NSSN 636: Demonstrate against the Tory anti-union attack
Join the TUC protest this Monday at 6pm in Parliament Square, called to coincide with the final Commons parliamentary debate. It must be a massive show of strength. But the TUC and the unions must go much further, with plans for a national Saturday demonstration to build for mass co-ordinated strike action. No union or worker to be left isolated – unity is strength!
Come to the NSSN Conference on Saturday 24th June in London and participate in the discussion about how we defeat the Tory cost of living squeeze and their anti-union laws.
TSSA: Emergency strikes bill protest in Westminster – will you be there?
PCS: Defend the Right to Strike – Emergency Protest
Prospect: Protect the right to strike: join us at the emergency protest
Unison: NEC backs the right to strike emergency protest
FBU: Firefighters’ union calls for defiance of anti-strike laws
2023 NSSN Conference – Saturday 24th June in Conway Hall, London 11am-4.30pm –Attendance fee £6. You can register on the day at conference or email us in advance via [email protected]
Confirmed speakers so far: NIPSA General Secretary Carmel Gates, BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley, POA General Secretary Steve Gillan, NAPO National Official Annoesjka Valent, GMB Officer Gary Palmer from the victorious #GMBThree
NSSN Conference letter for union branches and trades councils Facebook event
Hundreds of thousands of workers have been on strike for the first time. Many hundreds if not thousands have become workplace reps or stewards for the first time. Our conference will bring together active rank-and-file trade unionists – both new and longstanding – from across the whole of the trade union movement, including every union that has been involved in strike action. All union members are very welcome to attend
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!
NSSN news
2023 NSSN Conference – 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
Tube workers facing threats of violence (19 May) – Tube workers facing threats of violence after more than 100 hundred station closures in two months. RMT called on TfL to end its cuts programme, which is forcing repeated station closures across the network, opening staff up to abuse from frustrated passengers. TfL has had its funding from central government dramatically cut but instead of standing up to ministers, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is cutting 600 staff and implementing a new rostering system that does not work. There have been acute problems on the Central line where between them, Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate, Queensway and Holland Park, have closed over 50 times since mid-April. Overall, there have been 71 tube station closures in April and 60 so far in May read more
Railway workers in the national dispute to take strike action on June 2 (18 May) – RMT members working for the 14 train companies in the national rail dispute will walkout on Friday June 2. The union found the RDG’s previous offer and associated conditions unacceptable and despite contact between the parties since the strike on 13 May, no new proposals have been formulated for the RMT to consider. The strike on June 2 will see 20,000 railway workers in catering, train managers and station staff all take action, affecting train services throughout the country read more
Jared Wood Re-Ballot video (4 May) – RMT Regional Organiser Jared Wood with a rundown of the London Underground dispute over Jobs, Pensions & Conditions read more
ASLEF
Train Drivers to take three days of strike action (27 Apr) – Train drivers at 15 companies will be taking strike action on Friday 12 May, Wednesday 31 May, and Saturday 3 June 2023 in a long-running dispute. Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; London North Eastern Railway; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; SWR depot drivers; SWR Island Line; TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Trains. ASLEF members at these train companies have been in dispute for almost a year over the failure of management to offer a fair deal on pay. Most of the drivers have not had a pay increase at all since 2019 and with inflation still well over 10% and the cost of living spiralling, this is not acceptable read more
TSSA
Elizabeth Line – Strike suspended (18 May) – Rail union TSSA has suspended strike action planned for next Wednesday (24 May) on London’s Elizabeth Line in a dispute over pay. The move comes after the union won a revised pay proposal from management at Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) and will now consult members about the way forward. In January the dispute saw a one-day stoppage by dozens of TSSA members working on Britain’s busiest rail line after it emerged that many Elizabeth Line staff are paid thousands of pounds less than colleagues performing similar roles on other parts of the Transport for London (TfL) network read more
Unite
Heathrow expected to pay bumper dividends, while staff face poverty pay (21 May) – Over the next five years Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) is expected to make dividend payments worth £1.5 billion to its shareholders. The prediction on HAL’s bumper dividends is made by the Civil Aviation Authority in a highly authoritative report into the airport’s finances (see page 19). The revelations about the forthcoming dividend bonanza coincides with the latest strike action by 1,400 security officers at the airport, who will walkout on 25, 26, and 27 May in a dispute over pay read more
Heathrow airport accused of cynically suppressing pay for its lowest earners (15 May) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has accused Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) airport of cynically attempting to suppress pay for its lowest paid workers. HAL, which is a living wage employer, is seeking to finally pay the London Living Wage (LLW) foundation increase (which came into effect in January) to its lowest paid staff, increasing pay to £11.95 an hour. However, HAL has stated that these workers will not receive any further percentage pay increase in full as the LLW will be taken as part of any increase. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Heathrow has been caught red-handed trying to use smoke and mirrors to deflate the earnings of its lowest paid staff. It is cynically using the increase in the London Living Wage as an excuse not to pay them a full pay increase. Frankly it is shameful. We cannot accept that our lowest paid members are having their pay ripped off in this way.” Unite is currently involved in a longstanding pay dispute with Heathrow. Around 1,400 security officers at Terminal Five and in Campus Security (who are responsible for checking all vehicles and workers entering Heathrow), have taken two periods of strike action for a total of 15 days, causing considerable delays, disruption and flight cancellations at the airport. Further strike action is scheduled for 25, 26 and 27 May read more
600 Bilfinger workers reject new pay offers in offshore pay dispute (19 May) – Dozens of offshore installations will be hit in June as strike dates released. Unite the union announced today (19 May) that around 600 offshore members at Bilfinger UK Limited have rejected new pay offers, and confirmed fresh strike action will now take place in June. New pay offers were rejected by Unite members based on the offshore assets of the operators Ithaca, CNRI and TAQA. The offers all constituted a basic pay increase of 6 per cent but with the current real inflation rate (RPI) standing at 13.5 per cent this represents a significant real terms pay cut. These Bilfinger members did not participate in the previous round of 48-hour strike action involving 1200 offshore workers held on 10-12 May, as the pay offers were put to the membership. Around 200 Bilfinger contractors working on BP and Repsol assets however did participate in the strike action. Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Unite’s offshore members working for Bilfinger have given a loud and clear answer to the company and oil operators. Simply put: below inflation pay offers from a sector awash with billions in record profits is unacceptable. Our members remain resolute in their fight to secure good jobs, pay and conditions across the offshore sector, and they will have Unite’s full support.” Unite can confirm that around 800 Bilfinger contractors will now participate in two new rounds of strike action starting on 1 June (6.30am) and ending on 3 June (6.29am), and then from 8 June (6.30am) to 10 June (6.29am) read more
Felixstowe 4’ protest demands justice at CK Hutchison AGM (18 May) – Unite delegation engages key investors at CK Hutchison AGM in Hong Kong. Banner drop at AGM demands reinstatement of four unfairly sacked dockers from Felixstowe. A campaign delegation has delivered Unite the Union’s demand for justice for four unfairly sacked Felixstowe dockers at the AGM of CK Hutchison in Hong Kong (18 May). Facing heavy security, Unite’s delegation engaged with CK shareholders and displayed a large banner within the building demanding: CK Hutchison: Reinstate the Felixstowe Four read more
Profits for a failing National Grid strengthens the case for energy nationalisation (18 May) – National Grid profits swell to £4.6bn amid green energy delays. National Grid’s rewards for failure only serve to strengthen the case for energy nationalisation. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “This result demonstrates National Grid has gouged billions in profits but it’s not delivering on its climate targets. The monopoly’s failure to invest for a net zero future and the government’s refusal to force the company to do so is more proof the UK’s energy sector is broken. It’s abundantly clear that profiteering is endemic across the energy sector and something needs to be done about it. National Grid’s reward for failure only serves to strengthen the case for nationalisation…” read more
New union investigation reveals taking energy into public ownership would end the ‘scandal of energy company profiteering’ (17 May) – Last year bill payers could have saved £45 billion with average bills cut by £1800. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham to urge Starmer to reconsider Labour policy. Taking public control of the UK’s energy network could reduce bills, reduce inflation, and pay for itself in a few years, reveals new research by Unite the Union read more
Unite secures recognition with offshore operator CNOOC (18 May) – Development comes amid offshore unrest. Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, has signed a recognition deal with the offshore operator CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited (“CNOOC”). The voluntary agreement negotiated with CNOOC covers around 140 workers on the Buzzard, Scott, and Golden Eagle platforms read more
