The NSSN sends season’s greetings to all our supporters. But this year, workers’ struggle continues over the festive period.
Last week, the Nurses’ Strike erupted and continues this Tuesday, with over 100,000 RCN members taking action. On Wednesday, ambulance drivers in Unite, Unison and GMB will be on strike. Over the Christmas period, over 40,000 railworkers in the RMT and TSSA and 115,000 postal workers in the CWU will be continuing their action, as are workers in many localised disputes such as the Unite bus drivers at Abellio in London. The PCS will be rolling out targeted action.
The strike wave is winning gains for workers and putting the employers and their Tory Government under massive pressure. The mood is building, especially for mass joint action to defeat the cost of living pay squeeze. The NSSN continues to send our support and solidarity to all workers taking action. The details for all these disputes are in this NSSN bulletin. Please show your support – solidarity!
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
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RMT
RMT wins TfW pay award (17 Dec) – Rail union RMT welcomed a pay deal with Transport for Wales (TfW) today. After intense negotiations and no strike action, RMT members won between a 6.6% and 9.5% pay rise, on the Welsh government owned operator. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate members on securing a negotiated settlement on pay and conditions read more
RMT agrees to all-industry talks (15 Dec) – RAIL union RMT attended talks convened by the Rail Minister Huw Merriman tonight including Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group and agreed to further discussions. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the minister requested further talks between RMT and the employers in order to find resolutions read more
RMT welcomes rock solid 48-hour strike across the railways (14 Dec) – The union today congratulated its 40,000 members for taking 48 hours strike action which effectively shut down the railway across the country. RMT is due to meet the rail minister and industry chiefs tomorrow in a bid to come to a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working conditions on Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies. General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate RMT members who have shown enormous dignity and rock-solid fortitude throughout this 48-hour strike…” read more
No to network Rail offer (12 Dec) – Network Rail members emphatically reject company offer. RMT members from Network Rail have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest offer from company bosses. It means that all strike action this week, from 6pm Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27 and into the new year, remains on for both Network Rail and the 14 train operating companies under the DfT mandate. 63.6% voted to reject the Network Rail offer on an 83% turnout. The Network Rail offer included a 5pc and 4pc pay rise over a two-year period with thousands of job losses, 50pc cut in scheduled maintenance tasks and a 30pc increase in unsocial hours. Bosses at Network Rail have also said they will try and impose these detrimental changes from December 15. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is a huge rejection of Network Rail’s substandard offer and shows that our members are determined to take further strike action in pursuit of a negotiated settlement. The government is refusing to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to make effective strike action illegal in Britain…” read more
RMT Rail for London strike Tuesday 20th December – main picket line: Plumstead Depot, 67 White Hart Avenue, Plumstead SE28 0GW 5.30am, 1.30pm, 9.30pm
RMT announces 4 weeks of industrial action – Rail union, RMT will put on a series of 48 hour strikes in December and January after industry bosses failed to offer any new deals to reach a settlement. Over 40,000 members across Network and 14 Train Operating Companies will take strike action on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December and on January 3,4,6 and 7. There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from 18 December until 2 January, meaning RMT be taking industrial action for 4 weeks. Despite every effort made by our negotiators, it is clear that that the government is directly interfering with our attempts to reach a settlement. The union suspended previous strike action in good faith to allow for intensive negotiations to resolve the dispute. Yet, Network Rail have failed to make an improved offer on jobs, pay and conditions for our members during the last two weeks of talks. At the same time Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operating companies, have also broken a promise to make a meaningful offer on pay and conditions and even cancelled negotiations that were due to take place yesterday. We also have evidence from all 14 of the train companies denying that Rail Delivery Group has the authority to conduct negotiations on their behalf, even as the RDG urged us to come back to the table read more
Eurostar security staff to strike for 4 days in December over pay – RMT members working as security staff for Eurostar will walkout on the 16,18,22 and 23 of December in a dispute over pay. The workers, some of whom earn as little as £10.66 per hour rejected a below inflation pay offer and emphatically voted for strike action with an 81% ‘yes’ vote. The strike action will severely affect Eurostar services and travel plans for people over the December period. Security staff perform essential duties of keeping passengers safe during international rail travel and are contracted out to facilities management company Mitie. Mitie made £50m in profit between March and September this year. Over 100 staff are expected to take part in the action read more
Railway cleaners name strike dates in pay dispute – Contracted out cleaners will take national strike action for the first time on 22 23, and 31 December. Over 1,000 contracted out cleaners working for the likes of Churchill, Atalian Servest and Mitie are eligible to take walkout. Cleaners are demanding £15 an hour, company sick pay, decent holidays and good pensions from contractors – some of whom are raking in profits of over £100 million a year. Rail companies who use contracted out cleaning providers such as Avanti West Coast, GWR, LNER and TransPennine Express will be affected by the action read more
Reinstate Branch Secretary Jason Moriarty – A new newsletter has been produced as a part of our organising to get Jason Moriarty reinstated. Please download it to learn more. The RMT offers full support and solidarity with our comrade Jason Moriarty following his disclosure to his employer, London Underground, of a disability read more
ASLEF
BREAKING NEWS!! ASLEF: Train Drivers’ Union Announces New Strike Date (20 Dec) – ASLEF has announced another one-day strike on Thursday 5 January after members at 15 train companies voted overwhelmingly for more walk-outs in a long-running dispute over pay read more
Chickens coming home to roost at Avanti West Coast (12 Dec) – ASLEF has announced that it is balloting members who work for Avanti West Coast at Euston for industrial action after the company imposed new rosters, without agreement, on drivers read more
Ballot results: train drivers vote overwhelmingly to continue to strike – Results of ballots of members at Greater Anglia, Arriva Rail London, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Southeastern, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Southern, Thameslink Great Northern, Island Line and South Western Railway (Depot Drivers only). ASLEF members at 12 train companies have voted overwhelmingly to continue strike action in a long-running dispute over pay. The union had to ballot members again as a mandate, under the law, is only valid for six months. ‘This shows just how angry – and determined – our members are,’ said Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, which represents 96% of the train drivers in England, Scotland, and Wales. ‘The turnouts were huge and the mandates are overwhelming.’ Read more
TSSA
BREAKING NEWS!! TSSA issues new ballots to redefine national rail dispute (20 Dec) – Rail union TSSA is putting several train operating companies on notice for more industrial action in the new year by re-balloting thousands of members along new lines aimed at ending government efforts to block progress towards a deal in the ongoing national rail dispute. For the first time in the long-running dispute the union will have the opportunity to ballot different groups of members separately to maximise industrial strength and turnout, reflecting the feeling across different groups fighting for better pay, job security and conditions. The companies involved are Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, Southeastern, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, LNER, and Northern read more
Saturday rail strikes (16 Dec) – TSSA members at six train companies take strike action tomorrow, Saturday 17 December, in the ongoing dispute over pay, job security and terms and conditions. The union has accused the government of “harming the nation” in its role in blocking talks to resolve the rail dispute. Rail workers at Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, Southeastern, South Western Railway, and TransPennine Express will walk out for the whole day, impacting rail services on routes across the country. Additionally, industrial action short of strike is taking place at CrossCountry, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, GTR, LNER, Northern, and West Midlands Trains. In total, TSSA members across 13 train companies are taking some form of industrial action. The strike action is the first since an offer tabled by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG – the umbrella group acting on behalf of train operators) was rejected on Sunday 4 December. The offer followed four weeks of intensive talks during which TSSA suspended industrial action. No improved offer or negotiations have taken place since the initial offer – which is widely believed to have been crafted by government – was rejected read more
TSSA members accept Network Rail offer (15 Dec) – TSSA members at Network Rail have voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the company in the national rail dispute over pay, job security and conditions. 85% of members voted yes on a 70% turnout. The offer is worth a minimum 9-11% consolidated pay increase over the next fortnight, in addition to other financial rewards, job security to 2025 and guarantees on terms and conditions read more
Further strike dates at West Midlands Trains and Great Western Railway (14 Dec) – Rail union TSSA has announced further strike dates at West Midlands Trains (WMT) and Great Western Railway (GWR) in the days after Christmas. More than 700 hundred members of the union across the two companies will walkout in the ongoing dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
*At GWR this takes place from 12 noon on Wednesday 28 December to 11.59 am on Thursday 29 December.
*At WMT this takes place from 12 noon on Wednesday 28 December to 12 noon on Thursday 29 December.
*In the case of West Midlands Trains this cancels and replaces the previously planned strike by TSSA on 17 December.
*Action short of a strike will continue as planned by the union at both train operating companies (WMT – 1 Oct to 6 January and GWR from 13 December to 8 January).
