NSSN 683: Unite starts industrial action at Tata Steel

The NSSN sends solidarity to steelworkers in Unite who are launching industrial action in response to Tata Steel’s senior management’s jobs massacre.

Support the action and join the Unite Port Talbot Steel Rally – Monday 17^th June, 4.40pm-6.30pm, Academy Roundabout, Harbour Way, Port Talbot SA13 2NG Facebook event.

We are delighted to announce that Port Talbot Tata Steel shop steward Jason Wyatt will speak at the NSSN Conference on Saturday 22^nd June

Unite fights back to end to Tata “bully-boy” tactics with members (7 Jun) – Unite the union has put a called out and quashed abhorrent “bully-boy” tactics by Tata management at Port Talbot yesterday (Thurs 6 June) over planned industrial action. Around 250 workers were brought together in a room at Tata in Port Talbot. The invite to the meeting said it was to discuss the consultation period of workers and it was described as a ‘business update’ In the room, staff very quickly realised that wouldn’t be the case – instead they were forced to fill in a form about whether they were going to be taking part in industrial action or not. Staff are not legally required to tell their employer at any point if they are taking part in industrial action. Following these revelations and intervention by Unite reps, Tata has agreed to stop any such meetings taking place in the future.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is appalling behaviour from Tata management but we should expect nothing less from a company which is hell-bent on closing the steel works and destroying Welsh communities. Unite will not stand for these bully-boy practices by Tata. Our reps have put a quick end to this despicable tactic and it will not be tolerated in future.”

During the meeting, senior management physically blocked the doorways to the room, to stop Unite members leaving, as well as blocking the corridors to leave the plant. Management staff then made sure everybody had filled in the form.

These actions also took place publicly and workers didn’t have anywhere private to write down their intention (or not) of taking industrial action and had managers surveilling them at all times. This is the latest in a series of disgraceful behaviours by Tata that have recently included threats to cut redundancy pay for members taking part in industrial action.

Unite Welsh regional secretary Peter Hughes added: “I’m disgusted by how our members have been treated by Tata but it comes as little surprise. They have a history of heavy-handed actions and ignoring basic decencies. Unite has put an end to such behaviour but are demanding an explanation and full apology for this misuse of power. These actions by Tata will simply fuel our members in their fight to see these vital steel works remain open.”

Around 1,500 Tata steelworkers based in Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern will stage industrial action over the company’s plans to close its blast furnaces and cut 2,800 jobs. The workers will begin working to rule as well as taking part in a continuous overtime ban from 18 June read more

Unite: Union prepares to escalate Tata industrial action after company refuses to wait for Labour’s promised investment (2 Jun) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is preparing to escalate industrial action at Port Talbot and Llanwern after Tata showed its true colours and threatened to cut redundancy pay in response to the announcement earlier this week that Unite members will begin an overtime ban and work to rule later this month read more

Find out more about the campaign: www.unitetheunion.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-steel

The other two steel unions Community and GMB have also won industrial action ballots.

NSSN Conference 2024 Saturday 22nd June: General Election called; Tories Out – Fight for a Workers Manifesto

NSSN Conference 2024: Saturday 22^nd June, 11am-4.30pm, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL Facebook event. Attendance fee – £8. You can pre-register here https://forms.gle/WjFYyvrn1BXSMJHg9. Email us for more info – [email protected]

Finally, Sunak has called the General Election for 4th July. Workers are desperate to get rid of the Tories.

Our annual conference is on Saturday 22nd June. As usual, we will be giving a platform to leaders and rank and file reps from unions involved in industrial disputes, to build support and solidarity for their action.

However, as this year’s NSSN conference takes place during the General Election, the additional theme of our event will be: ‘Tories Out – Fight for a Workers Manifesto’.

This session will be concerned with how the union movement fights for the policies that workers desperately need. We have invited representatives from a number of parties and organisations to take part in the discussion.

We have already had it confirmed that there will be speakers from the Green Party, Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition and the Peace & Justice Project.

We have set out a list of demands:-

To repeal Sunak’s ‘Strike Minimum Service Levels Act (MSL) along with Cameron’s Trade Union Act 2016, and all the rest of the Tory anti-union laws, going back to Thatcher and Major.
To re-nationalise Royal Mail, BT, buses, the energy and utility companies, steel. Immediate re-nationalisation of the railways, rather than waiting for franchises to expire
To end privatisation in the NHS and our public services.
For a real inflation-proof pay rise for workers, that protects our living standards.
For a £15/hour minimum wage with no age exemptions
Repeal of Fire & Rehire and Zero-hour contracts
Workers’ rights from day one of employment

The conference will be a chance for workers to organise for their voice to be heard in the election – and even more importantly prepare for the battles that will follow July 4th! Come to NSSN Conference – support the strikes and join the debate.

If you would like to put yourself forward to be elected on to the NSSN Steering Committee, email us in advance of the conference or inform us on the day
If your organisation would like a stall at our event, also email us

NSSN email address – [email protected]

Fight the Tory attack on our #RightToStrike

About 5,000 trade unionists marched in Cheltenham on 27^th January in opposition to the new Tory anti-union Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 (MSL), and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Thatcher’s banning of union rights at GCHQ in the town.

It was just days after the U-turn by the state-owned LNER train operating company that was reported to have signalled its intention to have used the MSL against ASLEF. The union had reacted to this threat by putting in 5 additional strike days. This apparent retreat was a defeat not only for LNER bosses but for Sunak’s Tory Government.

It showed that workers’ action can smash this vicious Tory attack on our right to strike.

It is now vital that the statement that was passed at the Special TUC Congress in December – setting out a campaign of defiance and non-compliance – is implemented and built upon:-

We will develop practical solidarity plans for unions actively engaged in strategies of non-compliance.
Support any worker subject to a work notice, including with support from across the trade union movement, if their employer disciplines them in any way.
Ensure that where any affiliate is facing significant risk of sanctions because of this legislation, we convene an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee to consider options for providing practical, industrial, financial and/or political backing to that union.
Call on all employers and public bodies with oversight to oppose this counterproductive legislation. Employers and public bodies from across the public sector and the country have already signalled their opposition to the Strikes Act. All employers and public bodies must reject it
Refuse to tell our members to cross a picket line.
Call an urgent demonstration in the event a work notice is deployed and a union or worker is sanctioned in relation to a work notice.

This is the basis for the fighting strategy that workers and unions need and now needs to be enacted.

Defend The Right to Strike – Strike Map and the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom (CTUF) have launched a ‘write to your council campaign’ to seek their commitment to not issue work notices and defend the right to strike as key employers read more in the Morning Star

Stop the attack on Gaza

Many NSSN supporters have joined marches and protests against the escalation of violence in the Middle East, particularly the invasion and bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli government

See Stop the War website for info on protests.The next national demonstration in London is on Saturday 8^th June, assemble at 12noon Russell Square

A number of unions have issued statements on the situation in the Middle East, including: the TUC, FBU, RMT, NEU, Unite, Unison, PCS, ASLEF, TSSA, UCU, EIS, CWU, Equity, BMA, NUJ, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)

NSSN news 

Get your trade union branch or trades council to affiliate to the NSSN – it only costs £50. Already affiliated? Please think about renewing it and/or making an additional donation to help our work. Also, many of our supporters pay a few pounds a month via a standing order.  

You can either pay online to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’, HSBC – sort code 40-06-41, account number 90143790. 

Or you can pay by cheque to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ and post to 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 

You can receive this bulletin via email or you can choose to unsubscribe and stop receiving them. Like everyone else, the NSSN has to adhere to new data protection regulations. Therefore you must click here to subscribe/unsubscribe. Reports from unions do not necessarily reflect NSSN’s views. 