Protest at Lloyds AGM over management attack on vulnerable staff (18 May) – New scheme disproportionally impacts women, carers and the disabled working at Lloyds Banking Group. Staff from Lloyds Banking Group will stage a protest (Thursday 18 May) outside the bank’s AGM in Glasgow. This is in response to a management attack on the working conditions of its most vulnerable staff read more
Unite slams ‘unnecessary and unjustified’ Seagate redundancies (18 May) – Redundancy announcement comes just weeks after US special envoy highlighted plant’s vital role. May 18th: Unite today (Thursday) said that the decision by Seagate to seek over 100 voluntary redundancies at their Springtown site is ‘unnecessary and unjustified’, and urged workers to join the union in order to secure recognition and a collective voice going forward. Seagate management this afternoon informed workers that it was seeking redundancies from a workforce of 1,600 as part of a retrenchment package which has also included wage cuts. The Springtown site is one of the world’s leading wafer fabrication manufacturers and makes the critical recording head component which goes into one in every four hard disk drives in the world read more
Stellantis electric car warning exposes gaping lack of government industrial strategy (17 May) – Responding to the warning from car manufacturer Stellantis that the government must renegotiate its Brexit deal or face losing electric car production in the UK, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This warning exposes the government’s complete failure to adopt a cohesive and active industrial strategy. The government has been warned for over a decade that it needed to invest in battery factories to ensure the smooth transition to electric vehicle production in the UK but it has failed to act…” read more
Unite secures 11 per cent pay rise for Menzies Aviation workers (16 May) – Glasgow airport ground staff accept ‘excellent’ deal. Ground services crew employed by Menzies Aviation at Glasgow Airport have accepted a new one-year pay deal worth an increase of 11 per cent on basic pay. Over 200 workers including dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers have accepted the Menzies Aviation pay offer by 82 per cent. The agreement will be backdated to January this year, and follows an increase on last year’s deal with Menzies which had increased basic pay by up to 9.1 per cent read more
‘Historic’ first ever union agreement at private veterinary practice signed by Unite (16 May) – British Veterinary Union in Unite and Valley Vets in Wales sign recognition agreement. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has signed the first ever recognition agreement in the UK with a private veterinary practice. The agreement between the British Veterinary Union (BVU) in Unite and Valley Vets, which has sites in Caerphilly, Ystrad Mynach and Pentyrch, plus two in Cardiff, covers around 120 workers read more
Mahle Engine Systems workers strike in pay dispute (15 May) – Unite blames Kilmarnock based company for ‘failing to own its mistakes’. Unite the union confirmed today (Monday 15 May) that over 120 members based at Mahle Engine Systems will take strike action tomorrow (16 May). The dispute relates to pay discrepancies at the Kilmarnock plant after management failed to apply an extra increase to the entire workforce, in addition to a 3.4 per cent increase which all workers received from January 2023. The strike action will take place over the following dates: 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th and 30th May, and 1st June. Unite’s members emphatically supported strike action by 80 per cent in an 81.3 per cent turnout. The trade union can further confirm that its Mahle membership will hold an overtime ban effective from 7am today (15th May) until 14th August read more
UK facing taps and pipes shortage as Warrington based GXO drivers strike over sacking of Unite rep (12 May) – HGV drivers, employed by GXO on the contract to supply City Plumbing and PTS outlets, are set to take indefinite strike action from later this month, following the sacking of a Unite rep. The drivers have voted for strike action following the dismissal of Unite representative Paul Roberts on “trumped up charges”. The drivers, who are based at GXO’s Lockheed Road depot in Warrington, will begin their continuous strike action on Monday 22 May. Given the just-in-time nature of distribution contracts, City Plumbing and PTS will swiftly run short of materials read more
Ford at Dagenham facing standstill as Lineside Logistics workers strike over pay (11 May) – Ford’s iconic engine plant at Dagenham, East London, is set to come to a standstill later this month as workers employed by Lineside Logistics, who are responsible for engine and parts distribution, take strike action over pay. The 120 plus workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are also responsible for the company’s parts distribution network in Turkey and South Africa. The strike is a result of the company making a pay offer of 7.5 per cent at a time when the real inflation rate (RPI) currently stands at 13.5 per cent. This amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut. An initial nine days of strike action have been announced and will take place on 19, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30 and 31 May as well as 1 and 2 June read more
Pitiful new pay offer fails to prevent month long strike at homeless Charity St Mungo’s (10 May) – The month long strike will begin on 30 May and end on 26 June. Bosses add insult to injury by increasing their 1.75% pay offer to a “pitiful” 2.25 %. The offer was roundly rejected by a margin of 91%. A month long strike by workers at the homeless charity St Mungo’s will go ahead after workers unsurprisingly rejected a “pitiful” new pay offer averaging just 2.25 % for a frontline worker. The charity’s pay offer has backfired. Fury amongst the workforce is growing and now new members are joining Unite in droves read more Donate to hardship fund
1200 offshore contractors resume offshore 48-hour strike action (10 May) – Operators to be hit by latest action include BP, Enquest, Repsol, Shell and TAQA. Unite the union confirmed that around 1200 contractors will resume 48-hour strike action starting today (10 May) until Friday (12 May) in an increasingly bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions in the offshore sector (see notes to editor). The latest 48-hour strike action will hit multibillion oil and gas operators including Apache, BP, Harbour Energy, Enquest, Ithaca, Repsol, Shell and TAQA. The prospective action includes electrical, production and mechanical technicians in addition to deck crew, scaffolders, crane operators, pipefitters, platers, and riggers working for Bilfinger UK Limited, Petrofac Facilities Management, Stork Technical Services, Sparrows Offshore Services and Wood Group read more
Campaigners to demand NI Water intervene with their contractor Murphy International to reinstate ‘Murphy 4’ (14 May) – When: 10.30am Monday 15th May; Where: NI Water HQ, Westland Road, Belfast. Campaigners seeking the restoration of four Unite members, including a shop steward dismissed by he the Murphy group’s Irish subsidiary are to demand NI Water intervene with Murphy International, a contractor, to secure the re-employment of the workers. The protest is the latest in a campaign to reinstate the workers after their dismissal on what Unite members believe to be spurious grounds read more
Support Lee Fowler – Another blacklisted construction worker sacked after making complaints about safety on site. We’ll keep everyone informed of future protests read more about Lee’s case
South East ambulance workers to strike as Unite escalates industrial action (8 May) – Picket lines in Portsmouth and Northfleet, Kent. Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by ambulance trusts in the South East will take strike action tomorrow (Tuesday 9 May) as the union escalates its industrial action in the dispute over pay. Unite’s members employed at both South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust will strike from 12pm until 10pm on Tuesday 9 May. Last month Unite’s members employed in the NHS in England rejected the government’s offer of a lump sum cash payment for 2022/23 and a below inflation increase of five per cent for 2023/24
Cumberland council exposed using anti-union laws to undermine lawful Allerdale refuse strike (4 May) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has discovered that Labour-controlled Cumberland council is using new Conservative anti-trade union laws in an attempt to undermine a lawful strike. Low paid refuse workers employed by Allerdale Waste Services began strike action last week after their employer refused to increase pay rates of £10.90 an hour for loaders and £11.89 for drivers, which are amongst the lowest in the UK for refuse workers. Allerdale Waste Services is a private company that is 100 per cent owned by Labour controlled Cumberland council. Unite has learned that rather than seek a resolution to the dispute, Allerdale Waste Services has instead utilised recently introduced Conservative anti-trade union laws, which allows the employer to recruit agency workers to undermine lawful industrial strike action. Unite has further learned that the agency loaders and drivers are being paid £14 an hour, which is far in excess of the rates of pay for its permanent staff read more
Heathrow Airport strikes to go ahead as last-minute talks fail (3 May) – New Unite research has revealed that security officers at Heathrow are being paid £6,000 per year less than their counterparts at other London airports. This more than justifies the Heathrow workers’ strike action – Heathrow is the poverty pay citadel of London airports. Unite’s analysis shows that security officers at Stansted and Gatwick airports are paid between £5,000 – £6,000 more than Heathrow, while workers at the much smaller Luton airport are still paid over £500 more. Heathrow security officers receive basic pay of £26,000, which is boosted by a £4,000 shift allowance…Strikes planned to begin this Thursday (4 May) at Heathrow airport involving security officers will go ahead as planned, after last minute talks at the conciliation service, Acas, broke down. The 1,400 security officers, who are based at Heathrow’s terminal 5 and in campus security (responsible for searching all personnel and vehicles entering the Heathrow campus), will be striking on 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 May and then again on 25, 26, 27 May read more