TSSA is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which addresses the rising cost of living read more
TSSA plans Boxing Day strike at CrossCountry (13 Dec) – Rail union TSSA has notified CrossCountry that it will take strike action at the train operating company on Boxing Day and 27 December as part of the ongoing national dispute over pay, job security and conditions. Union members will walkout in a 24-hour stoppage from 9pm on Boxing Day until 9pm on 27 December. TSSA is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which addresses the rising cost of living. The union believes that walkouts by staff will severely impact services at CrossCountry which covers large swathes of the country, from Penzance, to the Midlands, Wales, Northern England through to Scottish cities as far north as Aberdeen read more
ScotRail – TSSA members vote for Industrial Action (12 Dec) – TSSA members in ScotRail have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action leaving management scrambling to cover out of hours on-call shifts. Dozens of members working in vital roles across Scotland’s railway will now withdraw from out of hours “on call duties” for six months from 00:01 on Christmas Eve, impacting the company’s ability to deal with incidents during out of hours periods and potentially causing train delays as a result read more
Unite
BREAKING NEWS!! Abellio London bus pay dispute intensifies with strikes over festive period and January (20 Dec) – Abellio has profits of €401m but has imposed ‘unacceptable’ pay offer. Bus drivers employed by Abellio in South and West London will take a further 11 days of strike action in late December and throughout January in a dispute over pay. The bus drivers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have already taken 10 days of strike action in November and December. The last strike from the first round of industrial action ended last Saturday (17 December). The company, which made profits of €401 million in 2021, has imposed an ‘unacceptable’ pay offer. The deal does not meet the drivers’ demands and leaves full time drivers with under two years’ of service on £3.29 less per hour than their colleagues with more than two years. The dispute initially involved 950 drivers, but the anger amongst the workforce is such that membership of Unite has doubled read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Barclay refuses to discuss pay as last ditch meeting branded ‘pointless’ (20 Dec) – Commenting on the meeting held today with the secretary of state for health and social care Stephen Barclay, Unite national lead officer, Onay Kasab, who attended the meeting, said: “The meeting was made entirely pointless by the attitude of Stephen Barclay who refused to discuss pay. How he hopes to get movement and resolve the dispute without discussing the key issue is mystifying. It is disgraceful that the government is failing to take action to avoid NHS strikes, the unions are willing to talk but the government isn’t…” read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Greene King strikes go ahead over Christmas & New Year’s Eve (20 Dec) – Seven days of strike action begins tomorrow (Wednesday 21st December). Brewery workers offered a “Scrooge” pay deal. Greene King’s refusal to offer a fair pay increase in the midst of a cost of living crisis mean strikes will go ahead over Christmas. Workers will take three days of strike action between 21st December and 23rd December and a further four days between 28th December and 31st December. Supplies of well-known beers and ales to pubs, restaurants and shops including IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale will be affected. The 188 workers, including production and distribution workers, drivers and draymen, who are members of Unite are based at Bury St Edmunds, Eastwood (Nottinghamshire) and Abingdon (Oxfordshire) read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Construction giant Murphy protests in UK and Ireland over union busting (20 Dec) – Demonstrations call for four sacked trade union members to be reinstated. Demonstrations will be held outside the offices of Murphy construction companies in Newbridge, County Kildare, Warrington, Stafford and London tomorrow (21 December) over union busting at the group. The protests form part of a campaign to secure the reinstatement of four Unite members, including a Unite shop steward, who were dismissed by the group’s Irish subsidiary, Murphy International. Unite believes the reasons for the sacking are spurious and linked to the workers’ trade union membership read more
BREAKING NEWS!! No Christmas cheer for Unite workers at Coop Funeralcare as pay dispute continues (19 Dec) – Management tactics fail to dent workers’ resolve in fight for a fair wage deal as coffin strike likely to enter fourth month. Unite can today (Monday 19 December) confirm that the failure of the Coop to make an improved wage offer to their workforce will see the ongoing pay dispute continue beyond Christmas. Unite members at the Cooperative Funeralcare’s only UK coffin manufacturing facility in Govan is likely to enter its fourth month as workers continue to fight for a fair wage offer. Workers will take strike action from Monday 19th December continuously until Friday 23rd December read more
Go North East strikes suspended following pay talks (17 Dec) – Planned strike action by engineers working for Go North East, due to begin next week, have been suspended at the eleventh hour. The 150 engineers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, were due to begin a week-long strike on Monday 19 December. The industrial action would have caused considerable disruption to the bus network throughout the region. However following last minute talks at the conciliation service Acas, Go North East made an improved pay offer. As an act of good faith Unite, suspended the strike action in order to ballot its members on the improved offer read more
Unite blasts government contingency plans for NHS strikes (17 Dec) – There are two statistics, drawn from recent Freedom of Information (FOI) answers from an ambulance trust, which exposes the mountain of hypocrisy and falsehoods being trotted out by the government, its spin doctors and the health minister, Steve Barclay. It has emerged from FOI inquiries that West Midlands Ambulance Trust has had a staggering increase in patient deaths due to ambulance delays in reaching patients. In 2020 according to the official figures one patient died because an ambulance didn’t get to them in time. This year until September 37 people have died because of ambulance delays read more
Unite warns govt it has five days to stop NHS strike spreading (16 Dec) – Don’t waste the weekend’, says Unite chief as ambulance workers set to join striking nurses on 21 December. The general secretary of Unite the union, Sharon Graham, has today (Friday) called on the Conservative government not to ‘waste the weekend’ but to convene NHS pay talks or see the strikes spread. Unite’s members across three English ambulance trusts are set to walk out on 21 December over the government’s refusal to shift on its four per cent pay offer. Unite says this is a 10 per cent pay cut while the real rate of inflation, RPI, runs at 14 per cent. Ambulance staff have seen their wages collapse in value this year, down by £2,400, with NHS pay having fallen by £6,000 since 2010 read more
Wirral bin strikes set to escalate due to Biffa’s low pay regime (16 Dec) – Strike action in the refuse collection dispute affecting the Wirral is set to escalate. Over 200 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Biffa, on the outsourced Wirral council contract, are set to escalate strike action due to the company’s failure to make a fair pay offer. The workers will strike from Wednesday 28 December to Saturday 31 December, Tuesday 3 January to Saturday 7 January and from Monday 16 January to Friday 21 January read more
Merseyside facing Christmas waste chaos as Veolia workers strike over Scrooge pay (15 Dec) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Veolia on household waste and recycling sites throughout Merseyside, will take extensive strike action after Christmas, due to the company’s Scrooge like pay offer. The 180 workers will begin strike action at the 22 sites where they are employed on Wednesday 28 December with the initial strike ending on Saturday 31 December. There will then be further strikes beginning on Monday 2 January and ending on Saturday 7 January and from Sunday 15 January until Saturday 21 January. The majority of the workers are paid just £9.50 an hour, including those who have a HGV class two driving licence, with class one HGV drivers receiving just £11.87 an hour read more
Rolls Royce car workers win record pay deal (16 Dec) – Strike threat helps secure biggest ever workers’ pay hike of 17.6 per cent. Unite’s new fight for jobs, pay and conditions wins bumper deal out of company’s bumper profits. Around 1,200 workers at the iconic Rolls Royce Motor Cars at Goodwood, West Sussex, have won the largest single pay deal in the history of the plant, worth up to an inflation busting 17.6 percent. It means a typical worker’s (Grade 3) pay will increase by £3,205 plus a one-off payment of £2,000 read more
Abellio East Midlands workers to stage further strikes at Christmas over ‘drastic pay cuts’ (16 Dec) – Company with €401m profit fails to make any pay offer despite soaring prices. Workers at train company Abellio East Midlands will begin further strike action later this month over the company’s refusal to make any pay offer despite soaring living costs. Over 140 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, took four dates of strike action in October as well as a further two days earlier this month and will strike again on 23 and 24 December. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved. 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 are based at depots in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham and employed as cleaners, technicians, shunters, engineers, inspectors, lathe operators, team leaders and supervisors read more
Unite secures huge pay rises for Wincanton tanker drivers (16 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a huge pay increase for workers employed by Wincanton on the Valero contract. The 150 tanker drivers undertake fuel deliveries to Valero petrol stations across the UK. The workers had overwhelmingly voted for industrial action. Strike dates were then set, at which point last ditch negotiations were held and a deal was brokered that Unite’s members accepted. As part of the deal, tier one workers will receive a pay increase of 20.7 per cent while those on tier two contracts will see their pay rates increase by 37.1 per cent. The pay deal was designed to reduce the differential between the two groups of worker read more
Heathrow ground handlers strike suspended following last ditch pay talks (15 Dec) – Strike action due to begin tomorrow (Friday 16 December) at Heathrow airport involving ground handlers employed by Menzies has been suspended following last ditch peace talks. Talks were held today between Unite, the UK’s leading union, and Menzies, over the dispute on pay. During the talks, Menzies made an improved pay offer and as a gesture of goodwill Unite suspended the planned strike action. Unite will now ballot its members on the revised pay offer read more
Shelter strike suspended following improved offer (15 Dec) – Strike action being taken by members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by the charity Shelter has been suspended after talks at the conciliation service Acas resulted in an improved pay offer being made. The 600 workers were taking part in a fortnight long strike over pay, which began on December 5. However, following protracted talks at Acas yesterday (Wednesday 14 December) an improved pay offer was made and as an act of good faith Unite suspended the remainder of the planned strike. Unite will now ballot its members on the revised pay offer read more
West Midlands bus chaos looms after National Express engineers’ pay strike vote (14 Dec) – Around 200 West Midland’s National Express engineers have voted by 96 per cent in a consultative ballot to strike after their driver colleagues were offered a ‘much better’ deal. The engineers, responsible for repairing and maintaining National Express’ fleet of over 1,200 buses covering 93 per cent of the West Midlands bus network, have been offered a 10.1 per cent increase. Meanwhile the company’s drivers have been offered a pay rise above RPI inflation of 14 per cent. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said National Express, which made £15.8 million in profits during the first half of 2022, needs to offer all its workers the same deal read more
Felixstowe port workers win 15.5 per cent pay increase (13 Dec) – Following a series of strikes involving over 1,900 workers employed at Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, a deal has now been agreed to bring the pay dispute to an end. The two year pay increase is broken down as a seven per cent increase for 2022 and an additional one off payment of £500 and then from 1 January 2023 and 8.5 per cent pay increase and a one off payment of £1,000. Although the pay issue is now dealt with – there is still an outstanding issue of victimisation of a number of Unite members read more
Unite secures recognition for Airbus management grades (13 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured recognition for advanced professional and band V employees at Airbus UK. The agreement will cover nearly 2,800 workers based at the company’s sites in Broughton, North Wales, and Filton, Gloucestershire, as well as satellite sites in Brize Norton and London. The workforce voted in favour of being recognised by Unite by 94 per cent on an 86 per cent turnout, in a voluntary arrangement avoiding the need for a statuary process read more
Scotland NHS deal shows England strikes can be avoided if ministers join talks (12 Dec) – Unite asks Westminster government if it believes NHS England workers don’t deserve same as colleagues in Scotland. Following the confirmation that Unite’s NHS members in Scotland have voted to accept an improved pay deal, the union has urged ministers in England to engage in fresh pay talks. Unite, which represents more than 100,000 NHS workers, said the Scottish deal shows that industrial action can still be avoided if the Westminster government agrees to join pay negotiations. The NHS Scotland deal represents on average a 7.5 per cent increase across the service with up to 11.24 per cent for the bottom pay bands read more
Unite confirms NHS Scotland vote to accept improved pay offer (12 Dec) – Industrial action across the NHS Scotland by Unite members is now off. Unite the union can confirm today (12 December) that an increased pay offer has now been accepted by its NHS Scotland membership. Unite’s health membership voted yes by 64% in the thousands to accept the improved offer which was tabled two weeks ago following extensive talks involving the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, NHS Scotland and the trade unions read more
New Covent Garden security guards secure 22% pay increase as Christmas strikes averted (12 Dec) – Security guards employed by OCS, at New Covent Garden Market, have secured a 22 per cent pay increase. The pay deal has averted strike action planned for this week that would have heavily disrupted Christmas trade at the fruit, vegetable and flower market. The security guards, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, had previously taken strike action in September and October. They were due to begin a further five days of strike action from yesterday (Sunday 11 December). However, last ditch talks were held and it was agreed that security guard pay would increase from £9.69 an hour to £11.05 an hour from 1 January 2023 and then further increase to £11.30 an hour from 1 April 2023. This increase is on the top of the 5.4 per cent increase the workforce received from 1 April 2022, following a collective grievance being submitted to OCS. In total Unite has secured a 22 per cent increase for the security guards read more
