The Tories are hanging by a thread after Truss was forced to sack Kwarteng as Chancellor. She may be in office (for now) but not in power, as new Chancellor Hunt seemingly takes the reins in tandem with the likes of Mordaunt. NHS workers have long memories about Hunt after his time as Health Minister. His first act has been to promise a new austerity offensive.
The NSSN held a successful ‘Action Summit’ on Sunday in Brighton, just days before the trade unions meet there for the delayed TUC Congress. NSSN Chair Rob Williams called for Congress to mobilise the union movement against this weak and divided shambolic Tory Government.
The NSSN meeting heard speeches from union leaders such as Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Jane Loftus CWU Vice President, Pádraig Mulholland NIPSA Deputy General Secretary alongside Jared Wood RMT London Transport Regional Organiser, as well as rank and file union reps and activists from the floor or via Zoom. We were also delighted to hear from a teachers’ union leader from Sri Lanka.
The NSSN has proposed the following model motion, which can be tabled at union branches and trades councils as part of the discussion about how the unions build the movement we need now:-
This (union branch/trades council) gives our full support to workers being forced to take strike action against their employers backed by the Tory government. The cost of living crisis, fire and rehire tactics and other attacks by employers in pursuit of maintaining profits at our expense all mean workers are uniting to fight back. Many of these disputes are seeing workers win significant gains.
We will continue to give our solidarity, building practical and financial support to all striking workers. We oppose any attempt by the Tory Government to impose more austerity to pay for tax cuts for the rich and big business
We oppose the Tories’ threats to introduce further anti-union legislation to the raft of undemocratic restrictions already in existence and call on the TUC to co-ordinate opposition. We call on unions in struggle to urgently come together to discuss and formulate a strategy to co-ordinate industrial action ballots and strikes.
We call on unions:-
- to co-ordinate industrial action ballots and strikes to fight the cost of living squeeze
- to mobilise for the TUC’s 2nd November lobby of Parliament, to build a massive midweek demonstration to support striking workers and oppose the Tory Government and its anti-worker policies
We call on the TUC:-
- to co-ordinate union strike funds, for a public financial appeal to support unions and their members taking strike action
We call on the TUC and the unions:-
- to prepare for the maximum co-ordinated industrial action, up to and including a 24 hour general strike if the Truss Tory Government moves to implement new anti-union laws and restrictions
TUC rally and lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 2nd November against the cost of living crisis – 2pm Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 0AA more details on TUC website
RMT: TUC Mass Lobby of Parliament – Fight the new Anti-Trade Union laws!
“Let’s rise up in Westminster on 2 November – in UNISON”
The TUC is organising town hall rallies around the country. Find your local event here. The TUC has also called a national Day of Action, including activity such as leafleting on Friday 14th October – details of activity in your area here
‘The working class is back as a movement’ – Enough is Enough read more on CWU website. People can find out about events and how to join the campaign via the Enough is Enough website
National Demonstration – 5 Nov 2022, London, Assemble Embankment, WC2N 6NS
NSSN news
Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month. You can set up a similar standing order to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. Our address is NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE. Feel free to use this affiliation letter.
And if you can, come to one of our regional Conferences. If there is not one in your area, get in touch to either assist in organising or have a speaker at one of your meetings or events. Contact Rob or Linda on [email protected]
The NSSN is developing a campaign pack for social care, which we hope to make available in the not-too-distant future for supporters to use in their localities. As part of this, communications officer Dave Gorton is keen to hear from supporters who:
(1) work in social care (either local authority, private or independently provided)
(2) represent social care workers for a trade union
(3) are in need of social care provision themselves or act as an (unpaid/underpaid) carer for a family member
Dave can be contacted in the first instance via [email protected]
Union News
You can receive this bulletin via email or you can choose to unsubscribe and stop receiving them. Like everyone else, the NSSN has to adhere to new data protection regulations. Therefore you must click here to subscribe/unsubscribe. Reports from unions do not necessarily reflect NSSN’s views.
RMT
BREAKING NEWS!! RMT announces new Network Rail strike dates (18 Oct) – RMT to take coordinated strike action after Network Rail performs U-turn on pay offer. Rail union RMT will take 3 days of coordinated strike action next month after Network Rail attempted to impose drastic changes in working practices on their staff. Following intense negotiations with RMT, there was an agreement where the company would commit to an improved offer on pay and working towards a negotiated settlement. However, in a dramatic U-turn, Network Rail bosses reneged on their promises of an improved pay offer and sought to impose job cuts, more unsocial hours and detrimental changes to rosters. In a crass attempt to cut the union out of national negotiations, Network Rail have written directly to staff undermining delicate talks and have tried to rehash a previous deal that RMT has categorically rejected. Strikes on Network Rail will now take place on November 3, 5 and 7. In separate disputes on London Underground and Overground networks (Arriva Rail London), RMT members will take strike action on November 3 read more
RMT to hand in letter to Danish embassy over Orsted dispute (17 Oct) – Offshore workers will protest outside Orsted HQ on Monday in a bid to end a pay dispute which has seen numerous days of strike action. RMT members at Orsted have rejected a paltry pay offer and are set to take further strike action in the weeks and months ahead, unless management reverses its position read more
RMT calls for seafarer legislation fit to fight P&O Ferries (13 Oct) – SEAFARERS Union RMT today called for meaningful action against P&O Ferries after the government’s Seafarers Wages Bill began its journey through the Houses of Parliament yesterday. The government drew up the Bill after 800 directly employed seafarers were sacked by P&O in March and replaced by low paid agency workers. The Bill is supposed to grant protection to seafarers working in UK waters but the company has already avoided prosecution from the Insolvency Service in the Summer. The Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords and will go before the House of Commons in the coming weeks read more
Central Line West Branch organising to defend Sanjeev Verma (10 Oct) – Central Line West Branch is considering all options available including industrial action over the horrendous treatment of long standing member, Sanjeev Verma in his recent Company Disciplinary Interview (CDI) read more
Avanti workers to take two days strike action (7 Oct) – Train managers on Avanti West Coast will take strike action on Oct 22 in a row over the imposition of rosters. RMT members will also walkout on Sunday 6 November. Avanti bosses claim that imposing rosters was to prevent cancellations. However, the company is in such dire straits that they have slashed services and left staff with poor morale and feeling neglected. Controversially the stricken company has had its contract renewed on the West Coast mainline despite its appalling track record running the franchise read more
Bus workers to take strike action (5 Oct) – RMT members working on buses in Somerset, and Cornwall will take strike action from October 10, in a fight for better pay and conditions. Four days of strike action will take place on the following dates: 10 October, 21 October, 4 November, 11 November. Around 400 workers who are planning to take action are furious that many of them are only paid just over £11 and hour and that bosses only offered a small uprate to £12 an hour read more
TSSA
TSSA Industrial Action October 2022 – Summary (29 Sept) – Across October TSSA continues to fight to defend jobs, protect terms and conditions and secure a pay rise for members that meets the ever-rising cost of living. Industrial action including strike action and action short of a strike will take place on multiple dates throughout the month starting Saturday 1 October read more
Unite
BREAKING NEWS!! Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and M&S hit by poverty pay strikes at Lincolnshire food manufacturer (18 Oct) – Bakkavor food manufacturer made £100 million profits but minimum wage workers offered pay cut. More than 700 workers at Bakkavor’s food manufacturing factory in Spalding, Lincolnshire, will strike over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). The production line operatives, who make own brand soups, sauces and deli produce for major supermarkets, will strike from 1 November to 9 November. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Strike action set to hit Co-op coffin factory based in Glasgow (18 Oct) – Action follows rejection of pay cut. Unite members at Co-op Funeralcare based at Bogmoor Place, Glasgow, are set to take strike action following the rejection of a real terms pay cut. Around 50 craft workers based at the Co-op’s only coffin manufacturing facility in the UK overwhelmingly rejected a real-terms pay cut and served notice of strike action. The offer on the table from the Co-op is less than half that of the current real rate of living cost, which is 12.3 per cent. The strike action will commence 31 October and it will continue each day until 7 November when the action will conclude read more
BREAKING NEWS!! World Cup beer drought deliveries strike looms (18 Oct) – 1,000 GXO draymen striking over pay cut while firm makes hundreds of millions in profit. GXO drivers who make around 40 per cent of UK beer deliveries will take strike action over pay during the run up to the World Cup, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). The workers have rejected a five per cent offer, well below the 12.3 per cent real inflation rate, but it also comes with strings as the employer is demanding a reduction in sick pay. In August, GXO reported that its UK operations brought in revenues of £687 million during the three months between April and June alone and boosted its profits forecast. The first round of strikes will take place between 31 October and 4 November at depots across the UK, with more scheduled if the dispute is not resolved. The strikes will impede the ability of pubs and other venues to replenish their cellars prior to the World Cup, which begins on 20 November. A continuous overtime ban will also begin on 24 October read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Quorn strikes go all-out over super-profitable firm’s ‘derisory’ pay offer (18 Oct) – Company’s efforts to undermine strike causing chaos and raises safety fears. More than 60 workers at Quorn’s meat-free paste production factory will begin all-out strike action this Thursday (20 October) in a dispute over a ‘derisory’ pay offer. The workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have already taken nine days of strike action in October over a four per cent pay offer plus a one-off payment. The workers are seeking a nine per cent pay rise, which was the RPI inflation rate in April when negotiations began. The strikes are expected to lead to shortages of Quorn products in supermarkets read more