“Appalling pay offer” provokes strike at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (2 May) – Inflation is three times higher than the College’s pay offer of 4%. Strike action is set for 15-17 May, and 23-25 May during the College’s annual conference. Members of Unite employed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have set strike dates in a dispute over an “appalling pay offer”. Despite a 96% vote in favour of strike action on a 90% turnout, bosses still offered workers an appalling 4% pay increase when the rate of inflation is 13.5%. The offer was overwhelmingly rejected by Unite members by a margin of 93% read more
GSK strike wave across the UK begins in Montrose (1 May) – Multibillion corporation made an operating profit of £2.1bn in the first quarter of 2023. Workers employed by pharmaceutical giant GSK will stage a series of walkouts in a dispute over pay across the UK beginning in Montrose tomorrow (2 May). Over 160 workers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, voted for strike action having rejected a below inflation pay offer of a six per cent pay increase, and a one-off lump sum of £1,300. Unite said the current offer represents a substantial real terms pay cut with the current inflation rate (RPI) standing at 13.5 per cent. The strike action beginning in Montrose tomorrow (2 May) until 4 May at 6am, will then spread throughout the UK during May. The strike action includes GSK’s Irvine plant where Unite members will also begin strike action on Thursday (4 May). It will then spread to Barnard Castle, Ware, Worthing and Ulverston read more
Striking Harlow council workers to march on town hall to demand fair pay (26 Apr) – More than 300 staff responsible for Harlow council’s housing stock and maintaining council grounds and buildings are to march on the town hall to demand fair pay on 27th April read more
Workington refuse strikes to intensify as last gasp talks fail (26 Apr) – Refuse collection strikes affecting Workington and the surrounding area will begin tomorrow (27 April) after last gasp peace talks failed following an offer for which there is no justification at all. The 60 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, involved in the dispute are employed by Allerdale Waste Services. The dispute is a result of the poverty pay rates the workers receive. Loaders are paid £10.90 an hour, which is barely above the minimum wage, while drivers, who must hold an HGV licence, are only paid £11.89 an hour. The pay rates are among the lowest paid to refuse workers throughout the UK. Last gasp peace talks were held on Monday but they collapsed when management refused to increase pay rates and instead only offered two extra days of annual leave read more
Ferrari and Rolls Royce facing production delays during Gloucestershire and Somerset pay strikes (24 Apr) – Trelleborg workers in Tewkesbury and Bridgewater strike over ‘pay cut’ while firm brings in huge profits. More than 200 Trelleborg workers in Tewkesbury and Bridgewater supplying seals to aerospace, auto, medical, food and energy firms will strike over a real terms pay cut, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The factory workers, who make seals for clients such as Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Air Bus, the Ministry of Defence and Carl Zeiss, are striking after rejecting a 5.2 per cent pay offer. With the true rate of inflation, (RPI), at 13.5 per cent this is real terms pay cut of 8.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Trelleborg Seal Solutions’ latest financial report shows a turnover of £96.6 million and gross profits of £28.8 million…The first round of strikes will take place from 2 to 5 May, with industrial action set to intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Construction contractors to strike at DSM’s Dalry plant (17 Apr) – 3 week-long strike set to begin over bonus dispute involving Kaefer and Altrad. Unite the union members are set to begin a three-week long strike tomorrow (18 April) at DSM’s Dalry plant. The dispute is over the failure by Kaefer Limited and Altrad Babcock Limited to pay a local bonus to engineering construction workers who operate under the National Agreement for Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) across the UK. The workers are demanding a local bonus under the terms of the NAECI agreement in recognition of flexibility and work being undertaken to assist with the delivery of a new manufacturing plant. Kaefer and Altrad along with DSM, who own the manufacturing plant, have refused to enter negotiations over bonus payments. DSM’s parent group – Royal DSM N.V. Group – recently recorded a net profit of €1.7bn (£1.5bn) for 2022. The strike action begins from 18 April and continues each day up to 8 May 2023 when the action will conclude at 23:59pm read more
Saica paper workers in Manchester to strike in pay dispute (12 Apr) – Workers employed at Saica Paper UK Ltd in Manchester are to begin industrial action this month in a dispute over pay. The 40 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed in production roles at the Manchester Road factory. The company produces 100 per cent recycled paper for corrugated cardboard. The workers recorded a 97 per cent vote in favour of strike action, having rejected a below inflation pay offer. They were offered a 9.5 per cent pay increase which is in itself a real terms pay cut with the inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 13.8 per cent. To make matters worse workers on average only received 6.5 per cent of the offer as a consolidated increase (permanent pay) with the rest being a one off lump sum payment…An initial series of six 12 and 24 hour strikes have been called for 21, 25 and 29 April, followed by 1, 5, 8 May read more
Rosyth dockyard workers to strike for 12 weeks threatening Type 31 Frigate contract (7 Apr) – 100 Kaefer contractors to down tools in pay dispute. Unite the union confirmed today (7 April) that around 100 members employed by construction contractor Kaefer Limited are set to take 12 weeks all-out strike action at the Rosyth dockyard. The Kaefer workers, which includes painters, cleaners, scaffolders and support service staff, are set to take the strike action from 17 April up to 10 July. Unite claims the strike action will directly threaten progress on the Type 31 frigates contract. Unite members emphatically supported strike action by 98.4 per cent over the failure by Kaefer to make a formal pay offer. The company following the strike vote made a 7.2 per cent pay offer which has been rejected by the workforce. Inflation currently stands at a forty-five year high of 13.8 per cent (RPI) read more
Newry Mourne and Down council services to be heavily impacted by industrial action from April 10th (6 Apr) – Members of GMB, NIPSA and SIPTU commence work-to-rule from Monday 10th April, to be joined by Unite from 12th April. Industrial action by members of all four trade unions at council proceeds after management renege on commitment to partnership-based job evaluation process. Trade unions at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council confirmed that industrial action is to commence at the local authority body. The action is set to commence with a work-to-rule by members of GMB, NIPSA and SIPTU on Monday April 10th with members of Unite the union joining the action from April 12th. The unions have warned that the industrial action, although confined to a ‘work-to-rule’ at this stage, is likely to result in significant impact to council services including those at leisure centres and with bin collections. The industrial dispute proceeds after members of all four unions voted for both strike action and action short of strike action in ballots. The dispute centres on attempts by management to ditch an earlier commitment reached in 2021 to a partnership-based approach for job evaluations. Management are also seeking to remove allowances for new staff members – creating a two-tier workforce. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is one of the last councils to meaningful engage with trade unions in the RPA process – despite the new councils coming into being 8 years ago. The work-to-rule will see workers refuse to take on overtime, tasks outside their job description, providing absentee cover or using their own vehicles for work purposes read more
Strike by over 300 Dundee City Council trades workers goes ahead (3 Apr) – Dispute over outsourcing and management failures. Unite the union can confirm today (3 April) that strike action by over 300 trades workers at Dundee City Council will go ahead tomorrow. 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 (see notes to editor). The dispute is centred on claims that public contracts to private contractors are being prepared for outsourcing by Dundee City Council 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
CWU
Support the CWU strike in Royal Mail – 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
Unite, strengthen & rebuild: Vote YES to Business Recovery, Transformation & Growth (19 May) – Serious discussion, robust debate and unity of purpose at London, Glasgow & Belfast local rep meetings, as all-UK tour concludes read more
Honest face-to-face debate at York & Birmingham Royal Mail rep briefings (12 May) – Discussion shifted from social platforms to concrete reality this week, as CWU unit reps from across Northern England, Wales, the Midlands, South West & South Central got to grips with the details of Business Recovery, Transformation & Growth. York’s Barbican and Birmingham’s NEC hosted the first two of what will be a series of five meetings, where workplace representatives from every part of the UK will get the opportunity to directly ask questions, voice theirs and their members’ concerns and express all points of view in the lead-up to the nationwide consultative ballot on the new national agreement, which will run from 25th May until 14th June read more
GXO pay offer worth double digits for many out to ballot (18 May) – Members across GXO are being urged to accept a CWU-brokered pay deal which delivers a fully consolidated rise of £1,500 for all ex-BT Supply Chain warehouse employees and base pay uplifts for drivers averaging 19%, with some receiving up to 53%. The company’s final offer, which is currently out to ballot, addresses longstanding CWU concerns that base pay levels for drivers were well below market rates – an argument that BT itself tacitly accepted in September 2021 when it took emergency steps to deal with a full-blown staff retention crisis read more
