From the GMB website: Amazon strikes escalate with six more dates at Coventry and ballots at five new sites (31 Mar) – GMB strikes at Amazon are set to escalate as members in Coventry announced six further days of walk outs as the union today [31 March] begins ballots at five new sites. More than 560 workers at the Coventry warehouse will down tools on 16 – 18 and 21 – 23 of April, which will bring the total strike days at the site to 14. Meanwhile, hundreds of GMB members will begin fresh ballots for industrial action at five further fulfilment centres across the Midlands: Mansfield in Nottinghamshire; Coalville in Leicestershire; Kegworth in Leicestershire; Rugeley in Staffordshire; Rugby in Warwickshire. The ballots – which open today [31 March] and run for several weeks – will ask GMB members if they are willing to strike over a 50p pay rise enforced by Amazon management. Amazon Coventry has been the focal point of three months of industrial action by GMB after they made history by staging the first ever UK Amazon strike read more
Support the CWU and the postal workers – renationalise Royal Mail
There are reports in the media about senior Royal Mail management considering putting the company into administration. This would have catastrophic effects for the 150,000 workers and working-class communities. The CWU and its members have been waging a heroic 11-month fight against management’s offensive. The NSSN sends solidarity to the CWU, the postal workers and Royal Mail staff and we support the CWU’s policy of calling for the re-nationalisation of the company. We will update this bulletin on any developments. CWU on twitter – @CWUnews
Support Lee Fowler – Another blacklisted construction worker sacked after making complaints about safety on site
Bootle protest Thursday 6th April 12noon – Cargill Brocklebank site, Regent Road (the Dock Road) L20 8DF read more about Lee’s case
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on Saturday 24th June in Conway Hall, London 11am-4.30pm
BREAKING NEWS!! GMB Officer Gary Palmer from the victorious #GMBThree is speaking at NSSN Conference Case against ‘GMB Three’ collapses
Sign the TUC petition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: Protect the right to strike! – Our right to strike is under attack. Rishi Sunak has just detailed his anti-union legislation and plans to introduce new laws in the coming weeks. It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal. These new laws are a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, terms and conditions
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
Sign your workplace up to save the right to strike (supported by Strike Map, ASLEF – The UK Train Drivers’ Union, Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union – BFAWU, Campaign for Trade Union Freedom, Fire Brigades Union, The Morning Star, NHS Workers Say NO, People’s Assembly and the NSSN) – The government has launched an attack on our rights. Their actions will destroy our fundamental right to strike. We want to encourage workers, union reps and branch officers to sign their workplace up to reject these changes and pledge to fight to protect our right to strike. Add your workplace name to our collective letter action and share it with every one of your co-workers. When we fight as a collective together we win!
Earthquake in Turkey & Syria – union donations
The NSSN sends our solidarity to all those affected by this disaster. Many will have relatives in this country. The NSSN is affiliated to ‘Support the People of Turkey’ who has launched an appeal, including for union branches and trades councils Turkey-Syria Earthquake Solidarity Appeal
Turkey Earthquake: A preliminary report from the ground
FBU makes £10,000 donation to Syria and Turkey earthquake appeal (23 Mar)
Unison: Turkey earthquake solidarity appeal
NUJ: IFJ launches solidarity call to support journalists in Turkey and Syria
NSSN news
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on Saturday 24th June in Conway Hall, London 11am-4.30pm
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 Katrine 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
ISS workers in weekend walkout on DLR (31 Mar) – Contracted out staff working for ISS on the Docklands Light Railway will take 48 hours strike action this weekend. Revenue protection, cleaners, security and travel safe staff will walk out after rejecting an insulting pay offer of 1.8%. RMT which represents the workers have highlighted the fact ISS staff on the DLR are underpaid compared to others on TfL performing equivalent roles. On top of poor pay, ISS staff have so far not been told whether they will get access to the free travel facility. This is despite the fact London Mayor Sadiq Khan having already promised all contracted out staff would get free travel across TfL read more
RMT calls on Scottish First minister to keep ScotRail commitments (31 Mar) –Rail union, RMT urged new first minister Humza Yousaf to keep his promise of continued public ownership of ScotRail. The union also called on Mr Yousaf to reverse the decline in Scotrail, by increasing services to pre-pandemic levels, investing in rail infrastructure and ruling out cuts to ScotRail ticket offices and jobs once and for all. A recent Transport Scotland report recommended that increasing staff levels on public transport should be explored in order to make women and girls feel safer read more
Thousands of seafarers will miss out on NMW increase (31 Mar) – Maritime union RMT, has lambasted the government ahead of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) increase, pointing out thousands of seafarers will not be eligible for the rise. From April 1, the national minimum wage will rise by 9.7 percent from £9.50 to £10.42 for all over 23 year olds. However, despite the Seafarers Wages Act being passed, it will not come into full force until next year, meaning P&O Ferries and other operators will be under no legal obligation pay the new NMW rate. Due to legal loopholes, some agency crews being employed by P&O, Irish Ferries Seatruck, Condor Ferries, Cobelfret and others are being paid as little as £4 an hour in British waters on routes which call at UK ports up to five times a day. Other seafarers who will miss out include some of those working in offshore wind and the green energy supply chain read more
RMT calls for public ownership of buses after government criticised in transport report (30 Mar) – The Transport Select committee has told the government they need to do more to improve bus services across the country. £1bn made available to local authorities for their Bus Service Improvement Plans ‘is simply not enough money to produce real improvements in bus services across the whole country’ and that ‘allowing roughly half the country to miss out risks entrenching, and in some cases creating, a two-tier system in which bus services improve in one area while, across an invisible county border, they worsen or even disappear,” the report found read more
Rail rolling stock company turns taxpayers’ money into dividends (29 Mar) – Rolling stock company Angel Trains paid out £75 million of taxpayers’ money in dividends in three months, mostly to a Canadian investment fund, RMT has revealed today. Angel Trains, one of the three ROSCOs who lease trains to the train operating companies, has a parent company registered in the tax haven Jersey, named Willow Topco but, as a result, it’s difficult to see it’s accounts read more
Action short announced on Edgware Road and Ladbroke Grove Areas (27 Mar) – Further to my previous Circular (IR/052/23. 28th February 2023), a resolution has been received from our Hammersmith & City Branch, regarding the imposition of new rosters. The Company has not properly consulted our Reps over these rosters which are unworkable, and members wish to fight back against the detrimental effect these cuts will have, including on their work/life balance. The National Executive Committee has thanked the Branch for its resolution and taken the decision to instruct:
All Station Grades members (Area Managers, Customer Service Assistants, Customer Service Supervisors, Customer Service Managers) on the Edgware Road and Ladbroke Grove Areas not to work any overtime or rest day working from 00.01 hours Wednesday 5th April 2023 to 23:59 hours on Wednesday 19th April 2023 read more
Cleshar ‘paltry pay offer’ rejected (22 Mar) – the Regional Organiser submitted a report advising that Cleshar has made an offer of a 3% increase in base pay rates from April 2023, with any further increases subject to productivity gains. Discussions are continuing with the Company but, at this time, the Regional Organiser recommends that the offer be formally rejected, and the Company be informed of this position. This matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee, which has taken the decision to inform the Company of our formal rejection of this paltry pay offer read more
RMT suspends national rail strikes on March 30 and April 1 (22 Mar) – Following further talks between RMT and the Rail Delivery Group today, a proposal was tabled by the RDG which could lead to a resolution to resolve the current national rail dispute through a new offer. The NEC has therefore suspended strike action scheduled for March 30 and April 1. RMT will have further talks with the RDG with a view to securing a new offer on pay, job security and working conditions. The dispute remains on and the union will continue to make preparations for a re-ballot when the current mandates runs out in mid-May read more
Balfour Beatty engineers take strike action after profits boast (17 Mar) – RMT members working in engineering for Balfour Beatty will take strike action tonight in a row over pay. It will be the third 36-hour stoppage after members rejected the company’s 5.5% pay offer from April 2022. Balfour Beatty has just released its latest financial information from last year which shows huge profits and dividends for shareholders…Strike action will begin at 10pm on 17 March and end 9.59am Sunday 19 March read more
Tube strike shuts London Underground (15 Mar) – Over 10,000 RMT members have today shut London Underground in a strike over pensions, job cuts and attacks on working conditions. The job losses planned will affect every aspect of the tube including stations and maintenance, leading to the likelihood of more unstaffed stations and a lowering of safety standards. Workers from across London Underground set up picket lines across most major tube stations, ensuring that London Underground was completely shutdown. RMT joins several unions taking strike action today across the economy on a variety of industrial matters, including better pay, good working conditions and job security. The union wrote to London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday outlining how job cuts must be halted and that safety of the travelling public was foremost in tube workers minds read more
ISS workers to take strike action on DLR (23 Feb) – Contracted out staff working for ISS on the Docklands Light Railway will take 48 hours strike action from Friday. Cleaners, security, revenue protection and travel safe staff will walk out after rejecting an insulting pay offer of 1.8%. RMT which represents the workers have highlighted the fact ISS staff on the DLR are underpaid compared to others on TfL performing equivalent roles. On top of poor pay, ISS staff have so far not been told whether they will get access to the free travel facility. This is despite the fact London Mayor Sadiq Khan having already promised all contracted out staff would get free travel across TfL read more
Action called over Jubilee East, South and Centre Cover Group rosters (16 Feb) – defend jobs, pensions and agreements – London Underground – overtime and rest day working ban called. A resolution has been received from your RMT Jubilee South Branch, regarding the imposition of new rosters. The Company has taken no notice of your Reps advice that these rosters are unworkable, and members wish to fight back against the detrimental effect these cuts will have, including on your work/life balance. The National Executive Committee has thanked the Branch for its resolution and taken the decision to instruct:
All Station Grades members (Customer Service Assistants, Customer Service Supervisors, Customer Service Managers) on the Jubilee Centre, East and South Cover Groups (Canada Water Area, Westminster Area, Canary Wharf Area, Stratford Area, West Ham Area, London Bridge Area and Waterloo Area) not to work any overtime or rest day working from 00:01 hours on Sunday 12th March 2023 until 23:59 hours on Saturday 25th March 2023 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
TSSA
TSSA condemns Yousaf’s Transport Cabinet Secretary omission (29 Mar) – Rail and transport union TSSA has condemned as ‘utterly astonishing’ the decision by Scotland’s new First Minister, Humza Yousaf, not to have a Transport Cabinet Secretary in his team. The new SNP leader revealed his Cabinet earlier today with the Transport brief he himself once held, now missing – despite prominent issues relating to the delivery of CalMac Ferries, and ScotRail and the Caledonian Sleeper service coming into public hands read more
TSSA “deeply dismayed” at Jeremy Corbyn Labour NEC decision (27 Mar) – Transport union TSSA expresses “deep dismay” following the Labour NEC vote passing a motion forbidding Jeremy Corbyn MP to stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election. TSSA is affiliated to the Labour Party, was a prominent backer of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, and has a representative on the Party’s NEC. TSSA’s NEC member, Nicola Jukes, spoke against the motion and voted against it, along with 11 other NEC members. The motion was passed by 22 votes to 12 – not the resounding margin the Labour leadership were hoping for read more
Unite
AB AGRI mill worker strikes off after Unite secures 13% two year pay deal (31 Mar) – Deal also ends dispute over union recognition. Strikes by 150 mill workers employed by animal feed and nutritional product manufacturer AB AGRI have been cancelled after they voted to accept a two year pay deal worth 13 per cent. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the deal also contains an agreement to allow union recognition across AB AGRI’s mills. The mills are located in Suffolk, Norfork, Oxfordshire, Fife, Devon, Lincolnshire and East and North Yorkshire read more
Real Living Wage rate for all apprentices at Scottish Borders Council (31 Mar) – Uplift will see pay doubled for some apprentices. Unite the union has today (31 March) welcomed the announcement that all apprentices at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) will be paid the real Living Wage rate following a campaign by the trade union. SBC confirmed that it will now pay the real Living Wage to its modern apprentices regardless of age across all council departments from 1st April. The real Living Wage is currently £10.90 read more
Wirral housing worker strike over after asbestos agreement struck (31 Mar) – Strikes at social housing landlord Magenta Living by more than 100 maintenance and repair workers have ended after a deal regarding safe working with asbestos was agreed. The workers began strike action in February over a change in the organisation’s asbestos policy that compelled them to handle the substance if they came across it in a property. The new agreement stipulates that for those technicians who have opted out there will be no requirement for them to undertake essential tasks with asbestos read more
Heathrow strikes go ahead as last-ditch talks fail (30 Mar) – Ten days of strikes involving over 1,400 security officers at Heathrow Airport will go ahead as planned from tomorrow (Friday 31 March) as last-ditch talks held today (Thursday) failed to resolve the current pay dispute. The talks broke down because Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) failed to substantially improve its pay offer and was only prepared to offer a lump sum payment as an addition to the current offer. This is in stark contrast to the remuneration of the Chief Executive, John Holland-Kaye. The latest HAL accounts show that between 2020 and 2021 his pay soared from £800,000 to £1.5 million pa – up an astonishing 88 per cent. The current average salary of a Heathrow security guard, working endless shifts, is £30,000. This is made up of a basic £26,000, after three years experience, with a £4,000 shift allowance. That’s down 24 per cent in real terms since 2017 read more
Birmingham and Coventry housing workers secure pay increase following Unite’s intervention (29 Mar) – Workers employed by Citizen Housing Group have secured a significantly improved pay increase following the intervention of Unite, the UK’s leading union. The 1,000 strong workforce at the social housing provider were initially offered a pay increase of 5 per cent and a £500 one off lump sum payment. While two other unions accepted the pay offer, Unite rejected it. Despite being the smallest of the three unions at Citizen Housing Group, Unite was able to secure a dramatically improved offer of a six per cent pay increase and a lump sum payment of £1,500 read more
Unite pressure spurs Glasgow City council to write-off school meal debt (29 Mar) – Unite pressure spurs Glasgow City council to write-off school meal debt. Activists from Unite for a Workers’ Economy and councillors who have supported the ‘Feed the Weans’ campaign will stage a group photo opportunity outside Glasgow City Chambers. Glasgow City Council is expected to back a motion to write-off school meal debt across Glasgow this Thursday (30 March). But there is still more work to be done to end the scourge of school hunger read more
Food prices: The British public are hostages to ‘greedflation’ (28 Mar) – Greedflation is where large corporations have fuelled inflation by excessive profiteering. Supermarket price inflation in the UK has hit a record high, adding £837 to annual household bills according to market analysts Kantar. New Unite research, analysing the FTSE 350 shows how profit margins for the first half of 2022 were 89% higher compared to the same period in 2019 read more
Chessington World of Adventure facing strike threat in pay dispute (28 Mar) – The popular theme park, Chessington World of Adventure, faces ride closures and disruption this spring and summer, due to its engineers balloting for strike action in a dispute over pay. The engineers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are totally responsible for the safe running of the park in Surrey. They are fully trained in ensuring all the rides are operating safely and ensure that safety systems are fully functioning. The engineers are seeking a pay rise in line with the real inflation rate (RPI), which currently stands at 13.8 per cent. The employer is seeking to impose a real terms pay cut on its workers…The strike ballot closes on Wednesday 12 April and if the members vote in favour of strikes, industrial action could begin before the end of next month read more
Pay strikes by Harlow housing repair and grounds workers intensify (28 Mar) – Staff at council-owned company paid less than other workers doing same job. Pay strikes by over 300 staff responsible for Harlow council’s housing stock and the cleaning and maintenance of council grounds and buildings are to intensify, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). The workers, who are employed by HTS, which is wholly owned by Harlow district council, began strike action in late February. New strike dates have now been scheduled for 5, 6, 24, 25, 27 and 28 April. HTS’s workforce voted by 87 per cent for strike action as a result of pay being less than workers doing the same jobs at other local authorities. The workers are demanding a cost-of-living payment and for their pay bands to be re-graded so they are brought up to industry standards. The council’s latest financial report showed it had assets of £63 million on 31 March 2022, an increase of £19 million from the year before read more
Scotland’s lighthouse workers to vote on strike action in historical first (28 Mar) – Northern Lighthouse Board balloted in dispute over real terms pay cut. Unite the union confirmed that its members employed by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) who maintain and operate Scotland’s lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea are in a historic first to be balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay. Around 30 Unite members including able seamen, base assistants, cooks and technicians will take part in the ballot which opens today (28 March) and closes on 24 April. Unite members provide vital maintenance and operational support for lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea ensuring that vessels and ships have safe passage through Scottish waters read more
Unite and the National Pensioners’ Convention join forces to oppose pension age rises (28 Mar) – The state pension age is already too high – it’s due to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046. The government must rule out raising the state pension age further in the forthcoming Work and Pensions review. The state pension age is already too high and the government must clearly rule out plans to raise the state pension age any further. That’s the message from a coalition of trade unionists and campaigners. Unite and the National Pensioners’ Convention have launched a petition against raising the state pension and campaigners are building support for a nationwide campaign read more
Unite secures DHL workers at Halewood new payment to resolve shift pay dispute (28 Mar) – Fears that the JLR plant at Halewood on Merseyside could grind to a halt this spring have been averted after Unite, the UK’s leading union, agreed a deal with the company’s contractor DHL, following the withdrawal of shift premiums. The dispute arose as a result of the DHL workforce – who are employed on the logistics and dispatch contract at Halewood supplying the production line with components – facing the removal of shift premiums as a result of an alteration in the workers’ starting time. Following the intervention of Unite, DHL agreed to pay the entire workforce a new payment worth 12.5 per cent of earnings in compensation for the withdrawal of the shift premium. The deal benefits over 600 workers employed by DHL at Halewood
Unite announces consultation on government’s offer to NHS workers in England (27 Mar) – Unite the union has announced the details of the consultative ballot it will hold for its members working in the NHS in England covered by Agenda for Change. From Friday 31 March until Friday 28 April, Unite’s eligible NHS members will be asked to consider the government’s revised pay offer. The government is proposing an additional unconsolidated cash lump sum payment on this year’s pay and a five per cent rise in pay for 2023/24 (full details here). The revised offer emerged through negotiations that followed strike action by Unite members in December, January and February. Unlike other health unions, Unite is making no recommendation on the government’s pay offer stating that it will be the union’s members who will decide whether it should be accepted or rejected read more
Worley offshore workers latest group to join ‘tsunami’ of industrial action (25 Mar) – Emphatic mandate for action as 100 per cent vote yes to strike. Unite the union confirmed that its Worley Services UK members are the latest group of offshore workers to demand a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). 100 per cent of over 50 workers including pipefitters, riggers, deck crew, platers along with electrical and mechanical technicians voted in support of strike action in a ballot turnout of 75 per cent. Unite members are as part of the dispute demanding a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions including a base rate increase of £7 per hour, and standby payments to be 12-hours full pay. The workers are based on Harbour Energy platforms; Britannia, Jade, Judy and Jasmine read more