Go-Ahead London bus workers secure 10.5% pay increase (17 Oct) – Bus workers employed by the Go-Ahead group in London have secured a 10.5 per cent pay increase, following intensive negotiations with the company. The pay deal will benefit over 3,000 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, and applies to both bus drivers and engineers. The pay increase covers all elements of pay and allowances and it will be paid in full on all back pay owed to the workers read more
Arriva Kent bus strikes suspended following revised pay offer (17 Oct) – The latest round of strike action planned by 600 bus drivers, employed by Arriva in Kent, has been suspended following a revised pay offer. The strikes scheduled for Wednesday – Friday (19, 20, 21 October) will not go ahead in order to allow the drivers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, to be balloted on the new offer. Unite regional officer Janet Nobbs said: “Following fresh talks a further pay offer was made and as an act of goodwill the strikes scheduled for this week have been suspended while workers are balloted.” If the latest offer is rejected by the workforce then the strikes scheduled for next week (24-28 October) will go ahead as planned. The dispute involves drivers at Arriva’s depots in Gillingham, Gravesend, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells read more
Unite response to Jeremy Hunt’s fiscal statement (17 Oct) – New Chancellor of the Exchequer’s warning of “difficult decisions” is code for austerity. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “For all the announced U-turns, it is really clear that this Chancellor is now preparing the country for another round of austerity…” read more
Hestia Hounslow LIFE workers move toward strike action – Unreasonably high caseloads. Workers at Hestia’s flagship Hounslow LIFE integrated support service are set to ballot for strike action over unreasonably high caseloads, low pay and attempts by Hestia’s senior management to railroad through changes to their conditions and possible job losses, despite the service recently being awarded additional funds in recognition of the fact that staff are overworked, and the service overstretched. Unite has given senior management until Wednesday 19th October to respond. In August workers at Hounslow Life were informed of drastic changes which would require floating support and specialist recovery workers to take on extra work in the form of supervising social work students. For some of the workers involved there would be a very small salary uplift, for the rest nothing! Read more
PETITION https://surveys.unitetheunion.org/221924736030854
LEAFLET https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oBQCFZaivNClIQoB9qj94BT0rbu3w5ct/view
NHS ambulance workers across England in strike ballot over pay (14 Oct) – 2,700 ambulance workers in England join 2,500 workers in Scotland to demand a better deal. Around 2,700 ambulance workers across England are to be balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). The workers, including paramedics and emergency call handlers, are angry over the four per cent NHS Agenda for Change pay award, which was imposed last month, and falls well short of the real cost of living (12.3%). The imposed award meant most staff received a little over £100 per month more in their pay packet. More than 2,500 NHS workers in Scotland are being balloted by Unite and ballots for health care workers in Wales will also begin soon, so that resultant industrial action is coordinated across the UK read more
Woolwich Ferry faces 5-day strike as TfL fails workers (14 Oct) – Workers will strike for five days from Monday 24 October. TfL refuses to discuss pay as inflation reaches 12.3 per cent. The unmitigated failure of TfL (Transport for London) managers to discuss pay with Woolwich Ferry workers means Unite will stage a five day strike. The strike begins on Monday 24 October and ends on Friday 28 October. 87% of the workers who took part in the ballot voted for strike action. The workers currently face a toxic combination of an employer refusing to discuss a pay deal for 2022, and management victimising and unfairly suspending workers on the service. Unite is challenging the inconsistent treatment of a number of older staff who have been unfairly suspended or dismissed. The service has also refused to discuss the over-reliance on agency workers and alternative working arrangements read more
Alexander Dennis strikes off as workers secure improved wage deal (14 Oct) – Unite doubles the deal as workers accept much-improved offer. Unite the union has today (Friday) confirmed that its members at Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) have accepted a significantly improved wage offer meaning that upcoming strike action is now off. Unite says its members have accepted a 7.7 per cent pay offer, nearly double what the company had initially put on the table read more
ASDA facing Christmas shortages as Wincanton drivers ballot for strike action (14 Oct) – Supermarket giant ASDA is facing the prospect of empty shelves this Christmas as HGV drivers employed by Wincanton, on ASDA’s outsourced contract, ballot for strike action over low pay. The 80-plus drivers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are based at Wincanton’s depot in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The drivers are paid just £13.50 an hour and are often required to work up to 15 hours a day. The drivers have been offered 7.4 per cent on basic pay rates only but, with the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently at 12.3 per cent, Unite says that this is a real terms pay cut read more
West Midlands Metro strike goes ahead as Unite members vow to defeat pay pittance (14 Oct) – Extensive strike action affecting the West Midland Metro will begin tomorrow (Saturday 15 October), in a dispute over rates of pay described as a ‘pittance’. Fifty-three days of strike action will get underway following the employer’s failure to improve its pay offer or to propose fresh negotiations. The dispute involves over 174 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by West Midlands Metro, who are seeking a major improvement on their pay. For some it is the lowest rate of pay in the country for the roles they undertake. Saturday is the first of 53 days of strike action, which has been scheduled to continue until Saturday 5 January 2023 read more
Liverpool port dispute escalates as two more weeks of strike announced (14 Oct) – Unite demands Peel Holdings pays dockers same rate as shipbuilders. Nearly 600 Liverpool port workers will take two more weeks of strike action over pay and jobs from 24 October to 7 November, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Since the strikes at the docks began on 19 September, the workers have been subject to job threats despite plans to expand the port and untrue statements that they are being offered 10.2 per cent by the company. The real offer is around 8.2 per cent, a pay cut while the RPI inflation rate is at 12.3 per cent. Now it has been revealed that the company, which has paid out £300 million in dividends over the last five years and recently recorded pre-tax profits of £141 million, has agreed to pay its workers at shipbuilder Camel Laird in Birkenhead an 11 per cent increase. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Peel Holdings is hugely profitable and can absolutely afford to pay our members a proper wage increase. It did so at Camel Laird, so why not at Liverpool docks?…” Read more
Derby Alstom pay cut strikes to impact East Midlands Rail maintenance (14 Oct) – Alstom profits at £233m but workers offered just four per cent. More than 70 highly skilled workers who maintain the rolling stock at Alstom’s Derby site will strike over pay on 27 October and 29 October. If the dispute is not resolved more strikes will be scheduled. The workers will also begin industrial action comprising of a work to rule and an overtime ban on 19 October over the four per cent pay offer, well below the RPI rate of inflation of 12.3 per cent. French-based Alstom’s latest financial report shows it made sales of £13.6 billion in 2021/22 and net profits of £233 million read more
Tyne and Wear braced for Metro disruption as Stadler Rail engineers vote to strike (13 Oct) – Stadler makes £119 million profit but offers workers a miserable 4%. More than 50 Tyne and Wear Metro engineers will strike after their employer Stadler Rail Service Ltd offered them a miserable four per cent pay rise. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 12.3 per cent and expected to rise, their union Unite says that this is a real terms pay cut. Strike dates are yet to be announced but an overtime ban will commence tomorrow (Friday). As maintenance schedules are reliant on staff working overtime, the ban is expected to impact services on the Metro, which is the UK’s busiest light rail system outside of London read more
Unite secures 11 per cent for lowest paid Stansted Airport workers (13 Oct) – The threat of strike action at Stansted Airport has ended after workers agreed a dramatically improved pay offer. Over 1,000 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, who are employed by Stansted Airport, had overwhelmingly voted for strike action having rejected an offer of 7.5 per cent and a one-off payment of £250. A strike by the workers, who include fire fighters, security officers, cleaners and passenger ambassadors, would have brought serious disruption to the airport. Following the ballot for industrial action, fresh talks were held and an improved offer was made. The new offer means that the lowest paid workers will receive an 11 per cent increase over the year, with 10 per cent pay for other grades, plus an additional £250 one-off payment. The workforce overwhelmingly accepted the new offer via a ballot, bringing the dispute to an end read more
Arrow home deliveries facing strikes until Christmas over ‘dismal’ pay offer (13 Oct) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Arrow XL, will begin strike action later this month in a dispute over pay. Unite represents 350 workers who undertake two-person deliveries for major retailers including Amazon, Very Group, LG Electronics, Richer Sounds and Buy it Direct read more
Pickle and vinegar shortages loom as Mizkan Euro workers announce strikes over pay cut (12 Oct) – The UK is facing a shortage of pickles and vinegar as workers at Mizkan Euro in Middleton, Rochdale, announce strike action following a derisory pay offer. The 50-plus workers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, produce well-known brands including Branston Pickle, Sarsons Vinegar and Haywards Pickled Vegetables. The company’s customers include all the major supermarkets, with both ASDA and Sainsbury’s being particularly reliant on its products. The workers recorded an 81 per cent vote in favour of strike action, having rejected a pay increase of five per cent. Unite says this would be a substantial real terms pay cut, with the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 12.3 per cent. Workers are paid as little as £11.50 an hour. Last year, Mizkan Euro recorded a gross profit of £24 million on a turnover of £98 million read more