Beer drought as Greene King workers announce strikes over Christmas & New Year’s Eve (12 Dec) – Brewery workers offered a “Scrooge” pay deal of 3% when inflation is almost five times higher at 14.2%. Workers announce seven days of strike action beginning on 21st December. Beer drinkers are facing severe shortages over Christmas and New Year’s eve because Greene King refuses to give its workers a decent pay increase in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Supplies of well-known beers and ales to pubs, restaurants and shops including IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale will be affected. The 188 workers, including production and distribution workers, drivers and draymen, who are members of Unite are based at Bury St Edmunds, Eastwood (Nottinghamshire) and Abingdon (Oxfordshire). The workers will take three days of strike action between 21st December and 23rd December and a further four days between 28th December and 31st December. The workers took an initial five days of strike action which ended on Friday 9 December. The workers voted for strike action after Greene King only offered them a three per cent pay increase and a further one-off payment of £650. With the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 14.2 per cent, this amounts to a very substantial real terms wage cut read more
Community support workers in Hounslow stage protest as strike goes ahead (12 Dec) – What: Striking charity workers stage protest; Where: Hounslow council buildings, TW3 3EB; When: 12.30pm on Tuesday 13th December. Community support workers in Hounslow stage protest as strike goes ahead. Workers employed by Hestia taking strike action on 12 and 13 December, will stage a protest at the Hounslow council building on Tuesday 13 December. Hestia Hounslow LIFE is a referral service which provides adult services in Hounslow. Staff say the charity is refusing to address understaffing and imposing unrealistic changes in working practices which will make it near impossible to provide the important services that at risk Hounslow residents desperately need. This is despite the referral service receiving an increase in funding from the local authority. Hestia management are also refusing to negotiate with Unite over a cost of living pay increase and the provision of adequate travel expenses. Bosses have outrageously threatened Unite members with disciplinary action if they discuss pay with colleagues during work read more
Another wave of strikes set to hit offshore installations (8 Dec) – Unite Petrofac members resolute in ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. Unite, the UK’s largest industrial union, confirmed today (8 December) that around 146 members will begin strike action at the Petrofac Repsol installations on 8th and 9thDecember as a result of an ongoing, and increasingly bitter dispute over pay and working terms. The dispute relates to the removal of a 10 per cent Equal Time payment, years of below inflationary pay increases as well as issues around payments for OEUK medicals, mileage and stand in duties. In a separate dispute, Unite members at Petrofac’s BP installations: Andrew, Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP, and Glen Lyon installations will also begin strike action on 8 and 9 December. The Petrofac BP dispute centres on the working rotation, which is currently a work 3 on/3 off rotation. An industrial action ballot returned a result of 98.3 per cent in favour of industrial action. This action involves 76 members. Unite anticipates that the strike action at both Petrofac Repsol and Petrofac BP are likely to cause considerable disruption read more
Arrow XL workers to protest at Logistics UK Awards (7 Dec) – Low paid workers employed by Arrow XL will protest tomorrow outside the prestigious Logistics UK Awards, where the company’s sister company Yodel has been shortlisted for an award. The demonstration will feature a banner reading: Arrow XL Time to Deliver Fair Pay. The 350 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, at the company have been taking strike action since October in a dispute over pay. Many of the workers are only paid the minimum wage, with other workers paid just above £9.50 an hour…The workers will begin all-out (continuous) strike action from Friday (9 December). They had been striking on every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The industrial action began in October read more
Over 1,600 ambulance workers to strike on 21 December (6 Dec) – More than 1,600 workers at the West Midlands, North West and North East ambulance service trusts will strike on Wednesday 21 December 2022 their union, Unite announced today (Tuesday). Unite says that the action is a `stark warning’ to the government that it must stem the crisis engulfing the NHS following ministers’ deliberate 12-year assault on pay. Unite’s ambulance workers voted by up to 92 per cent for strike action. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Make no mistake, we are now in the fight of our lives for the very NHS itself. These strikes are a stark warning – our members are taking a stand to save our NHS from this government read more
Strike dates set to hit Highlands and Islands Airports in lead up to Christmas (6 Dec) – Disruption likely as Unite members at HIAL take action in pay dispute. Unite the union, which represents members across eleven airports in the HIAL group, including those working in Fire and Rescue, Security and administration, has confirmed today (6 December) that strike action will take place commencing at 00:01 hours and concluding at 23:59 hours on 19th December 2022; And commencing at 00:01 hours and concluding at 23:59 hours on 22nd December 2022. Members of Unite voted by 73.5 per cent in favour of taking strike action and by 92.8 per cent in favour of taking action short of strike in a bid to improve pay for rural communities amid a cost of living crisis. The union has previously warned that strike action will cause huge disruption over the winter break and festive period. The workforce has already rejected an 5 per cent offer which they deemed unacceptable with inflation soaring to hit a 40-year high of 14.2 per cent (RPI). The eleven airports across the HIAL Group are Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick read more
Bristol council housing officers continue striking over terrible working conditions (5 Dec) – Around 50 Bristol council housing officers and team leaders, responsible for managing the local authority’s 27,000 tenancies, will continue striking over unsustainable workloads on 14, 15 and 16 December. The workers previously took four days of strike action in late October. The workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are angry that Bristol council is refusing to act even though the extra work is causing high rates of stress and anxiety. They are calling on the council to reduce workloads and allocate additional resources read more
Great Western Railway engineers continue strike action over pay (5 Dec) – Around 350 Great Western Railway (GWR) engineers will take further strike action on Thursday 15 December over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers previously went on strike in October. Despite GWR’s parent company First Group, which is based in Aberdeen, making pre-tax profits of £654 million in 2021/22, the company is refusing to offer the workers a pay rise. It will be the third year in a row their pay has been frozen. Meanwhile the real rate of inflation, RPI, is at 14.2 per cent. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members at Great Western Railway have not had a pay rise in three years. Now, with soaring living costs, their wages are falling even further behind. Great Western and First Group have no reason not to address this when their profits are so high. It is sheer greed on the part of the employer and our members have Unite’s full backing in striking for a fair pay rise.” The striking workers are based at depots and stations in London, Exeter, Tiverton, Plymouth, Swindon, Swansea, Reading, Penzance, Oxford and Bristol. If the dispute is not resolved then more strikes will be scheduled read more
Scrooge Co-op denies coffin factory workers Christmas cheer (5 Dec) – Unite can confirm that further strike action is set to hit the Coop Funeralcare in Govan, Glasgow for a week beginning today (Monday 5 December). Unite members at the coffin manufacturing factory will continue strike action after Co-op Funeralcare bosses failed to make an acceptable offer to resolve the long running pay dispute. The strike action will last from Monday 5th December to Sunday 11th December. Around 50 craft workers based at the Co-op’s factory are fighting for a fair pay award. The company has offered around 4.0 per cent for 2022, and 5 per cent for 2023, which has been rejected amid inflation soaring to hit a 40-year high of 14.2 per cent (RPI) read more
Harrods’ strike breaking agency employed under new anti-union law named and shamed (1 Dec) – Protective Security Group Ltd workers ‘didn’t know’ they had been brought in to break pay strike. The agency brought in to break a pay strike by Harrods’ security guards and CCTV operators has been named and shamed as Protective Security Group Ltd. Under the new anti-trade union law passed this summer by the government, Harrods has been allowed to replace striking workers with agency staff. The company threatened the workforce with the legislation previously and is one of the first employers in the country to use it. To break the strike, Harrods, owned by the Qatari state, has contracted Protective Security, which is registered in Ruislip, Middlesex, and has two directors, Jonathon Robinson and Edward Thomas Miller. Unite understands that Protective Security workers brought into work at Harrods during the strikes were not told there was industrial action taking place and were uncomfortable crossing a picket line…More than 50 Harrods uniformed security guards and CCTV operators are striking over a ‘pay cut dressed up as a rise’. The workers began three days of strike action over a seven per cent pay offer on 25 November and will strike again on 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 26 December. The offer is a pay cut when the real rate of inflation, RPI, stands at 14.2 per cent and rising read more
UK facing Christmas pickle crisis as industrial action at pickled onion factory Mizkan in Rochdale intensifies (1 Dec) – Lovers of some of UK’s most popular pickles face being denied their favourite condiments this Christmas as strike action at the Mizkan Euro factory in Rochdale intensifies in a dispute over pay. The factory produces Haywards Pickled Onions, Sarsons Vinegar and Haywards Pickled Vegetables. The 50 plus workers, who are members of Unite, the UK leading union, have already taken 19 days of strike action since October. The strike action is a result of the company only being prepared to offer its workers a five per cent pay increase, with the real inflation rate (RPI) now standing at 14.2 per cent, this is a very substantial real terms pay cut. Due to the just in time nature of supermarket deliveries, the strike action will almost inevitably create severe shortages at a time of year when many consumers relish these products, often with cold meat and cheese. Pickled onions and pickled vegetables are at the highest demand at this time of year read more
Strikes stepped up at Fawley refinery as heavy-handed policing deepens tensions in dispute (29 Nov) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed in engineering construction roles at Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire will step up strike action in a dispute over bonus payments. The 130-strong workforce, who are employed by three contractors Altrad, Bilfinger and Enerveo, are seeking a bonus payment of £2.37 an hour, the maximum allowed under the relevant industrial agreement (National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry [NAECI]). The Fawley refinery is operated by ExxonMobil, which last month recorded a quarterly profit of £17.3 billion. Tensions in the dispute have dramatically increased due to intimidatory behaviour by Hampshire police and false allegations made the employer read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]
Wirral facing Christmas bin strikes as Biffa workers demand end to low pay (28 Nov) – Around 200 workers employed by Biffa on the outsourced Wirral council refuse contract will begin strike action next week in a dispute over low pay. The workers are making a stand to end low pay rates: HGV drivers being paid just £11.95 an hour, refuse operatives £11.50 and street operatives only £10.76. The workers are seeking a 15 per cent increase in pay to reset their pay rates and also tackle the cost of living crisis, where the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently stands at 14.2 per cent. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will begin strike action on Monday 5 December with the strike action ending on Saturday 10 December. If the dispute is not resolved then further industrial action is likely read more
Imperial College London disruption as workers strike over derisory pay offer (28 Nov) – Over 200 Unite members walkout over 3.3% offer, which is a pay cut. More than 200 workers at London’s Imperial College will strike on 30 November over a derisory 3.3 per cent offer, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved. With the true rate of inflation, RPI, at 14.2 per cent, this is a significant real terms pay cut. Imperial Colleges’ latest financial figures shows it brought in an income of over £1 billion for 2020/21. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Imperial College can absolutely afford to put forward a proper pay rise to these workers, who are struggling with rocketing living costs in the one of the most expensive cities in the world. Unite will never fail to defend our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and our Imperial College members will receive the union’s unwavering support in their fight for a fair pay rise.” The workers include cleaners, technicians and maintenance and security staff. The dispute also involves members of University and Colleges Union (UCU) employed at Imperial College. Imperial College negotiates pay directly with staff, so the dispute is not part of wider higher education strike action involving the University and Colleges Employers Association read more
Abellio bus drivers in South and West London announce 10 days of pay strikes – Over 950 bus drivers employed by Abellio in South and West London will take 10 days of strike action in a pay dispute. The dispute is a result of the company failing to enter into meaningful pay talks, despite indicating that it was prepared to do so. Workers’ pay is due to increase from January 2023, but Abellio has failed even to make an initial pay offer. The workers will begin strike action on Tuesday 22 November and will also strike on the 25, 26 of this month. They will be followed by further strikes on 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 December read more
Please donate: Over 2,000 Abellio Bus Drivers at 6 garages have set strike days in a fight for pay justice. This is the first dispute at Abellio for over 10 years. The pay claim is for £20 per hour which might seem like a lot. However the the company made over £40 million in profit in 2021. It would cost the company about £11 million to pay our demand. The Abellio bus drivers are some of the lowest paid bus drivers in London. The dispute is also about fairer schedules which are exhausting and also to stop bus route cuts. The drivers have had enough. Membership has grown dramatically in the last few months. Now we are requesting financial support for the strike from branches. This money will be used primarily to top up strike pay as drivers will be losing a significant amount on strike days. We really appreciate any support and please feel to make contact for further information.