BP Petrofac workers latest to support offshore strike (22 Mar) – Emphatic vote for action will see 1,500 workers down tools as strike ‘tsunami’ hits North Sea. Unite the union confirmed that its members on BP Petrofac installations have today (22 March) voted emphatically to support strike action in a fresh dispute involving the offshore contractor as workers demand a better deal on pay. By a massive 95.5 per cent, around 90 workers voted in support of strike action in a ballot turnout of 73.4 per cent. The vote will see the BP Petrofac workers join 1400 others in dispute with their employers meaning 1500 offshore workers across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) could be on strike within weeks. Unite has warned that oil and gas operators and contractors are set to face a ‘tsunami’ of industrial unrest within weeks as workers demand a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions read more
‘Tsunami’ of industrial action to hit oil and gas operators as 1400 offshore workers set to strike (20 Mar) – Dozens of platforms in UKCS set to be brought to a ‘standstill’ with BP, Shell and Total hit. Unite the union announced today (Monday 20 March) that major oil and gas operators in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) face a ‘tsunami’ of industrial unrest within weeks as around 1400 offshore workers across five companies demand a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions. Unite, whose members will take action at companies enjoying record-busting profits, predicts that platforms and offshore installations will be brought to a ‘standstill’ due to the specialised roles its members undertake. The action will hit major oil and gas operators including BP, CNRI, EnQuest, Harbour, Ithaca, Shell and Total read more
UK facing pig and poultry feed shortages during AB AGRI strikes (24 Mar) – Around mill 150 workers to strike over ‘pay cut’ while AB AGRI rakes in nearly £1bn. Mill workers employed by animal feed and nutritional product manufacturer AB AGRI will strike in April over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Strike action will take place from 1 April to 7 April. Work to rule will be in affect from 8 April to 14 April, before all out indefinite strike action begins on 15 April. The workers, based at mills in Suffolk, Norfork, Oxfordshire, Fife, Devon, Lincolnshire and East and North Yorkshire (see notes to editors for location details), rejected an imposed pay offer of 4.5 per cent. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, running at 13.4 per cent, this is a significant real terms pay cut read more
Guys and St Thomas’ NHS staff deliver resounding vote for strike action over pay (23 Mar) – Crisis loans and second jobs needed for staff to get by. 800 staff poised for strike should government’s pay offer be rejected. More than 800 staff at Guys and St Thomas’ hospital in Central London could take strike action over pay after a successful industrial action ballot, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). The workers, who include nurses, pharmacists, estates staff and medical technicians, returned a ‘resounding’ 92 per cent vote in favour of strike action. Such is the struggle for NHS staff at the hospital to make ends meet, Unite is involved in arranging crisis loans for workers. Strike action by Unite’s NHS members is currently paused as a consultation on the government’s recent offer gets underway read more
Unite blasts disgraceful Kingspan strikebreaking in effort to avoid fair pay (22 Mar) – Union escalates to round-the-clock pickets at Portadown site to defeat company greed. English workers get four star treatment while Polish workers left with hostels. Unite the union can reveal that Ulster Rugby sponsor Kingspan is flying in strikebreakers in a `disgraceful’ effort to undermine workers taking strike action for fair pay. Workers from Kingspan sites in Williton in Somerset, England and Rokietnica in Poland have been flown over in recent weeks and are now being used in an attempt to continue production onsite read more
Over 300 Dundee City Council workers vote to strike in fight against plans to outsource services (21 Mar) – Huge 95% vote for strike against privatisation – action set to begin in April. Unite the union can reveal today (21 March) that around 320 tradespersons employed by Dundee City Council have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over plans to outsource services to private contractors. By a huge 95 per cent joiners, plumbers, electricians, labourers and scaffolders have backed strike action. The dispute is centred on Dundee City Council’s plans to outsource public works to private contractors. All-out strike action is set to begin on 4 April for three weeks until 28 April, and then it will be followed by rounds of daily action until 23 June read more
Imperial College strike action over ‘massive pay cut’ stretches into fifth month (21 Mar) – 10.1% pay attack for workers while Imperial has £1.7 billion reserves and paid vice chancellor record salary. More than 200 Imperial College workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will strike on Wednesday (22 March), as industrial action over a pay dispute stretches into its fifth month. The workers are striking over the imposition of a 3.3 per cent pay offer for 2022/23 by London’s Imperial College, which Unite says is a clear 10.1 per cent pay cut when the real rate of inflation, RPI, is running at 13.4 per cent. Imperial College’s latest financial figures shows it brought in an income of over £1.2 billion for 2021/22 and had cash reserves of £1.7 billion. Further, Imperial College is one for the best paying universities for senior leadership staff. Until July 2022, the university employed the UK’s highest paid vice chancellor with an annual pay package worth £714,000, a massive increase of 35.5 per cent on the previous year read more
JW Suckling drivers secure fantastic pay rise but Jet Garage strikes remain on in North West as Hoyer fail to make pay offer (20 Mar) – Unite the union has secured an inflation-busting pay increase for tanker drivers employed on the Phillips 66 contract delivering to Jet Garages and employed by JW Suckling. The deal is worth up to £11,000 a year for the drivers based in Essex, Grangemouth and West London. However, strike action involving Hoyer drivers based in the North West operating from the Bramhall terminal and who work on the same contract is set to take place for a week beginning on March 27, as the company has failed to enter into peace talks. The pay deal brings the annual salaries of Unite members from £43,315 to £54,579 per year. The deal also includes improved overtime rates increasing at least 29%, bonuses increasing by a stunning 47 per cent as well as the introduction of callout read more
Workforce at Queen’s University to take strike action to defend pay and pensions (14 Mar) – Unite the union striking on 16th March, UCU on 15th and 16th March. Both Unite and UCU at QUB are set to take further strike action at Queen’s University as part of their ongoing industrial dispute with management over fair and equitable pay, pensions, and precarious employment practices. The strike action follows ballots held by both Unite and UCU at QUB which provided a strong mandate for industrial action up to and including strike action at Queen’s. The UCU action is to continue on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of March and the union has action short of a strike in force continuously. Unite’s strike action is also set to continue with further strike dates identified in April read more
Lenny Henry told Murphy 4 sackings no laughing matter (14 Mar) – Unite members will hold a protest outside the Pipeline Industries Guild scheduled for 18:30 this evening (Tuesday 14 March) at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane. The Pipeline Industries Guild is closely associated with the Murphy group of companies, with the group’s CEO John Murphy a past president of the guild, while the guild’s current chair is Andrew Ball, energy sector director with J Murphy and Sons. The protest is part of a campaign to secure the reinstatement of four Unite members, including a shop steward, dismissed by the Murphy group’s Irish subsidiary on what Unite members believe to be spurious grounds read more
Cargotec: Strike sends strong message in ‘bogus TUPE’ dispute (10 Mar) – Company must come to table and negotiate collectively. March 10th: Following a 93% vote for industrial action, Unite members working for cargo handling manufacturer Cargotec in Dundalk took to the picket line today in a move which saw production at the facility closed down. The dispute surrounds what Unite has termed a ‘bogus TUPE’ process which members fear could impact their terms and conditions going forward. Unite is calling on the company to come to the table and negotiate collectively with the workers affected read more
Unite leader hails successful defence of right to strike against legal challenge (9 Mar) – Unite shop stewards defended against legal attack. Mechanical strike going ahead tomorrow (Friday) at H.A. O’Neil and Leo Lynch. March 9th A strike by mechanical workers in HA O’Neil’s and Leo Lynch’s will go ahead tomorrow (Friday 10 March) after trade union Unite fought off an attempt today by HA O’Neil (Jones Engineering) to obtain an injunction restraining Unite members from taking industrial action. Accordingly, official pickets will be placed at HA O’Neil and Leo Lynch sites in Leixlip (Intel) and Grange Castle (Pfizer) tomorrow. The action follows an overwhelming vote for strike action in pursuit of a claim for restoration of the first hour of travel time, which was originally cut as a so-called ‘temporary measure’ following the 2008 financial crash read more
Pay strikes at power grid for London, South East, East England to cause blackout delays (7 Mar) – Around 1,300 workers, responsible for repairing, maintaining and administrating the electricity grid for London and the South East and East of England, have voted to strike. The workers are angry that UKPN have offered an 8.3 per cent pay rise for 2022, when they are normally offered an annual wage increase that meets or exceeds RPI inflation. With RPI currently standing at 13.4 per cent, this is a substantial real terms pay cut. The offer is also conditional on the workers accepted a below RPI inflation pay deal for 2023, meaning their wages spending power would be reduced twice in two years. The deal is not worth around 18 per cent as the company is claiming. Meanwhile, UKPN (owned by Hong Kong based conglomerate CK Group), had an average operating profit margin of over 50 per cent between 2017 and 2021 – almost five times higher than the FTSE-100 average. During that period, the company made a massive £2.4 billion in profits, paid for by energy consumers through standing charges on their bills. Its latest financial report shows UKPN made £264 million up to March 2022, while it’s CEO, Basil Scarsella, was paid an annual salary of £2.3 million read more
Industrial Civil Servants, including Workers in Roads Service, Rivers Agency, Forest Service and Strangford Ferry, vote overwhelmingly for strike action in pursuit of pay increase (7 Mar) – Unite and GMB members employed in the industrial civil service are set to coordinate action with non-industrial civil service workers in NIPSA. Strike ballot occurs alongside existing industrial dispute by roads workers seeking end to productivity pay mechanism. Unite and the GMB have confirmed that in separate ballots of their members employed in the industrial civil service workers [which includes roads service, rivers agency and Strangford ferry] have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action in pursuit of a cost of living pay increase. In Unite the vote for strike action was passed by 91 percent while in GMB the vote for strike action was 77 percent. Both trade unions will now engage with NIPSA which represents non-industrial civil servants, and which announced its own successful strike ballot last week, with a view to taking coordinated strike action across the entire civil service in Northern Ireland read more
Christie Manchester cancer treatment staff join widening NHS pay strikes (1 Mar) – More than 100 staff employed at Manchester’s Christie NHS Foundation Trust and its linked pathology provider, which is a public/private partnership, will strike for 24 hours from 0700hrs on Thursday (2 March) over pay. The workers’ union, Unite, says that more strikes will be scheduled if the government fails to address poor pay and unsafe staffing across the NHS read more