Luton airport ground staff strike looms ahead of (12 Oct) – Unite says payment delays ‘out of order’ amid living costs crisis. Around 80 staff employed by GH London Ground Handling at Luton airport are being balloted for strike action over the delay of a £500 recruitment and retention bonus until February 2023. The workers, who are members of Unite the union, are being balloted for strike action, which would impact services leading up to Christmas, particularly for Wizz Air. The ballot closes on 1 November read more
Unite lays blame for mounting repairs backlog firmly at employers’ door as NI Housing Executive strike enters ninth week – As Unite members employed by the NI Housing Executive enter their ninth week of strike action, the union has hit out at the employer’s failure to resolve the dispute, which is causing mounting problems for vulnerable tenants. According to Unite, the strike is having a huge impact on the operations of the NI Housing Executive read more
Arriva drivers in Northumberland to strike over threatened closure of Jesmond depot – Bus drivers employed by Arriva will begin strike action later this month in opposition to the company’s plans to close its Jesmond depot. The strike will involve over 100 bus drivers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union. Beginning on Thursday 21 October, it will be an all-out (continuous) strike. The drivers recorded a 97 per cent vote in favour of industrial action. The Jesmond depot is due to close on Monday 31 October. The closure threatens jobs and will result in a poorer bus service throughout Newcastle and Northumberland. The company has failed to adequately consult Unite over its plans read more
Unite leader Sharon Graham to visit Hull Stagecoach picket line Friday 7 October – Stagecoach operating profits reach £72m in 2021/2 but workers offered ‘pay cut’. More than 250 Hull Stagecoach bus drivers, cleaners, engineers and commercial assistants are taking all out strike action from 7 October until 29 December. The workers are angry at a below inflation pay offer, a lack of pay parity compared to other areas and a one per cent increase in wages since 2019 read more
Offshore drillers and contractors set to hold 48-hour stoppages after vote for strike action – 95% support action following real terms pay cut. Unite the union confirmed today (5 October) that over 300 offshore drilling and contract maintenance workers employed by Archer, Maersk, Transocean and Odfjell have backed strike action. The mandate for industrial action follows Unite members rejecting a 5 per cent pay offer. The pay dispute involves workers covered by the United Kingdom Drilling Contractors Association (UKDCA). 95 per cent supported strike action in a ballot turnout of 86 per cent. The strike action will involve a series of 48-hour stoppages every second week for the first 8 weeks. The action will start on 20 and 21 October. A further series of stoppages will take place on 3-4 and 17-18 November, 1-2 and 15-16 December. Unite has further warned that the action could thereafter escalate to all-out strike action. Unite members by 98 per cent also supported action short of a strike. This could include an overtime ban from 18 October limiting the working day to 12 hours; no extra cover provided during scheduled field breaks, and the withdrawal of goodwill pre and post tour briefings preventing handovers between shifts read more
Abellio East Midlands workers announce strike action over pay – Strikes begin as company with £401m profit fails to make any pay offer. Workers at train company Abellio East Midlands will begin strike action this week after the company refused to make any pay offer to its members. Over 140 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will begin a 48-hour strike on Thursday 6 October, followed by a further 48-hour strike beginning on Monday 17 October. Abellio made a net profit of £401 million in 2021. However, it has blamed its failure to make a pay offer on the Department for Transport (DfT), claiming that ministers have not authorised it to make a pay offer to its workers. The workers – based at depots in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham and employed as cleaners, technicians, shunters, engineers, inspectors, lathe operators, team leaders and supervisors – recorded an 84 per cent vote in favour of industrial action read more
Felixstowe dock workers return to picket lines – Workers at the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe will renew strike action tomorrow (Tuesday 27 September) in an ongoing dispute over pay. Over 1,900 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will begin strike action at 07:00 on Tuesday 27 September with the eight day strike ending on 06:59 on Wednesday 5 October. Strike action is resuming after the company refused to return to negotiations following the initial eight days strike action in August. Instead the company imposed a seven per cent increase on the workforce. This amounted to a real terms pay cut with the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 12.3 per cent. The workers rejected the imposed pay offer by 82 per cent on 78 per cent turnout read more
Quorn Billingham workers strike after pay offer with ‘no meat on bone’ – Latest Quorn operating profits £236m, CEO paid £1.7m but workers offered 4% plus bonus. More than 60 workers at Quorn’s meat free paste production factory will strike on 30 September and 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 October. More strikes are set to be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved. Workers rejected a four per cent pay offer plus a £1,000 bonus. They voted to strike after the company refused to meet their demands of a nine per cent pay rise, which was the RPI inflation rate in April, when negotiations began read more
M&S and Waitrose milk disruption continues with fresh Muller Gloucestershire strikes – HGV drivers and shunters at Stonehouse factory striking over ‘excessive’ rota demands. HGV drivers and shunters at Mullers’ Stonehouse factory in Gloucestershire will begin a fresh round of strike action this week over imposed rota changes that are detrimental to their quality of life. The change to a five days on two days off rota system contravenes an agreement with Unite signed by the company earlier this year. Nearly 70 staff, responsible for delivering milk and other dairy products to M&S and Waitrose nationwide, have taken nine days of strike action since 25 August. A further six days of strike action will take place on 22, 23, 24, 29 and 30 September and 1 October. More strikes are set to be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Honeywell workforce set for strike action – Workers reject ‘pitiful’ pay offer at Edinburgh aerospace company. Members of Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, employed at aerospace company Honeywell, will begin strike action tomorrow (8 September) in a dispute over pay. Around Unite 20 members including production and assembly workers recorded a 78.6 per cent vote in favour of strike action on a 77.8 per cent turnout at Honeywell. The first day of strike action (8 September) will be followed every Thursday for the next twelve weeks. The company, which specialises in the design and manufacturing of electronic hardware and systems, has proposed a multi-year deal of 2.75 per cent for this year and next year then followed by 0 per cent in 2024. This offer has been resoundingly rejected by the workers read more
Workers at Causeway Coast and Glens council to commence all-out strike action tomorrow after councils vote down pay increase – Offer of two pay points plus a cash lump sum to end dispute was rejected at last night’s council meeting by a single vote in the chamber. Unite the union has confirmed that its members at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council will commence continuous strike action at the local authority tomorrow (8 Sept). The decision by workers followed last night’s vote at full council at which a proposal to settle the strike by offering two pay point increments and a lump sum to workers – similar to that provided in Derry City & Strabane and in Mid-Ulster District Councils – was voted down by a majority of one councillor. General Secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, pledged her union’s full support to the striking council workers read more
Striking Tipton CabAuto workers reveal shocking levels of in-work poverty – Workers in McLaren, Aston Martin, JLR and Bentley supply chains ‘terrified of winter bills’. Striking Cab Auto worker – “How can it be that I work for a company that makes millions in profits, yet I have to use a begging bowl at food banks?” More than 100 West Midlands workers, paid just £9.90 an hour, are taking renewed strike action, which began on 23 August and will finish on 16 September, over a three per cent pay offer. The real rate of inflation, RPI, is running at 12.3 per cent and is expected to climb even higher. The workers, who make luxury car interiors but do not receive company sick pay or shift pay, have taken 26 days of strike action since 28 June read more
Real terms pay cut forces strike by Hartlepool chemical workers at Venator – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed at chemical company Venator Materials Ltd, will begin strike action this week in a dispute over pay. The company, which produces pigments and additives, has only offered the workers a five per cent pay increase – far below the rate of inflation. The 100 plus members of Unite at the company recorded an 81 per cent vote in favour of strike action on an 84 per cent turnout… The workers will take a total of 10 days of strike action (see note to editors for details) this month in the dispute. The first four day strike will begin on Thursday 1 September at 18:59 and will initially involve the night shift read more
Baker Hughes strike action amid fire and rehire claims – Billion dollar US oil and gas giant plans to wipe-off £10,000 from salaries. Unite the union members working for US oil and gas giant, Baker Hughes, are starting strike action today (29 August) in a dispute over fire and rehire tactics. Around 110 workers are taking strike action with Unite accusing the multi-billion pound company of `laying waste to Scottish jobs’. Unite estimates that detrimental contractual changes could wipe-off up to 29 per cent from the annual wages of Baker Hughes workers. The equivalent to a £10,500 drop in annual income. Unite members voted for strike action by 87.3 per cent on an 87.5% per cent turnout to defend their jobs, terms and conditions. The all-out strike action will last until the morning of 14 September with a series of 48-hour stoppages taking place until 16 November read more
North Sea strike to hit Foinaven vessel – 96% vote for strike action over inferior redundancy package. Unite the union today (25 July) confirmed that its members operating the Foinaven Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) have voted to take strike action. 96 per cent voted for strike action on an 84 per cent turnout. Continuous strike action is now scheduled to take place from 5 August. The dispute centres on offshore members being given a significantly inferior redundancy package compared with Altera’s onshore workforce. The Foinaven field is situated approximately 120 miles west of the Shetland Isles within the Faroes/Shetland Trough. Production from the field was suspended in 2021 read more