Account Details: Unity Trust Bank, Acc No: 20210456, Sort Code: 608301, Branch Name: TGWU1/768, Hayes Branch LE/768. Contact [email protected]
Reinstate Radek (Radoslaw Worbel) sacked Unite London bus rep at RATP London United Fulwell bus garage – send a message of complaint to [email protected] and a message of support to to Radek via the Unite Bus Combine: [email protected]
UK braced for Dulux paint shortages as Imperial Chemical workers in Stowmarket strike over deplorable pay offer (23 Nov) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Imperial Chemical in Stowmarket, Suffolk, will begin strike action later this month following a derisory pay offer by the company. The workers, who recorded a 94 per cent yes vote in favour of strike action, have been offered a pay increase of just 4.3 per cent. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, now running at 14.2 per cent, this amounts to a huge real terms pay cut. The workers will initially take two 24-hour periods of strike action on Wednesday 30 November and Wednesday 7 December. The workers are principally employed as production operatives and produce paint. The most popular brand is Dulux paint and the strike action will quickly result in shortages of the product in DIY stores and supermarkets read more
Tenants groups in Belfast and Craigavon challenge NIHE on impact of unresolved strike (21 Nov) – Workers enter their fifteen week of strike action for improved pay as LRA-mediated talks are due to commence this week. Striking housing workers at NIHE have linked up with tenants associations and residents groups across the three housing regions impacted by the ongoing industrial dispute which is now entering its fifteenth week. The pay dispute is in relation to the 2021-2022 year and housing workers are seeking two pay grade increases and a cost of living payment. At present workers have had a 1.75 percent increase for that year imposed after it was recommended by the National Joint Council. Unite Regional Officer Michael Keenan confirmed that his union’s members had secured strong support from tenants groups who were bearing the brunt of the unresolved strike read more
Welwyn and Hatfield grounds maintenance workers strike over poverty pay rates – Workers on Welwyn and Hatfield council’s outsourced grounds maintenance contract, employed by Continental Landscapes, are to take substantial strike action over low pay. The Hertfordshire-based workforce, who are responsible for all of the council’s grounds maintenance contract, including grass cutting and hedge trimming, are currently being paid just £10.12 an hour. Continental Landscapes has offered an increase of seven per cent, however with the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently standing at 12.6 per cent, this amounts to a real terms pay cut. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will take eight days of industrial action. They will strike on every Monday and Tuesday beginning on Monday 21 November, with the final strike day scheduled for Tuesday 13 December. The strike action will cause extensive disruption to Welwyn and Hatfield’s grounds maintenance programme read more
Support strikes at Muller Stonehouse, Gloucestershire – Super-rich Muller wants to milk more from workers to boost profits. Nearly 70 HGV drivers and shunters employed by the German dairy giant and who are responsible for delivering milk products to supermarkets nationwide have been on strike since August. The dispute is over imposed rota changes which destroy workers’ ability to spend time with their families. In contravention of an agreement signed with Unite earlier this year, Muller is trying to impose a five days on two days off rota system. The changes would require all drivers to work at least one day every weekend. The company, which made a £16.5 million profit in 2020 and forecast more in 2021, wants to impose the rota to save money when they contract third party hauliers to deliver products read more
Southampton Airport faces shutdown as workers prepare to strike after three year pay freeze – Southampton Airport faces shutdown as workers prepare to strike after three year pay freeze. No pay increase since 2019. The workers made huge sacrifices during the pandemic to keep the airport safe. Workers at Southampton Airport who haven’t had a pay increase since 2019 will take a series of one day strikes beginning on 5 November after months of unacceptable delays by airport bosses. Airside operations controllers, firefighters, technicians and engineering workers will take 1 day of strike action on Saturday 5 November, Saturday 12 November and Saturday 19 November read more
Walsall Housing Group workers to strike over imposed pay cut – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are stepping up strike action this week after their employer Walsall Housing Group imposed a real-terms pay cut on the workers. The company has imposed a 3.1 per cent increase and an additional £300 one-off payment on the workers, far below the current real inflation rate (RPI) of 12.3 per cent. The Walsall Housing Group workers play an essential role in keeping tenants’ homes safe and repaired. Over 40 members of Unite at Walsall Housing Group will take 12 days of strike action over the coming weeks on October 21, 24, 28 and 31 and then on 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25 and 28 November read more
Derby Alstom pay cut strikes to impact East Midlands Rail maintenance – 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
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
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
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
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 – the union has called 6 more days of strike action in Royal Mail in addition to those already announced. They will be out in total on these days pending the outcome of talks – November 24, 25, 30 December 1, 9, 11, 14, 15, 23, 24.
The CWU has launched a strike fund – please support: Unity Bank, CWU General Fund, 60-83-01 33019822
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
Strikes 14 & 15: Royal Mail workers standing firm everywhere against bullying bosses (16 Dec) – All regions and divisions report strikers’ morale boosted by last week’s London rally & anger growing at company tactics. Pompey chimes for our leader & London’s festive challenge. “It was brilliant to have Dave Ward down here in Portsmouth,” said South East Region secretary Ruth Harris yesterday. “It was another morale boost for our members who were still buzzing from last Friday…” read more
Firm focus on the future as BT Group members bank hard won rise (15 Dec) – Members across BT, Openreach and EE have voted by four-to-one to accept a further £1,500 flat rate pay rise (pro-rata for part-timers) that will be paid monthly from January 1, 2023. The fully consolidated and pensionable settlement, which ends six months of industrial unrest in BT Group, comes on top of the £1,500 flat-rate increase that was unilaterally imposed by BT in April this year. As such, the deal equates to a headline fully consolidated and pensionable pay increase totalling £3,000 in the current financial year. Crucially, for the CWU, the deal – which was supported by just over 81% of members participating in a consultative ballot that closed this morning (Thursday) – applies across the entire CWU member represented grade range and applies not just to those on lower salaries, as had initially been suggested by the company read more
Royal Mail Property & Facilities members to strike on Thursday (13 Dec) – P&FS members, who keep Royal Mail company premises clean and safe, will be striking for the third time. CWU outdoor secretary Mark Baulch represents P&FS cleaners, while Carl Maden is the union’s national officer for engineers and admin grades within this part of the business and have been involved in separate negotiations with this RMPFSL’s senior management team over the past few months. “P&FS is a separate bargaining unit,” says Carl. “However, it can get frustrating when we feel we’re making progress with P&FS management, but then it would appear that they have to go back to Group for approval – which we believe has proved to be the stumbling block several times in this set of negotiations. There’s a real irony here – and a major source of frustration at times” read more
Post Office Crowns & Admin strikes resume – Supply Chain overtime ban begins (13 Dec) – Staff in Crown Offices and Admin grades began a two-day walkout yesterday – their seventh and eighth – while their Supply Chain colleagues have begun a two-week overtime ban. Speaking to CWU News today, acting DGSP Andy Furey said: “This dispute has now been ongoing for nearly seven months. The first strikes were back in early May. Our Post Office members have now voted twice by enormous, 90 per cent-plus, majorities for this action and they’ve certainly shown their ongoing determination to win the fair pay deal they deserve. According to reports I’ve received from our reps around the UK, this latest bout of action has, once again, been solidly supported. “I’m honoured to represent such a fantastic group of members – their strength and solidarity truly is an inspiration” read more
Harmonisation proves a winner at VMO2 as healthcare benefits are extended to all employees (16 Dec) – The CWU has warmly welcomed Virgin Media O2’s announcement that healthcare benefits are being extended to cover all CWU-represented grade employees across the company. Previously, the healthcare benefits were only available to everyone at former Virgin Media, and former Telefonica management grades read more
Is Connect44 vying for the ‘Christmas 2022 Scrooge of the Year’ accolade? (13 Dec) – It’s a fiercely contested league table of shame, with no end of ‘race to the bottom’ companies vying for pole position when it comes to plunging the depths. But imagine how you’d feel if your demonstrably profitable employer responded to the worst cost of living crisis in a generation by justifying – in true Dickensian fashion – real-term pay cuts to fund“strategic investment decisions”. That’s exactly the unenviable situation a small group of CWU members working for telecommunications service provider Connect44 find themselves in just over five years after they were TUPE transferred from Huawei in October 2017 read more
PCS
BREAKING NEWS!! Over 300 more members at the Rural Payments Agency to join strike action (21 Dec) – All PCS members in RPA Workington and Newcastle will join customer service centre members who are already on strike. More than 300 PCS members working at the Rural Payments Agency are set to join the union’s strike action next month. The move almost quadruples the number of members taking action at the agency, with the 120 call-centre workers who walked out in Workington, Newcastle and Caernarfon from December 13-17 being joined by all 301 colleagues in Workington and Newcastle from January 3-6 and 9-13 read more
Picket lines 19-23 December (17 Dec) – As our targeted strike action continues, find out where your nearest picket line is and plan in a visit. This week members in the RPA (Rural Payments Agency) customer service centre will take their second week of strike action, along with DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) members in the north west and Yorkshire and Humber regions. In National Highways, traffic officer service employees in London and the south east will be striking on 22, 23, 24 and 25 December. Members at four DWP offices will take strike action from 19 to 31 December and in the Border Force members at airports and the port of Newhaven will start strike action on 23 December. PCS members on the picket lines at workplaces would appreciate any support from fellow PCS members, other supporters and the public. You can also make donations to support PCS members on strike to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy Account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490 read more
Road traffic officers and control room operators to strike (15 Dec) – Road traffic officers and control room operators working for National Highways tomorrow (Friday, December 16) begin 3 weeks’ strike action across England. PCS union members will strike:
- in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber tomorrow and Saturday
- in London and South East from 22-25 December
- in the West Midlands and South West on 30 and 31 December
- in the East Midlands and Eastern region on 6 and 7 January.