Resounding ‘YES ‘ to Real Living Wage rise in 14forty that delivers 10.1% for most (17 May) – Members in 14forty have voted unanimously to accept a pay hike mirroring the recommendation of the body that sets the Real Living Wage (RLW) – the independently calculated benchmark of the amount required to cover the actual cost of living for employers that have voluntarily committed to pay more than Government-set minimum wages. Until last year pay rises at 14forty had been pegged to the Government’s National Living Wage – the confusingly rebranded national Minimum Wage which is significantly lower. But all that changed in January 2022 when, following persistent lobbying by the union, the outsourced facilities services provider reached an agreement with Capita to pay colleagues employed on its Capita contract the RLW – resulting in an immediate 6.7% rise to £9.50 per hour for catering, cleaning, security, post room and front of house staff read more
More placed ‘at risk’ in new phase of BT Supply Chain ‘transformation’ (17 May) – Close tabs are being kept on the latest changes that have been unveiled by Supply Chain bosses, with the CWU intent on ensuring that every effort will be made to mitigate against pote ntial redundancies. Under proposals initially announced by management last month, 12 more individuals have been placed ‘at risk’ as a result of 11 proposed job losses within five teams – in part predicated by the planned rationalisation of the retained organisation’s existing footprint of 24 sites where desk-based roles are performed down to four ‘Strategic Hubs’. The company claims that the changes are necessary on account of Supply Chain’s “declining operational footprint” following the outsourcing of the formerly in-house warehouse and transport operations to GXO last year and the looming intra-BT Group transfer involving ‘Staging & Configuration’ work that was announced in February. The new upheavals come in the wake of four proposed job losses that were announced at the end of March, placing ten individuals in scope of possible redundancy. The latest announcement once again impacts the Management Information Systems team, with proposals to cease non-value add, legacy transactional activity by March 2024 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
Check-off case judgment issued (19 May) – During the tenure of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government, an attack was launched on PCS through the removal of the check-off facility via which members paid their subscriptions to the union. We launched an immediate campaign to switch our members over to the direct debit method of payment. Members did so in huge numbers and we were able to secure survival of the union and beat off the government’s attempt to bankrupt us. In response to the attack, we launched legal action against departments that withdrew the checkoff facility. Our argument was that members had a contractual right to checkoff; that unilateral withdrawal of the facility amounted to a breach of that contractual right; and that PCS was entitled to claim damages as a third party to the contract. Our first claim was taken against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The High Court ruled in our favour. The DWP settled the case prior to a remedy hearing, paying PCS £3 million in damages plus our legal costs. Subsequently, PCS took, and won, similar cases against the Home Office, Defra and HMRC. All 3 judgments confirmed that the departments acted in breach of members contracts. The departments have now accepted that there was a breach in all these cases but they appealed on the basis of whether PCS could claim damages. Disappointingly, the Court of Appeal found a narrow point of interpretation with regard to the intentions of the parties when the contract was entered into; and as a result, that PCS could not claim the damages that we have so evidently suffered. The judgment of the Court of Appeal was not straightforward – two judges ruled against our argument, but one ruled in favour. This is by no means the end of the matter. PCS has applied for permission to appeal the judgment to the Supreme Court. We will continue to try to hold the employer to account for the damages it has caused by this unlawful act. Our legal team advises that an appeal to the Supreme Court has good prospects of success. We will keep members informed of development read more
Conference to discuss escalating strike action (18 May) – PCS conference will discuss calling further targeted and all-member action to build further pressure on the government to accede to our reasonable demands on pay, pensions and job security read more
HMRC strike continues to disrupt services (17 May) – PCS members working in Personal Taxation Operations in East Kilbride and Benton Park View are in their second week of strike action. Members have been out on picket lines at both sites this week and reports have been coming in of the effect of the strike action read more
PCS strike reballot results: Massive yes vote for strikes (10 May) – PCS members in the civil service and related areas have again voted in remarkable numbers for industrial action. We have achieved a fantastic result with an overall 88% ‘Yes’ vote for industrial action on an overall 52% turnout. The legal threshold for action has been exceeded in 106 employer areas; sustained, targeted strike action can now be taken by PCS members in any or all of these areas. We can continue to call a mixture of sustained action in targeted areas and all-member strike action as part of our continuing campaign. Both forms of action may include members in HMRC who already have a mandate for action read more
Ballot result briefing for DWP members (12 May) – The ballot results for strike action as part of PCS National Campaign were announced on 10 May. The vast majority of employer groups within PCS were successful in meeting the 50% threshold of members participating to meet the government’s anti-trade union legislation which requires a 50% turnout in order for the union to legally take strike action. Members in the DWP showed beyond a doubt with an 88% vote for strike action that they are not prepared to put up with below inflation pay rises, attacks on their pension schemes, redundancy terms and job insecurity. Unfortunately, in DWP we fell 1.35% short of meeting the government’s threshold despite strength of feeling so clearly demonstrated by those voting for strike action. This means for now we are unable to continue strike action in DWP read more
Support PCS HMRC picket lines next week (12 May) – PCS members working in Personal Taxation Operations on Employer Service in East Kilbride and Benton Park View continue their targeted action next week and you can show your support at their picket lines. Their action began this week and they are also striking from 15-19, 22-26, 29-31 May and on 1 and 2 June. The members will be holding picket lines at the workplaces next week. If you are in either area, please go along to show your support at the rally and at the picket lines read more
HMRC strike action hitting services (12 May) – Calls to the HMRC employer helpline are being severely disrupted by strike action by PCS members working in personal taxation operations on employer services in Newcastle and East Kilbride read more
PCS wins pay award for air traffic control staff in Gibraltar (11 May) – The improved deal comes part-way through a ballot of members to take industrial action at the airport. PCS members at Gibraltar airport have voted to accept a pay offer which ends our dispute with NATS Gibraltar and provides members with a pay deal which protects their wages and terms and conditions against unprecedented levels of inflation. The pay deal will see an RPI match by the end of 2025 backdated to 2022 and a lump sum payment of £5500 read more
Find out about our picket lines in May (2 May) – Our programme of targeted strike action continues in May in the Care Quality Commission, DWP, Passport Office and HMRC. Go along and show your support. Members working in the Passport Offices in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport are continuing their strike action until 6 May and passport interview officers in Birmingham, Corby, Hemel Hempstead, Leeds, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Plymouth will walk out from May 3-6. DWP members at 13 jobcentres in Liverpool and Glasgow will strike from 3-6 May and the Care Quality Commission are on strike for two days on 2 and 3 May. HMRC members working in East Kilbride and Benton Park View in Personal Taxation Operations on Employer Service will walk out on a series of dates starting from 10 May read more
Care Quality Commission workers to strike (28 Apr) – PCS members working for health regulator Care Quality Commission are striking for 2 days next week. The 90 staff in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham regulate health and social care bodies across England, including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries, ensuring the safe delivery of services. They will take action on 2 and 3 May and will be joined by colleagues in UNISON and Unite on 2 May, bringing the total of strikers to more than 1,000. The PCS strike is part of the union’s national campaign for better pay, pensions and redundancy terms and job security read more
HMRC targeted strike dates announced (27 Apr) – In an escalation of our ongoing targeted strike action we are asking all PCS members working in Personal Taxation Operations on Employer Service in East Kilbride and Benton Park View to strike from 10-12, 15-19, 22-26, 29-31 May and on 1 and 2 June 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
Prospect
BT – deep concern at scale of job cuts (18 May) – Prospect union have responded to the announcement of further large scale job cuts at BT. Prospect represents thousands of managers at BT read more
Deeply worrying that the government is seeking to water down employment law (10 May) – Prospect union have responded to the announcement by Kemi Badenoch MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, of proposed changes to employment law read more
Prospect members across the Civil Service striking today (10 May) – Members of Prospect union working in the Civil Service are taking a second day of strike action today (10 May) in a dispute over pay, job losses and redundancy terms. This follows a previous strike on 15 March. In addition to the strike action, workers have been taking action short of a strike continuously since 16 March, including working to rule and an overtime ban. This is the largest industrial action Prospect has taken in more than a decade read more