Bosch Rexroth workers to strike in dispute over pay and shift changes – Unite slams global giant’s plans that leave Scottish workers £7000 a year worse off. Unite has today (Monday 4 July) confirmed that members working at Bosch Rexroth Glenrothes, will walk out over a pay proposal that will leave workers £7000 a year worse off. The German-owned global tech and engineering giant has proposed a six per cent pay deal, which Unite says is a significant pay cut given that real inflation currently stands at 11.7 per cent. The employers are also refusing to back-date the pay award to 1 January or to reverse changes to shift patterns and shift allowances, which means the combined impact of the offer is to leave workers around £7,000 per year worse off. Workers at the site have rejected the company’s proposal by 74 per cent. Unite says that the Bosch Rexroth, a subsidiary of Bosch, is in a strong financial position and has no need to attack the workers’ pay and conditions. In its 2021 annual report, Bosch Rexroth boasted of `reaching a new high on incoming orders’ which have generated sales of £5.4 billion (6.2 billion euros), up by nearly one fifth on the year before. The union’s members, 245 workers, will take continuous strike action from Tuesday 5 July until Tuesday 12 July inclusive. Thereafter they will strike every Monday and Tuesday going forward with an ongoing ban on overtime throughout read more
CWU
Support the CWU strikes in Royal Mail, BT/Openreach & Post Office – 19 further days of action strikes have begun in Royal Mail, BT-Openreach workers are taking action on October 6, 10, 20 and 24, while CWU members in the Post Office were out last on September 28th. This Thursday October 20th, CWU members in Royal Mail and BT strike together. The CWU has launched a strike fund – please support
CWU Strike Rally at TUC Congress in Brighton – 7.30am Thursday 20 October, Brighton Delivery Office, North Road BN1 IYD
We support the call of the CWU for Royal Mail and BT to be re-nationalised. Follow the latest news via CWU’s Facebook page, website and Twitter @CWUnews
Royal Mail Strike Six – bigger pickets, angrier members, company plan rejected (14 Oct) – As the UK’s largest industrial dispute rumbles on, strikers’ determination hardens and pressure grows on discredited bosses. Some 110,000 postal workers walked out on strike for the sixth time yesterday from units all over the country, in a massive rejection of the latest attacks on terms and conditions by senior Royal Mail leaders – attacks which appear to be rebounding spectacularly on those company chiefs. Every one of the union’s 10 divisions reported bigger pickets, stronger support for the action and a renewed determination to prevail over the destructive agenda being pursued by CEO Simon Thompson and his regime. After a massively successful day for the CWU, a dispute which had been finely poised is now showing signs of starting to swing firmly in favour of the workforce. And as the 2022 calendar moves on towards the crucial pressure period of the year, during which the union’s strategy will step up from ‘all-out’ to ‘rolling’ action, confidence and belief that this attack can be overcome are gradually increasing. The emerging mood of optimism, however, is tempered by awareness of the critical need to maintain the admirable picket-line discipline that has been a key feature of the action so far – and to continue mobilising the core strength of our magnificent membership right across the UK read more
‘Where’s Jansen?’ message hits home as 999 call handlers turn up the heat on BT Group (11 Oct) – Another rock-solid display of workforce fury at the real-term pay cuts that have triggered the first national strike in BT Group for 35 years has drawn mass media attention to the bizarre missing presence of the company’s CEO in a dispute that has now spread to the UK’s emergency services infrastructure. Despite repeated CWU appeals to the telecoms giant to return to the negotiating table to resolve an increasingly bitter showdown that has now seen six days of industrial action involving more than 40,000 BT and Openreach workers, senior management faces have been conspicuous by their absence in news coverage – except on CWU banners and memes! The invisibility of BT’s top brass has been especially evident during the two most recent strike days – with the CWU spotlighting the managerial void in multiple TV, radio and newspaper interviews about the inclusion of 999 call handlers in the action that took place yesterday (Monday) and last Thursday (October 6). More than 500 of their number withdrew their labour for the first time in the latest escalation of the increasingly bitter pay dispute read more
PCS
Disclosure and Barring Service forced to put out public message as further strikes hit services (17 Oct) – Today (17) saw the start of a further two weeks of strike action by PCS members working for Hinduja Global Solutions on the Disclosure and Barring Service contract in Liverpool read more
New HGS strike dates announced as majority shareholder accused of playing Scrooge (13 Oct) – PCS members working for Hinduja Global Solutions on Disclosure and Barring Service contact centre and back-office functions in Liverpool are taking further strike action from 17-29 October over low pay. It will be the third round of action by our members in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. HGS, whose majority shareholder is the UK’s richest family, the Hindujas, has failed to improve on its 3.5% pay offer which is well below the current inflation rate of 9.9%, which is expected to rise. PCS has also demanded improvements to working conditions, including a commitment to paying at least the Living Wage Foundation UK Real Living Wage of £10.90 an hour, pay when sick, an annual leave entitlement of 27 days, paid breaks and job security read more
PCS meets MLAs at Stormont to describe impact of cost-of-living crisis (17 Oct) – “We are struggling to heat our homes and feed our kids. The 2% pay offer, which is really a pay cut, will destroy our families and communities,” UK Civil Service workers in Northern Ireland today told Members of the Legislative Assembly read more
PCS members’ lobby at Stormont over cost-of-living crisis (17 Oct) – Our members are today visiting Stormont to demand members of the legislative assembly address the cost-of-living crisis read more
HMCTS Occasional Courts: Important Update (14 Oct) – PCS has sought further legal advice regarding HMCTS’ attempts to mandate Occasional Court working for legal advisers. PCS has sought further legal advice regarding HMCTS’ attempts to mandate Occasional Court working for legal advisers. We maintain that HMCTS cannot mandate such working and have advised HMCTS accordingly. We await a meeting with the employer. In the meantime, we have requested that HMCTS pause the process of implementing Occasional Courts read more
PCS Pay Ballot raised in Parliament (13 Oct) – The chair of the PCS Parliamentary Group calls for a debate on the civil service. Chris Stephens MP today (13) raised the PCS national ballot in his contribution at Business Questions with the leader of the house, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP. Highlighting the prime minister’s confirmation at PMQs that there would be no cuts to public spending, which Chris welcomed, he asked for a debate in government time to discuss ‘how we value public servants, ensuring that there is no compulsory redundancies, no cuts to redundancy pay outs and decent wages for those who are keeping the economic wheels of this country turning’ read more
Members rally against workplace closures (13 Oct) – PCS defence sector members will oppose threats to local jobs in the north west. PCS members working for Defence Business Services (DBS) in the north west are rallying on 21 October as part of their campaign to oppose the closure of their workplaces and the displacement of local jobs. The Ministry of Defence is closing its DBS offices in Liverpool and Cheadle Hulme, putting 500 employees at risk of redundancy. PCS members working at the sites, who do important jobs in their communities, are angry at being abandoned by their employer through what is seen as a political decision…The rally is outside Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3YL at 12 noon on 21 October read more
PCS Serve Strike notice at HMCTS over Common Platform (7 Oct) – PCS have today called strike action in HMCTS over the Common Platform dispute. Members will be called to go on strike from Saturday 22nd October to Sunday 30th October. Since the postponement of the previous strike action, PCS have been in negotiations with HMCTS over the common platform. Though some progress has been made, HMCTS were unable to uphold their concession of delaying the further rollout of common platform until the new year, to allow good faith negotiations to take place. Following the second overwhelming mandate to take industrial action from the second tranche of courts ballot on the common platform dispute. This supports the first ballot, and the failure of HMCTS to make any tangible offers or delay the future rollout, the PCS negotiation team believe we have little alternative at this point to call for the industrial action as referred read more
PCS launches strike ballot of 150,000 civil servants (26 Sept) – PCS today begins a strike ballot of more than 150,000 civil servants. Our members in 214 government departments are being urged to vote ‘Yes’ for strike action over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms. PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: “The government has ignored our demands for a fair pay rise, so we have no choice other than to launch what is the most significant ballot for strike action in our history read more
Sign petition to support striking workers at Hinduja Global Solutions
GMB
BREAKING NEWS!! Richmond bin workers return to work after winning pay deal (18 Oct) – Three week strike ends after one day as Serco table improved pay offer to GMB members. GMB, the union for refuse workers, can announce that the scheduled three week bin strike within the London Borough of Richmond has ended after only one day of action. The members, who are employed by the council’s waste contractor Serco, accepted an improved pay offer on Monday [17 October] which will see HGV drivers’ pay increase by 15 per cent. The workers will return to work today [18 October] and kerbside collections will recommence immediately read more
London Borough of Richmond bin strike starts today (17 Oct) – GMB, the union for refuse workers, have announced that London Borough of Richmond will be the facing a bin worker walkout as of this morning [17 October]. The union members, who are employed by the council’s waste contractor Serco, are taking action over pay after being offered a rise which falls well below their expectations as well as being significantly below inflation. The strike will last for an initial three weeks, after a whopping 98% of members voted to take action in the ballot, and an improved offer was turned down by the majority of members this morning read more
Ambulance strike: Ballot dates for almost 20,000 NHS workers revealed (14 Oct) – GMB Union has announced industrial action ballot dates for more than 15,000 ambulance workers across 11 trusts in England and Wales for strike action. Ambulance workers from London, East of England, East and West Midlands, North East, Yorkshire, North West, South Central, South East Coast, South West and Wales Ambulance trusts will take part in the strike vote. Thousands more NHS workers will also be balloted across other NHS trusts, with more votes set to follow. The ballot opens on 24 October and closes on 29 November, and any potential strike action could take place before Christmas. The strike ballots follow consultative votes across all the trusts in which workers voted strongly in favour of strike action. Workers are angry over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award, which leaves them facing yet another massive real terms pay cut read more