- In addition, all members will strike together on 3 and 4 January read more
DVSA in chaos amidst well-supported industrial action (15 Dec) – PCS members working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency commenced strike action this week in a dispute over pay, pensions, job security and cuts to redundancy terms. Members working for DVSA across a number of driving test centres in the Scotland and Northern England regions delivered a strong and well-supported start to industrial action that is due to run on a rolling programme until 16 January, 2023 read more
“If the government wants a fight, it will get one” – PCS announces escalation of strike action (15 Dec) – PCS today announces an escalation of industrial action, with strikes being added at the DWP, in the courts, by driving examiners and those working for Hinduja Global Services. This is in addition to action by Border Force officers, staff at National Highways (that starts tomorrow) and the Rural Payments Agency. Last month more than 100,000 PCS members working in 124 government departments and other bodies voted for strike action over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms. On Tuesday driving examiners across Scotland and North East England and people working at the RPA were the first to take action. Now PCS can announce members at DVSA workplaces in Coventry, Grantham, Stevenage will join the action on 28, 29, 30 and 31 December and January, while those at DVSA in Aberystwyth, Basingstoke, Cardigan and Yeovil will strike from 4-10 January. And all front-facing jobcentre workers at Doncaster Crossgate House will strike on 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31 December, joining their back-of-house colleagues in the same building, and those at jobcentres in Liverpool. In a separate dispute, some 300 PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in 82 courts across England and Wales will take twelve days’ strike action over Christmas about using the failing Common Platform system. And in yet another dispute, 82 PCS members employed by Hinduja Global Services on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) contract in Liverpool are back on strike until 23 December read more
PCS welcomes go-ahead for legal challenge to “strike-breaking” agency worker regulations (14 Dec) – The High Court has granted permission for a legal challenge – brought by 11 trade unions, coordinated by the TUC and represented by Thompsons Solicitors LLP – to protect the right to strike. The unions – PCS, ASLEF, BFAWU, FDA, GMB, NEU, NUJ, POA,, RMT, Unite and Usdaw – have taken the case against the government’s new regulations which allow agency workers to fill in for striking workers read more
PCS wins check-off case against HMRC (13 Dec) – PCS has won a fifth claim in the High Court over the removal of the check-off facility, through which our members paid their union subscriptions directly from their salaries before the government unilaterally withdrew it. Our latest victory, this time over HMRC, comes on the back of previous victories against the (then) Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Home Office and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs read more
Biggest civil service strike for a generation to begin (12 Dec) – PCS members tomorrow (December 13) begin a series of strikes across England, Scotland and Wales. Driving examiners and people working at the Rural Payments Agency are the first to take action. They will be followed by those working for the National Highways, the Border Force and a number of offices in the Department for Work and Pensions. In all, 100,000 PCS members working in 214 government departments and other bodies voted for strike action over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms read more
More DWP Doncaster staff to strike (12 Dec) – More PCS DWP members in Doncaster are to join our rolling programme of action across the UK. All front-facing jobcentre workers, visiting officers and counter fraud, compliance and debt staff at Doncaster Crossgate House will strike on 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31 December. They join PCS members in Doncaster back of house, Toxteth Jobcentre Liverpool Duke Street Jobcentre and Liverpool City Jobcentre, who have already announced they will take action on certain dates between 19 to 31 December as part of our strategy of targeted action read more
Update on RPA strike action starting 13 December (12 Dec) – PCS members working in the Rural Payments Agency Customer Service Centre will start strike action tomorrow as part of the first wave of action in our national campaign. PCS members working in the Rural Payments Agency Customer Service Centre will be striking in Workington, Newcastle and Caernarfon from 13 December. These members answer calls from members of the rural communities and general public for the RPA on farm subsidies, payments for other rural businesses and other subjects like the Pet Travel Scheme. The dates of action are 13-16 and 19-23 December 2022, and 3-6 and 9-13 January 2023 read more
Further strike action called over Christmas in Common Platform dispute (9 Dec) – PCS has served notice of further strike action in HMCTS over Common Platform, to take place from 24 December to 4 January. PCS has today (9) served notice of strike action in HMCTS over the common platform dispute. This action will take place from 24 December to 4 January and will involve legal advisers and court associates in courts across the country. The third tranche of members balloted over the common platform have voted overwhelmingly to join their colleagues in taking action over the failing system; with 97% of members balloted voting to join the strike action read more
HMCTS Strike Action 16 – 19 December (2 Dec) – PCS has served notice of further strike action in HMCTS over the Common Platform dispute. PCS has today served notice of further strike action in HMCTS over the Common Platform dispute. The action will take place from Friday 16 December to Monday 19 December 2022. Part of the action will be for legal advisers and courts associates in the following regions: London and South East. This is true for the action on Friday 16, Sunday 18 and Monday 19 December. The action on Saturday 17 December 2022 will be for all legal advisers and court associates in the courts who have already been balloted. Please see the list below for which courts are being called to take strike action on which days. This is in addition to the action called from 2 to 5 December and the action called from 9 – 12 December read more
Border Force officers to strike over Christmas (7 Dec) – Border Force officers at locations in England, Scotland and Wales are to take strike action for eight days over Christmas. PCS members employed by the Home Office on passport control will take action at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports on December 23, 24, 25, 26 28, 29 and 30 and 31. Members will also strike at the port of Newhaven on the same dates. The strike comes after 100,000 PCS members in 214 government departments and other public bodies voted to take strike action over a 10% pay rise, pensions justice, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms. It follows strikes announced in the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency (DVSA), Rural Payment Agency (RPA), National Highways and Department for Work and Pensions read more
PCS members to be re-balloted over national campaign (6 Dec) – More than 33,000 PCS members in the civil service are to be re-balloted so they can potentially join national strike action in the new year over pay, pensions, changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and jobs read more
First DWP strike dates announced (5 Dec) – Our rolling programme of action across the UK will see members at 4 DWP offices take strike action on certain dates between 19 to 31 December as part of our strategy of targeted action, with the potential of more to come. Our national strike ballot on pay, pensions, jobs and cuts to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme closed last month and we received a positive result for strike action in many areas of the civil service, including DWP read more
Join the all-activists’ forum 6pm 19 December – As our civil service strikes get underway it is essential that all reps, activists, advocates and active members attend our all-activists’ forum on Zoom at 6pm on 19 December read more
National Highways strike dates announced (2 Dec) – Our rolling programme of action across the UK will see traffic officer service members starting to take strike action from 16 December. Our national strike ballot on pay, pensions, jobs and cuts to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme closed earlier this month and we received a positive result for strike action in many areas of the civil service, including DVSA read more
12 days of strikes on highways announced (2 Dec) – PCS members working on England’s highways have announced 12 days’ strike action over Christmas and the New Year. The National Highways employees, who plan, design, build, operate and maintain the country’s roads, will take part in a series of staggered strikes from 16 December to 7 January. The action, which risks bringing the road network to a standstill, will coincide with planned strikes by RMT members on the railways and comes after 124 government departments and other public bodies voted for strike action over a 10% pay rise, pensions justice, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms read more
HGS members threaten indefinite industrial action (29 Nov) – The 82 workers, employed by HGS to run the contact centre and back-office functions of the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), have already taken four weeks of strike action. Talks with conciliation service ACAS broke down earlier this month, leading the union today to tell managers they will strike for a further two weeks from 12 December, as well as imposing an indefinite overtime ban from 26 December read more
GMB
Amazon workers in Coventry first in UK to strike (16 Dec) – Amazon workers at a Coventry warehouse will become the first in the UK to take formal strike action. Hundreds of workers have voted to walk out in anger over the company’s 50 pence per hour pay offer. The ballot closed today [16 December 2022] – a majority of more than 98 per cent of workers voted to strike on a turnout of more than 63 per cent. Any industrial action is likely to take place in the new year. Amazon UK Services Limited reported that it paid just £10.8 million in tax in 2021, despite recording a pre-tax profit of £204 million read more
GMB NHS Pay Offer Consultative Ballot Result (15 Dec) – GMB members reject latest NHS Scotland pay offer by two-thirds after consultative ballot. Responding to a clear rejection of the latest NHS Scotland pay offer by GMB members across NHS Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service (where 66 per cent voted to reject and 34 per cent voted to accept) read more
Almost 300 Mersey Care workers to strike over pay (13 Dec) – Almost 300 health care workers at Mersey Care will take strike action over pay. Staff including nurses, health care assistants, support staff, cleaners and admin staff will walk out for 24 hours from 00:01 on 28 December 2022. They will join more than 10,000 GMB ambulance workers who will strike on the same day across England and Wales. Mersey Care workers voted to strike over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award – another massive real terms pay cut. GMB representatives will now meet with the trusts to discuss requirements for emergency cover read more
Cream cracker strike ends with win for workers (12 Dec) – More than 750 workers at the Jacobs Cream Crackers factory have won a significant pay deal after all out strike action. The pay deal secures every worker:-
- 5 per cent rise backdated to January
- £500 bonus payment
- £250 bonus January 2023
Staff at the Aintree plant – who also make Jaffa Cakes, Twiglets, Club bars and Mini Cheddars – have been taking limited industrial action since September in their dispute over pay. In total the strikes lasted 11 weeks read more
Ambulance strike dates announced (9 Dec) – GMB Union has announced strike dates for more than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine trusts in England and Wales. Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff will walk out on December 21 and 28 in the following trusts read more
Cumbria packaging firm faces strike action (9 Dec) – Workers at a Cumbria packaging firm at set to vote on strike action over a real terms pay cut. More than 200 GMB members at Innovia, in Wigton, which makes surface engineered films for label packaging and security applications across the globe, will now vote in an industrial action ballot. Dates of the vote will be announced in the coming days. Workers have overwhelmingly rejected two pay offers, both of which were real terms pay cuts and the second of which disproportionally increased the wages of higher earners at the company read more
GMB union: ExxonMobil ‘throwing money’ at agencies rather than our members (9 Dec) – GMB, the energy union, are preparing to name and shame companies who are providing strike-breakers in the midst of a trades dispute at Fawley oil refinery near Southampton. The union have been informed that agency workers have been retained on full pay until strike action recommenced, following a temporary suspension of action actioned by GMB and sister union Unite. Strike action at the refinery was suspended for Monday to Wednesday of this week to allow negotiations to take place, only for GMB to be told that talks would not be happening as there was “nothing to discuss.” Read more
Fresh Sunderland bus strike dates (9 Dec) – Sunderland’s bus strikes are set to continue after drivers turned down a below inflation pay deal. The new strike dates are December 23, 24, 26 and 27. An overwhelming majority of GMB members working for Stagecoach Sunderland rejected the deal, which amounted to a real terms pay cut. Stagecoach’s regional bus services made an operating profit of £58 million in the financial year 2021/22 – more than double the year before. Almost 200 Sunderland bus drivers have taken several days of strike action already in anger over ‘poverty pay’ read more
GMB warns Wiltshire motorists to check for unlawfully issued parking tickets during strike days (7 Dec) – If Wiltshire don’t follow the letter of the law, then parking fines issued during the strike are open to legal challenge, says GMB. GMB, the trade union for Wiltshire Council staff, has learned of plans to deploy untrained managers to stand in for their striking traffic warden members. Wiltshire Civil Enforcement Officers [wardens] are due to be taking strike action from 10 to 17 December and during the last strike no wardens went out to work on strike days. The members are taking strike action due to a proposed removal of a contractual, unsociable hours uplift of 10 per cent to their salaries, which compensates them for having to work on Saturdays and Sundays plus evenings and early mornings. GMB has learned that the council is planning to use managers who have not been properly trained to patrol and potentially issue Parking Charge Notices and highways staff to cover other duties normally carried out by the CEO read more
Newcastle energy company announces strike dates (29 Nov) – Workers at a Newcastle energy company have announced when they will strike over a real terms pay cut. More than 200 workers at Baker Hughes, in Walker, will take eight days of industrial action from 12 – 15 December and 12 – 18 January. GMB members at the company – who makes undersea pipelines and cable conduits for the oil and gas industry – have overwhelmingly turned down pay offers of as little as four per cent. With inflation at 12.3 per cent, both offers amount to massive real terms pay cut read more