Workers at Newry, Mourne & Down District Council prepare to return to industrial action for fair treatment (27 Feb) – Workers in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have lost trust and confidence in the NDMDC Chief Executive Marie Ward, and are commencing a new ballot for refreshed industrial action, up to and including strike action, after management at the Council have neglected to honour a deal agreed in 2022. Two meetings of Council staff were held last week in Newry and Downpatrick, hosted by the four trade unions representing workers of all grades – NIPSA, SIPTU, GMB and Unite. Firstly, it was decided to call for a vote of no confidence in the current Chief Executive. This vote was carried unanimously in both venues and must be seen as message to those in a position of influence, that this type of leader who cannot, or will not, honour negotiated agreements is not acceptable to our members or their staff. Secondly, it was decided to carry out a ballot for industrial action, to include both action short of a strike as well as strike action. To give some background, Council workers from all four unions took part in a number of successful industrial action campaigns in 2021 and 2022 read more
Roads Service maintenance workers in Unite commence one week strike action (26 Feb) – Road Workers demand productivity payment be integrated into payscales to remove potential mechanism for pay victimization. More than two hundreds Unite members employed by the Roads Service of Northern Ireland will be joining with colleagues in the GMB in taking strike action for a week commencing Monday 27th February. The industrial action follows a ballot of Unite members which returned a 95.30 percent vote for strike. The workers seek changes to their terms and conditions meaning the integration of a productivity bonus into their payscales. Roads Service workers’ pay is dependent on a productivity-based payment which is subject to the determination of managers. In the recent year roads workers at some hubs have taken strike action over allegations of bullying and harassment and are now seeking to close down a mechanism which potentially leaves them subject to victimization by managers. The strike pickets will be established at 8am on Monday 27 February and will last seven days and affect roads maintenance work across Northern Ireland. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham pledged her union’s full support for the Roads Service workers read more
Weekend strike action and protests resume over pay dispute at Diageo’s Leven plant (24 Feb) – Unite ‘actively’ exploring legal options amid claims workers could have been unlawfully induced to sign new contracts. Engineering workers based at Diageo’s plant in Leven are set to resume strike action tonight (24 February) and over the weekend in an increasingly bitter pay dispute with the drinks industry giant. The strike action will begin at 19:00 p.m. tonight and conclude on Monday (27 February) morning at 6 a.m. The strike action will directly impact on the engineering support for the bottling plant. Unite believes it is not safe to run the plant without the support its engineering members provide. Unite can also confirm that it will hold another protest on Saturday (25 February) at The Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh from 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. There will be a further protest on Sunday (26 February) outside the bottling plant in Levenfrom 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. The protests are highlighting that some of Unite’s engineering members are set to lose around 6 per cent of their pay when moved to a proposed lower rate of pay read more
Protestors expose Morrisons’ anti-union tactics in Gibraltar (22 Feb) – Supermarket giant sits on millions but flew workers to Gibraltar to deny low-waged workers fair pay. Union stages protest at Morrisons’ Bradford HQ. Campaigners will stage a protest on Friday 24th February at the head office of Morrison’s in Bradford to expose shabby mistreatment and anti-trade union tactics directed against Unite members in Gibraltar. Morrisons’ workers in Gibraltar have been on strike since 30 January in a dispute over a paltry 2.4 per cent pay increase when the retailer’s underlying profits for last year were a massive £828 million. According to Unite, instead of negotiating to end the strike Morrisons wasted money by flying in UK workers to replace the roles of striking workers in Gibraltar – paying them £2 an hour more than workers on the Rock. This pay disparity is one of the main reasons for the dispute. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “If Morrisons think it can sneak strike-breaking tactics into Gibraltar then, it should think again…” read more
East Lancashire biomedical scientists latest to join NHS pay strikes (21 Feb) – Unite says government is failing the country as NHS strikes spread. Around 70 biomedical scientists at the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust will strike at Royal Blackburn hospital from 0700 hrs to 1900 hrs on Wednesday (22 February). The workers’ union, Unite, says that more strikes will be scheduled if the government fails to address poor pay and unsafe staffing across the NHS. With more ambulance worker strikes also set for the coming weeks, Unite has again hit out at the prime minister for failing to get into the room to address chronic low pay and unsustainable workloads. These issues are driving a recruitment and retention crisis and devastating the NHS read more
New development in Hestia LIFE dispute. Poverty pay – some movement. – The Leader of Hounslow’s council has responded to pressure brought by Unite and he has finally agreed to speak with us regarding the dispute involving Serco employed Parking Attendants and Hestia LIFE employed support workers. Both groups of workers face poverty pay and anti-union bosses. This follows three separate periods of strike action at Hestia and a campaign aimed at encouraging Hounslow councillors to actively engage with striking workers at Hestia and Serco…Naturally we are pleased that the council leader has now responded to that pressure, but this is just a first step. We, as a trade movement, need to keep up the pressure to ensure that the council follows through on this initiative to ensure a successful end to both disputes which is why Unite have called a protest for next Tuesday 21st February outside the council cabinet meeting. We want that protest to be noisy, enthusiastic and pro-union. Please come along, bring your banners and family members to send a clear message to Hounslow Labour council – Workers need fair pay and decent conditions! read more
Royal Holloway University strikes intensify over 10% pay cut presented as rise (9 Feb) – Pay strikes will hit Royal Holloway University in February as a dispute over pay intensifies, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). Non-teaching staff, members of Unite, have rejected an imposed pay deal set by the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) that amounts to three per cent for most workers. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 13.4 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut of 10.4 per cent. Meanwhile, the university’s latest financial report states it is in a strong financial position. It had total reserves of £293 million for the year ending 31 July 2022… The workers, who include cleaners, janitors, estates staff and technicians, will strike on 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 February in coordination with members of other higher education unions at Royal Holloway. More strikes will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Strike action resumes at GSK pharmaceutical plant in Irvine (6 Feb) – Kaefer contractors begin week-long strike in dispute over bonus payments. Members of Unite employed in engineering construction roles at the GSK plant in Irvine will resume strike action today (6 February) in a dispute over bonus payments. Around 40 workers employed by contractor Kaefer Limited will take strike action from 07:30 a.m. on 6 February up to 07:29 a.m. on 13 February. A previous round of strike action took place from 9 to 23 January. The current round of strike action is in addition to an existing discontinuous overtime ban which ends on 2 April. The industrial action will directly impact on the maintenance of the plant. The dispute is based on Unite members 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]) read more
University of Leeds strikes intensify over 10% pay cut presented as rise (1 Feb) – More than 200 non-teaching staff striking over nationally imposed UCEA pay deal. Pay strikes will hit the University of Leeds in February as a dispute over pay intensifies, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Wednesday). The 200 non-teaching staff, members of Unite, have rejected an imposed pay deal set by the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) that amounts to three per cent for most workers. With the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 13.4 per cent, this is a real terms pay cut of 10.4 per cent read more
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]
CWU
Support the CWU strikes in Royal Mail & Post Office – 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
Successful resolution of Capita pay deal error following decisive CWU intervention (31 Mar) – Over a hundred and fifty members across the Capita O2 and Tesco mobile partnerships have had their belated 2022 pay award recalculated after the union flagged up multiple underpayments to individuals who work fewer hours than the standard Capita 37.5 hour per week contracts read more
Post Office ‘9% plus-cash’ deal goes out to ballot next week (24 Mar) – CWU negotiators will be urging a YES vote to the proposed agreement, which lifts basic pay by 9 per cent across the board and provides lump-sum payments ranging from £1.925k to £3k. “This is a fair deal in difficult circumstances and couldn’t have been achieved without the solid and steadfast support of our fantastic members,” said CWU acting deputy general secretary postal Andy Furey today, as he announced the Postal Executive’s endorsement of the negotiators’ agreement. The breakthrough came after lengthy talks between the union and senior Post Office leaders and followed a pause in a series of strikes and other forms of industrial action that began last May read more
Massive Royal Mail re-ballot vote!! – CWU members in Royal Mail Group have delivered the biggest ever return in a major national strike ballot. YES 95.9% TURNOUT 77.3%
CWU to Royal Mail bosses: ‘You picked a fight with the wrong union!’ (17 Feb) – After achieving a higher percentage turnout than any general election since 1992, CWU activists meet in determined mood to discuss the next steps. Following yesterday’s ballot result, it was back to business today, with hundreds of senior field officials and branch officials gathering in Manchester for a national briefing to update on the dispute with Royal Mail and debate ongoing strategy. General secretary Dave Ward opened the event by once again thanking branches and members for their efforts in delivering such a “remarkable result” in the ballot. A hugely impressive 95.9 per cent YES vote and 77.3 per cent turnout – a higher percentage of voters than the last general election and higher than any general election in the past three decades. This was “a victory for the power of ‘we’ over the power of ‘I’. It was a test of our members’ resolve and, after 18 days of strike action and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, our members delivered a result that was incredible,” Dave continued, adding that it “would’ve given the whole of TU movement a lift – as well as our members. It’s staggering that, after all that’s happened, our members haven’t shifted an inch in their support for this union…” read more
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
- Signing our petition to tell prime minister Rishi Sunak to intervene and hold meaningful talks to end the strikes.