Wales Ambulance Service face strike vote (13 Oct) – Wales Ambulance Service faces a strike vote as GMB Union launches a formal industrial action ballot. Ballot dates will be announced in the coming days. The vote comes following a consultative ballot which saw 90 per cent of GMB’s almost 1,500 WAS members vote in favour of a walk out. Paramedics and ambulance workers are angry over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award, which leaves them facing yet another massive real terms pay cut. GMB is calling on the UK and Welsh governments to uplift the pay for hard pressed ambulance staff read more
Brewdog, Pepsico and KP packaging firm faces strike action (14 Oct) – Some of Britain’s best-known food and drink brands, including Brewdog, Pepsico, Princes and KP snacks, face a Christmas logistics nightmare as workers vote over strike action. Almost 1,000 GMB members at DS Smith, who also make corrugated packaging for Chivas, Diageo and Seabrooks crisps, are balloting for industrial action over areal terms pay cut. The ballot closes 2 November, with any strike likely to take place later that month. Workers in five sites – Louth, Lincolnshire, Featherstone, in Yorkshire, Clay Cross, in Derbyshire, Devizes, in Wiltshire and Livingston, in Scotland are taking part in the ballot read more
New Sunderland bus strike dates announced (14 Oct) – GMB Union has announced two new strike dates in the Sunderland Bus dispute. Almost 200 bus drivers will take part in 24 hour walkouts on 28 and 31 October. GMB members were keen to take part day strikes – from 10am until 3pm – so the people of Sunderland were able to get to and from work and school. Unfortunately Stagecoach told them they would not be able to work for any part of a day when they took industrial action. The dispute broke out after Stagecoach offered a massive real terms pay cut of just 4 per cent, with 2 per cent to follow later in the year read more
Asda home delivery strike looms as drivers balloted over pay cut (13 Oct) – GMB members are horrified and frightened about how they will pay their bills. GMB, the union for ASDA colleagues, is set to ballot members working as home delivery drivers after learning of management plans to cut drivers’ pay. The plan includes removing a pay supplement which will see wages cut by £1.50 per hour. The ballot, which opens tomorrow [Friday 14 October], will close in 4 weeks’ time. If the dispute continues, it may result in strike action during in the run up to Christmas. The union anticipates that any strike would severely affect the home delivery service, which makes over one million home deliveries a week read more
Polyflor profits hit £52 million as struggling workers strike (5 Oct) – Flooring company Polyflor has seen profits rise to more than £52 million while hard up workers take strike action to make ends meet, says GMB Union. James Holstead – Polyflor’s parent company – posted a 9.6 per cent rise in revenue year-on-year to £291.9 million for the year that ended June 30. Pre-tax profit increased 1.6 per cent £52.1 million. Almost 200 workers at the firm are in midst of three weeks’ solid strike action until 14 October. Pickets will be staged from 8 to 10am and 4 to 6pm, Monday to Friday outside the factory on Radcliffe New Road, M45. Workers voted to strike over a pay dispute. Shortly after they received a message from the company saying ‘process shifts for process workers are to be suspended…please do not turn up for your shift(s) from 6am on Thursday 1st September’ read more
Walsall Housing Group strike extends into October – Industrial action at Walsall Housing Group will extend into next month, GMB Union has said. Almost 200 GMB members will walk out for six days in October 12, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28. The industrial action comes on top of strike dates in September. Staff are angry after being offered just a 3.1 per cent day deal, amounting to massive real terms pay cut with RPI inflation at 12.3 per cent. Meanwhile Walsall Housing Group’s highest paid director was handed a 14 per cent pay rise between 2020 and 2021 read more
Amazon workers begin first ever UK strike ballot – Amazon workers at a Coventry warehouse will become the first in the UK to take part in a formal strike ballot. Hundreds of workers will today begin voting on whether to walk out in anger over the company’s 35 pence per hour pay offer. The ballot closes on 19 October, with any industrial action likely to take place in November. Amazon workers across the UK have staged informal protests in anger at a three per cent pay offer from the company. Last September, Amazon reported paying £492m in tax the previous year – despite UK revenue soaring to £20.6billion in the pandemic read more
Solidarity with GMB after yet another arrest on a bin picket line – For the second time in months, GMB Southern Region officers have been arrested on a picket line of their striking refuse members. Previously, arrests were made on the Wealden picket. They appeared at Hastings Magistrates Court on 29th June. The case was adjourned to Brighton Crown Court on November 16th. Then two weeks ago, further arrests were made on the Surrey bin picket line. This is outrageous attacks on the right of trade unions to strike, picket and protest. The NSSN sends our continued solidarity and support read more about Surry strike
Sign petition – To St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mitie out: Demand fair pay and conditions for staff at St George’s Hospital
Unison
Council housing repair staff at Barnet Group begin strike action (17 Oct) – Council housing repair staff at Barnet Group begin strike action. Council housing repair staff working for the Barnet Group have walked out in a dispute over sick pay, says UNISON today (Monday). The workers have voted for strike action after a colleague was denied sick pay despite being injured at work. UNISON says the worker was three weeks away from signing a new contract which would have entitled them to sick pay. The Barnet Group is refusing to provide any support for the employee, according to the union read more
“It’s started!”: #BarnetStrikers all out strike action has begun today (17 Oct) – All-out strike action by our Council Housing repairs service has started. Daily picket lines 7.30-8.30am, Grahame Park Housing Office 17-19 The Concourse NW9 5XA. Please send messages of solidarity to [email protected] read more
Support the Unison strike at Reigate & Banstead Council – the branch of UNISON were successful in their ballot and have strike action arranged on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. There will be two pickets each day. One at the Town Hall, Castlefield Rd, Reigate RH2 0SH and the other will be at Earlswood Depot, Horley Road, Redhill, RH1 6PN from 5.00am
Stop Hackney Council cutting library services read more about the campaign here. Join the protest on Monday 23rd October from 5pm – Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, London E8 1EA
Government must act urgently on NHS pay to bring record waiting times down (13 Oct) – Rethink on wage award is only way to stop staff leaving. Commenting on new figures published today (Thursday) showing waiting lists for routine treatment in England have hit a new record high, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Now’s not the time to be sick or injured. Under this government’s watch, the NHS is experiencing the worst crisis in its 74-year history…” read more
Environment Agency staff start to vote on possible strike over pay, says UNISON (10 Oct) – Staff voted to reject a pay offer of 2% and an additional £345. Environment Agency staff are being asked to vote for industrial action in a ballot that could see the first strike over pay in the organisation’s 26-year history, says UNISON today (Monday). A strike ballot of several thousand Agency employees across England – including river inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff maintaining the Thames Barrier – opens today. The vote closes in a month’s time. Earlier in the year, Environment Agency staff voted to reject a pay offer of 2% and an additional £345. This is substantially less than the lowest measure of inflation – currently 9.9% – and simply isn’t enough, says UNISON. The latest offer follows years of no wage increases, or rises significantly below the cost of living, and has proved the final straw for the Agency’s employees, adds the union read more
Workers at Leeds Beckett University begin strike over pay, says UNISON (4 Oct) – Low pay has been a massive, and growing, problem in the university sector for a decade and more. Low-paid employees at Leeds Beckett University will walk out today (Tuesday) in a row about pay, says UNISON. The workers – including those in administrative, cleaning, library, security and catering services – will continue their strike tomorrow and Thursday after rejecting a 3% pay award from the University and Colleges Employers Association. UNISON had called for an increase of 2% above the rate of inflation, currently running at 9.9%. With further rises in the cost of living expected, the award effectively amounts to a pay cut, the union says read more
University staff to strike over pay as new term begins (20 Sept) – Workers have reached breaking point and have little choice but to strike. Thousands of university staff including administrators, cleaners, library, security and catering employees are to walk out in a wave of strikes that will hit universities from today (Tuesday), says UNISON. Universities will be disrupted across England and Scotland as employees push for a fair pay rise that takes account of soaring cost of living pressures and years of below-inflation awards, says the union. The workers, among the lowest paid in the higher education sector, took the difficult decision to strike after rejecting a 3% pay award from the University and Colleges Employers Association in May, the union says. Staff are asking for a wage increase of 2% above inflation, the lowest measure for which is currently 9.8% read more for details of picket lines
Support the OCS Lancashire strikes: pay up now – Pay our hospital heroes what they are owed for working throughout the pandemic read more
Care staff announce new strike dates over pay, says UNISON – Workers at St Monica Trust plan 48-hour walkout and two-day strike in August. Care workers, registered nurses and residential home staff employed by Bristol-based St Monica Trust will take further strike action next week, said UNISON. Staff at the Russets and Sherwood care home in Sandford, North Somerset, will walk out for 48 hours from 7am on Tuesday 16 August, while workers at Cote Lane in Bristol will launch a two-day strike from Friday 19 August. The new dates follow five days of action in June and July over fire and rehire threats and cuts to pay read more
There is a strike fund which is being collected for. Many of these workers are low paid and part time. With cost of living ever rising it’s essential that we can ensure no one feels like they can’t stand up with their colleagues and strike for fear of lost pay. The union will be paying strike pay and members can request hardship payments up to their full wages so no one gets left behind.