Almost 100 workers strike after ‘Grinch’ bosses cancel Christmas (29 Nov) – Almost 100 Durham chemical workers will go on strike tomorrow [Wednesday] after ‘Grinch bosses’ cancelled their Christmas holidays. GMB members Thomas Swan, in Consett, voted overwhelmingly to walk out over a real terms pay cut. Following the vote, company bosses cancelled all prebooked holidays over the Christmas period. The strike will last for 24 hours, with further industrial action set for Dec 7, 14 and 21 and 4 Jan. A revised offer of 5.1 per cent – capped at £1,500 – was overwhelmingly rejected read more
KFC, Wagamama, Burger King and Pizza hut delivery workers to strike (24 Nov) – Almost 400 workers delivering food to KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Wagamama will strike over a real terms pay cut. A majority of 76 per cent of those who voted were in favour of industrial action. Bestfood drivers, who also deliver fresh food to the likes of Pizza Express and Zizzi, will announce strike dates imminently read more
Money shortage fears as 1,200 G4S Cash workers vote to strike (22 Nov) – G4S faces its first ever strike after 1,200 GMB members voted to walk out. The workers, who deliver cash and coins to the likes of Barclays, HSBC, Tesco, Wetherspoon, Santander, Asda and Aldi, returned a 97 per cent vote for industrial action. The 48 hour strike is scheduled to take place from 3am on Monday 5 December 2022, sparking genuine fears of cash shortages over Christmas. The last time G4S Cash workers voted to strike; the Bank of England is thought to have pressured G4S into improving their offer because they the Bank’s insurer demands minimum staffing levels. G4S Cash, part of Allied International, originally offered members a part pay freeze, though have now tabled an offer of 4 per cent and lump sum bonus based on contracted hours read more
Three week Waverley bin strike starts today (3 Nov) – GMB, the union for refuse workers, have announced that their members working in refuse within the borough of Waverley will be taking three weeks of strike action, starting this morning [3 November]. The members, employed by the council’s waste contractor Biffa, rejected a pay deal this morning and immediately commenced the first day of picketing. The dispute centres around pay, with members unhappy with the pay offer their employer has made, which falls well below the current rate of inflation read more
Strike action to hit oil terminal – GMB members at oil logistics contractor Briggs Marine will begin strike action on Friday [28 October]. Workers voted overwhelmingly for industrial action at the oil logistics firm in Immingham, near Grimsby, after rejecting the company’s below inflation pay offer. Briggs Marine is one of the largest oil logistics companies in the UK, unloading fuel from all over the world and distributing for use across the UK. The strike is expected to have a significant impact on operations at the terminal read more
Christmas beer drought fears as Budweiser workers strike – Hundreds of Budweiser workers are on strike again after talks collapsed. Staff at the beer giant’s Salmesbury site will now strike until 7am 22 October in anger at a real terms pay cut. Workers at the plant brew Budweiser, Stella Artois, Becks, Boddingtons and Export Pale Ale. Meetings between GMB, the company and conciliation service ACAS collapsed last week after bosses only upped their offer by £250 for 2023 read more
Polyflor profits hit £52 million as struggling workers strike – 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
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 and was due to take place on November 16th but has been delayed again. This is an outrageous attack on the right of trade unions to strike, picket and protest. The NSSN sends our continued solidarity and support read more about Surry strike
Unison
BREAKING NEWS!! UNISON ambulance workers strike over pay and staffing (20 Dec) – Ambulance staff working for five services in England – London, Yorkshire, North West, North East and South West – will be taking part in industrial action tomorrow (Wednesday) over pay and staffing. Paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians and other 999 crew members are among those who will be on picket lines from midday to midnight read more
BREAKING NEWS!! Supporting NHS members on strike (20 Dec) – With industrial action set for tomorrow in England, here’s how to offer solidarity read more
Court permits UNISON challenge on law allowing strike-breaking (16 Dec) – The union is challenging government regulations that undermine the right to strike. The High Court has granted permission for UNISON to bring a legal challenge against the government to protect the right to strike. UNISON is challenging government regulations that undermine the right to strike by allowing companies to hire agency workers to cover for those taking industrial action. The union argues that this is unlawful and violates fundamental trade union rights read more
UNISON secures £29m in personal injury settlements for members (16 Dec) – The vast majority of these cases were work-related personal injury claims. UNISON has secured a huge £29m in compensation for members and members’ families this year, settling just under 2,000 claims between November 2021 and November 2022. This is an increase on the £27m won on behalf of members last year. The vast majority of these cases were work-related personal injury claims, involving accidents and injuries such as assaults at work, manual handling claims, trips and falls and needlestick injuries read more
Archbishops must honour real living wage pledge for church school staff, says UNISON (16 Dec) – UNISON writes to Church of England and Catholic Church urging them to practice what they preach on fair pay. Staff in church schools face a bleak Christmas unless archbishops act urgently on pay, says UNISON today (Friday). The union has written to the heads of the Church of England and Catholic Church urging them to honour their promises to pay the real living wage to all staff in more than 6,800 church schools in England and Wales read more
UNISON seeks urgent meeting with environment secretary (15 Dec) – General secretary Christina McAnea calls for discussions on ‘insulting’ pay offer to staff working for the Environment Agency. UNISON is seeking an urgent meeting with environment secretary Thérèse Coffey, to discuss the “insulting” pay offer to its members working in the Environment Agency (EA) read more
Environment Agency staff start industrial action over pay, says UNISON (12 Dec) – Wages there have been held down for years. Thousands of Environment Agency workers in England will stop attending incidents such as floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping in December and over Christmas, as they begin industrial action from today (Monday), says UNISON read more
Health workers in Northern Ireland need all our support (12 Dec) – This winter will bring more worry and stress for families struggling to pay their heating bills. UNISON is supporting members taking action because we’re determined to get more money into their pockets read more
Start talking to avert health strikes later this month (6 Dec) – Strike date announced for December 21 – but it’s not too late for ministers to talk. Ambulance crews working for five services in England – London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West – are to go on strike over pay and staffing on Wednesday 21 December, says their union UNISON today (Tuesday). The pre-Christmas date coincides with action being planned by two other unions – GMB and Unite – with members in ambulances services in England. The UNISON strike involving paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians and other 999 crew members will run from midday to midnight. The ambulance workers are to be joined by nurses, porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners and other NHS workers at two Liverpool hospitals, who will also take action that day. The strike at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Liverpool University Hospital starts at 07.30 on Wednesday 21 December and ends 24 hours later. UNISON is also about to begin reballoting around 13,000 NHS staff working for ten trusts and ambulance services where turnout in the recent strike vote fell just short of the threshold required by law. These ten NHS employers include all the remaining ambulance services in England – West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East Coast and South Central. In addition, staff working at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Liverpool Women’s Hospital, London’s Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and the North West-based Bridgewater Community Trust are being asked again to vote for strike action. UNISON members at NHS Blood and Transplant are also being reballoted read more
Stop Hackney Council cutting library services read more about the campaign here
Support striking care workers at St Monika Trust in Bristol – Care workers, registered nurses and residential home staff employed by Bristol-based St Monica Trust have been taking action 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
HSC Industrial Action: Impact on Schools (14 Dec) – NIPSA Health Strike: As you will be aware the RCN is calling its members out on strike action (Thursday 15 Dec and Tuesday 20 Dec). This is likely to impact on the availability of nursing staff cover within schools. It is imperative that under no circumstances should Classroom Assistants undertake nursing duties or feel under any pressure to cover the tasks which would be outside their job description and list A of clinical interventions. If nurses are not going to be present in school as a result of their lawful industrial action, we should ensure solidarity with them and no cover will be available by NIPSA members. Classroom Assistants must not undertake nursing tasks. Unfortunately, this may mean that some pupils cannot attend school during the strike days read more
Members put the Heat on Employers! (14 Dec) – NIPSA Health Strike: As we return to industrial action short of strike, I would like to say a big thank you to activists and members for showing the bravery and determination to stand up for the key issues of Pay, Safe Staffing and Mileage despite the freezing conditions. The day was a great success, sending a clear message to Employers and the Government and whilst Trade Union action has secured the implementation of the Pay Review Body recommendation of £1400 or 4% there remains to be a freeze on providing the “inflation busting” pay rise which will be crucial to retaining and recruiting the workforce to ensure Health Services are Safe for all. The Industrial Action colleagues will clearly not resolve our issues overnight, with the lack of an Executive it falls to the Department and nationally Central Government to resolve these issues. NIPSA is prepared for the long road ahead returning to the continuous action short of strike and work to rule to reinforce the key concerns around not just Pay but to expose the distress associated with Staffing limitations that causes constant stress and anxiety working in unsafe conditions read more
Royal College of Nursing
BREAKING NEWS!! Day two of nursing strikes: RCN issues ultimatum to government (20 Dec) – Open formal pay negotiations within 48 hours or face another wave of strike action, warns RCN leader, as the second day of strikes begins in England, Northern Ireland and Wales read more
‘We strike for the future of the NHS’: RCN strike action begins (15 Dec) – The largest strike in RCN history starts today, as nursing staff in England, Northern Ireland and Wales demand fair pay and patient safety. Today (15 December), up to 100,000 nursing staff are taking part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, in objection to years of real-terms pay cuts and concerns over patient safety. A further day of strike action is planned for Tuesday 20 December read more
RCN strikes will go ahead, after Health Secretary refuses to discuss pay (13 Dec) – Government rejects option to avert nursing strikes by choosing not to enter formal pay negotiations. Strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales will happen on 15 and 20 December read more
RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff (7 Dec) – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more
Royal College of Midwives
RCM calls for face-to-face talks with Health Secretary (14 Dec) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has today called on Health Secretary Steve Barclay to meet with frontline maternity staff to help him understand their frustration. The call comes a day after a ballot for industrial action among midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in England fell agonisingly short of the Government-imposed turnout threshold read more
Midwives in Wales vote yes to industrial action (13 Dec) – In a clear and defiant message to the Welsh Government, midwife and maternity support worker (MSW) members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have voted yes to taking industrial action over pay. In the ballot that closed yesterday over 95.14% voted for industrial action short of a strike, based on a turnout of 55.39% of eligible RCM Wales members . On the question are you prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike, more than nine out of 10 (91.46%) voted yes read more
‘This changes nothing’ says RCM as 4% pay award implemented in Northern Ireland (9 Dec) – The inadequate pay award for midwives, maternity supports workers (MSW), and their HSC colleagues will do nothing to reduce their frustration. That’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) responding to the announcement that the 4% pay award for HSC staff is to be implemented in Northern Ireland. The RCM – who represent most midwives and MSWs in Northern Ireland – consulted its members on the pay offer last month. Nearly 90% said they would be prepared to take industrial action if the current NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations of a 4% pay award were implemented read more
RCM to consult its members on the latest Scottish Government pay offer (1 Dec) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is consulting its members in Scotland on the latest Scottish Government pay offer made late last week. The RCM online consultation opens today and closes on 15 December. The RCM – which represents most midwives and also maternity support workers (MSWs) in Scotland – says while the latest offer is an improvement on the last, it falls far short of what was asked. This is especially the case for those skilled and experienced midwives on higher pay bands who are the backbone of maternity care in Scotland read more
CSP
Physiotherapy staff in England and Wales vote Yes to strike action (13 Dec) – NHS physiotherapy staff in England and Wales have voted to take strike action in their first ever ballot on pay and retention issues. Demonstrating the clear strength of feeling among CSP’s NHS-employed members:-
- 84 per cent of cast votes across England and Wales voted in favour of strike action (84 per cent in England; 89 per cent in Wales)
- 93 per cent of cast votes were in favour of actions short of strike (ASOS) – which could see members working strictly to contract (92 per cent in England; 94 per cent in Wales)
- Turnout was 54 per cent (53 per cent in England; 63 per cent in Wales).
The double legal thresholds imposed by the 2016 trade union laws – outlined below – mean that physiotherapy staff in 112 organisations in England and in every Health Board in Wales now have a strike mandate and will begin the process of planning for industrial action in the early new year. 124 employers in England – and eight in Wales – have a mandate for action short of strike read more
Physio staff vote to accept latest offer in Scotland (15 Dec) – CSP members working in the NHS in Scotland have voted to accept the latest offer from the Scottish government. Some 72 per cent of members said yes to accepting the offer, which came about as a result of intense negotiations following the strike mandates secured by the CSP and other health unions. Turnout was 45 per cent read more
BMA
BMA Junior Doctors national strike ballot on pay will start on January 9 2023 in England. Keep up to date via @BMA_JuniorDocs on twitter
NEU
NEU announces dates of formal ballots over pay – NEU writes to employers with notification of intention to carry out national ballots. Today (18 Oct) the National Education Union is writing to employers with notification of our intention to carry out national ballots of around 300,000 teacher and support staff members in England and Wales. These formal postal ballots will open on Friday 28 October 2022 and close on Friday 13 January 2023. Dates for potential strike action are yet to be decided, but likely to be from week commencing 30 January 2023. The formal ballots will ask members “Are you prepared to take strike action in furtherance of this dispute?” Each dispute is about the failure to give a commitment for a fully funded above-inflation pay rise (as measured by September 2022 RPI) read more
NASUWT
BREAKING NEWS!! Scottish teachers to take further strike action (19 Dec) – NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has today given notice to the Scottish Government and employers of two further days of strike action on 10 and 11 January in its ongoing dispute over teachers’ pay. NASUWT members in primary schools/settings will strike on 10 January, with teachers working in secondary schools/settings taking strike action on 11 January. The NASUWT is calling for a fully funded 12% pay award for 2022/23. The current pay offer tabled by ministers and COSLA amounts to a further real-terms pay cut, following over a decade of pay freezes and below-inflation pay awards which have left teachers in Scotland almost £50,000 worse off as a result of their pay failing to keep pace with inflation read more
High Court will hear NASUWT’s legal challenge over strike breaking laws (14 Dec) – The High Court has granted the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union permission to proceed with its legal action against the Government over its decision to allow the use of agency workers to cover for striking workers and effectively break strikes, the Union has announced today read more
Scotland teachers strike over pay (6 Dec) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in Scotland will take strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday over the failure to offer teachers a fair and decent pay award. A typical teacher in Scotland is almost £50,000 worse off as a result of their pay failing to keep pace with inflation since 2010, a loss which will be further compounded by the current below-inflation pay offer. The NASUWT is calling for a fully funded 12% pay award for 2022/23. Following the strike action, NASUWT members will begin a programme of ongoing action short of strike action from 9 December read more
IOM teachers begin strike action (29 Nov) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in the Isle of Man will begin a programme of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday in an escalation of the ongoing dispute over pay, workload and working practices. Teachers in the Isle of Man have experienced a 30% real-terms cut to their pay since 2010, a loss which will be further exacerbated by the current below-inflation pay award which is being imposed on teachers despite its overwhelming rejection by NASUWT members. The NASUWT is calling for a multi-year fully funded pay offer that begins to address the real-terms historic erosion of pay. In addition, the NASUWT has put forward proposals to address the workload and working practices issues that are dogging the profession. However, despite our best attempts to negotiate with the DESC, the lack of sufficient progress has left teachers with no choice other than to escalate industrial action read more
Further industrial action at Glasgow school over failure to protect teachers from abuse (28 Nov) – Further strike action by members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Bannerman High School in Glasgow will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) after talks with Glasgow City Council failed to make sufficient progress in addressing violent and abusive pupil behaviour, amid continuing threats to withhold pay from some members. The NASUWT has been in negotiations with Glasgow City Council in a bid to resolve the dispute. While some progress has been made to identify appropriate safeguards to address risks to the health and safety of employees, the employer is still threatening to send staff home without pay if they refuse to stay in a classroom with a pupil who is threatening their safety. Strike action is planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, with a further eight days planned during December. This follows an initial day of strike action last Thursday (24th November) read more
Ballot opens on industrial action over teachers’ pay – The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is today (27 Oct) opening its formal statutory industrial action ballot of teachers in England and Wales over pay. The ballot in England and Wales will remain open until 9 January. The Union opened a ballot of members in Scotland yesterday (Wednesday) which will remain open until 21 November. The ballots are the result of the failure by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh governments and employers to guarantee teachers and headteachers a fully-funded real-terms pay award of 12%. Members in schools and sixth-form colleges are being balloted over both strike action and action short of strike action. A timetable for and details of what any possible industrial action will entail will be determined once the ballots are concluded read more
NAHT
Industrial action ballot England: Industrial action ballot open – VOTE NOW read more
EIS
Little for Scottish education or Scotland’s teachers in Scottish budget (16 Dec) – Commenting following the Scottish Budget statement today, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “There is little to get excited about for Scottish Education in today’s budget read more
Teacher strikes send an “embarrassing lesson” to the Scottish Government on fair pay (8 Dec) – The EIS General Secretary has said that the Scottish Government is being given an “embarrassing lesson” by the first national teachers strikes on pay since the time of the Thatcher government read more
EIS Announces 16 New Strike Dates for Teachers as Dispute over 5% Pay Offer Intensifies (25 Nov) – The EIS has announced an additional sixteen days of strike action in schools across Scotland, as a dispute over a sub-inflationary 5% pay offer for teachers intensifies. Yesterday, in the first day of national pay strike action by teachers in four decades, EIS members were on the picket lines as the strike led to the closure of every state school on mainland Scotland read more
UCU
UCU comment on the Scottish Government’s draft budget and impact on universities (15 Dec) – Commenting on today’s Scottish draft budget announcement, Mary Senior, Scotland official for the University and College Union, said: “Today’s Scottish budget announcement with a below inflation increase for university funding will be a worry for students, parents, and hardworking staff in Scotland’s universities. With inflation at unprecedented levels the further real terms cuts to university funding, on the back of year-on-year reductions, come when staff are exhausted over unsafe workloads, casual contracts, unfair pay and pension cuts – and on the back of the biggest strikes the university sector has seen read more
UCU slams university employers over refusal to present pay offer (14 Dec) – University trades unions have slammed UCEA after the employer body refused to present an updated pay offer to union representatives. Unions re-entered negotiations on Tuesday 13 December, but in that meeting UCEA said that an offer could only be produced if unions ceased all industrial action. In doing so, UCEA referred to a statement which had not been jointly agreed by the unions. The unions (UCU, EIS, GMB, UNISON and Unite) made clear that they could not, and would not, cease all industrial action and urged employers to come forwards with an updated offer before Christmas read more
Stunning ballot result sees staff renew strike mandate at Manchester College (13 Dec) – Staff at The Manchester College have beaten anti-trade union laws and renewed their mandate to take strike action with a stunning ballot result in their long running dispute over low pay, confirmed UCU. An overwhelming 93% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in a turnout of 60%. The yes vote and turnout surpass the previous successful ballot from earlier in the year. The union has also increased its membership density meaning the number of votes cast also surpasses the previous ballot. The result means UCU members at The Manchester College are able to take strike action for another six months. They have already taken eight days of strike action after winning their original ballot in April read more
UCU statement on pay negotiations (2 Dec) – The joint university unions (UCU, Unison, Unite, GMB, and EIS) met with representatives of the employers on Wednesday read more
Staff at Truro & Penwith College begin six days of strike action today in pay dispute (1 Dec) – Staff at Truro & Penwith College were on picket lines today pressuring management to begin meaningful negotiations in a long running dispute over low pay. Today’s strike is the first of six extra days of action being taken because management is refusing to negotiate with UCU officials read more
Staff to strike at Barnet & Southgate College (1 Dec) – UCU today confirmed Barnet and Southgate College will be hit with two days of strike action later this month in an ongoing dispute over low pay. UCU members at the college will walk out on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December. The industrial action follows a ballot in which 98% of those that voted called for strike action. Staff have already taken three days of action in October in the dispute over management’s paltry 2% pay award for the previous two financial years (1% 2020/21 and 1% 2021/22). Inflation is currently at 14.2% and UCU is demanding a significant uplift to help staff meet the cost of living crisis read more
Staff to strike at University of Sheffield International College (25 Nov) – UCU has today announced that members at the University of Sheffield International College will take three days of strike action from Monday 28 November in a long running dispute over low pay. The action will be the first ever strike to take place in a privatised higher education provider. The full days of strike action are: Monday 28 November, Tuesday 29 November, Wednesday 30 November. Staff will be picketing all main entrances on each day of strike action. Staff will also work to rule from Thursday 1 December, which includes working strictly to their contracted hours, refusing to make up work lost as a result of strike action and refusing to cover for absent colleagues read more
Furness College staff to strike over low pay (23 Nov) – UCU has today announced three days of strike action at Furness College. Staff will walkout on Tuesday 6 December, Wednesday 7 December and Thursday 15 December following the results of the ballot in which 85% of those who voted said yes to strike action. Members will also be engaging in action short of strike action from 8 December until 13 May 2023, this could include not doing additional work or covering for absent colleagues. The action come after the employer offered a pay award of just 2.5% alongside a one off payment of £750 for those earning less than £25k and £500 for those who earn more. RPI is currently at 14.2% so the award means staff pay has fallen dramatically behind inflation. UCU is demanding an increase of at least 10% to help staff meet the cost-of-living crisis read more
Staff to strike at Darlington College (21 Nov) – UCU has today announced three days of strike action at Darlington College. Staff will walkout on Tuesday 6 December, Wednesday 7 December and Monday 12 December following the results of the ballot in which 95% of those that voted said yes to strike action. The strikes come after the employer imposed a pay award of just 1% alongside a one off payment of £250. RPI is currently at 12.6% so the award means staff pay has fallen dramatically behind inflation. UCU is demanding a pay award of at least 10% to help staff meet the cost-of-living crisis. Staff at Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, recently won a deal worth 9.2% for the majority of college lecturers read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Over two thousand firefighters and control staff rally in Westminster (7 Dec) – On 6 December, over 2,000 firefighters and control staff from across the UK assembled in Westminster to protest low pay after their strike ballot opened yesterday. Extraordinary scenes saw speechmakers including MPs speaking to a packed Methodist Central Hall and hundreds of firefighters and control staff gathered outside in an overflow area. MPs including Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn addressed the crowds, as well as FBU general secretary Matt Wrack and several FBU officials and members. After the rally firefighters and control staff marched to Parliament to lobby their MPs on the issue of pay read more