- Support us on social media with the hashtags: #PCSonStrike #BlameTheGovt
- New E-action in support of PCS national pay and pensions campaign – The E-action calls on MPs to support our demands over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security read more
From 3 April thousands of PCS members will be taking targeted industrial action (31 Mar) – Find out where the picket lines are so you can go along and show your support. The latest round of targeted action involves members in the Passport Office, National Highways, British Library, British Museum, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, DVSA and Government Digital Service. They will be joined by 700 DVLA call centre workers on April 11 and 12. Also from 11 April 3000 members in Defra, Forestry Commission, Rural Payments Agency and Marine Management Organisation will be taking part in action short of a strike. The picket lines planned for April are below. You can also send messages of support to [email protected] and make an online donation to our strike fund read more
Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre strike dates announced (31 Mar) – PCS members working for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre are to take targeted strike action on 14, 15 and 16 April in our national campaign over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms read more
PCS demands urgent talks with Cabinet Office (31 Mar) – Mark Serwotka has written to the minister for the Cabinet Office asking him to “redress the insulting approach of the government to PCS members” by starting negotiations. PCS met with Jeremy Quin MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, on 12 January. Since then PCS members have taken an unprecedented amount of strike action in support of our reasonable demands on pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms. In the absence of any further, meaningful talks, our strike action is significantly escalating with more sustained strikes in targeted areas and another all-out strike on 28 April read more
CPO Staffing Update (30 Mar) – The chief people officer (CPO) group has identified a budget shortfall equivalent to 100 full-time staff in 2023/24. Consultation has started with unions on options and proposed changes. CPO has confirmed no changes have been agreed at this point read more
12 days of Ofsted industrial action ends on positive note (30 Mar) – Our Ofsted members have sent a message to the government that they deserve more than an 8% pay cut by striking for 12 days as part of strategic PCS action for fair pay, pensions justice and job security read more
Ofgem confirmed strike dates announced (29 Mar) – PCS members working in the delivery and schemes directorate at Ofgem are to take strike action on 11, 12, 13, 14 and 17 April. It is part of targeted strike action in our national campaign over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms. It began in November last year and since then many PCS members have been taking strike action on behalf of the rest of the membership read more
PCS calls all-out strike on 28 April (27 Mar) – More than 130,000 PCS members across the civil service and public sector will strike on 28 April in our latest one-day action alongside a month of walkouts to increase the pressure on the government on pay, pensions and job security. The all-out strike, called by our national executive committee today, taking place on the April payday, alongside a month of action beginning on 3 April to increase the pressure on the government read more
Action short of strike to begin at 4 employers (24 Mar) – More than 3,000 PCS members in Defra core, Forestry Commission England, Marine Management Organisation and Rural Payments Agency will take action short of strike action from 11 April as part of our national campaign on pay, pensions and job security read more
New PCS civil service ballots now open (20 Mar) – Fresh PCS strike ballots haven opened today (20 March) of 124,125 members in 186 employers, across the civil service and public sector so members can continue to fight for fair pay, pensions justice and job security as part of our national campaign. Our current 6-month legal mandate for strike action in 124 groups expires on 6 May, so to continue our industrial action campaign our national executive committee has agreed we need to ballot members again. The new postal ballots run from 20 March until 9 May, so look out for your ballot pack arriving through the post next week and then use your vote and post it in the pre-paid envelope. The levy of members, which supports those taking strategic action, will remain in place for the duration of the dispute. HMRC members will not be balloted this time as they have a strike mandate which runs until 26 August read more
Prospect
Bectu calls for urgent action on working conditions in unscripted television (31 Mar) – Bectu has today launched a campaign to establish an agreed set of terms and better regulation of working practices for UK freelancers working in unscripted television. The union is calling for urgent action on the industry’s long hours culture, freelancer health and safety and mental wellbeing. Find out more about the campaign here. An open letter penned by a Bectu member to UK broadcasters and production companies has gained over 1100 signatures in under a week. It calls for standardisation of employment conditions across the unscripted sector, including a maximum 10 hour working day on shoots, scheduled rest breaks, and protections to ensure freelancer rates are not reduced to supplement production budgets. The union has also launched an ‘Unscripted Action Network’, open to members and non-members working in unscripted TV. TV workers can sign up here read more
Government making avoidable Civil Service strike action almost inevitable (29 Mar) – Prospect union has announced its intention to undertake further strike action in May and June across its public service membership. Prospect represents tens of thousands of specialist, technical, professional, managerial and scientific staff in the Civil Service. Members work at a wide range of employers, including the Met Office, Defence and Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Health and Safety Executive, Trinity House, Intellectual Property Office, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Natural England and UK Research and Innovation. Prospect members in 40 employers across the public sector previously took strike action on 15 March in a dispute over pay, job numbers, and proposed cuts to redundancy terms. Members’ pay has declined by up to 26% since 2010. Members have been undertaking action short of a strike – including working to contracted hours and an overtime ban – since 16 March read more
GMB
Addison Lee attempts ‘nonsense’ new hearing (30 Mar) – Private Hire giant Addison Lee is attempting a new workers rights hearing at the Employment Tribunal, despite already losing the case. At a hearing today [Thursday 30 March] solicitors Leigh Day – acting on behalf of 500 claimants (including many GMB members) – will call for the case to be thrown out. The original case, brought by GMB, saw both the Employment Tribunal in 2017 and the Employment Appeal Tribunal in 2018 reject Addison Lee’s arguments that their drivers are self-employed contractors running their own businesses.
Then in 2021 the Court of Appeal ruled they will not be able to fight the decision. The company is now claiming changes to their operating model means any further claims must go to the tribunal again. If the tribunal does allow the case to progress, GMB and Leigh Day are calling for Addison Lee to pay up to £500,000 for wasting everyone’s time pursuing parts of a defence that are so unlikely to succeed read more
Strike disruption looms at healthcare logistics giant Movianto (28 Mar) – GMB Union has today announced two dates of industrial action by drivers at Movianto in Coventry. The strike comes after a below inflation pay offer was made by company management at its West Midlands HQ. Movianto is a major healthcare logistics provider to private clients and the NHS. Drivers at the company are responsible for transporting essential and often lifesaving medicines, including individual prescriptions and NHS medical supplies.
The strike action is due to take place on Thursday 6 and Tuesday 11 April read more
Strike disruption on horizon as Stoke council accused of ‘union busting’ (24 Mar) – GMB Union has today slammed attempts by Conservative-run Stoke City Council to force through attacks on the terms and conditions of low paid workers. Despite good faith attempts on the part of GMB and other staff unions, official documents due to be presented to the Council’s Cabinet reveal the administration’s unwillingness to engage with dispute resolution read more
Croydon Council payroll staff ballot for strike over potentially discriminatory restructure (22 Mar) – Employees and residents should not pay for Croydon’s disastrous financial position, says GMB union
GMB union is to ballot members working at Croydon Council’s payroll department over strike action. The local authority is proposing a departmental restructure in which a quarter of jobs are at risk of being lost. Meanwhile grievances raised by GMB members have been ignored. The union is concerned that not all staff are included in the restructure – with those affected exclusively women from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Staff have made a number of counter-proposals to save money and protect jobs, which have not been fully considered. They have also submitted numerous grievances which have not been acknowledged by HR. The ballot opens on 27 March and is due to close on 3 April read more
Teesside energy from waste company faces strike (21 Mar) – A Teesside energy from waste company faces strike action over a massive real terms pay cut. Around 100 GMB members at Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, in Haverton Hill, are ready to walk out. Almost 99 per cent reject a pay offer of 6 per cent during a consultative ballot. Workers have seen there real terms pay cut by more than 30 per cent since 2012. A full strike ballot will begin in the coming days read more
Almost 300 Mersey Care workers to strike this week (17 Jan) – Almost 300 health care workers at Mersey Care will take strike action this week over pay. GMB members including nurses, health care assistants, support staff, cleaners and admin staff will walk out for 24 hours from 00:01 to 23.59 on 18 January 2023. Mersey Care workers voted to strike over the Government’s imposed 4 per cent pay award – another massive real terms pay cut read more
Unison
Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund
EA members announce new strike dates as pay falls below minimum wage (31 Mar) – With no signs of negotiation from EA management, workers have been forced to escalate their protest. UNISON members at the Environment Agency (EA) have announced further strike action. They are due to walk out from 7pm on 14 April to 7am on 17 April. EA workers have been taking last resort industrial action since December 2022, after the organisation failed to offer a fair pay rise in the face of soaring household bills and inflation. They staged a 12-hour walkout in February, picketing the EA’s head offices in London. And in the past two weeks they have stopped attending incidents at weekends, including floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping. With no signs of negotiation from EA management, workers have been forced to escalate their protest, with strike action now planned for 14-17 April read more
Government inaction means NI health strikes continue (31 Mar) – Thousands of health workers Northern Ireland will walk out on Friday 31 March and 3 April after talks failed to progress dispute. Health strikes in Northern Ireland continue today and next week, after a meeting on Monday between trade unions and local health leadership provided no progress in the dispute. UNISON announced that planned 24-hour strikes in Northern Ireland, involving thousands of health workers, will go ahead today, 31 March, and also on 3 April. This came after unions were informed that local health leadership did not have any money with which to make an increased pay offer read more
Health workers to decide whether to take NHS wage offer or risk lengthy pay review body wait (28 Mar) – Consultation on one-off payment plus pay rise begins today. A pay consultation involving 280,000 health workers across England, who belong to UNISON, opens today (Tuesday). During the consultation exercise, UNISON is encouraging NHS staff to accept the offer, which resulted from pay talks held with unions, employers and ministers earlier this month. The vote closes on Friday 14 April read more