For donations please send to the following details with the reference “SMT”
Account name: UNISON South West; Account number: 49021079; Sort Code: 60-83-01
NIPSA
NIPSA Ballot Opens in Health on Pay, Staffing Levels and Travel Reimbursement (11 Oct) – NIPSA urges members to VOTE YES to INDUSTRIAL ACTION including STRIKE and ACTION SHORT of STRIKE. The ballot will open on 27 October 2022 – 18 November 2022. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date. If you have had any changes, please contact NIPSA Membership Section on 02890 661831 or email the NIPSA Membership Unit by the 17 October 2022. NIPSA’s position remains that pay lies at the centre of the problems facing HSC staff, HSC Staff continue to be subject to Pay Cuts resulting in ongoing problems around Recruitment and Retention which gives rise to Safe Staffing concerns read more
Cost of Living Crisis – Civil Service Pay (11 Oct) – NICS Pay Cost of Living Crisis; Carmel Gates NIPSA General Secretary: I know you will share with me the extreme disappointment felt in response to the Finance Minister’s statement this morning. More than 12 weeks after your 2022 pay award was due we are no closer to a pay offer. The statement from the Minister sets out what he would have recommended if there was an Executive in place. This does not come close to meeting the aspirations of our members. The current political situation here and the direction of travel of the current Tory Government are a very worrying combination for all public sector workers but I can assure you that NIPSA is determined to get the best deal we can for all our members. The Civil Service Executive Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the situation and further bulletins will be issued read more
Royal College of Nursing
No sign of a ‘significantly improved’ NHS pay offer in Scotland as talks continue (13 Oct) – Health trade unions met with the Scottish government to continue negotiations on NHS Scotland Agenda for Change pay for 2022/23 read more
RCN’s biggest ever strike ballot now open (6 Oct) – Fight for safe staffing and fair pay by voting ‘yes’ to strike action. More than 300,000 members will receive ballot papers in the post from today (6 October), launching the RCN’s biggest strike ballot in its 106-year history. You can make your mark on that history by voting “yes” to strike action. RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “We are understaffed, undervalued and underpaid. For years our profession has been pushed to the edge, and now patient safety is paying the price. We can’t stand by and watch our colleagues and patients suffer anymore. “Though strike action is a last resort, it is a powerful tool for change. And we must demand that change. Enough is enough. I urge you to vote ‘yes’ in this ballot” read more
Royal College of Midwives
RCM to consult members in Northern Ireland on appetite for industrial action (10 Oct) – “If no pay award was implemented, would you be prepared to take industrial action?” That’s one of the questions the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) will ask its members in Northern Ireland next week when it launches a formal consultation on pay. The RCM says its ‘deeply frustrated’ and its ‘completely unfair’ that hardworking midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Northern Ireland have been left in limbo about pay for so long. Despite Health Minister Robin Swann saying he is willing to accept the recommendations made by the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) due to the absence of a functioning Executive no progress has been made on pay read more
RCM announces date it will ballot members in England and Wales on industrial action (7 Oct) – The RCM is urging all members working in the NHS in England and Wales to vote yes to industrial action over pay as it announces the date its official ballot will open. After members in both countries overwhelmingly rejected their governments’ below-inflation pay award, the statutory ballot for midwives and maternity support workers will open on 11 November and run for four weeks. All members working as midwives or MSWs employed by the NHS in England and Wales are eligible to vote. For now, the RCM says it’s vital that every member ensures their postal addresses and employment details are up to date, so they do not miss out on their chance to vote provide all member data to Civica, the independent voting service read more
RCM recommends members vote YES to industrial action as ballot opens in Scotland (29 Sept) – ‘Stand by and get ready to vote on industrial action’ that’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Scotland as it formally launches its ballot on industrial action today. The RCM is recommending that members vote yes to both strike action and action short of a strike and say they do not take this decision lightly and understand its members don’t either read more
BMA
BMA Junior Doctors have tweeted today (17 Oct): Starting around January 9 2023, we will ballot junior doctor members in England for industrial action. Keep up to date via @BMA_JuniorDocs on twitter
Government refuse to engage – We are deeply disappointed that despite ample opportunity, Ministers have ignored our calls to value junior doctors appropriately and duly restore their pay to 2008/09 levels. We requested official approval from BMA council, the union’s principal executive committee, to ballot members in England around the 9 January 2023 for industrial action. The last two years have been far from ordinary for anyone working in the NHS and junior doctors have made both an enormous contribution and a significant sacrifice. The effects on their wellbeing are likely to be felt for years to come whilst tackling the daunting backlog of treatment for patients. And yet none of this is recognised by the government, who by refusing an enhanced uplift, are simply further eroding junior doctors’ pay read more
NEU
Chancellor’s Financial Statement (17 Oct) – The suggestion that further cuts need to be made across departments will alarm school and college leaders. The education secretary must do everything in his power to protect funding read more
Support staff call for strike action on pay (14 Oct) – Support staff vote YES to formal ballot strike action on pay in preliminary ballot read more
Teachers call for strike action on pay (14 Oct) – Teacher members have voted YES to formal ballot strike action on pay in preliminary ballot read more
Support these strikes:-
Calverton Primary School / Newham (unacceptable management practices) 18-19 October [email protected]
Drapers Pyrgo Priory School / Havering (Conditions of Service) 18-20 October [email protected]
West Coventry Academy / Coventry (Workload) 19-20 October [email protected]
NASUWT
NASUWT to ballot members on industrial action over pay (14 Oct) – The NASUWT will be balloting its members for industrial action over the failure by Government and employers to guarantee teachers and headteachers a fully-funded real-terms pay award of 12%. The NASUWT is recommending that members vote Yes to taking strike action and Yes to support action short of strike action. The announcement comes after Ministers failed to engage in negotiations with the NASUWT, despite repeated calls to do so. Ballot papers will be issued to members from 27 October and the ballot will close on 9 January with the result to be announced immediately. The NASUWT’s campaign for a 12% pay award for teachers will include ballots of members in schools and sixth form colleges in England, Scotland and Wales read more
NASUWT to ballot members in Wales on industrial action over pay (14 Oct) – The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is today announcing it will be balloting its members for industrial action over the failure by the Welsh Government and employers to give teachers a fully-funded pay award of 12%. The NASUWT is recommending that members vote Yes to taking strike action and Yes to support action short of strike action. Today’s announcement comes after Ministers failed to engage in negotiations with the NASUWT, despite repeated calls to do so. Ballot papers will be issued to members from 27 October and the ballot will close on 9 January, with the result to be announced immediately read more
NASUWT to ballot members in Scotland on industrial action over pay (14 Oct) – The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union will be balloting its members for industrial action over the failure by the Employers and Scottish Government to agree a fully funded pay award of 12% for teachers. The decision to ballot follows the refusal of employers’ body COSLA and the Scottish Government to improve on the existing 5% pay offer, despite repeated calls by NASUWT to do so. The NASUWT is recommending that members vote Yes to taking strike action and Yes to support action short of strike action. Today’s announcement comes after Ministers failed to engage in negotiations with the NASUWT, despite repeated calls to do so. Ballot papers will be issued to members from 26 October and the ballot will close on 21 November, with the result to be announced immediately read more
IOM teachers vote to continue action over pay, workload and working practices (23 Sept) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in the Isle of Man have voted overwhelmingly to continue with their campaign of industrial action in a dispute with the DESC over pay, workload and working practices. 82% voted in support of strike action with 92% in support of action short of strike action in a reballot. NASUWT members have been undertaking action short of strike action since late April, withdrawing from a range of activities which do not directly relate to teaching and learning, including attending meetings and providing cover for absent colleagues. This action was escalated earlier this month with members no longer undertaking break duties or any marking, setting and assessment of cover work arising from any planned or unplanned staff absence read more
EIS
EIS Opens Strike Ballot over pay in all Council Areas Across Scotland (11 Oct) – The EIS has opened a statutory strike ballot over teachers’ pay in all 32 Council areas across Scotland. Postal ballot papers are now being issued to EIS members across Scotland, who will have until 8th November to use their vote. The EIS, which represents 8 out of 10 teachers in Scotland, is urging its members to vote Yes to strike action, in the continuing campaign for a fair pay settlement for teachers read more