Soulbury pay talks: unions meet to consider options for breaking deadlock (9 May) – The trade unions representing education professionals covered by the Soulbury agreement, including Prospect, will meet this month to consider their options to get the employers’ side to re-engage with meaningful pay talks, or accept that the deal may be imposed upon them. In November 2022, in response to the unions’ pay claim of at least 9% on all pay points, the employers’ side had offered an increase of just £1,925 and 4.04% on allowances read more
Further public sector strikes announced in Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (17 Apr) – Prospect union has notified both the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales that it will be taking further strike action on 11 May and 7 June read more
Prospect union members vote for further industrial action at the Environment Agency (4 May) – A ballot of Prospect members in the Environment Agency has renewed the industrial action mandate for a further six months. Staff are taking ongoing action short of a strike and will join Prospect members from other Civil Service employers in taking strike action on Wednesday 10 May read more
Further public sector strikes announced as Government refuses to negotiate with its own staff (14 Apr) – Prospect union has notified employers that it will be taking further strike action on 10 May and 7 June across its public service membership. This follows the refusal of the government to enter negotiations to resolve the current pay and conditions dispute, having instead announced a pay control of 4.5% which will further erode living standards read more
GMB
Strikes to hit Tower Bridge, Old Bailey and Barbican (18 May) – London tourist attractions including Tower Bridge, Old Bailey, Barbican, museums, gardens, parks and markets could be forced to close after workers voted to strike. More than 900 City of London Corporation workers will walk out for 24 hours on 25 May in a dispute over pay. Workers voted for strike action by a majority of 77 per cent read more
Households shouldn’t pay for sewage dumping (18 May) – GMB, the union for water workers, says households shouldn’t be forced to pay for water company cock ups. England’s water and sewage companies have today apologised over sewage spills and said they were ready to invest an additional £10 billion – but this could mean higher bills. GMB has long campaigned for water companies to be held more accountable for dumping raw sewage in England’s seas and waterways read more
Durham aviation parts workers in strike vote (17 May) – A Durham factory that finished parts for the aviation industry is facing a strike vote. Dozens of GMB members at Nicholsons Sealing Technologies, in Stanley, will take part in an industrial action ballot beginning on 19 May. The vote, which includes around 50 per cent of affected workers on the shop floor, will run until 1 June. Workers – many of whom operate heavy machinery and dangerous chemicals yet had to recieve a pay rise in April just to keep them above the new minimum wage – are angry over a ‘poverty’ pay offer. Although the offer is 6.7 per cent, that figure includes the legal rise the company was forced to give to keep workers above the National Minimum wage when it rose last month read more
Scapa tape makers strike (17 May) – Tape manufacturing giant Scapa faces industrial action after more than 50 workers voted to down tools over ‘unreasonable’ shift changes. The Ashton-Under-Lyme company wants workers – who until now have either worked early or late day shifts – to work 6pm to 6am night shifts every other week. After months of discussions, GMB Reps proposed a voluntary night shift which met the business’s needs – however this was dismissed, and bosses told workers the night shifts would be enforced from the middle of June. After a successful strike ballot, Scapa workers will walk out for the first time on Thursday 1 June from 6am to 10pm. An overtime ban will also come into force on 1 June, lasting until November read more
GMB members in Wales accept NHS pay offer (17 May) – GMB members in Wales have voted to accept the revised NHS pay offer from Welsh Government. The consultative ballot, which closed on the 15 May, saw a majority of more than 65 per cent of GMB members voting to accept with a 60 per cent turnout read more
Trade Secretary refused to step in over £11 billion debt laden Asda merger (16 May) – GMB, the union for Asda workers, has branded the Trade Secretary ‘tin-eared’ after her department refused to step in over a £11 billion debt-laden merger between Asda and petrol forecourt business EG Group. The union wrote to Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, warning the merger could threaten food supplies and have a ‘chilling effect’ on fuel prices at a time when supermarkets are already being accused of petrol profiteering. GMB called on the Trade Secretary to ensure the CMA intervened read more
Sheffield council breaches national deal over cleaner pay (15 May) – Sheffield City Council has breached the Local Government Pay Agreement and refused to pay both the 2022 and 2023 wage increases to their lowest paid workers. The authority is committed to following nationally negotiated and agreed pay structure for all council workers. Despite this they have decided not to pay their employed cleaners both the 2022 and 2023 pay rate read more
Further strikes to hit South London hospital trust (15 May) – GMB, the union for NHS and healthcare workers, has announced that the strike action being undertaken by their members within South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) will continue for a further four days this month. The members are employed by outsourcing giant ISS as domestics and caterers within the Trust and are in dispute with their employer over wages and conditions. The workers have already taken strike action for 2 days, and will walk out for a further 4 days commencing Wednesday 17 May read more
Two more Amazon strike ballots begin (12 May) – Amazon faces new strikes at two more warehouses as GMB launches two new strike ballots today [Friday 12 May]. Union members will now vote on full and binding industrial action ballot at Amazon’s Mansfield and Rugeley fulfilment centres. The new strikes ballots follow 14 days of strike action at the retail giant’s Coventry depot, which saw as many as 700 workers down tools in the UK’s first strike at an Amazon fulfilment centre. The ballots at Rugeley and Mansfield will begin today and run for four weeks until 9 June. As many as 150 workers are expected to be asked to vote in the ballot read more
Amazon Coventry workers make formal recognitions bid to CAC (11 May) – GMB union has today submitted a bid for formal recognition at Amazon Coventry to the Central Arbitration Committee. The CAC – the Government body responsible for regulating collective bargaining between workers and employers – will now step in after a ten day opportunity for Amazon to resolve recognition voluntarily ended. With more than 700 GMB members now at the Coventry fulfilment centre, it’s thought the legal threshold for mandatory recognition – 51 per cent of the workforce – has now been passed. However, workers in the warehouse report bosses have threatened to flood the site with up to 1,000 new staff in a bid to escape their obligations to recognise the union. The bid will now be considered by the Central Arbitration Committee and would, if successful, be the first-time workers at a UK Amazon site have won recognition of a trade union read more
Hartlepool metal company sacks workers after staff win pay rise (3 Apr) – A Hartlepool metal company is slashing jobs just weeks after workers won a pay rise. Just 51 days after GMB members resolved their pay dispute, the Expanded Metal Company has announced up to ten redundancies at Hartlepool. Workers were handed redundancy letters last week advising them that they are at risk of redundancy and inviting them to a meeting. Management appears to be trying to push through the redundancies within a week of first issuing redundancy notices. Despite citing a downturn in work as the reason for the redundancies, the company are advertising the role of a Finance Controller/Financial Director Designate role for 70K 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
Unison
Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund
NEC backs the right to strike emergency protest (19 May) – Industrial action and the defence of the right to strike continue to be priorities for the union. UNISON’s national executive council (NEC) has encouraged as many members as possible to attend the TUC-organised emergency protest in Westminster at 6pm on Monday (22 May) and defend the right to strike. The strike-busting legislation is returning to parliament on Monday and UNISON, along with other unions, believes that the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, is a full-frontal attack on working people and the trade unions they organise within read more
University strikes loom unless pay increases (15 May) – Staff at nine higher education institutions vote for action. Support staff at nine universities in England have voted to strike over a “sub-par” pay offer from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), says UNISON today (Monday). Cleaners, IT technicians, library staff and other higher education workers will now decide on dates to take action unless UCEA increases its pay offer for 2023/24. UNISON says the current offer falls a long way short of inflation and staff deserve more. Staff could walk out at the University of Bedfordshire, University of Bristol, Liverpool Hope University, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Sussex, University of Winchester and SOAS University of London. The 2023/24 pay offer is worth 5-8% depending on salary, with a higher percentage rise for lower paid workers. Some of this amount – around £83 per month before tax – was paid early to staff in February to help with the increasing cost of living read more
Sign petition: Stop the closure of the Peak District National Park visitor centres! – The Peak District National Park Authority are considering closing all four of its visitor centres, making the staff redundant. Councillors will be asked to endorse the chief executive’s ill-thought out ‘money-saving plan’ which will not only affect staff but could very much harm the local economy. The visitor centres are not just shops. They are a key contributor to visitors being able to experience a safe and enjoyable time in the Peak District. This is especially the case with first-time or infrequent visitors. Far from being underused, the centres deal with around 400,000 visitors a year. Unless there is a public outcry, we will lose these centres from our national park, at a time when other national parks have rejected such ideas. Decisions will be taken from as early as May. Help Derbyshire UNISON stop them!