Orchard Day Nursery must be saved, says UNISON (22 Mar) – Staff, parents and children have been treated abominably. The owners of a Merseyside day nursery that closed without warning last weekend – leaving more than 50 staff jobless and the parents of more than 200 youngsters without childcare – must think again, says UNISON today (Wednesday). Orchard Day Nursery in Huyton shut its doors at such short notice that many workers, children and parents only found out about the permanent closure via a notice fixed to the gates, the union says. The nursery has since gone into insolvency. Its owners also operate a number of other nurseries across the north of England. The first some staff and parents knew was when the company sent an email on Saturday, announcing the immediate closure. But many remained unaware until they turned up to work or arrived to drop off their children on Monday morning, says UNISON. The shutdown chaos came just days after workers at the nursery took industrial action last week over pay. The walkout took place after the company refused to pay qualified nursery workers more than the real living wage, which is £10.90 an hour read more
Care Quality Commission staff vote to strike over pay, says UNISON (7 Mar) – Overwhelming backing for industrial action. Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have voted to take strike action over pay, says their union UNISON today (Tuesday). More than 700 workers were balloted by UNISON, including those in the organisation’s health and social care teams and call centres, along with clerical staff and data analysts. CQC staff regulate health and social care bodies across England including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries ensuring the safe delivery of services. Of those who took part in the UNISON vote, 73% opted to strike and 92% for action short of a strike. This means, for example, that staff would only work to their contracts, refusing to do any overtime. UNISON is one of five unions so unhappy at the pay award imposed this year (2022/23) they decided to ask their members to vote for industrial action. The five – UNISON, PCS, Prospect, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unite – all have strike votes that have either already closed or are about to read more
Stop Hackney Council cutting library services read more about the campaign here – Hackney library staff have been taking strike action against cuts
Protest as Hackney Unison chair amongst those handed compulsory redundancies in libraries shake-up (16 Mar) – Council staff staged a protest outside Hackney Town Hall after several library staff, including Hackney Unison Branch Chair Brian Debus, were handed compulsory redundancy notices. The protest by Hackney Unison on Wednesday 15 March was also held to support striking teachers, junior doctors and Tube staff. It followed several days of strike action by Unite and Unison library workers after the council unveiled a shake-up of library services which will see 19 jobs go. Hackney Unison said it was “registering our disgust that three library workers including Hackney Unison Branch Chair Brian Debus are due to be made compulsorily redundant. This despite there being more than enough posts available in the restructured library service.” Read more on Hackney Citizen website
NIPSA
HSC Industrial Action Update (31 Mar) – HSC Strike Action: Following a period of intensive industrial action the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has agreed, for the first time, to meet with the health service trade unions. In response to that decision by the Secretary of State, NIPSA, Unison and RCM have paused strike action that was scheduled to take place on Monday 3 April 2023. Action short of strike action has not been suspended and will continue. Further strike action on pay is under consideration. The meeting with the Secretary of State is not a solution to the problems faced by health workers but it is an important step in ensuring that our campaign for an inflation busting pay settlement is on the political and financial agenda in Northern Ireland read more
Health Strike Action Paused (31 Mar) – NIPSA Health Strike: Health unions UNISON, NIPSA and the RCM due to take strike action on Monday next have been asked to meet with the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris at the Northern Ireland Office next week. The 3 unions consulting with their respective committees have agreed to this meeting and submitted an agenda of key issues to be addressed. The unions will pause strike action in advance of the meeting read more
EA Pay and Grading Review (30 Mar) – The Joint Secretaries from NIPSA, UNISON, GMB and Unite (JTUS) met with the Mark Browne, Permanent Secretary – Department of Education (DE) and Mark Bailey – Director of Workforce and Martin Monaghan – Workforce Planning Team on 29th March. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the implementation of the EA Pay and Grading review, which was submitted to the Department of Education in February 2023. The meeting was a robust, frank exchange of opinions read more
NIPSA condemns the ending of Holiday Hunger Payments (30 Mar) – NIPSA, the leading public sector Trade Union, representing over 8,000 members in the Education Sector, condemns the decision to end Holiday Hunger payments read more
Education Welfare Officer Members Commence Lunchtime Protests (30 Mar) – NIPSA, the leading public sector Trade Union, representing over 8,000 members in the Education Sector, announces lunchtime protests by members employed as Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) read more
NIHE Pay Dispute Resolution (30 Mar) – As you know, our online consultative ballot on the recent pay offer, in response to the JTUS local Pay Claim, closed yesterday. I can confirm that members voted overwhelmingly to accept the full and final pay offer tabled by Management Side, which is attached for ease of reference. This offer was the result many meetings and exchanges with your Employer over the past 10 months and I would like to thank the Central Panel for supporting your negotiating team and providing us with the mandate to work over that time to achieve this result read more
Industrial Action: NI Civil Service, NDPBs and ALBs (14 Mar) – Action Short of Strike Action – As notified in my article on 7 March action short of strike action will also commence on Wednesday 15 March read more
Royal College of Nursing
RCN ballots members on Four Seasons Health Care pay award (30 Mar) – Members employed by Four Seasons Health Care/brighterkind are encouraged to vote on the proposed 2023-24 pay offer read more
Voting opens on NHS pay offer for nursing staff in England (28 Mar) – Members employed on Agenda for Change contracts in England can now vote on whether to accept or reject the UK government’s latest pay offer read more
RCN Wales re-enters negotiations with Welsh government after Health Minister responds to RCN letter (3 Mar) – The Welsh government has agreed to further negotiations, after RCN members overwhelmingly rejected the latest NHS pay offer read more
RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more
Royal College of Midwives
RCM pauses Northern Ireland strike action as pay talks scheduled (31 Mar) – Strike action set for Monday, 3 April by Royal College of Midwives (RCM) members across Northern Ireland has been paused. This follows an offer from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to meet the RCM and other unions next week to discuss HSC pay. The RCM will also be suspending action short of a strike planned for 3-10 April read more
RCM to recommend members accept England NHS pay offer (16 Mar) – An offer on pay for NHS staff in England has been put on the table by the Westminster Government following negotiations with health unions, including the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) read more
CSP
Voting opens on NHS pay offer in England (29 May) – CSP members employed by the NHS in England are being urged to vote on the new pay offer in an online vote that opens today read more
BMA
Second round of strike dates announced: 11, 12, 13, 14 April – We are holding a 96 hour walk out of all junior doctors in England in order to achieve a full pay restoration. This is our second round of action. This means you should not attend any shifts starting after 6:59am on 11 April. You can then attend any shifts starting from 7am on the 15 April read more
HCSA
HCSA junior doctors in Scotland move to ballot for strike (31 Mar) – HCSA, the hospital doctors’ union, has announced a formal ballot on strike action over pay for junior doctor members in Scotland. Junior doctors in Scotland have faced pay erosion representing real-terms pay cuts of 23.5% since 2008. At a time of escalating inflation, the pay award for 2022-23 of 4.5% served only to worsen the outlook for junior doctors. The ballot will open on Friday 14th April and close on Friday 5th May read more
NEU
NEU to consult members on pay offer (27 Mar) – This is an insulting offer from a Government which simply does not value teachers. After days of intensive negotiation, the education unions ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU have been presented with a pay offer by the education Secretary. This amounts to a £1000 one-off cash payment for the present school year (2022/23) and a 4.3% consolidated pay rise for most teachers for next year (2023/24). The Government claims this is fully funded but NEU analysis suggests that between 2 in 5 (42%) and 3 in 5 (58%) of schools would have to make cuts next year to afford it. Following discussion by the National Executive Committee on Saturday 25 March, the NEU will put this offer to its members, recommending rejection. The ballot opens today and closes on Sunday 2 April read more
NASUWT
Teachers at Plymouth school take strike action over workload and working hours (29 Mar) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Plympton Academy in Plymouth will be taking the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) over the failure of school leaders to address excessive working hours and workload which are adversely affecting the wellbeing of teaching staff. The current arrangements for managing teachers’ working hours are driving up workload and undermining teachers’ professionalism read more
Teachers at Swansea school to take more strike action (29 Mar) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Clydach Primary School in Swansea will have taken five days of strike action over the failure of the Governing Body to settle a dispute over inadequate management at the school by the end of this week. The Union has now decided that lack of progress warrants an escalation of the dispute and the school is to be given notice of 6 more days of strike action. Members at the school are taking action as a result of the failure of the local authority and school governors to act to address serious longstanding management failings on the part of the permanent headteacher. These include the bullying of staff, failure to take appropriate responsibility for managing and leading teaching and learning, failure to fulfil duties around safeguarding the health and safety of pupils and staff and a failure to adequately meet the professional standards teachers expect of a school leader read more
Teachers at Denbighshire school strike over excessive workload (27 Mar) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Rhuthin, Denbighshire will be taking the first of three planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over adverse management practices which are affecting teachers’ workload, working conditions and wellbeing. Members at the school are taking action as a result of the failure of the local authority and school governors to act to address serious workload issues. These include an excessive marking and assessment policy that the Union has sought to reasonably amend, but with little result read more
Industrial action at three Wrexham schools over adverse management practices (15 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union are this week starting discontinuous strike action at three schools in Wrexham: Ysgol Clywedog, Darland High and Acton Park Primary School, over adverse management practices affecting workload and working conditions. The NASUWT has been in dispute at Acton Park for nearly a year, with strike action taking place in July 2022. However, lack of progress has forced NASUWT members to ballot again. The NASUWT has been in dispute with Ysgol Clywedog and Darland High since November 2022 over the failure of the school to adhere to Welsh Government andlocal policies, endorsed and recommended by the Wrexham Local Authority and already implemented in other Wrexham schools. At Clywedog and Darland there has also been an element of victimisation of trade union officials read more
NAHT
NAHT takes first step towards judicial review proceedings against Ofsted following its failure to pause inspections (31 Mar) – Today (Friday 31st March), school leaders’ union NAHT has written to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector to demand a suspension of Ofsted inspections while steps are taken to address the risk to the mental health of school staff and enable suicide risk prevention to be put in place. The letter is the first step in judicial review proceedings and cites Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which imposes obligations on public authorities to take reasonable steps where there is a real and immediate risk of a loss of life. NAHT argues that the recent death of Ruth Perry, and the citing of Ofsted inspections as a factor in the deaths of 10 teachers*, indicates the human rights of school staff are not being protected by the current Ofsted regime and that immediate action is needed to minimise harm and protect lives. NAHT has called on Ofsted to pause inspections whilst a review is carried out to identify and put in place immediate measures to minimise the risk of harm to school staff read more