Teacher pay: EIS Issues Formal Strike Ballot Notices to all 32 Local Authority Employers (5 Oct) – The EIS has announced that it has issued formal notices to all 32 Scottish local authorities confirming that the EIS will open a statutory strike ballot for teachers one week from today, on Wednesday 12 October. The move to a statutory ballot for strike action follows the overwhelming result in a recent consultative ballot, in which 91% of EIS members confirmed their willingness to move to strike action in pursuit of a fair pay settlement read more
EIS-ULA Opens Statutory Ballot (29 Sept) – The EIS has today (Thursday) opened a statutory ballot for industrial action for its members in the Higher Education Sector. Following a consultative ballot, which strongly indicated members of the EIS University Lecturers’ Association (EIS-ULA) wished to take action in the current pay dispute, the EIS-ULA Executive is recommending members vote yes to strike action read more
UCU
Cost-of-living college strikes enter fourth week (17 Oct) – Strike action continues tomorrow across England as staff walk out over low pay amid the cost of living crisis, confirmed UCU. Staff at 22 colleges are striking for three consecutive days. In every college outside of London, the strikes will be on the following days: Tuesday 18 October, Wednesday 19 October, Thursday 20 October. In London some colleges began their three day strike this morning. Staff will be picketing the entrances of all colleges every day of the strike action. This is the biggest wave of industrial action further education has ever seen. Overall, staff will walk out for up to 10 days in total in an action that started four weeks ago read more
Three day strike began this morning at five London Colleges (17 Oct) – UCU confirmed staff at five colleges across London are on picket lines this morning as they begin three consecutive days of strike action over low pay. The full strike days are: Monday 17 October, Tuesday 18 October, Wednesday 19 October. Staff at the colleges have already taken four days of strike action over the past two weeks in a dispute centred on low pay. The colleges are part of the same employer group, New City College. UCU is demanding it makes a pay offer that reflects the soaring cost of living. In June, employer representative the Association of Colleges made a pay recommendation of just 2.5%. RPI inflation is now at 12.3%. This week a further four colleges in London will join the strike action. Nationally, this is the fourth week of strike action in what is the biggest industrial action ever in English further education. Staff at dozens of colleges have been on strike over low pay for up to 10 days. So far the action has led to improved pay offers at a number of colleges, such as Croydon College read more
Plymouth City College warned that crunch talks are the last chance to avoid further strike action (14 Oct) – UCU today warned Plymouth City College that it has until crunch talks due to take place on Monday 17 October (2022) to make a meaningful pay offer to staff, or it will face three consecutive days of strike action starting the very next day. If the union fails to receive an offer, staff will strike on the following days: Tuesday 18 October, Wednesday 19 October, Thursday 20 October. Staff at the college have already taken seven days of strike action over the past three weeks in a dispute centred on low pay. UCU is demanding Plymouth makes a pay offer that reflects the soaring cost of living. In June, employer representative the Association of Colleges made a pay recommendation of just 2.5%. RPI inflation is now at 12.3%. Despite the three weeks of strike action, management has so far refused to meaningfully improve its offer to staff read more
Three day strike begins Monday at Falmouth University over 2-tier workforce (14 Oct) – UCU today confirmed staff at Falmouth University will be taking three consecutive days of strike action from Monday 17 October in a long running dispute over management’s introduction of a two tier workforce. The university has been employing all new academic staff through a subsidiary company on worse terms and conditions since September 2021. The full strike days are: Monday 17 October, Tuesday 18 October, Wednesday 19 October. Staff will be on picket lines every day of strike action from 8am and a series of teach outs and workshops will also take place. The strike comes after 90% of members who voted said yes to strike action to protect the terms and conditions of all academic staff at the university. The dispute centres on Falmouth University’s decision to employ all new academic staff through its subsidiary company Falmouth Staffing Ltd (FSL) read more
Prison educators vote to strike across England over low pay (6 Oct) – Over 400 staff working in education at 48 prisons and youth offender institutions across England could walk out after voting for strike action. Members voted overwhelmingly for strike action with 94.47% of those voting, voting ‘YES’ in a vote that surpassed the 50% turnout threshold imposed by Tory anti trade union legislation. The prison educators, who are employed by Novus, have seen their pay fall by more than 25% since 2009. Prison education is already one of the lowest paid sectors, as highlighted by the House of Commons Education Select Committee read more
University strike ballots open today amidst cost-of-living crisis (6 Sept) – Ballots for industrial action opened today at universities across the UK in disputes over pay, working conditions and pension cuts amidst the worst cost of living crisis in living memory, confirmed UCU. In total, over 70,000 staff at 150 universities are being balloted across two separate ballots. 67 institutions are being balloted over pension cuts to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and 145 are being balloted over pay and working conditions. Both ballots are aggregated. This means that for the first time in these disputes if UCU achieves an overall turnout of 50% or above and a majority YES vote in both ballots, all 150 universities will be hit by strike action, which would be unprecedented 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 government attack on transport strike rights (Oct 17) – Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has responded to the government moving ahead with plans to undermine transport workers’ strikes with minimum service requirements. The requirements will aim to ensure that transport services cannot be completely shut down when workers strike. The move has implications for the wider trade union movement, with workers in other sectors including firefighters having previously been mentioned as candidates for this sort of restriction. Legislation is to be introduced, following Prime Minister Liz Truss’s commitment to bring in such a bill within her first 30 days of Parliament sitting read more
All members briefing on revised 5% pay offer (6 Oct) – Firefighters and firefighter control staff have received a revised 5% pay offer from fire employers. The FBU’s executive council has recommended that the offer is rejected (read why here). A consultative ballot of FBU members on the offer will now take place. FBU members will now come together for an online all members briefing to find out more about this latest development and the next steps. This will take place at 18.30 on Tuesday 11 October with FBU general secretary Matt Wrack and president Ian Murray, as well an opportunity to ask questions read more
Pay – Executive Council decisions and recommendation (6 Oct) – The following statement has been made by FBU general secretary Matt Wrack: “The Executive Council has today [05.10.22] debated the revised 5% pay proposal from the fire service employers. By unanimous decision, the Executive Council agreed the following. The Executive Council recommends that the offer is rejected but this is a decision for our members to make. The Executive Council has agreed to commence a membership consultation on the revised proposals. This will consist of a period of consultation briefings and meetings followed by a consultative ballot…” read more
POA
Pension challenge – prison officer grades in England & Wales who completed the survey in 2017 – Circular 073/2022 provided an update on the process of settling the compensation claims for members following the discriminatory changes made to the civil service and NHS pension schemes in 2015 read more
Autumn of action – lobby and rally rescheduled to 2nd November 2022 – Due to the new TUC Congress dates (18th-20th October), the TUC have rescheduled the lobby of parliament and evening mass rally to Wednesday 2nd November 2022. Westminster Central Hall is still booked as the base for the day and evening. Before the TUC rescheduled the national lobby, over 320 people had registered to meet their MP. The TUC are contacting these people and supporting them to book in meetings with their MP on 2nd November 2022. 320 sign-ups is a good start but we need hundreds more union members to sign up to make their voice heard. It’s time for a new deal for working people. We need a real pay rise for every worker, starting with a £15 minimum wage as soon as possible, and more help with bills. It’s time to ban zero hours contracts and end fire and rehire read more
NAPO
Napo adds name to TUC letter to prime minister (30 Sept) – Napo and other unions signed a letter from the TUC demanding better from the prime minister read more
BFAWU
Organise Now! Launches today! (Sept 26) – Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary: Bakers, Food and Allied Workers, Strike Map and Notes from Below launch new organising project, Organise Now! LAUNCH VIDEO IS HERE. Today (24 September), The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), Strike Map UK and Notes from Below launch a new union organising project called Organise Now! This project is inspired by the Emergency Workplace Organising Committee (EWOC) launched in the USA a few years ago, which has seen tens of thousands unorganised workers contacting them looking for help in building a union in historically low unionised areas, like Starbucks and Amazon. The Organise Now! website launches with two forms. One form is for workers who want support and the other is for volunteers to sign up. Within 72 hours of filling out the form, workers receive a call back from a volunteer. They are assigned an experienced organiser who will coach them through their organising at work read more