FBU strike ballot opens (5 Dec) – A strike ballot for firefighters and control staff opens today Monday 5th December. Firefighters and control staff are being balloted on potential strike action on a “derisory” 5% pay offer. That pay offer had recently been rejected by FBU members in a consultative ballot by 79% on a 78% turnout. Annual CPI inflation currently stands at 11.1%. Due to restrictive anti-trade union laws the ballot will be a postal ballot only. If you’re an FBU member and your postal address has changed or you think it might be wrong, it is vital that you contact [email protected] as soon as possible read more
Merseyside firefighters, control staff and Green Book staff vote for Action Short of Strike (14 Nov) – Merseyside firefighters, control staff and green book staff (non-uniformed staff) have “overwhelmingly” voted to take action short of strike in relation to a host of issues in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. The percentage of those voting who voted “Yes” to Action Short of Strike is 88.06%. The action short of strike will consist of a refusal to undertake pre-arranged overtime, beginning no earlier than Thursday 1st December 2022 and potentially lasting for 6 months. The ballot comes after a serious break down in industrial relations between Merseyside Fire Brigades Union and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority and the failure to reach agreement on several issues read more
BFAWU
High Court green lights union legal challenge against “strike-breaking” agency worker regulations (15 Dec) – Judicial review of “anti-worker” regulations which “undermine the right to strike” expected to be heard in March. Move is a “major blow” to government attempts to attack the right to strike for better pay and conditions. The High Court has granted permission for the legal challenge – brought by eleven trade unions, coordinated by the TUC and represented by Thompsons Solicitors LLP – to protect the right to strike read more
Bakers Union and MP’s Tell Scrooge Bosses to Pay Workers Redundancy Before Christmas (17 Dec) – The Bakers Union and MP’s are again demanding that Orchard House Food pay workers, at their recently closed Gateshead plant, the redundancy payments they are owed before Christmas. As things stand the company that supplies the likes of Marks and Spencer and Pret A Manger, and which is still a going concern with a factory still open in Corby, is saying they can’t pay them their redundancy payments until after the New Year. Resulting in these workers being left without any income over the New Year and struggling to pay for basics like food and energy. Local MP’s are seeking urgent meetings with senior management of Orchard House Foods. Ian Mearns MP has also tabled an Early Day Motion calling on Orchard House Foods to pay the workers the money they are owed before Christmas read more
Trade Union Coordinating Group “Fair Pay Now” pamphlet read more
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
POA
Solidarity statement: NHS unions stand #WithNHSStaff taking action on pay and staffing (15 Dec) – NHS trade unions have confirmed their support for all health workers taking industrial action on pay and staffing this winter. Health unions recognise the urgent need for pay investment to prevent more staff leaving the NHS and further damage to patient care read more
POA one of 11 unions challenging government regulations which allow agency workers to fill in for striking workers (14 Dec) – The High Court has given the green light to Unions’ legal challenge against “strike-breaking” agency worker regulations. A Judicial review of “anti-worker” regulations which “undermine the right to strike” is expected to be heard in March read more
NAPO
Cafcass Pay offer rejected – Unions seek ACAS intervention (16 Dec) – Over the last fortnight, the Cafcass trade unions have been running consultative ballots on the derisory 2.51% pay offer covering the 2022/23 pay year. Given the impressive number of members that have attended joint meetings it is no surprise that Napo (97.3%) and UNISON (93.3%) members who voted, have overwhelmingly rejected the offer. Following the dispute lodged by the unions last month, the General Secretary and Cafcass Napo Vice-Chair Nicola Taylor-Ebong joined Napo and UNISON representatives to meet with Cafcass senior management. Here we formally advised them of the ballot results and indicated our preparedness to suspend a potential Industrial Action ballot while we seek to exhaust all potential avenues to find a resolution of the dispute. The meeting saw some full and frank discussion, but unfortunately no resolution. Under these circumstances, the procedure provides for either of the parties to seek the involvement of ACAS (The Arbitration and Conciliation Advisory Service). Following a request from the unions, the employer agreed to make the necessary arrangements for this to take place and ACAS have today made initial contact with the unions read more
NUJ
FT chapel wins progressive pay deal (16 Dec) – NUJ members at the Financial Times voted to accept a pay deal for 2023 at a very well-attended FT chapel meeting on Wednesday. Under the terms of the progressive deal, all staff earning up to £50,000 will get at least 10 per cent, with a consolidated pay rise of up £4,200 paid to all those earning up to £42,000. Minimum and starting salaries are also set to increase by 10 per cent from 1 January read more
Twitter suspends journalists’ accounts (16 De) – Journalists from the New York Times and CNN are among those suspended for alleged doxing. The union has called Musk’s actions hypocritical and a threat to freedom of expression read more
Blue day for Cambridge and Oxford local TV (16 Dec) – Today (December 16, 2022) is the last day the Cambridge-based Look East and Oxford-based BBC South Today will be broadcast, despite widespread opposition from MPs, councillors and local people read more
Prospect
Environment Agency workers to begin industrial action on Monday (15 Dec) – Prospect members working at the Environment Agency will begin industrial action on Monday 19th December in a dispute over pay read more
Prospect announces next steps for industrial action ballots as Minister confirms no more money for pay (14 Dec) – Paymaster General Jeremy Quin has written to Prospect confirming that the government have decided to make no more money available to address the cost-of-living crisis facing civil servants. The letter was in response to Prospect’s demands following an indicative ballot showing widespread support for industrial action read more
Prospect members on the Elizabeth Line vote for industrial action (14 Dec) – Prospect members working at Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action over pay read more
Equity
BREAKING NEWS!! Equity speaks out following persecution of Iranian actors and artists (20 Dec) – The UK trade union Equity today adds its voice to international condemnation of the Iranian authorities following reports of executions and death sentences conferred onto protesters, including 26 year old theatre actor Hossein Mohammadi. Equity’s International Committee for Artists Freedom understands that a number of performers expressing solidarity with the protesters have also been arrested. The most high profile name currently being Taraneh Alidoosti, one of Iran’s most famous actors read more
Sign and share this petition to reinstate the English National Opera (ENO) funding and lobby your MP to back our industries and their workforce
IWGB
BREAKING NEWS!! New survey reveals the hidden cost of living in the gig economy this Christmas (20 Dec) – As people across the country struggle with the cost of living crisis this Christmas, a new survey by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) reveals the extent of its triple impact on platform workers in the gig economy, who are also being hit with plummeting pay and soaring costs. Over 260 workers responded to the IWGB survey about how the cost of living crisis has impacted them over the past six months. Many gig workers are paid poverty wages by multinational corporations like Amazon, Uber and Deliveroo. However, because they are categorised as self-employed, they are also liable for business costs such as fuel and insurance. As a result, platform workers are doubly impacted by the cost of living crisis, while also facing intensified exploitation in the form of pay cuts read more
Follow updates on UCL strike by following @IWGBunion on twitter
UCL breaks commitment to equal terms and a living wage for all, bringing in agency workers to undermine the ongoing strike by IWGB workers (15 Nov) – The ongoing strike followed a unanimous ballot for industrial action by hundreds of outsourced security workers from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) demanding £15/hour, union recognition and an end to outsourcing where they work at University College London (UCL). Over 150 people attended the picket line yesterday, which begins again today at 6am at the entrance to UCL on Malet Place, followed by a protest with guest speakers including Owen Jones and John McDonnell MP from 8.15am. On the morning of Friday 11 November, a few days before industrial action was due to begin, UCL security staff woke to find their overtime shifts for the following days and weeks had been cancelled without explanation. Further enquiries revealed that the directive came from Bidvest Noonan’s managing director, Sarah Cork, and that Bidvest Noonan workers at UCL have been stripped of all overtime shifts, which for some amounts to as much as a one third cut to their monthly take home pay. The base £15/hour rate demanded for all outsourced workers is equivalent to the wage of security staff over twenty two years ago, before outsourcing was introduced read more
UVW
Migrant cleaners at Mercedes-Benzes luxury car showroom to ballot for strike action over poverty wages (9 Dec) – “It’s £13 an hour or strike! There’s no other option for us because the current situation is so dire and the cost of living crisis is only going to get worse… We are not asking for anything extraordinary, we are asking for a very reasonable increase, affordable and fair” – José, cleaner and UVW member. Migrant cleaners working at the Mercedes-Benz showroom in Dartford have had enough of earning poverty wages. They will be balloted for strike action during Christmas with a view to strike early next year for a 30% pay rise. The luxury car giant reported a whopping net profit of €23.4 billion for 2021 while their cleaning contractors pay migrant workers pitiful wages read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
BREAKING NEWS!! SIPTU bus drivers in Go-Ahead Ireland to ballot for industrial action in pay dispute (19 Dec) – SIPTU members employed by private bus operator, Go-Ahead Ireland, will commence a ballot for industrial action tomorrow (Tuesday, 20th December). The dispute is in response to the refusal by the company to attend the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to discuss compensating drivers for the decrease in their real earnings due to inflation read more
SIPTU members defer strike action at Zenith Bantry Bay Terminal (12 Dec) – The planned strike action by SIPTU members employed Zenith Bantry Bay Terminal, county Cork, has been deferred in order to allow workers an opportunity to consider proposals put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today read more
Other news
Enough is Enough launches campaign and petition to Defend the #RightToStrike – The right to strike is under threat. New legislation proposed by the Tory government intends to override a workers’ right to withdraw their labour, forcing them to work against their will. The right to strike is a fundamental democratic right. It underpins our ability to win dignity in the workplace and earn a decent standard of living. It is no accident that this right is under attack at the very moment the public is fighting back against the cost-of-living squeeze. This government is determined to force workers to pay the price for a crisis caused by the greed of the elite yet again. We won’t accept it. We, the undersigned, pledge to defend the right to strike and oppose this latest legislation #RightToStrike
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
Hi All – Thanks for your continuing support for Trade Union Education at The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (Conel). Please find attached some courses were have advertised for next term and beyond. All courses are advertised in the https://www.tuc.org.uk/TUCcoursesAs.
Couple of updates:-
- Employment law diploma is now full for Jan 2023.
- Cert in employment law have moved it to classroom.
Seasons Greetings
Best Regards
Jonathan Jeffries
PS If you need any ICT courses contact [email protected]. We also do bespoke courses for trade unions
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/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. 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. Also, check out Organise Now! – Support for new worker organising.
International
From NUJ website – Yemen: journalist Hala Badway released (15 Dec) – All charges against Badway arising from social media posts in December 2021 have been dropped. The National Union of Journalists has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in welcoming the acquittal of Yemeni journalist Hala Badway read more
Diary
2023
July
1 NSSN Conference
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