South Gloucestershire social workers strike over pay (4 Apr) – Staff say “market forces” supplement should be applied across the board. Social workers and occupational therapists working for South Gloucestershire Council are to strike from today (Tuesday), says UNISON. Staff will walk out for three days from today until Thursday (4 to 6 April) after voting overwhelmingly* for industrial action in a dispute over pay. UNISON has been in dispute with the local authority since last summer. This is over its decision to award staff in children’s services an additional temporary £3,000 payment on top of their basic annual salary, but not those doing the same job in adult services read more
Protest as Hackney Unison chair amongst those handed compulsory redundancies in libraries shake-up: 6pm Wednesday 17th May Hackney Town Hall – Council staff are staging a protest after several library staff, including Hackney Unison Branch Chair Brian Debus, have been handed compulsory redundancy notices. Hackney Unison have 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
NIPSA Age Discrimination Pension Cases: Urgent Action Required (17 May) – I refer to NIPSA Bulletin A-06-22 advising that NIPSA has lodged tribunal cases for Injury to Feelings arising out of the McCloud decision on public sector pensions read more
Joint GMB-NIPSA-SIPTU-Unite Press Release (6 Apr) – Newry Mourne and Down council services to be heavily impacted by industrial action from April 10 Members of GMB, NIPSA and SIPTU commence work-to-rule from Monday 10th April, to be joined by Unite from 12 April Industrial action by members of all four trade unions at council proceeds after management renege on commitment to partnership-based job evaluation process Trade unions at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council confirmed that industrial action is to commence at the local authority body. The action is set to commence with a work-to-rule by members of GMB, NIPSA and SIPTU on Monday April 10 with members of Unite the union joining the action from April 12. The unions have warned that the industrial action, although confined to a ‘work-to-rule’ at this stage, is likely to result in significant impact to council services including those at leisure centres and with bin collections. The industrial dispute proceeds after members of all four unions voted for both strike action and action short of strike action in ballots read more
Royal College of Nursing
RCN Wales announces further strike action after members reject latest NHS pay offer in Wales (10 May) – RCN Wales has written to the Minister for Health & Social Services, Eluned Morgan, seeking to urgently re-enter negotiations. Strike dates confirmed after RCN Wales members reject NHS pay offer. The results of the consultative ballot, which took place between 24 April and 10 May are: 46.79% accept, 53.21% % reject. The vote comes after members forced the Welsh government to re-open negotiations earlier this year, resulting in an improved pay offer for 2022/23 and a new pay offer for 2023/24. The RCN has called for the Welsh government to urgently return to the negotiating table and, unless a resolution is found, will take strike action on 6 and 7 June and 12 and 13 July. Strike action will run for the duration of the day shift on each day and derogations will be tighter than those in place during strike action in December 2022. All members employed where there is a mandate to strike will be called on to take strike action on these days read more
England strike ballot to open on Tuesday 23 May (9 May) – Those working for the NHS in England must make sure their RCN member record is correct by midnight on Sunday 14 May in order that they receive a ballot paper and are able to vote. RCN Council is recommending eligible members vote ‘yes’ to strike action read more
Members employed by the Care Quality Commission begin industrial action (17 Apr) – They’ll work to rule continuously until our mandate to take industrial action expires in September or a new formal pay offer is made 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
Welsh midwives accept Government pay offer (15 May) – Midwife and maternity support worker members (MSW) of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have accepted the Welsh Government’s revised pay offer made last month. The result follows an RCM member consultation which closed today read more
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
CSP
Members in Wales accept NHS pay offer (19 May) – CSP members working in the NHS in Wales have voted clearly to accept the Welsh government’s offer on pay read more
BMA
Support the Junior Doctors strike read more
Donate to support striking junior doctors
BMA Scotland: Junior doctors vote for strike action (5 May) – Junior doctors in Scotland have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over pay following a five week ballot of BMA Scotland members. With more than 5000 junior doctors in Scotland eligible to vote, turnout was in excess of 71% – with a total of 3610 votes cast, and almost 97% in favour of strike action. While negotiations with the Scottish Government over pay are ongoing BMA Scotland will use this clear mandate for strike action to push forward in our ongoing efforts to reverse the unacceptable pay erosion junior doctors in Scotland have suffered for more than a decade. Should the Scottish Government not put forward a credible offer that the BMA believes could be put to members, junior doctors in Scotland would then begin preparations for a 72-hour walkout at dates to be confirmed in due course read more
Juniors in England prepare to re-ballot read more
GPs plan industrial action if contract not revised (27 Apr) – Threat to patient safety must be removed if doctors to avoid dispute read more
NHS consultants in England to be balloted in May for industrial action (3 Apr) – The BMA will ballot NHS consultants in England for strike action from the 15th May if the Government does not meet its demands for restoring consultants’ pay and reforming the broken pay review body read more
HCSA
Result of Strike Ballot of Junior Doctors in Scotland (5 May) – Numbers voting YES 38 95.00% of valid vote; Number voting NO 2 5.00% of valid vote read more
NEU
Pay dispute update (18 May) – With the STRB report, Gillian Keegan has the chance to make the right decisions and avoid further strike action. NEU: latest statement on fully-funded pay dispute. Following a meeting of its national executive, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, said: “Gillian Keegan now has the report of the School Teachers’ Review Body – and so she now has to make decisions. She has the power to reject, accept or amend the STRB recommendations. She has the power to fully fund her decision. If she makes the right call, she can start to move our schools in a better direction. She can fund schools properly, start to address the decline in teacher pay and its consequences for the appalling state of teacher recruitment and retention. If she makes the right decisions, she could also avoid further strike action. The NEU executive will meet next on 17 June. We hope that by then she will have discussed the STRB report and her reaction to it with teacher and headteacher unions, and discussed both workload and this year’s pay which remains unsettled…” read more
NEU re-ballot (15 May) – NEU re-ballots members in continuance of dispute with Government for a fully funded teacher pay increase. Today (Monday) the National Education Union is commencing a new national ballot of teacher members in England. The dispute between Government and the National Education Union for a fully funded pay increase which stops the decline in teacher recruitment and retention remains unresolved. Therefore, the union is re-balloting teacher members working in England’s state-funded schools. Re-balloting of our members is necessary as the current ballot is only effective as a mandate for strike action during a six-month period. The legitimacy of the current ballot ends on 13 July 2023. This second ballot, opening today and closing on 28 July 2023 read more
Unions to co-ordinate action (28 Apr) – Education unions to announce they will co-ordinate industrial action going forward – ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU. In a joint press conference taking place today (Fri 28 Apr) at school leaders’ union NAHT’s Annual Conference in Telford, the general secretaries of all four education unions will announce that they intend to co-ordinate their unions’ industrial action moving forward read more
NASUWT
Jersey teachers balloted for industrial action (18 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in Jersey are now being balloted for industrial action over pay and workload. The ballot opened on Monday (15th May) and will close on Monday 12th June. Members in all Jersey government schools (including Highlands College), grant aided colleges, and independent schools will be balloted for both strike action and action short of strike action. The ballot is the result of the failure of the States to address the years of real terms pay erosion that teachers have suffered since 2008 or to address spiralling workloads read more
Adverse management forces Swansea teachers to strike (17 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Gendros Primary School in Swansea will be taking the first of eleven planned days of strike action from today over adverse management practices which are affecting teachers’ health and working conditions. Members at the school are taking action as a result of the failure of the local authority and school governors to adequately act to address management incompetence at the school read more
Guildford teachers strike to protect pensions (17 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Royal Grammar School Senior in Guildford are taking the first of five days of planned strike action today after being threatened with dismissal from their jobs unless they agree to new contracts that would leave them with worse pensions. The Employer is seeking to impose inferior pension arrangements on teachers which would adversely affect their future financial security read more
NASUWT to ballot members for strike action (15 May) – The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is balloting eligible members for industrial action in state-funded schools and sixth form colleges across England over pay, workload and working time. The ballot for state-funded schools will open on June 5 and close on July 10. A ballot for sixth form colleges opens today (May 15) and will close on June 12. The ballots are the result of the failure of the Government to agree the NASUWT’s demand for a fully-funded restorative pay award for all teachers employed in state-funded schools and sixth form colleges in England, and to resolve the issue of excessive workload and long working hours read more