NUJ
Myanmar: journalist sentenced to prison with hard labour (11 Oct) – The National Union of Journalists has joined the International Federation of Journalists in condemning the three-year sentence of Sithu Aung Myint by Myanmar’s military junta read more
Prospect
Different Chancellor, same failed policy of slashing public spending (17 Oct) – The new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has today ripped up most of his predecessor’s ‘mini-budget’ and pledged to improve the public finances by cutting spending read more
Equity
Shape Equity’s Audio Action Plan (12 Oct) – Equity is committed to improving the working lives of our members and protecting the professionalism of audio work. Audio Artists are a vital part of the creative workforce, whether they work on Audiobooks, Commercials, Videogames, ADR, Radio Drama, or any of the other diverse areas of this field. You deserve to be paid well, to be treated with dignity and respect as professionals, and to have your performers’ rights protected read more
USDAW
Tesco and Usdaw agree improvements to the sickness absence policy to support staff dealing with the menopause (18 Oct) – Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed Tesco’s agreement to a change to their sickness absence policy that will better support staff experiencing menopause symptoms, which is being launched today on World Menopause Day. This development follows on from the successful launch, in May this year, of a guide agreed with Usdaw to help more women working at Tesco to access menopause support read more
M&S staff are deeply concerned by today’s confirmation of more store closures – Usdaw renews their call for recognition (12 Oct) – Retail trade union Usdaw has renewed their call for recognition as the trade union for Marks & Spencer staff after the company today announced it is seeking to speed up a major shake-up of its stores estate. M&S has not detailed which locations or how many jobs will be affected by the plans read more
UVW
Judge orders union-busting pizza chain to keep paying sacked UVW member (12 Oct) – “I am very happy. This win is a good indication that my dismissal by Pizza Pilgrims will be found to be unfair when we go to trial. This process raises important questions as to the actual reason for my dismissal and whether it was in fact due to my union activities” – Ben Gray, sacked Pizza Pilgrims waiter and UVW member. On Monday a judge ordered London’s Pizza Pilgrims (PP) restaurant chain to put a waiter and United Voices of the World (UVW) member back on the payroll, backdate his wages and pay his wages in full until his final hearing on unfair dismissal and trade union victimisation. This is UVW’s sixth successful Interim Relief claim in the past month, in our ongoing fight against vicious union-busting by employers read more
IWGB
Security Staff at University College London to Strike over Pay as Part of Campaign Against Outsourcing (26 Sept) – Outsourced security staff working at University College London (UCL) from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) have voted unanimously to take strike action over pay and union recognition. This follows the launch of an ongoing campaign in May by the majority-BAME and migrant outsourced workers demanding to be brought in-house, after years of subcontractor mismanagement. At the height of the cost of living crisis, security staff are demanding £15/hr, equivalent to the wage paid to security over two decades ago before outsourcing was introduced at UCL (and still paid to a small number of staff who have remained employed since that time and whose conditions are protected by TUPE). Outsourced workers are also demanding an end to exploitative outsourcing at the university read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU calls on State funded advocacy service to recognise staff right to union representation (17 Oct) – SIPTU representatives have called on the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities to respect the right of its staff to union representation for the purposes of collective bargaining and to end attempts to unilaterally cut their terms of employment read more
Other news
Support the ‘Truth About Zane’ campaign – Zane’s petition calling for an Independent Panel Inquiry on the 21st October we will deliver it to 10 Downing Street. We need you all to join us 11am at College Green. Please wear ORANGE if you can. Sign the petition read more about the campaign here
SHAC the Social Housing Action Campaign’ and other housing campaigners are demanding a freeze on social rents, shareholder rents, and service charges. The campaign is already moving government. In August, government announced a cap on around 5% (instead of the 10% that would have been likely under the previous formula). But we don’t believe that this is low enough or broad enough. We need urgent funding to pay for campaign materials and basic admin costs. We also need trade unions to help us get our message across. Please see here to find out more, download our model motions for unions, or make a donation to account name ‘The Social Housing Action Campaign’, account number 20434685, Sort Code 60-83-01
October is Black History Month – follow #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistoryMonth2022 #BHM #BHM2022 on twitter for events as well as visit union websites
50th Anniversary of Building Workers Strike (hosted by Unite London & Eastern) – Friday 28th October TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC18 3LS
Sign petition: Liz Truss, give a 10% pay rise and equal pay to all care workers and personal assistants from Disability Rights Action [email protected]
International News
Pakistan flooding disaster – Urgent appeal from the Sindh Workers’ Alliance read more and find details on how to donate
Solidarity protest this Friday 21 October 4pm to reinstate dismissed Marlboro workers in Turkey (called by SPOT – Solidarity with the People of Turkey) – Philip Morris Ltd, 10 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7AP
Send messages of protest to union DiSK Gida-is – [email protected]
Send messages of protest to Philip Morris – [email protected]
4th SPOT Conference – 10am-4.30pm Saturday 29 October NEU Head Office, Hamilton House, Mabledon Pl, London WC1H 9BD
Release arrested Iranian Trade Unionists and Worker Activists – Release all detained protesters and political prisoners in Iran
The Iranian regime is facing a new wave of widespread popular opposition sparked off by the death of 22 year old Jina Mahsa Amini’s death at the hands of the so-called ‘morality’ police. Since then over 200 people have been killed in the protests and thousands detained as protests have taken place across the whole of Iran. Strikes have and are taking place in support of the protests, something which terrifies the regime. As the below report from Iran shows arrests of workers have begun before declared strikes have started. In this situation solidarity and protest messages are very important both for the morale of the struggle and to help put pressure on the regime.
Report from Iran: Freedom for the arrested strikers – At 1am on the night of Sunday 09.10.2022 to Monday 10.10.2022 at Revolutionary Guards came to companies working in the Assaluyeh petrochemical complex and took away from their workrooms more than 100 workers who had announced a strike to start on the Monday. The companies hey worked for are Bushehr Petrochemical and Hengam Petrochemical. On 11 October 18 workers from the Sina Sanat Petrochemical Company, who had been on strike since October 9, were arrested on the street. Also that day Revolutionary Guard intelligence forces came to the Sina Sanat workshop with photos and videos on their phones and searched for people. They identified and arrested two people named Reza Najafi and Majed Ebadi. We tried to prevent them and there was a conflict, but unfortunately they took them. The security forces are currently using video reconnaissance as a regular method to identify and arrest striking workers in Iran. Some of those arrested are:
Reza Najafi
Majid Ebadi (Abadan)
Mohammad Heydari
Goderz Ebrahimi
Samad Rahnama
Ali Esmaili
Ahmed Esmati
Hossein Selahshur (welder, from Izeh)
Reza Kouravand (welder, from Izeh)
Rasoul Nowrozi (welder, from Izeh)
Omid Kouravand (Izeh)
Amin Alizadeh (Izeh)
Arman Kavossi (welder, Izeh)
Mehrdad Kavousi (fitter, Izeh)
Aslan Sawari (fitter, Izeh)
Hassan Ahmadi (Izeh)
Samad Rafiei (Sarkhon)
Nima Gholami (Sarkhon)
Ruhollah Masoumi (Yasuj)
Ali Biranvand (Bushehr site of the Farjoud Company)
We demand:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all arrested strikers, protestors and all political prisoners.
- The right to political and trade union organisation.
- The acceptance of all demands of the strikers
Please send protests to the Iranian Embassy
Please send copies of protests and solidarity messages to the Tehran bus workers union [email protected]
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
QC appointed to lead the independent Unite inquiry into blacklisting – Unite is delighted to announce that Nick Randall QC and John Carl Townsend have been appointed to investigate the possible collusion by union officers in blacklisting. Over the past months, evidence gathering by Thompsons solicitors has continued, with many blacklisted construction workers and other witnesses having already been interviewed. The work of the independent investigators is expected to start officially on 11 April read more
#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement
Keep up with developments and read and watch campaigners’ statements on the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) and Undercover Policing Inquiry websites and spycops info Facebook group
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/blacklistSG/
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. The Coronavirus Support Group for Workers has been set up on Facebook and is a useful forum and you can catch up on disputes at Strike Map UK
Diary
November
2 TUC Rally & Lobby of Parliament
5 People’s Assembly National Demonstration – London, Assemble Embankment, WC2N 6NS
CONTACT US
PHONE 07952 283 558
EMAIL mailto:[email protected]
TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts
FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP or STOP The CUTS Likes page
ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE
