

USDAW

Tesco proposes a new distribution centre in Hinckley – Usdaw will enter into consultation talks (16 May) – Retail trade union Usdaw will enter into consultation talks with supermarket giant Tesco over its plans to build a new distribution centre close to the existing site read more

Usdaw urges the company to improve their pay offer to avoid planned strikes (28 Apr) – Usdaw members working at breakfast cereal giant Weetabix will be taking three days of industrial action in a dispute about pay from tomorrow (29 April). The strikes affect sites at Corby and Burton Latimer read more

Burton Latimer and Corby Weetabix strikers ‘determined’ as they begin two-day industrial action (29 Apr) read more on website of Northamptonshire Telegraph

UVW  

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  

IWGB

CITY CLEANERS STRIKE: ROUND 2! – Outsourced cleaning staff at City University have just announced they will STRIKE AGAIN, from 22nd to 24th May. Join them at their strike rally on Thurs 23rd May at 12pm, outside City University (Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB)! Follow @IWGBUoL on X/Twitter

Mandate (Ireland)

Mandate’s Submission to Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on Collective Bargaining (13 May) – Mandate has made its submission entitled Promoting Collective Bargaining to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Public Consultation. The objective of this consultation is to gather views from relevant stakeholders in relation to the possible content of Ireland’s national action plan and how Ireland can progressively increase and promote collective bargaining. In addition to Collective Bargaining, the report covers important issues such as the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, the Changing Nature of Employment, the Impact of Changing Work Patterns, Shifting Employer Behaviour and more read more

SIPTU (Ireland)  

Unions call for nationalisation of Tara Mines if owners fail to develop new ore body (7 Mar) – The Tara Mines Group of Unions has called on the Government to take over the running of part or all of Tara Mines in Navan, County Meath, if its current owners fail to invest in the development of a major new ore body that has the potential to maintain the facility’s operation for an additional 40 years read more

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

STAMMA website    

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.

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, MU, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)    

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   

Sign petition  

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    

Appeal for support for two victimised Mass Art (Massachusetts College of Art and Design) workers over their participation in a rally over Gaza. This is part of the current nationwide crackdown on opposition, especially in educational bodies, which the Trump administration is demanding. Please send copies of any messages of support to [email protected].

Sign the petition if you haven’t already. Share widely! https://chng.it/9JcTZ8QBcr

Call and email MassArt administration:

MassArt President Mary Grant (617) 879-7077

[email protected]

Like, share, and comment on the Instagram post by Massachusetts Teachers Association Rank and File for Palestine (MTA RF4P) calling to defend our right to protest against genocide and for us to be taken off leave and not disciplined: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJeVFBlxh9b/?igsh=MXRobzA2cjk4dTE3aQ==

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 3^rd 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   

September

7 NSSN TUC lobby & rally 1pm Brighton  