Teachers at Hutchesons’ Grammar to go on strike over ‘fire and rehire’ (5 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Hutchesons’ Grammar School in Glasgow are to take four days of strike action, starting on Tuesday 30th May, over attempts by employers to ‘fire and rehire’ them. Employers at the school, where First Minister Humza Yousaf was a pupil, have sought to impose an inferior pension scheme on teachers and threatened teachers with the sack if they did not agree to the changes. The proposed defined contribution scheme which has been offered to teachers provides no guarantee of the level of income teachers would receive in retirement or any index-linked rises to their pension pots. Members were given notice of termination of their contracts at the end of March and offers of re-engagement on condition of accepting the downgrading of their pensions. Teachers who attempted to sign new contracts of re-employment stating they only agreed because they were under duress, were then told if they didn’t sign “clean” copies of the contract they would be sacked and their jobs would be advertised. The NASUWT balloted members at the school for industrial action, with 87% in favour of taking both strike action and action short of strike action read more
Teachers strike over variation of contracts through fire and rehire (2 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Farlington School in West Sussex are taking strike action today and tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd May and Wednsday 3rd May) as part of eight days of strike action throughout May over threats to sack staff unless they sign contracts that will leave them with deteriorating working conditions read more
Teachers at Durham High School take action over bullying (26 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Durham High School for Girls will be taking the first of three planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) over bullying and intimidation by school management. Members have been subject to a long-standing culture of adverse management practices and treatment which has undermined their wellbeing, health and safety in the workplace read more
NAHT
NAHT opens strike ballot after school leaders reject government’s offer (15 May) – School leaders’ union NAHT has today opened its strike ballot after members rejected the government’s most recent offer on pay and working conditions. Ballot papers are this week being sent to the homes of NAHT members asking one simple question: ‘Are you prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike’? The union’s ballot is open until 31 July, with education unions having agreed to coordinate strike action in the autumn term if it is supported by their members and the dispute cannot be resolved. Members have to vote by post by law. The ballot is being held over four issues: pay and funding; recruitment and retention; workload and wellbeing; and inspection – specifically the impact this has on school leaders’ mental health and wellbeing 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
Lecturers at Dundee & Angus College Begin Campaign Against Threat of Compulsory Redundancies (18 May) – A survey of lecturers has opened in response to the prospect of compulsory redundancies at Dundee & Angus College. The local branch of the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) is currently engaged with the management of the college over proposals to reduce the workforce, with compulsory redundancies one of several proposals made by the management side as part of a cuts agenda. In response to this threat, the local EIS-FELA branch has opened a survey for members’ views on the current situation at the college and their willingness to be balloted for industrial action, if necessary. The branch reserves the right to proceed to a consultative ballot for industrial action, against compulsory redundancies, if it is deemed required in the coming weeks and months read more
Teachers at Hutchesons’ Commence Strike Action over ‘Fire and Rehire’ Pension Cuts (18 May) – Teachers at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow, have commenced a programme of strike action over the school’s enforcement of damaging contractual changes to teachers’ pension entitlements. A statutory industrial action ballot, which closed two weeks ago, returned a result of 78% of teachers at the school supporting strike action, on a turnout of 86%. The EIS has called its members at Hutchesons’ out on strike in what is believed to be the first ever strike action at an independent school in Scotland read more
EIS-FELA Executive Condemns College Sector (11 May) – The Executive Committee of the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) has condemned the lack of fair working practices across Scotland’s public college sector. With colleges in growing number across Scotland threatening compulsory redundancies and significant concerns regarding the lack of proper consultation in these processes, the EIS-FELA Executive can no longer accept claims by college employers that they are genuinely signed up to the Scottish Government’s Fair Work agenda. Local industrial action will be undertaken in Scotland’s two largest colleges, City of Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively, with the former seeking to cut up to 100 jobs and the latter seeking to make 6 individuals compulsory redundant. In both cases, significant concerns regarding the lack of effective and meaningful consultation have been raised by the EIS-FELA branches. National industrial action short of strike (ASOS), over pay, began in Scotland’s 26 Further Education colleges on Monday 2nd May… read more
College Lecturers Begin Industrial Action In Pursuit Of Fair Pay (2 May) – College lecturers, in all of Scotland’s 26 Further Education colleges, have begun a campaign of industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay award. Members of the EIS-FELA will engage in action short of strike (ASOS) consisting of a resulting boycott and work to rule. In the case of the resulting boycott, although student assessments will be marked, these marks will not be entered into college recording systems. The work to rule aspect of ASOS will mean that college lecturers no longer carry out duties beyond what is stated in their contract, including hours of work. If the action short of strike fails to produce a fair pay award, the EIS-FELA will consider escalating industrial action to include strike action to coincide with the new academic year in August read more
INTO
Industrial Action: Phase 4 from 8am Monday 3 April (9 May) – From 3 April 2023, INTO members were instructed to undertake additional, continuous Phase Four action. A reminder of the full details can be found in the documents below:
PHASE 4: Action Short of Strike from 3 April 2023 (pdf)
PHASE 4: Appendix 1: Expansion of Action Point 28 – Leadership Members – Non-provision of Data (pdf) read more
UCU
Latest pension data confirms university staff on course for historic win (18 May) – The latest monitoring report from the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) trustee shows the cost of restoring benefits is estimated as just 21.8% of salary with the scheme showing a £7.6bn surplus. The report is the latest confirmation that benefits are set to be restored after UCU members voted last month to overwhelmingly accept employer commitments to prioritise pension restoration. In April 2022, employers cut the guaranteed future retirement income of the average scheme member by 35% read more
Call for Tyne Coast College management to stand by its staff amid sixth form college closure (16 May) – UCU today welcomed the decision of Tyne Coast College to ‘teach out’ the students at Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College before it closes, but called for a commitment to support the current staff. Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College was a key part of Tyne Met College in 2017, with its own campus, when South Tyneside College merged with Tyne Met to form the new Tyne Coast College. Prior to the merger, senior managers at the college gave a commitment that it would ‘operate across all existing sites in South Tyneside and North Tyneside’ read more
Staff at Manchester College and UCEN Manchester to begin strike action next week in row over low pay (12 May) – Staff at Manchester College and UCEN Manchester will take 12 days of strike action starting on Monday 15 May, UCU announced today. The strike comes after 94% of members who voted said backed industrial action in a ballot with a 59% turnout. This will be the fifth time that staff have been forced to take industrial action this year. An offer of 2.7% (the lowest for colleges in the North-West) was rejected by members against a backdrop of a cost of living crisis and inflation above 13% read more
Brighton University staff vow to strike in defence of over 100 jobs (10 May) – Staff at the University of Brighton have voted unanimously to ballot for strike action at an emergency UCU branch meeting last Friday. The meeting was called after the university announced plans to make up to 97 academic posts and a number of professional services staff redundant. UCU said the cuts could see well over 100 staff lose their jobs. The university claims it is cutting staff because it needs to make £17.9m in savings. The cuts would mean a huge reduction in lecturers in subjects including art, media, education, architecture, engineering, humanities and sport science. Yet Brighton already has one of the worst student to staff ratios in the UK and has spent over £50m on building projects in the last two years. Unless the university halts it could be hit with a strike ballot before the end of the month read more
Barnet & Southgate College strikes set to hit GCSE, BTEC & A-level exams (10 May) – Staff at Barnet and Southgate College will strike for three days from Friday 19 May in a long-running pay dispute. The strike dates will impact crucial GCSE, BTEC and A-level exams, including English and Maths. The full strike dates are: Friday 19 May, Monday 5 June, Wednesday 7 June. UCU said there is still time to call the strikes off and stop disruption to exams if the college makes a realistic pay offer. The strike comes after an overwhelming 96% of staff who voted backed taking action in a ballot to extend the union’s industrial mandate. UCU members have already downed tools for three days in the long-running dispute after college bosses imposed pay awards of just 1% for 2021/22 and 1% for 2020/21. The college has now imposed a further pay award of just 2.5% for 2022/23 read more
Strike ballot opens at Barnsley College over ‘unacceptable’ 2% pay offer (5 May) – A ballot for strike action opened today at Barnsley College over a consolidated pay offer for 2022/23 of just 2%. The ballot will run until Monday 12 June and if successful will pave the way for strike action during key admissions dates unless management comes back with a better offer. The industrial ballot comes after 97% of members who voted said they would back strike action in a consultative poll with a 70% turnout read more
Four days of strikes at Kirklees College over ‘derisory’ 1% pay award (5 May) – Staff at Kirklees College in Huddersfield and Dewsbury begin four days of strike action next week over a ‘derisory’ pay award of just 1%, UCU announced today. Staff will be on strike on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 May and will be picketing main entrances from 8am. Strikes are also set to go ahead on Monday 5 and Wednesday 7 June unless the college makes an improved offer. The strike follows an overwhelming 94% of UCU members who voted backing strike action, on a turnout of 54% read more
City College Norwich staff on strike today in low pay dispute (5 May) – Staff at City College Norwich are on picket lines this morning in a strike over low pay, confirmed the University and College Union (UCU) today (Friday). They will also be on strike on Tuesday and are demanding that management urgently raise pay to meet the cost of living crisis. Staff have already taken two days of strike action this year after the 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
Bradford College staff to strike tomorrow over low pay (3 May) – Staff at Bradford College will strike tomorrow in a dispute over low pay and working conditions. Staff will be on picket lines outside college entrances from 7am, UCU confirmed. The strike will be the first of 14 days of action unless staff get an improved pay offer and movement from management on unmanageable workloads read more
More strikes at Darlington College after staff reject ‘offensive’ 3% pay offer (27 Apr) – Staff at Darlington College will strike for two consecutive days on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 May after rejecting a lowball 3% pay offer. The union said there is still time for the strike to be halted, but that the college must make staff a realistic offer that helps them meet the cost-of-living crisis. Staff have already been on strike for three days so far this academic year after the college imposed a pay award of just 1% for 21/22 and UCU is reballoting its members so it can call further action read more
Further strike action this week at Havant and South Downs College in row over low pay (24 Apr) – Staff at Havant and South Downs College (HSDC) will strike tomorrow and Thursday in an ongoing dispute over low pay amid the cost-of-living crisis. Staff will be picketing main entrances to the college each strike day. The college’s pay award is worth just 3% for most college lecturers, who earn £30k – £40k. It also made a one off payment, which was only £400 for most staff. Inflation is 13.5% meaning staff are suffering a huge real terms pay cut. The National Education Union (NEU) will be joining UCU on both days of strike action, following strikes at the college in February of this year read more
Marking and assessment boycott to hit 145 UK universities from tomorrow, UCU confirms (19 Apr) – The University and College Union has today [Wednesday 19 April] confirmed that a marking and assessment boycott will commence tomorrow [Thursday 20 April] at 145 UK universities after employers failed to produce an improved offer in the pay & conditions dispute. Earlier this week, UCU members working in UK higher education voted to reject pay & conditions proposals agreed with employers. A marking and assessment boycott will cover all marking and assessment, including that in writing, online, or verbally. The boycott will also cover any assessment-related work such as exam invigilation and the administrative processing of marks. This is expected to impact graduations. A number of university employers have already announced that they will make wage deductions of up to 100% for staff taking part in the boycott, despite staff continuing to teach, lecture and support students as normal. The union has condemned the threats and said further strike action could be called in response. The boycott will continue until employers make an improved offer, at which point UCU will decide whether to continue the action or call it off. In the pensions dispute, the union will now move forward proposals with employers to restore benefits after 85% of UCU members voted in favour during a recent consultation. UCU has been clear, however, that it retains the right to take action if employers backtrack. Last month, UCU successfully renewed its industrial action mandate, allowing industrial action to be called for a further six months read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
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
NAPO
Probation Trade Unions set to submit additional Pay Claim as inflation shows no sign of abating (19 May) – Over the last few weeks the Probation Trade unions have been in dialogue about the worsening economic position and have recently served notice on the Probation Service that we intend to revisit the 3-year pay deal and submit a supplementary claim on behalf of our members. Of course, there is no guarantee as to what the employer’s response will be other than confirmation that they will engage in dialogue. If we are faced with a rejection of our claim then we will be consulting members as to the future direction that you want us to take read more
BFAWU
Foodworkers on the Breadline (9 May) – Our latest report on the impact the cost of living is having on BFAWU members is out. The short report is broken down into 2 main sections: The first section outlines our survey data. The second part presents qualitative data based on the words of our members who took part in this research, and who grimly described how the cost of living crisis is impacting on them and their families read more
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
NUJ
#SaveBBCNI BBC Northern Ireland strike (19 May) – Picket photos from today’s BBC Northern Ireland strike read more
BBC Northern Ireland journalists to strike on election results day (18 May) – BBC Northern Ireland journalists will begin strike action at 00:15 on Friday for 24 hours. Coverage of Northern Ireland local election results will be affected as journalists take action to oppose the BBC’s Digital First Strategy and the restructuring of services within Northern Ireland read more
BBC journalists to strike for 48 hours over cuts to local radio (16 May) – Members in England have rejected the BBC’s revised local radio plans and have voted for a 48-hour strike on Wednesday 7 June and Thursday 8 June. The work to rule has also been re-established. The strike will coincide with a lobby on Parliament on Wednesday 7 June. BBC members will update MPs on the NUJ campaign to keep BBC Local Radio Local and to ask them to maintain the political pressure on the BBC over proposed changes that are universally unpopular among politicians of all parties read more
BBC Northern Ireland journalists to strike (12 May) – NUJ members working across BBC Northern Ireland will take part in 24hr strike action on Friday 19 May, in opposition to proposed cuts to jobs and programmes. An industrial action ballot of members delivered a strong mandate with 83 per cent voting in favour of strike action, following the failure of BBC management to save valued programmes across Northern Ireland, and guarantee the security of journalists’ jobs. As part of cost-cutting efforts, the public service broadcaster is seeking £2.3m in savings, cutting 36 posts alongside other potential job losses. NUJ members believe the BBC’s restructuring plans will impact resources and their ability to deliver quality programmes across Northern Ireland read more
Equity
Sign and share this petition to reinstate the English National Opera (ENO) funding and lobby your MP to back our industries and their workforce
IWGB
Mandate (Ireland)
Mandate awaiting legal advice on Debenhams adjudication (16 May) – Mandate Trade Union is awaiting legal advice on the Workplace Relations Commission’s (WRC) adjudication on an application for improved redundancy terms. The terms of the adjudication (Debenahams ADJ-00038906 – ADJ-00041248) were received by the union in the post this morning (Tuesday, 16 May) and the union has informed the former Debenhams workers about them read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU members in Tara Mines call on Minister to meet with union to discuss drilling licence (16 May) – SIPTU members employed in Tara Mines attended a general meeting in the New Grange Hotel in Navan, county Meath, on Monday (15th May) to discuss a proposed pay deal, the need to renew a drilling licence for the facility and other issues affecting its operation read more
SIPTU serves notice of strike action by water workers on local authorities (15 May) – SIPTU representatives have confirmed today that they have served notice of strike and industrial action on 30 local authorities around the country. Stephen Kelly, water worker and chair of the SIPTU national negotiating committee said: “We have taken the difficult step of serving notice on the local authorities. There will be a two-day strike on 7th and 8th, June followed immediately by a series of industrial actions…” read more
Other news
‘Drawing the Line’ – exhibition by picket line artist Inga Bystram – 7 days a week at The Cock Tavern 23, Phoenix Road NW1 1HB (near Euston train station). Tel: 07908330117 Insta: ingabystram
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Support Lee Fowler – Another blacklisted construction worker sacked after making complaints about safety on site read more about Lee’s case
Support the ‘Murphy 4’ Campaign to reinstate sacked Unite members read more
Felixstowe 4’ protest demands justice at CK Hutchison AGM (18 May) read more
UK facing taps and pipes shortage as Warrington based GXO drivers strike over sacking of Unite rep (12 May) read more
Protest as Hackney Unison chair amongst those handed compulsory redundancies in libraries shake-up: 6pm Wednesday 17th May Hackney Town Hall Read more on Hackney Citizen website
#SPYCops Inquiry exposes state surveillance of workers movement
Construction blacklisting: Evidence sought in union officials’ collusion inquiry (11 Apr) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is stepping up its search for information into the possible collusion by trade union officials into the blacklisting of construction workers. In April 2022 Unite established an independent inquiry into allegations that some union officials may have colluded with the blacklisting of construction workers. Unite has instructed a legal team of Nick Randall KC (Matrix Chambers), John Carl Townsend (33 Chancery Lane Chambers) and Paul Heron from (Public Interest Law Centre), to examine and investigate whether any union officials from Unite or its predecessor unions (T&G, UCATT, Amicus, AEEU or MSF), were involved in the blacklisting of construction workers. The inquiry is now entering its next stage and an online portal has been launched to allow anyone who has any information relating to the inquiry to submit information 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
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
From NUJ website – Tunisia: Khalifa Guesmi sentenced to five years in prison (17 May) – The Tunis Court of Appeal has imposed the longest prison sentence to a journalist over his failure to disclose his source 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!
September
10 NSSN TUC Rally Liverpool
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