School leaders’ union to ballot members over ‘inadequate’ pay offer from government (28 Mar) – Following the meeting of NAHT’s National Executive Committee yesterday evening, the union has today written to all members setting out the offer that all the education unions received from the government. NAHT will be asking its members whether to accept or reject the offer. It will also ask if they would be prepared to vote in favour of industrial action if the offer is rejected read more
NAHT Cymru members reject Welsh government offer (24 Mar) – School leaders in Wales have rejected an offer from the Welsh government in their dispute over pay, workload and funding. Following a 10-day online ballot that closed at noon today, 54.5% of NAHT Cymru members taking part voted to reject the offer. The union says that during extensive talks with members across the nation, it was clear that funding arrangements remained a major concern for school leaders. NAHT Cymru director Laura Doel placed the blame firmly with the employers, citing a lack of transparency as the reason members rejected the deal read more
EIS
EIS Gives Notice to Hutchesons’ Grammar School of Statutory Ballot for Strike Action (31 Mar) – Hutchesons’ Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow, issued letters to teaching staff saying they need to agree new contracts, with detrimental pension provision, by 14th April or their contracts will be terminated as they would have been deemed to have ‘resigned’. With only two working days’ notice, EIS members have been told they will be sacked and replaced if they don’t sign the contract. EIS Reps have asked the Rector if he would be willing to meet with trade union Reps in order to negotiate regarding the pension proposal. There has been no response from the School read more
Edinburgh College Lecturers and Students to Lobby Board over Redundancies (28 Mar) – Students and lecturers at Edinburgh College will, at Granton Campus, lobby the Board of Management in a last-ditch attempt to avoid an intensification of the dispute over planned compulsory redundancies. Despite meeting 98 percent of their target savings and almost all their planned cuts in the curriculum, College management is pressing ahead with selecting lecturers for compulsory redundancy in defiance of Scottish Government’s ‘no compulsory redundancy’ policy read more
EIS Opens Ballot for Industrial Action at City of Glasgow College (21 Mar) – City of Glasgow College lecturers are now voting on whether to take industrial action over the College’s plans to reduce the number of lecturing staff, reduce the amount of teaching time per student, and burden lecturers with more classes in a bid to reduce costs. An industrial action ballot of EIS Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) is now open, and runs until 17th April read more
EIS Opens Statutory Industrial Action Ballot for Scotland’s FE Lecturers (20 Mar) – A statutory ballot for industrial action opened across Scotland’s 26 Further Education colleges, as college lecturers seek to secure a fair pay award. Members of the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) are being balloted following a lack of progress in negotiations at the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC), where college employers have failed to improve on an offer of a 2% salary uplift that was rejected by negotiators before Christmas. The statutory ballot runs from 20th March until 13th April. Members of the EIS-FELA are being asked to indicate a willingness to engage in both strike action and Action Short of Strike (ASOS) read more
SSTA
SSTA ready to Boycott the SQA Exams next year (30 Mar) – The SQA has announced that National Qualifications course assessments in session 2023-24 will return to full requirements – including reinstating coursework and exam assessment and the National 4 added value unit read more
INTO
Industrial Action: Phase 4 from 8am Monday 3 April (23 Mar) – The employers have been notified that in addition to the continuous Phase One and Phase Two Action Short of Strike begun on 17 October 2022, 1 November 2022, and Wednesday 4 January 2023; from 3 April 2023, INTO members are instructed to undertake additional, continuous Phase Four action read more
UCU
IFS report shows English colleges face ‘staffing crisis’ (30 Mar) – Further education colleges face an unprecedented staffing crisis because of devastatingly low pay, said UCU. The union was responding to a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies that shows a steep real terms fall in college teacher pay and major staffing issues, with around half of college teachers leaving the profession within three years of starting teaching read more
USS Trustee confirms full pension benefit restoration on course for April 2024 (29 Mar) – The latest update from the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) confirms restoring benefits will cost less than employers and staff are currently paying into the pension scheme. UCU and employer body Universities UK (UUK) have agreed to prioritise reversing the cuts that were made last year. This update allays concerns that recent market volatility would impact the strength of the scheme. It is a welcome indication of stability just days before the formal valuation date of Friday 31 March (2023), which is now expected to confirm benefits can be fully restored, paving the way for employers to do so by April 2024 read more
Strikes loom as Sheffield College staff reject derisory pay offer (22 Mar) – Staff at Sheffield College have overwhelmingly voted to reject a derisory 3.5% pay offer for 2023/24. Staff were consulted on the offer in an e-ballot. Turnout was over 50% and more than 81% of those who voted said they would not accept it. Staff have already taken four days of strike action this year over the college’s 2022/23 pay offer of just 2.5% after winning a strike ballot. The union paused strike action to enter into Acas mediated talks with the employer but were only offered an additional £100 one off payment. UCU’s ballot result means it is able to call further action. The college has more than £90m in reserves with over £14m cash in the bank. UCU is demanding a pay rise of 4.5% for 23/24, which would cost the college just £1.6m read more
Employers make offers in university disputes (15 Mar) – University employers today made offers in disputes over pay, working conditions and pensions, UCU confirmed. The offers pave the way for the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension to be restored by April 2024, to end the use of involuntary zero-hour contracts in higher education, and to agree new standards, frameworks and principles to tackle other forms of casualised contracts, reduce workloads and close equality pay gaps. 70,000 UCU members are on strike today, tomorrow, and Friday. They are also set to strike Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Strikes will continue whilst members are asked whether they wish to stand down action to formally consider the offer. The union’s Higher Education Committee meets Friday to decide next steps read more
City College Norwich staff to strike over huge real terms pay cut (6 Mar) – Staff at City College Norwich will strike on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March over a huge real terms pay cut. The announcement comes after an overwhelming 88% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in an industrial ballot. Turnout was an incredible 73%. In January City College imposed a pay award so low it ended the college’s accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer. The lowest paid received an increase of just 5.1%, college lecturers were awarded a paltry 4% and other staff only 2.5%. Since 2009 pay for college staff has fallen behind inflation by 35%, which is now 13.4%. UCU is demanding a 14% pay rise to help staff meet the cost-of-living crisis read more
Staff strike at Havant and South Downs College over low pay (21 Feb) – Staff at Havant and South Downs College will strike for two consecutive days tomorrow and Thursday in a dispute over low pay amid the cost-of-living crisis. The strike comes after 76% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action. The turnout was 53%, surpassing the 50% threshold imposed by Tory anti-trade union laws, despite the ballot only being open for two weeks. The National Education Union (NEU) also balloted members at the college with a similar result. 79% of NEU members voted for strike action with a 58% turnout and will be joining both days of strikes read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Discrimination and harassment problems go “right to the top” says Fire Brigades Union (31 Mar) – His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services has today produced a report into ‘Values and Culture in Fire and Rescue Services’. The report notes widespread discrimination, harassment and bullying across Fire and Rescue Services in the UK read more
FBU Statement on Equalities and Fire Service Culture (29 Mar) – On Tuesday 28 March, the Fire Brigades Union Executive Council approved the following statement: “The publication of the Independent Culture Review in November 2022 revealed serious issues in the London Fire Brigade, including widespread complaints about misogyny, racism, homophobia and harassment. Since the publication of the review, similar concerns have come to light in other Fire and Rescue Services, including Dorset and Wiltshire. Equality is a trade union principle and a priority for the FBU. We deplore abusive and discriminatory behaviour in our service…” read more
Firefighters’ union calls for defiance of anti-strike laws (25 Mar) – Trade unions must build a campaign to defy the anti-strike laws being pushed through parliament by the Tories, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack has said. The firefighters’ leader said the Trades Union Congress should lead a campaign of “mass non-cooperation and non-compliance” with the Minimum Service Levels bill. An emergency congress of the TUC must be called to launch a campaign of defiance and civil disobedience against the bill if it becomes law, the FBU says. The FBU’s governing executive council has passed a resolution calling on the TUC to adopt the strategy, and to build a mass movement to resist the legislation. National demonstrations and sustained mass mobilisations can defeat the bill, the union says. Non-compliance with the bill would be one of the most significant attempts by unions to defy employment law since the 1984-85 miners’ strike. FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said the strategy of non-compliance was needed, as there was “no obvious route to challenge this attack through the courts” read more
Merseyside firefighters start action short of strike – Merseyside firefighters, control members and Green Book staff are commencing industrial action in the form of refusing to undertake pre-arranged overtime on Thursday 1st December for a period of up to 6 months read more
POA
National Chair update March 2023 – Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members read more
NAPO
Victims and Prisoners Bill (30 Mar) – It’s difficult to believe that a Secretary of State for Justice could have less of a basic grasp of the criminal justice system than Liz Truss but the current incumbent seems determined to prove us wrong. The latest proposals in the Victims and Prisoners Bill are the usual offerings of bluster, ignorance, headline-grabbing and distraction from Ministers fresh from a humiliating and entirely foreseeable defeat at the High Court in relation to the so-called Secretary of State’s Single View as regards the parole process read more
Why we oppose one HMPPS (30 Mar) – Attached to this bulletin you will find the full text of a letter which the three unions have sent this week to HMPPS setting out why we are so opposed to ‘One HMPPS’ read more
BFAWU
BFAWU Launches New Recruitment Film! (30 Mar) – We are proud to present our new recruitment video, where BFAWU members and reps talk about why they joined and love our union! Read more
Solidarity With Jeremy Corbyn (29 Mar) – Through word and deed, Starmer has proved our members correct after our survey and subsequent conference decision to disaffiliate from the party we helped come into being. Today’s Labour Party bears no resemblance to the party its founders envisaged. In opposing the need to campaign for £15 and raising the aspiration of working people at his 2021 conference despite speaking in favour at our McStrike action picket line in 2019, of abandoning all of his leadership pledges, Starmer has proven himself to be no different from any Tory politician that we as a movement have been campaigning against for centuries read more
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
NUJ
NUJ responds to BBC over local radio cuts (1 Apr) – The NUJ is happy to correct its figures and instead note that large parts of England will have less than half the 100 hour output per week that is specific to their local area. Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary said: “The #BBC have challenged the #NUJ’s statement decrying its plans that will see BBC local radio output plummet to just 40 hours per week. They have said that this is inaccurate and misleading, and confirmed that the actual minimum figure in local radio content will in fact be just 48 hours per week, when you factor some extra sports coverage that will take place across a week in some areas. The NUJ is happy to stand corrected and reiterates its deep concern and opposition to the BBC’s plans to lay waste to BBC Local radio output – slashing it in large parts of England to less than half the 100 hour output per week that local communities currently enjoy and rely upon.” Read more
Second BBC strike over cuts to radio will coincide with local elections (31 Mar) – BBC journalists in England have announced a second 24-hour strike from midnight on Friday 5 May to coincide with the reporting of local election results, over cuts to local radio. BBC management wants local radio stations to share programmes across the network from 2pm on weekdays and at weekends, going from more than 100 hours of local programming on every radio station every week, down to just 40. The plans will result in a number of job losses and journalists are now having to re-apply for their own jobs. The union says the proposals will slowly kill off local radio which has 5.7m loyal listeners. The first strike took place on Budget day, on March 15, and was followed by a work to rule which is already having a significant impact, proving just how much output depends on goodwill and working extra hours by the staff. This came to the fore when the late TV bulletin last week was moved to 11pm and because of the work to rule NUJ members walked out leading to most of the 11 regional bulletins being affected in some way read more
NUJ to ballot members for industrial action over radical changes at BBC Radio Foyle (24 Mar) – The National Union of Journalists is to ballot for industrial action following a decision of management at BBC Northern Ireland to enforce radical changes to the morning programme schedule at BBC Radio Foyle. In changes announced today, the current two-hour Morning Show on Radio Foyle is to be replaced by a 30-minute programme. The union had been engaged in negotiations on the proposed changes but on Monday management abandoned the process and decided to press ahead with changes, despite consideration progress in the talks. 10 staff based at BBC Radio Foyle remain at risk of redundancy read more
Equity
Equity members advised that the way that class 2 NIC is calculated and charged is changing (29 Mar) – Our Social Security and Tax team issue new guidance following announced NIC changes 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
Community
Teacher pay Wales update (30 Mar) – Community is heartened to receive confirmation that Education Minister Jeremy Miles has come good on his promise to fund additional uplifts to teacher pay. This is in addition to the recommendations accepted from September 2022 read more
USDAW
Minimum wage increase not enough in a cost of living crisis, we need a new deal for workers says Usdaw (31 Mar) – Retail trade union Usdaw is disappointed that low-paid workers will not receive a minimum wage increase that will provide a wage they can live on. Tomorrow’s increase in the so-called National Living Wage to £10.42 an hour doesn’t meet Usdaw’s call for at least £12 per hour immediately, as a step to £15, or the real living wage rate of £10.90 read more
IWGB
Vodafone’s outsourced migrant cleaners storm Oxford Street store to demand sick pay and a liveable wage (27 Mar) – Migrant workers who clean Vodafone’s head offices assembled at their flagship Oxford Street store for a surprise protest demanding fair pay and proper sick pay. The action came from cleaners represented by the Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain, and marks an escalation in their ongoing campaign against Vodafone’s exploitation of outsourced workers read more
UVW
GOSH cleaners make headlines in historic “institutional racism” court case (30 Mar) – After a momentous ten-day tribunal hearing in early March, the brave cleaners and UVW members at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), suing their employer for historic indirect race discrimination, are patiently waiting for a ruling, which – if in their favour – could change their lives and potentially end the unscrupulous practice of outsourcing in the National Health Service (NHS). As the hearings came to a close, the group of 80 Black, brown and migrant cleaners were as resolute as they were stoical in their fight for justice. The hospital workers had laid bare the reality of the structural inequality that they had faced for years while they were outsourced to private contractors. The clarity of their testimony stood out in stark contrast to the legal sophistry of the GOSH lawyers read more
Join the strike wave at the UVW Striker’s Assembly in April (29 Mar) – United Voices of the World (UVW) union is inviting members and supporters to participate in a Striker’s Assembly on Saturday 15 April. UVW is set to ballot 16 workplaces simultaneously, across 9 different employers, to take part in coordinated strike action this summer. Workplaces where UVW members will take part in the mass coordinated strike include Amazon warehouses, Mercedes showrooms, the London School of Economics, the Department for Education, a prestigious south London private school, Sage Nursing Home, luxury flats and major office blocks. This is set to be UVW’s largest strike yet read more
Mandate (Ireland)
Workers at Corrib Oil, Ballinasloe, to strike again from 6.30am on Saturday over company’s refusal to recognise their right to be represented by Mandate Trade Union (29 Mar) – Union expresses deep concern at company’s divisive tactics which are hardening attitudes rather than resolving the dispute. Staff at the Corrib Oil filling station in Ballinasloe will strike again from 6.30am to 10pm on Saturday (1 April) over the company’s refusal to recognise their right to be represented by the Mandate Trade Union. John Carty, Mandate’s Western Divisional Organiser, expressed deep concern at Corrib Oil Ballinasloe’s divisive tactics which are hardening attitudes amongst their staff rather than resolving the issues in the dispute read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
Retired SIPTU health service members write to HSE seeking payment of pension arrears (31 Mar) – Members of the SIPTU Sligo Leitrim Roscommon District Council have today (Friday, 31st March) written to the HSE Head of Superannuation seeking payment of arrears in pensions for retired health service staff. It is understood that some arrears in pension payments are due from February 2022 read more
SIPTU member wins €12,000 for being made redundant after maternity leave (29 Mar) – A SIPTU member has secured an award of €12,000 at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) after she was made redundant following her return to work after a period of maternity leave at Edmundson Electric (Ireland) Limited in Waterford City read more
Keep Water Public protest calls for referendum on water services in November (22 Mar) – The Keep Water Public Campaign called on the Government to hold a vote on the public ownership of water services, alongside the gender equality referendum in November 2023, at a protest today (Wednesday, 22nd March) outside Leinster House in Dublin read more
SIPTU members protest and deliver letter to Minister demanding action on Rehab redundancies (21 Mar) – SIPTU members formerly employed by Rehab Enterprises protested in Limerick City this afternoon (Tuesday, 21st March) and delivered a letter into the office of Minister of State, Kieran O’Donnell, demanding action to ensure they are paid their outstanding redundancy entitlements read more
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Support Lee Fowler – Another blacklisted construction worker sacked after making complaints about safety on site
Solidarity with Lee Fowler, who has been dismissed by the electrical contractor Bilfinger after he raised safety issues at the Cargill’s Refinery site in Merseyside (next to the new Everton football stadium construction project). The experienced and highly qualified electrician made several complaints about unsafe working conditions and helped four co-workers to obtain a pay rise.
Lee Fowler commented after his dismissal: “I got the four lads a 14% pay rise and I raised health and safety concerns about the site. I was involved in a serious accident myself, and the subsequent report found no blame on my part whatsoever. I have repeatedly asked to see the safety documents relating to my accident, and that request has been repeatedly denied. And for that I was dismissed? I have fought for workers’ health and safety for over 30 years: they won’t silence me!”
Lee Fowler is a member of Unite the Union who are representing him. Frank Morris and Tony Seaman, UNITE Executive Council members for construction issued a joint statement: “It is really disappointing that in 2023, we continue to see workers who are prepared to raise genuine concerns about safety being targeted. Despite all that was promised by major contractors in the High Court in 2016, this issue continues to blight our members lives. Blacklisting is one of the reasons that the construction sector has such a horrendous safety record. We cannot stand by and watch union members be repeatedly victimised. Unite will never stop fighting the harassment faced by workers who stand up for their rights. An injury to one is an injury to all”.
Blacklist Support Group posted on their Facebook page: Lee Fowler is a leading member of the Blacklist Support Group – having first been blacklisted after becoming an OILC safety rep in the North Sea in the early 90s.
Construction workers who raise concerns about potential hazards that could affect people on site and the surrounding community should be applauded. The industry has glossy posters that encourage workers to speak out. But time and again, workers who are conscientious about safety get sacked. Get your banners ready, another blacklisting dispute is about to kick off.
Support the ‘Murphy 4’ Campaign to reinstate sacked Unite members read more
Crossrail ‘blacklisting’ case to conclude with open court statement read more
#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement
Blacklisting of workers and union infiltration by Spy Cops a dark stain on the police and ‘no stone must be left unturned’ in learning the full truth (23 Feb) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is demanding that no stone is left unturned in discovering the full extent of the Special Demonstration Squad’s (Spy Cops) role in blacklisting workers and infiltrating trade unions. In the closing statements to the first tranche of the Mittings Inquiry into Undercover Policing, Dave Barr KC the counsel to the inquiry, for the first time accepted that information on individuals who were spied upon was frequently passed to employers and that spy cops infiltrated unions and spied on their members as part of their cover. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Finally it has been admitted what our members have always said. For decades not only were workers secretly spied upon by undercover police officers, for no good reason, but information was then frequently leaked to employers who used it to blacklist workers. Now the inquiry has finally accepted that blacklisting frequently occurred, no stone must be left unturned in discovering the true scale of blacklisting by the spy cops and reveal who in authority gave the green light for this. Equally there must be complete exposure of the infiltration of trade unions including answers as to why it happened and who considered it acceptable. This is the very minimum that workers and their families, who had the lives destroyed by blacklisting, deserve.” Read more
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) Pakistan: bomb detonated outside journalists’ home (30 Mar) – NUJ urges authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, amid rising threats to journalists in the country. The National Union of Journalists has joined the International Federation of Journalists in condemning an attack against reporter Syed Yasir Shah at his home in Kohat read more
Diary
June
24 NSSN national conference 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall, London
July
29 Troublemakers at Work Conference 2023: Friends Meeting House, Manchester – supported by Workers Can Win!, Strike Map and Organise Now!
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