RMT 

RMT National Dispute Fund 

Avanti West Coast caterers to strike over dire rosters and unjust working conditions (6 Jun) – RMT will launch strike action on Avanti West Coast tomorrow in response to the company’s implementation of new rosters that have led to significant stress and exhaustion among employees. Catering staff at Avanti West Coast are incensed by sudden changes to shift schedules, cuts to jobs, and enforced overtime.

These conditions have severely disrupted RMT members’ lives, making it impossible for them to plan family commitments or attend vital medical appointments, resulting in low morale amongst the workforce. The union has also discovered that Avanti management is attempting to undermine the strike by encouraging senior management to cover catering roles. These individuals lack the proper training and cannot deliver the consistent high-quality service that our members provide. Since taking over the West Coast Main Line franchise from Virgin, Avanti has been mired in industrial relations disputes, with the upcoming strike on Friday, June 7, being the latest repercussion of the company’s mismanagement read more

Northern Rail strike by members working for Carlisle Support Services this Saturday (5 Jun) – Super-exploited workers at Northern Rail will take strike action this Saturday June 8 over poor pay and dreadful working conditions. There will be picket lines at Manchester Victoria station (all entrances) from 0900 hrs and at Wigan Wallgate station from 0900 hrs. RMT members who are employed by Carlisle Support Services work at Northern Rail gate lines but are paid less than directly employed staff and cannot enter the company pension scheme or receive sick pay from their employer. The contractor also does not recognise RMT for the purposes of collective bargaining read more

RMT calls for Green New Deal following Labour offshore workers protections pledge (5 Jun) – Offshore workers union, RMT today welcomed Labour’s commitment to advancing worker protections in the energy sector, but that it must be part of a broader Green New Deal. Labour have announced that they will introduce a skills passport, protect offshore jobs and ensure workers can transition to a greener energy sector in the future read more

RMT statement on General Election (5 Jun) – We are not affiliated to any political party and will back Labour and socialist candidates, it is clear the outcome of the general election will be a Tory-led Government or Labour-led government and that in order to defeat the Tories, Labour has to win read more

Rail Gourmet Eurostar strike action over pay continues (30 May) – Contracted out workers on Eurostar are striking over pay today. RMT members working for Rail Gourmet are trying to get management back round the negotiating table. Last month, they took several days action and are determined to get a decent pay deal. The strike started on Wednesday 6am and will end Friday at 5.59am read more

Strike announced to defend unfairly sacked member (22 May) – Further to my previous Circular (IR/123/24, 19th April 2024), all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area are congratulated for standing firm together against injustice during the strike action from 3rd to 4th May. Gerald’s appeal hearing has now taken place but regrettably, LUL upheld the decision to dismiss him rather than taking action to rightly resolve this dispute. This matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee, which has taken the decision to instruct all RMT members at Oxford Circus Area to take strike action and NOT TO BOOK ON FOR SHIFTS THAT COMMENCE BETWEEN: 00:01 hours on Friday 28th June until 23:59 hours on Saturday 29th June 2024. The NEC has also taken the decision to escalate this dispute and ballot all other Station Grades members in the Bakerloo South Cover Group Area. Ballot papers were sent to members at Charing Cross Area, Elephant & Castle Area and Piccadilly Circus Area on Wednesday 15th May and these ballots will close on Thursday 30th May. I will keep Branches advised of all further developments read more

RFA staff to strike on Sunday over pay (17 May) – RMT Seafarers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will take strike action on Sunday despite efforts by the union to find a settlement. RFA have imposed a one-year deal of 4.5% which does not reflect the value and sacrifices of staff in the fleet. RMT members work as civilian merchant seafarers onboard the fleet of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels which provide the Royal Navy with vital logistic and operational support including humanitarian operations around the globe. Over 500 RFA seafarers will be taking part in the Sunday strike read more

RMT suspends strike action on Scotrail after guard role secured (15 May) – Rail union, RMT has successfully retained the guard and all the responsibilities of the role on every train along the Barrhead and East Kilbride route. Conductors will also continue to dispatch trains, including full control of the doors on departure and perform their safety critical duties. This means strikes due to go ahead on May 18,19,25,26 and June 1,2 have all been called off read more

London Underground Jobs, Pensions and Agreements dispute: RMT members smash Tory anti-union ballot thresholds once again (25 Apr) read more

CrossCountry trains strike suspended after progress (11 Apr) – RMT has suspended planned strike action on CrossCountry this Saturday, after management agreed to intensive talks to resolve the dispute. CrossCountry had refused to recognise RMT at all grades within the company. This is despite written evidence to the contrary. Now the company has agreed to sit down with RMT to address our concerns with no changes to agreements in this period read more

RFA members vote for industrial action over pay (9 Apr) – Seafarers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action over pay. RMT members working as civilian merchant seafarers onboard the fleet of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels which provide the Royal Navy with vital logistic and operational support including humanitarian operations around the world, have rejected a below inflation pay offer from management. RFA have implemented a one-year deal of 4.5% which was totally unacceptable to RMT members. Up to 500 RFA seafarers were balloted for strike action by RMT union, and we will now consider our next steps read more

ASLEF
The Tories have given up on the railway industry (1 Jun) – Colleagues, we are at a momentous point in our history – both industrially and politically – as the pressure your strength, solidarity and unity has finally brought the other side, in what have been called ‘talks about talks’, back to the negotiating table. That’s the power of our trade union – and the value and the impact of industrial action – but the announcement of an, albeit much-needed, general election may have an impact on progress. The next six weeks will determine our political and industrial lives. We are trying to ascertain whether they have the authority to continue – when we know you will – but let’s remember if they had not acted in bad faith initially, and obviated the collective bargaining machinery, and if the government had not lied about it, we would not be here in the first place read more

Train strikes announced for May Bank Holiday week – Rail passengers are being warned of disruption during the week of the May Bank Holiday after drivers announced more strikes and an overtime ban. Staff at 16 train companies will take part in rolling one-day walkouts between 7 and 9 May over pay and working conditions. An overtime ban will also take place between 6 and 11 May read more on BBC website

Train drivers at LNER to strike in row over terms and conditions – Rail services from London King’s Cross will be disrupted by the walkout on Saturday read more on Independent website

TSSA

London Underground – Further Strike Action (25 Apr) – TSSA will take strike action at London Underground on 26 April. TSSA rail union has announced a further day of strike action on Friday 26 April at London Underground by members working as Customer Service Managers. The walkouts will take place on Friday 26 April where members will not commence work on any shift starting between 00:01 to 23:59 on Friday, 26 April 2024. Accordingly, strike action will also take place on Saturday 27 April 2024 in respect of any members expected to commence shifts before 23:59 on Friday 26 April 2024 whose shifts run into Saturday 27 April 2024. When TSSA Customer Service Managers took strike action on 10 April stations closed at short notice. Similarly, the strikes this week are likely to cause stations to close at the last minute, including late night and into Saturday morning (night tube on Friday night). TSSA Customer Service Managers at London Underground will also take part in an overtime ban from 29 April to 5 May. This overtime ban will again lead to station closures at very short notice read more

Unite 

Survey of oil and gas workers raises helicopter safety fears (7 Jun) – Calls for greater safeguards to offshore flights including overwhelming opposition to reintroduction of Super Puma. Unite the union today (7 June) has revealed the findings of a helicopter safety survey completed by 1,200 offshore oil and gas workers. The survey on North Sea helicopter safety follows a series of safety concerns involving helicopters transferring workers to and from offshore installations and platforms. The poll asked a number of questions including the workers’ view on the potential reintroduction of the Super Puma model, with three quarters of respondents (75 per cent) stating they would never fly in one again. The Super Puma was removed from the oil and gas sector in 2016 following a series of fatal crashes read more

Morrisons strikes suspended after new offer from employer (6 Jun) – Planned industrial action that was due to take place at Morrisons warehouses in Northwich and Wakefield from 13 June to 16 June has been called off after the supermarket chain made an improved offer. Hundreds of workers had been taking part in strike action over proposed changes to their pension contributions that would have left them hundreds of pounds a year worse off. Additional issues surrounding pay and conditions have also been the subject of the dispute read more

Unite campaign secures new and improved offer for Barts NHS staff (6 Jun) – Unite has secured a new offer for its members in a long running industrial campaign at Barts NHS Trust, it was announced today (Thursday 6 June). Members of Unite working in a variety of roles at Barts, and at outsourcing company Synergy, have been undertaking industrial action since last year to get the trust to pay them a lump-sum payment for working during the pandemic. Unite’s members at the time worked for another outsourcing company (Serco) before transferring back into the NHS just after the imposed deadline for NHS staff to receive the payment. NHS bosses had rejected their demands and refused to ask the Treasury for additional funding to cover the payment. Following significant strikes and a campaign to put pressure on the Barts board, Unite has now secured a new offer from the trust that they will be balloting their members on in the coming days. Should Unite’s members accept the new offer, it would draw industrial action to a close. Unite regional officer Tabusam Ahmed said: “Our members have battled tooth and nail, inch by inch, to drag Barts back to the negotiating table. They should be incredibly proud that their efforts have led to this new offer on the table and we will now be balloting them on whether they want to accept it. This shows the power of a union.” If members decide to reject the latest offer then further industrial action is likely to be scheduled read more

Vantec workers’ strike threat wins pay rise at Rolls Royce ‘house of luxury’ (6 Jun) – Drivers supplying parts to Rolls Royce’s (BMW) Goodwood plant have won an inflation-beating 6.1 per cent pay rise and valuable pay protection. The pay deal is significant as it comes at a time when Unite, the UK’s largest union, is fighting to end exploitation and pay suppression hidden within the supply chains of the automotive industry’s most profitable players. Employed by Vantec, the workers deliver components to Rolls Royce’s prestigious Goodwood plant from the company’s warehouse in Bognor Regis. This is the workers’ first dispute after winning union recognition in 2023. Their victory follows recent disputes by logistics workers at BMW’s Oxford plant. Vantec reported a turnover of around £50 million last year, but some drivers were paid significantly less than workers doing similar jobs at other BMW sites in the UK. The drivers voted overwhelmingly for strike action following the breakdown of talks, prompting a new offer from the employer read more

Mitie results shows why public sector needs protecting from profiteering outsourcers (6 Jun) – Commenting on Mitie’s full year results published today (6June) which showed the company made an increased £156 million pre-tax profit and undertook a £50 million share buyback, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Mitie and its shareholders have been getting obscene profits from UK taxes which should be being used to support our collapsing public services and paying workers decently…” read more

Jiffy packaging workers in Cheshire to strike over pay and conditions (6 Jun) – Over 50 workers at the Jiffy packaging plant in Winsford, Cheshire, are to strike next month following a pay offer from their employer that Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described as “paltry”. Workers at the plant have been offered a mere 1.5 per cent pay increase despite a cost of living crisis and real rate of inflation (RPI) standing at 4.3 per cent, when the pay increase was due. Workers are therefore receiving a real-terms pay cut. Unite’s members are demanding an eight per cent pay increase backdated to the 1 April 2024. Additionally, workers are furious that they only receive eight weeks of sick pay and want to see an increase to 12 weeks alongside the reinstatement of breaks during the working day and changes to bank holiday working practices…The workers will walk out for nearly two weeks beginning on 1 July and continuing until 13 July. Jiffy Packaging is synonymous with padded envelopes and other packaging materials read more

Aberdeen and Glasgow airport workers reject pay offer (6 Jun) – 300 ICTS Central Search workers set to be balloted after breaks ‘routinely’ denied. Unite, Scotland’s leading aviation trade union, confirmed today (Thursday 6 June) that around 300 ICTS Central Search members based at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports have rejected a pay offer from the company. The ICTS Central Search workers at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports emphatically rejected a basic pay increase of four per cent backdated to January 2024, and a £500 one-off payment. Unite has confirmed that it now has “no option” but to move towards initiating industrial action ballots ahead of the summer holiday rush read more

Berry Norwich strikes off after Unite secures improved pay deal (5 Jun) – Strikes by more than 100 workers employed by Berry Norwich have been cancelled after Unite secured an improved pay deal. The workers voted to accept an above inflation pay deal worth five per cent. The deal also addresses the rates between grades and moves those on the lowest pay up to the next pay band. The workers took strike action from 19 to 21 May. All further industrial action has now been called off following the acceptance of the deal read more

Redbridge council waste services could halt as workers ballot for strike action over working conditions (4 Jun) – Refuse workers in the London Borough of Redbridge are to vote on strike action after the council has overseen a worsening of working conditions, Unite the union announced today. The workers are employed by Redbridge Civic Services Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the council, and yet are subject to far worse conditions than their council-employed colleagues. Workers are unhappy with a range of workplace issues that the council has failed to address despite pleas from workers read more

Menzies Aviation workers at Glasgow airport secure 6.8 per cent wage deal (4 Jun) – Jobs, pay and conditions of ground staff ‘significantly’ boosted. Ground services crew employed by Menzies Aviation at Glasgow airport have accepted a new one-year pay deal which will boost pay packages by 6.8 per cent. Over 200 workers including dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers have overwhelmingly accepted the Menzies Aviation pay offer, which increases basic pay by 6 per cent. The agreement will be backdated to January this year, and it follows an increase on last year’s deal with Menzies which had increased basic pay by up to 11 per cent when inflation had peaked read more

Basildon New Holland tractor strikes intensify over ‘pay betrayal’ (4 Jun) – CNH accused of time wasting and union busting as strikes by over 500 workers set throughout June. Pay strikes by more than 500 workers employed by CNH Industrial’s tractor factory in Basildon will continue throughout June, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). The workers took 10 days of strike action in May in response to CNH breaking an agreement signed in 2022 that pay increases would be calculated by the average rate of inflation over the previous year. Instead, CNH has offered a four per cent increase for 2024, rather than the 7.4 per cent it should have done. For 2024, the company, which made profits of £2.4 billion in 2023, is offering the rate of inflation as of January 2024…Fresh strike action will take place on 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 June. The strikes will severely compromise the supply of New Holland tractors from the sixty-year-old factory, which are shipped across the world read more

Workington Amcor strikes off after Unite secures pay victory (4 Jun) – Pay strikes by around 100 workers at Amcor Packaging in Workington have been called off after Unite secured an improved pay offer. The workers voted to accept an improved deal of a seven per cent pay increase backdated to October 2023 and a £500 one off payment. In total, the deal is worth between eight and nine per cent depending on pay grade…Initial strike action scheduled to begin on 29 May was called off to allow for the workers to be balloted on the improved offer. All industrial action at Amcor has now been cancelled read more

Liverpool tin can printers at Envases strike in fire and rehire dispute (3 Jun) – Many major UK companies are facing a significant shortage in tin cans later this month as printers at Envases take strike action following the company’s decision to fire and rehire them. The highly skilled printers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are taking the industrial action after the company required them to accept new contracts or be dismissed (fire and rehire). The new contracts require the printers, who had already agreed to become more flexible, to work in the company’s production hall when required. Strikes will begin on Wednesday 12 June and run until 14 June. There will then be further strike action from 17 June to 21 June and 24 June to 25 June read more

Ford managers to begin nationwide industrial action (3 Jun) – Hundreds of workers in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood angry at Ford’s approach to pay negotiations. Ford managers at sites across the country will begin industrial action later this month in a dispute over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). The workers have overwhelmingly rejected Ford’s pay offer of only a performance related merit award, which they are not guaranteed to receive. The dispute is being exacerbated by Ford’s refusal to enter into meaningful negotiations, including with the independent conciliation service Acas, even though the workers organised and achieved union recognition in 2023…Strike action may be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more

Unite the union workplace reps vote to call off strike action scheduled for tomorrow (3 Jun) – Decision comes after ‘meaningful’ progress made in talks between the four education trade unions and the employer side. Unite the union workplace reps met this afternoon and voted overwhelmingly to call off scheduled strike action tomorrow [Tuesday June 4] following receipt of an opening draft offer for workers from the Education Authority and Department of Education this afternoon. The decision follows a similar one on Saturday by Unite workplace reps to call off today’s [Monday 3 June] strike action to provide space for negotiations read more

Union prepares to escalate Tata industrial action after company refuses to wait for Labour’s promised investment (2 Jun) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is preparing to escalate industrial action at Port Talbot and Llanwern after Tata showed its true colours and threatened to cut redundancy pay in response to the announcement earlier this week that Unite members will begin an overtime ban and work to rule later this month. In a further significant threat Tata has told workers that next month’s general election will not affect it plans to close its blast furnaces. It said: “Neither the general election nor its outcome has any impact on the timings or our decision to proceed with the winding down of our heavy-end operations (blast furnaces).” In the same communication the company has threatened “to bring forward” the closure of blast furnaces. The company’s statement on its closure plans is a direct rebuff to the Labour Party, which is committed to creating a £3 billion investment steel fund to preserve steel making in the UK read more

Unite Port Talbot Steel Rally – Monday 17^th June, 4.40pm-6.30pm, Academy Roundabout, Harbour Way, Port Talbot SA13 2NG

Tata industrial action begins as workers fight to stop shutdown plans (30 May) – Tata must halt plans and wait for Labour government in July. Around 1,500 Tata steelworkers based in Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern will stage industrial action over the company’s plans to close its blast furnaces and cut 2,800 jobs. The workers, who are members of Unite, will begin working to rule as well as taking part in a continuous overtime ban from 18 June. The industrial action will severely disrupt and delay Tata’s operations and order book. Strike action will be scheduled if the company does not row back on its plans read more

Fuel shortages across North West and Scottish borders as tanker drivers strike (31 May) – Tanker drivers supplying forecourts and aviation fuel across the North West and Scottish borders, will strike over pay next week, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Around 50 Stanlow oil refinery-based drivers, who work for Hoyer, which has recently rebranded as Oxalis, are angry that their pay offer is significantly lower than that of their colleagues in other parts of the country. For example, Oxalis drivers in Thurrock and Birmingham have been offered £2 an hour more than the Stanlow drivers…The workers deliver fuel from the Stanlow oil terminal to Shell, BP and Esso forecourts predominantly across the North West and Scottish borders, as well as to airlines, including Jet2 at Liverpool airport. The workers will strike from 6 to 8 June and 13 to 15 June. The industrial action will cause significant disruption to fuel supplies across the North West and Scottish borders. Further strike will be called if the dispute is not resolved read more

Liverpool bus misery as Stagecoach drivers strike over pay (30 May) – Profitable Stagecoach pays drivers £3,000 a year less than Arriva for same job. Nearly 500 Liverpool Stagecoach bus drivers will strike over pay in June, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). The workers are angry over the huge disparity between their pay and that of Arriva Liverpool drivers. Arriva drivers are paid £1.40 more an hour, equating to around £3,000 a year, for performing the same role. Stagecoach is a profitable company that announced revenues of £773.2 million for the half year to 28 October 2023, up from £669.6 million during the previous six months. In the same period, operating profits increased to £51.1 million from £33.1 million…The workers will strike from 13 June to 18 June. As well as day-to-day travel, transport to events during the strike action, such as concerts by Taylor Swift and Pink, will also be disrupted. If the dispute is not resolved industrial action will escalate, including the possibility of indefinite all out strikes read more

Unite launches industrial action ballots across 29 Scottish councils (29 May) – Strike action involving cleansing and waste workers could begin in July. Unite, Scotland’s largest union, has today (Wednesday 29 May) announced that it has served industrial action notices to 29 councils in an escalating pay dispute. The trade union confirmed that it will ballot thousands of its members in cleansing and waste services from 5 June until 1 July when the ballots close. If the ballots for industrial action are successful, Unite revealed that strike action could begin from July with major events potentially being impacted during the summer including the Edinburgh international and fringe festivals…The only councils not involved in Unite’s ballot process are Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, and the Orkney Islands read more

Unite recommends rejection of local government pay offer (28 May) – Local government representatives of Unite, the UK’s leading union, have agreed to recommend rejection of the local government pay offer, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Unite is now undertaking the process of holding consultative ballots for its workers covered by both the local government green book agreement (the majority of council workers) and the red book (local authority craftworkers). The national employers’ pay offer of a £1,290 flat rate, plus 2.5 per cent on allowances, fails to tackle poverty pay or reverse the years of real terms pay cuts experienced by local government workers read more

Sanctuary Housing ‘terrible’ tenant services and ‘awful’ treatment of staff linked (28 May) – Strikes by London repair workers intensify as Sanctuary named in housing ombudsman severe maladministration report. Huge social landlord Sanctuary Housing’s ‘awful’ treatment of staff, which has led to long running strikes by its London repair workers, and its ‘terrible’ tenant service provision are linked, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Tuesday). Unite said Sanctuary – one Britain biggest housing associations, with assets of £5.6 billion, a surplus of £100 million and a CEO, Craig Moule, on £400,000 a year – behaves like the ‘worst kind of corporate outsourcer’ to its workers and tenants. Last week, the housing ombudsman named Sanctuary along with other landlords for knowledge and information failings in its latest report on severe maladministration. Earlier this month, an independent review into 4,000 Sanctuary homes found serious issues surrounding the landlord’s processes for dealing with repairs and complaints. The review was ordered by the housing ombudsman after it issued two ‘severe maladministration’ findings against Sanctuary. The findings, which included a case where the landlord had disregarded a tradesperson’s warning over acute damp, prompted housing secretary Micheal Gove to write to Mr Moule in December demanding improvements. The issues at Sanctuary are longstanding, with the association dubbed a ‘new landlord from Hell’ by Channel Four’s Dispatches in 2019 read more. Contact the Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch to offer support or if you are a housing worker wanting to get organised [email protected]

New industrial action set to hit Dounreay power station (28 May) – Unite blasts Nuclear Restoration Services over pay impasse. Unite the union has today (Tuesday 28 May) announced extra days of industrial action set to hit Dounreay power station as part of an ongoing pay dispute. Over 500 Unite members employed by Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (NRS) will now take 24-hour strike action on 19 June in addition to the action scheduled for tomorrow (29 May) read more

Greenwich council repair workers strike over pay being slashed by a third (24 May) – Nearly 150 workers employed by Greenwich council will begin strike action next week after the local authority brought in plans that would see them lose nearly a third (30 per cent) of their wages. The workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed within the repairs and investment service department at the London council. The council says it has done a pay benchmarking exercise and will reduce the workers’ wages. The cuts, which would be enacted in stages over four years, will see some workers lose nearly £17,000 from their salary by the fourth year…Over 140 workers will take an initial day of strike action on Tuesday 28 May. A picket line will be in place outside the Birchmere Centre in Thamesmead, SE28 8BF, from 07:00. Housing repairs across the borough will be delayed and disrupted due to the walkout. Strike action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved read more. Further strikes have been called on Monday 10^th and Tuesday 11^th June – picket lines from 8am Woolwich Town Hall

Workers at UCU to strike over working practices (23 May) – Nearly 200 workers at the University and College Union (UCU) are to take an initial day of industrial action in protest at their employer’s working practices, it was announced today (23 May 2024). Unite the union represents UCU’s staff and they are unhappy over the complete breakdown of industrial relations and the unreasonable approach taken by their employer to any negotiations. Unite’s members voted overwhelmingly for strike action. The single day of strike action will take place on 30 May 2024 alongside protests outside UCU’s conference in Bournemouth read more

Unite will make school support staff campaign for a pay and grading review an election issue (23 May) – Unite leader Sharon Graham visits Northern Ireland school support workers’ picket lines and vows to escalate campaign for improved pay and equality. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham committed her union to make an election issue of the campaign of school support workers to secure a six-year overdue pay and grading review after visiting striking education workers on the picket lines outside Mitchell House school in east Belfast yesterday. 1,500 members of Unite working as school support staff for the education authority were undertaking their third day of strike action. The pay and grading review was instructed for implementation by the national joint council pay body in 2018 but which has been left unfunded in both February’s public pay package and the draft executive budget for 2024-25 read more

Essential bus drivers for elderly and disabled in Manchester to strike over pay (22 May) – Over 60 bus drivers in Greater Manchester who transport the elderly and disabled are set to strike due to the low pay paid by Greater Manchester Accessible Transport (GMAT), a registered charity. Members of Unite, the country’s leading trade union, are paid just above minimum wage to do a physically and mentally demanding job. They provide an invaluable service, transporting the elderly, infirm or disabled from their homes across Greater Manchester to vital medical appointments, for essential shopping or for leisure and entertainment. Around 7,000 users depend on the service and Unite has encouraged the employer to come back to the negotiating table with improved terms above the below-inflation offer. Currently the lowest paid drivers receive just £11.50 per hour. Yet across Greater Manchester the current rate of pay for bus drivers is closer to £16 per hour. Following a successful industrial ballot, members will be taking strike action later this spring/summer with dates to be announced in due course read more

Vital healthcare and safety equipment workers in Wrexham to strike over pay (21 May) – Over 150 workers in Ruabon, North Wales are taking industrial action after a failure by their employer, Ceramtec UK, to make a decent pay offer. Unite’s members have been offered a measly 79 pence increase to their basic hourly rate. Considering the National Living Wage has increased by £1.02, workers at the factory expect to match or improve on that increase. Ceramtec produces high-tech ceramics for use in healthcare, safety components within the automotive and manufacturing industry. This includes items such as replacement hips and safety transducers but also advanced ceramic components for medical applications. A typical grade C, day worker, who is responsible for manufacturing ceramic medical equipment such as sensors and transducers currently earns just £11.44 per hour. Strikes are due to take place for four days from 28 – 31 May 2024. Disrupted production of Ceramtec’s products could lead to significant consequences for its customers given the use of ‘just in time’ supply chains read more

Safety critical Guys and St Thomas’ security staff intensify pay strikes (20 May) – Strikes by security staff critical to the safe running of Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals in South London have escalated, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The low paid workers, who protect staff and patients across the two hospitals, are asking for a 96p per hour pay rise. Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, however, is refusing to put forward an increase even though the workers are paid less than their counterparts at hospitals across London, such as Kings’ College Hospital, where a security officers’ salary starts at £30,000 per annum… The 30 security workers will strike for 10 days from 23 May to 2 June. Further strike action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more

Babcock Marine facing strikes as Clyde nuclear naval base workers balloted over pay (20 May) – Strike action involving 600 workers looming at Coulport and Faslane naval bases. Unite the union confirmed today (20 May) that its membership at the Coulport and Faslane naval bases on the Clyde will be balloted on industrial action in a dispute over pay. The dispute involves 600 Unite members employed by Babcock Marine (Clyde) Ltd who undertake specialist services for the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines. The offer amounts to a seven per cent increase backdated to August 2023, and three per cent for the next pay round effective from August this year. Unite’s membership have emphatically rejected the two year pay offer by 99 per cent. Unite maintains the offer represents a substantial pay cut as the true rate of inflation, RPI, stood at 9.1 per cent when the pay increase was due in August last year. The ballot which runs for two weeks opens tomorrow (21 May) and closes on 11 June read more

Fresh strike dates for workers at GXO Logistics, says Unite (17 May) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is escalating strike action at London’s GXO Logistics, in a dispute over alarmingly low pay. Unite members will now strike from Tuesday 28 May until Tuesday 18 June. New dates for the warehouse worker walkout have been announced to include weekend shifts – causing further disruption to food and beverage distribution across the capital read more

University Hospital Waterford: Support staff take action in pay justice dispute (16 May) – Dispute centres on HSE failure to upgrade laundry workers, and to recognise long serving support staff. Unite accuses HSE of leaving hospital and union in the dark over regrading plans. Trade union Unite, which represents support staff at the University Hospital Waterford (UHW), today (Thursday) announced that over 100 members working in the laundry, catering and portering departments will be engaging in a work-to-rule from Monday 27 May read more

Croydon Tramlink strike impact still being felt with reduced services (14 May) – ‘Hugely unfair pay disparities’ causing strikes and staff shortages for vital repairs. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has laid the blame for the ongoing disruption to Croydon Tramlink directly at the door of Transport for London (TfL). The disruption has been caused by essential engineering delays because of strike action and staff shortages due to ‘hugely unfair pay disparities’. Around 60 tram, stores and infrastructure engineers, who are members of Unite, took five days of strike action from Sunday (5 May) because their colleagues on the London Underground, who require the same qualifications and perform the same roles, are paid up to £10,000 more a year. Since the strike action ended, Tramlink services have been severely impacted and will likely not resume normal service until well into the summer because of wheel damage across the fleet. Disruption will become significantly worse if TfL does not engage in good faith negotiations with Unite to resolve the pay disparities, the union warned read more

Tyne and Wear British Engines workers strike over pay (13 May) – Workers angry over profitable firm’s 3% offer after wages plunge by 18% since 2019. Around 170 workers employed in Newcastle and South Shields by historic North East engineering firm British Engines will strike over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Monday). The strikes will impact three British Engines businesses: BEL Engineering in Newcastle and Rotary Power and Michell Bearings in South Shields. The workers are angry at being offered a three per cent pay rise, with each workplace voting overwhelmingly for strike action in three separate ballots. The offer is a real terms pay cut given that the real rate of inflation, RPI, is still above four per cent. Making matters worse, due to five years of below inflation pay deals, the spending power of the workers’ wages has fallen by 18 per cent since 2019. Meanwhile, according to British Engines’ latest financial report, the company made a profit after tax of £5.6 million in 2022. The year before, British Engines’ after tax profits were £5.4 million…Strike action will take place from Friday 24 May to Thursday 30 May. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

Bosch Rexroth workers back strike action in pay dispute (2 May) – 250 Glenrothes based workers set for 12-weeks strike. Unite has confirmed today (Thursday 2 May) that around 250 members working at Bosch Rexroth in Glenrothes have backed strike action in a dispute over a massive real terms pay cut. Unite’s membership overwhelmingly supported taking strike action by 83.2 per cent on a 66.8 per cent turnout. The trade union can further confirm that the workforce is now set to take 12 weeks of continuous strike action starting on 20 May until the close of play on 11 August. The dispute centres on the German-owned global tech and engineering giant making a rejected 1.25 per cent pay offer which represents a massive real terms pay cut. Bosch Rexroth engineer parts for the construction industry including gears and brakes, as well as parts for forklift trucks read more

New wave of strikes in Haringey as housing repair workers walk out over pay (26 Apr) – Housing repair workers in the London borough of Haringey are to take further strike action next week as they escalate the dispute over pay with the council. Over 100 Unite members will be taking industrial action from 29 April until 2 May. The long-running dispute has seen members already take 15 days of industrial action but the employer has refused to negotiate. Unite members are in dispute with the council over several issues including:

· The refusal to increase annual leave for housing maintenance workers to match the increase over council employees annual leave

· The failure to increase allowances, including London weighting and out of hours payments, in line with the 2022 and 2023 pay awards

· The failure to increase craft productivity scheme rates, allowances and limits since 2014 read more

Sullom Voe oil terminal facing industrial action in pay and recognition disputes (24 Apr) – Worley Services and Altrad workers unanimously back strike action. Unite the union can confirm that its Worley Services and Altrad Services members are the latest group of oil and gas workers to demand a better deal on jobs, pay and conditions at the Sullom Voe terminal in the Shetland Islands. Unite can further reveal that its membership employed by Worley Services and Altrad Services both unanimously backed strike action in industrial action ballots. Unite represents over 40 Worley Services workers including chargehands, pipefitters, riggers, mechanical fitters along with electrical and instrument technicians. The dispute centres on Unite members demanding a significant pay increase, and improvements to other terms and conditions. The demands include the establishment of a union recognition agreement with Worley Services in order that Unite can formally bargain on jobs, pay and conditions. If there is no meaningful movement by Worley then 24 hour strike action will take place on 7 and 21 May. This will be followed by 48-hour strike action taking place on 4-5 June, and 18-19 June read more

GLL workers in Greenwich stage further walkout over pay and conditions (23 Apr) – Library workers in Greenwich are to stage a further 24-hour strike after their employer, GLL, failed to negotiate a resolution to the dispute. Over 60 workers across the London Borough of Greenwich will walk out on 30 April as part of a long-running dispute over pay and the use of zero-hour contracts. GLL promotes itself as a London Living Wage (LLW) employer and yet some employees receive below the LLW and GLL has also delayed implementation of a rise to the LLW by nearly six months. Employees at GLL are rightly furious over its behaviour and the employer has refused all offers from Unite to come to the negotiating table. As well as the strike, demonstrations will be taking place across the borough. Unite is seeking to draw attention to the presence of three Labour councillors who sit on the board of GLL. Greenwich is Labour-run and yet it is contracting services to an organisation that uses zero hour contracts and fails to recognise trade unions despite describing itself as a “social enterprise” read more

Birkenhead hospital workers on strike over pay and grading (17 Apr) – Healthcare workers at the Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral, Merseyside, are striking this week and next week over a failure to recognise their workplace responsibilities. Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, who work as recovery theatre practitioners, who care for patients recovering from serious operations, are not being paid appropriately by their employer, the Wirral University Hospital Trust. The vital healthcare workers are being paid a grade below the level of responsibility and duties they are providing. Workers have been left up to £8,000 out of pocket due to being wrongly graded…Having exhausted all avenues of negotiation with their employer, staff have been left with no option but to head to the picket line. The workers were on strike yesterday (16 April) and today (17 April). More strikes are scheduled for next week, 23 and 24 April read more

Offshore chemists, heating and ventilation engineers resume strike action in escalating disputes (12 Apr) – Unite members in industrial action against IES Callenberg and SGS UK Limited over rotas and pay. Unite the union confirmed today (Friday 12 April) that around 60 members in the offshore sector including chemists, heating and ventilation engineers will resume strike action next week in escalating disputes over working rotas and pay. Unite’s IES Callenberg membership will take three-days of strike action starting on Monday (15 April) until the end of Wednesday (17 April), while chemists employed by SGS UK Limited will start week-long action on the same day but conclude their action on Sunday (21 April). The IES Callenberg dispute involves around 50 offshore workers who provide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services on offshore platforms operated by BP, TAQA, CNR, Repsol, Serica and CNOOC. The SGS UK Limited dispute exclusively centres on chemists servicing BP’s platforms the Clair, Clair Ridge, ETAP and Glen Lyon read more

Northern Ireland: Workers at Balcas Timber Ltd in Enniskillen to ballot for strike action in pay dispute (9 Apr) – Workers reject below inflation pay increase offered by company whose latest accounts reported a dramatic surge in profits.

Unite the union has today notified management at Balcas Timber Ltd, a wood-mill and Combined Heat Power plant employing approximately 280 at Killadeas, Co Fermanagh of its intent to conduct a strike ballot of the workforce. The strike ballot will open on Tuesday 16 April and remain open for three weeks closing on Tuesday 7 May. The workforce are paid as little £10.68 an hour, which is only now being increased to £11.44 an hour to comply with national minimum wage legislation read more

CWU

Save Enniskillen EE (ex-BT) site – The EE Enniskillen call centre is a lifeline for our community. It’s closure threatens over 300 jobs, eroding the heart of our local economy. This is a community crisis. Local businesses, public services, and the Fermanagh economy stand on the brink of a devastating blow

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]

Protesting Welsh culture cuts (4 Jun) – Protesters took to the streets of Cardiff, joining PCS members from Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales, to march and rally against Welsh culture sector cuts read more

Liverpool museum workers vote to accept pay offer (3 Jun) – PCS members at the National Museums Liverpool have voted to accept an improved pay offer, bringing to an end their long-running dispute. The staff took more than 60 days of action over the employer withholding a £1500 cost-of-living payment, which was part of the government’s pay offer for 2022/23. The action led to widespread gallery closures affecting the Museum of Liverpool, the World Museum, the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum, as well as the Walker Gallery, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Planned action last week was suspended so NML members could vote on an offer from management, and yesterday they voted to accept an offer of a one-off £1,200 cost-of-living payment, two extra days’ holiday a year and a 35% discount in museum cafes read more

Jobcentre security guards set to strike for 7 days (31 May) – Security guards working in jobcentres across the UK will strike for 7 days in support of fair pay from midnight on 17 June. The 200 PCS members are joining their comrades from GMB in taking action. PCS has served notice for a week of strike action on G4S for members working on the DWP contract. These members work in jobcentres and DWP back-of-house areas providing essential security that assists in keeping DWP employees and claimants safe read more

Vibrant picket line kicks off latest round of Heathrow walkouts (31 May) – The first day of the latest Heathrow Border Force strike action got off to a brilliant start with reps and members out on a vibrant and playful picket line. More than 500 PCS members in Border Force at Heathrow airport started 3 days’ strike action today in an ongoing dispute over a new roster that has been imposed. It will be followed by 3 weeks of action short of a strike that will include a work to rule and overtime ban running from 4 to 25 June read more. Sign the petition to support striking Heathrow workers

Support striking Heathrow members on their latest action (30 May) – More than 500 PCS members in Border Force at Heathrow airport are taking 3 days’ strike action this weekend in an ongoing dispute over a new roster that has been imposed read more

Conference deplores dismissal of HMRC reps (23 May) – Conference deplored the actions of HMRC in dismissing two PCS reps from Benton Park View, and in recent weeks, for launching a further two conduct and discipline cases read more

PCS strike ballot results published (15 May) – The ballot papers have been counted in our strike ballot that closed on 13 May. Our ballot of 171 civil service and related areas for strike action over our national campaign demands closed on Monday, 13 May. The ballot papers have now been counted. The total percentage of members voting yes for strike action was 83.7% of those who voted. But while a large percentage of members voted for action, the number of people who can strike is severely limited by the Tories’ anti-union laws. We achieved over 50% (the turnout required by law for strike action) in employers including DVSA, HM Land Registry, DEFRA, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Rural Payments Agency. This means that in those areas we have a legal mandate to take strike action. The turn-out figures in the areas that were below the 50% needed for action still place us in a strong position for negotiating with the government in those specific areas and more generally across the civil service. The PCS national executive committee (NEC) is meeting today to discuss the results and our annual delegate conference in Brighton next week will decide on the next steps in the campaign. Reports of decisions made at conference will be posted regularly on the PCS website read more

PCS members to begin industrial action at ONS (25 Apr) – The action short of a strike from 8 May will take the form of non-compliance with the mandatory return to the office directive. PCS members in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will begin action short of a strike on 8 May over the organisation’s introduction of a mandatory workplace attendance policy. Members voted overwhelmingly for strike action and action short of strike in a ballot that closed on 2 April, in response to an instruction that staff spend at least 40% of their working time in an office, with effect from the start of April read more

Pensions Regulator strike suspended (13 Mar) – The strike action has been suspended as a result of TPR agreeing to enter into meaningful negotiations with PCS. The strike action which was due to restart today and continue into next week has been suspended as a result of TPR agreeing to enter into meaningful negotiations with PCS over the proposals we have made to end the dispute. Importantly TPR has agreed with the key proposal that they commit to securing the funding for the full percentage pay increase to the overall pay pot suggested by the 2024/25 Treasury Pay Remit Guidance. The have stated that they are already engaging with DWP on the pay strategy for the year ahead. They have also committed to submitting a pay flexibility case for the Pay Remit Guidance in 2024/25 which will guarantee additional money to the basic pay remit pot. TPR have also agreed “to engage in meaningful consultation, on matters relating to TPR’s employee value proposition, including reward, annual leave entitlement and the pay and terms and conditions of staff TUPE transferred to TPR.“ The agreement from TPR management is as a result of PCS members taking over 50 days of strike action since 2023. We have reminded TPR that we still have a mandate for strike action until 8 May and that a failure to progress the issues in good faith and time will result in further strike action. TPR members remain in the PCS national campaign and will be participating in the ballot due to start on Monday 18 March read more

Sign our petition for members in Hinduja Global Solutions to keep their jobs (12 Mar) – Members in HGS in Liverpool have been told they will need to relocate 40 miles to keep their jobs. In November 2023 Hinduja Global Solutions announced a significant restructure on the Disclosure and Barring Service contract, which they planned to take effect from 1 April 2024. Staff were told that the restructure was a direct result of the new contract for services between HGS and DBS. The impact on PCS members in Liverpool has been damaging because the changes mean a 41% reduction in headcount (later reduced to a 26% cut) and withdrawal of all staff from the Tithebarn Street office, meaning HGS would no longer have a presence in the city read more

Prospect 

Prospect members at Dounreay to take industrial action for first time in a generation (15 Apr) – Prospect members at Dounreay have voted to take industrial action over pay, starting with two days of strike action on May 1st and May 2nd followed by a work to rule read more

FDA

FDA legal challenge over Safety of Rwanda Act heard at Royal Courts of Justice (5 Jun) – The FDA’s legal challenge relating to the relationship of the Civil Service Code with the UK government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday 6 June. The union’s statement of facts, as presented to the court, outlines the timeline of events and why we felt we had no choice but to ask the court to intervene read more

GMB 

TDR’s bigger stake in Asda bad news for staff and shoppers (7 Jun) – TDR Capital taking a bigger stake in Asda is bad news for shoppers and staff, GMB Union has warned. In an announcement to staff today [Friday] Moshin Issa said TDR Capital had acquired ‘my brother Zuber’s shares. We expect this transaction to complete in Q3 this year’ read more

Stonehenge School rocked by strike ballot (5 Jun) – Wiltshire school close to famous landmark being balloted by GMB union. GMB, the union for school support staff, is balloting members at The Stonehenge School in Amesbury, Wiltshire over changes to working practices. More than a dozen members of support staff are being balloted over changes to working practices, including additional duties interrupting the lunch breaks enjoyed by some colleagues for 17 years. The ballot opens on Monday 10 June and closes on Monday 1 July read more

Strike set to ‘decimate’ services at Orpington’s Princess Royal Hospital (28 May) – More than 100 workers at Princess Royal University Hospital are set to down tools from early morning on Wednesday 29 until midnight on Thursday 30 May.

Members of GMB, the union for healthcare workers, voted to take action over a number of workplace issues, including regularly delayed pay and non-payment of a Covid bonus paid to other colleagues on site. The striking workers are employed by the hospital’s private contractor ISS as cleaners, caterers, porters and security staff. Anyone wishing to visit the picket line can do so any time from Wednesday 29 May 00:01 to Thursday 30 May at 23:59, with a demonstration photocall between 9am and 10am on Wednesday. The demonstration will be outside the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough Common, Orpington, BR6 8ND read more

Asda Brighton Hollingbury Bank Holiday Weekend strike set to cause barbecue chaos (24 May) – Customers will have to cross a picket line to get barbecue and picnic supplies. More than 100 workers at Asda’s Brighton Hollingbury superstore are set to down tools from 20:00 on Friday 24 May until 15:00 on Saturday 25 May read more

Asda Lowestoft workers announce strike dates (18 Apr) – Asda workers Lowestoft have announced the dates they will strike. Almost 200 workers are set to down tools for 48 hours from 00:01 on Friday 10 May until 23.59 on Saturday 11 May read more

Wisbech Asda workers in two day Easter strike (28 Mar) – Asda Wisbech workers will strike this Easter weekend on one of the supermarket’s busiest periods. Around 170 Wisbech Asda workers will walk out from 00:01 to 23:59 on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 March – Easter weekend. The strike has been caused by cuts to hours and an increase in a bullying management culture. Workers are also angry about poor levels of training and support for their job roles, the equal pay claim dragging on for years, health, safety and fire safety issues being ignored and a lack of collective bargaining with GMB Union read more

Nottinghamshire hospital workers announce more strikes (24 May) – Private contractors at three of Nottinghamshire’s biggest hospitals are set for two more days of strikes. Employed by Medirest, a private contractor in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust, workers are furious as company bosses refuse to keep terms and conditions in line with colleagues employed directly by the NHS. Strike action will take place from 06:00 on Thursday 30 May through to 05:59 on Saturday 01 June. Nearly three hundred workers, including porters, cleaners, security staff, catering workers and reception teams will take part in the walkout at King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark Community Hospitals read more

Birmingham faces school strike escalation (22 May) – GMB Union will ballot members in 35 additional schools. Along with the thirty-five that took part in strike action earlier this month, this brings the total number of Birmingham schools facing equal pay strike distribution in the city to 70. Workers including teaching assistants, catering staff and grounds maintenance workers will take part in the ballot. The vote comes after the union slammed council bosses for delays and broken promises on settling GMB members claims for equal pay read more

DWP must step in to stop Job Centre strikes (20 May) – The DWP must step in to end a dispute which will see more than 1,000 job centre security guards strike. Security guards employed by G4S across the UK are set to walk out from 00:01 until 23:59 on 20 May over a real terms pay cut that has seen 90 per cent of them paid just the minimum wage. DWP has handed G4S £211 million by the Department for Work and Pensions since Dec 2022, despite employment costs being just £161 during the same period. GMB has now called on DWP to step in ahead of the next strike dates, May 28 and 29 read more

BCP Council hit by GMB union strike ballot (20 May) – Council workers being balloted over non-disclosure of information relating to job re-evaluation. Members of GMB, the union for BCP Council, are now being balloted as part of a long-running dispute, centred around the council’s job re-evaluation and regrading process. The workers are based within the council’s waste, recycling and street services and are based at the Southcote Road and Hatchpond Depots. The council is aiming to harmonise pay across the council, after the coming together of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Borough Councils on 1 April 2019. Despite several meetings with GMB union since members first rejected the council proposal in mid-March, council staff are still not being allowed to see data informing them of how changes will affect them personally. The formal ballot, scrutinised by Civica, is now open and will close on Wednesday 29 May, meaning any strike action could take place as early as mid-June read more

More than 3,000 NI education workers announce strike dates (14 May) – More than 3,000 GMB members working in Northern Ireland’s education will strike in a dispute over pay and grading

Classroom assistants, drivers, bus escorts, catering staff, cleaning staff, administrative, building supervisors and technicians are set to take four days of industrial action on 20 and 21 May and 3 and 4 June 2024. This mainly low paid women workforce are either are on temporary contracts, only work term time or are on part-time contracts. GMB, along with Nipsa, Unison and Unite, is fighting for a fully funded implementation of the education pay and grading Review for these workers. Primary responsibility for funding lies with the Northern Ireland Assembly and ultimately with Treasury read more

Cheshire nuclear workers vote to strike (13 May) – Nuclear workers in Cheshire have voted to strike in a dispute over pay. Around 500 staff at the Urenco Nuclear site in Capenhurst voted for industrial action after pay talks broke down. Unions GMB, Unite and Prospect will now meet with members to discuss strike dates read more

Industrial action hits defence giant Rolls-Royce (29 Apr) – GMB members working on the company’s nuclear submarine programme have begun industrial action. The action begins today, Monday 29 April, and will run for one month. The action comes after 90 per cent of GMB members at the company supported action if company bosses failed to present a pay rise acceptable to union members. Known as ‘work to rule’, the industrial action will see GMB members applying strict limits to working outside of pre-agreed processes read more

Amazon workers will decide on union recognition (19 Apr) – Amazon workers are one step closer to Europe’s first recognised union at the retail giant. GMB Union has today announced that the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), the Government body responsible for regulating collective bargaining between workers and employers, has ruled in favour of GMB’s application for a union recognition vote at the company’s Coventry Warehouse read more

Birmingham Amazon workers join strike action (27 Mar) – Workers are escalating their campaign for £15 and union recognition at the online retail giant’s Birmingham warehouse. Workers at Amazon’s new flagship HQ in Birmingham, a £500 million site that only opened its doors in October, will down tools this week in an escalation of the ongoing strike action hitting the company. The strike dates come as GMB members at the company submit their application for mandatory recognition to the Government’s Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). Last week workers at the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre walked out, making March the biggest month of strike action in company history read more

Swindon Borough Council faces strike vote over ‘colonial era work practices,’ says GMB (24 Apr) – Social workers at Swindon Borough Council are set for a strike vote over ‘colonial era working practices’, GMB Union claims. Staff – many recruited directly from India – were handed a contractually agreed £8,000 signing on bonus and a £7,000 recruitment and retention bonuses spread over three years. The recruitment and retention bonus has now been stopped but they are still being told if they leave Swindon Council within three years, they will have to pay back the £8,000. The move only affects staff recruited from India – with no equivalent reduction of money for social workers from the UK. All 14 workers have written writing to management but have been ignored, while Jim Robbins, Labour leader of the council, has not responded to GMB Union. The ballot closes on Friday 26 April 2024 read more

Epsom & St Helier ambulance strike to begin on Wednesday amid union claims of expensive strike busting (22 Apr) – The Trust look set to pay for private hire vehicles for patients on the strike days but not to pay these members what they’re owed, says GMB. GMB, the union for NHS workers, can today announce the dates for the strike action at Epsom & St Helier NHS Trust. Members of the union employed as Care Assistants in the patient transfer ambulances will be taking strike action this Wednesday [24 April] and will also strike on Thursday 2, Friday 3 and Tuesday 7 May. The escalating dispute centres around backpay, with some workers owed up to £1300 for non-payment of the London Living Wage read more

South Western Ambulance Workers balloted over ‘dangerous’ breaks (16 Apr) – South Western Ambulance Trust (SWAST) workers are set to be balloted over a break policy which could be dangerous. Workers are forced to take their break wherever the nearest, often overcrowded, depot is and have been advised to carry their food in their cabs. The union has health and safety concerns over the new policy – including the risk of food poisoning due to a lack of chilled storage and loose food and drink containers posing a risk when travelling at speed responding to an emergency. GMB, the union for ambulance workers, has told SWAST some staff with reasonable adjustments prescribed by occupational health must be exempt from the policy – but management has so far refused to hear grievances. The ballot is due to close on 17 May 2024 and could see members balloted formally for strike action read more

Unison 

Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund 

Stop the Council Cuts – Sign the petition: Save our Services – Nottingham City – started by Nottingham City Unison

Support Barnet UNISON Mental Health social worker strike – Mental Health Social Worker Strike Escalates! (17 May) – UNISON has sent a strike notification to the soon to be departing chief executive stating that our members will be on strike for the period between 3 June and 14 June. Our previous strike timetable was as follows:-

From 15 April to 26 April 2024 (two weeks). Already taken.
From 13 May to 1 June 2024 (three weeks).
From 17 June to 12 July 2024. (four weeks).

The strike notification in effect means our members will be on strike continuously from Monday 13 May until Friday 12 July a total of nine weeks read more

Send messages of support to [email protected]

Watch video!! #BarnetUNISON mental health social workers speaking out against strike breaking

Councils face ‘existential crisis’ without proper investment from next government (7 Jun) – Local authorities need sustained funding if services and jobs are to be saved. Commenting on a new white paper from the Local Government Association that calculates councils in England face a £6.2bn funding shortfall over the next two years, UNISON head of local government Mike Short said today (Friday): “Councils are facing an existential crisis because of years of severe government underfunding…” read more

Workers in councils and schools should reject low pay offer, says UNISON (23 May) – Staff to be consulted over employers’ pay proposal. Council and school staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are worth far more than the “disappointing” pay increase they’ve been offered by employers, says UNISON today (Thursday). The union is to consult hundreds of thousands of workers in local government over the £1,290 offer made last week, with a recommendation they vote to reject it. UNISON is calling for an improvement to pay that fairly rewards council and school staff, many of whom are in low-wage roles, for the essential services they provide read more

Striking NHS staff across Teesside announce five more days of action (15 May) – UNISON has repeatedly asked the trusts to negotiate a resolution to the dispute but the employers have so far refused to do so. Healthcare assistants employed by North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been forced to take a further period of strike action in their dispute over wage rates and back pay, says UNISON today (Wednesday). The latest action will begin at 8am on Monday (20 May) and continue for five days until Saturday morning. This round of walkouts across Teesside follows a 24-hour strike in March and a 72-hour stoppage last month (April), in which hundreds of staff left their posts across seven sites at the two trusts. Staff have been campaigning to move to a wage band in the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale that more accurately reflects the work they’ve been doing and secure a fair back pay settlement read more

NIPSA 

PSNI members ballot for industrial action (3 Jun) – NIPSA’s members in the PSNI are participating in a ballot for Industrial Action and Action Short of Strike Action. This is in relation to the years of stagnation whereby police staff are given significantly less than their Police Officer counterparts in what is widely known as “danger money”, formally named the “Revised Environmental Allowance” (REA). IPSA members face similar threats as their Officer counterparts on a daily basis yet are only afforded 1/7th of the financial reward of their colleagues in green. This threat is solely linked to being employed by the PSNI and our members are considered ‘legitimate targets’ by those who wish to disrupt society and threaten peace read more

Education members update: its your future, fight for it (21 May) – Welcome to this edition of our NIPSA Members Update for education workers. We hope you find it useful. You will be aware that NIPSA is involved in action to achieve Pay and Grading justice. This has involved publicity, campaigning, lobbying and industrial action. We have made considerable progress but there is still some distance to go. With that in mind NIPSA Education Strike Committee met today, 21 May 2024, to agree next steps. All NIPSA branches in education were represented. The Strike Committee has agreed the following, A strike day on Monday 3 June 2024 read more

Health Strike (30 Apr) – NIPSA, the largest trade union in Northern Ireland, has issued notice to the Belfast Health Trust that strike action will commence on May 8 and continue until May 10. This action is being taken in Family and Childcare (social services). The strike action will run in parallel with action short of strike action and will be expanded to other health trusts over the next few weeks. Approximately 40 NIPSA members will take part in the strike action read more

Royal College of Nursing 

RCN

Nursing education crisis: ‘we need action now’ (6 Jun) – Nursing lecturers tell us they’re facing redundancy amid severe financial challenges affecting universities. The next UK government must deliver an emergency intervention within 100 days of taking office, insists the RCN read more

Corridor care: RCN declares ‘national emergency’ and demands political action (3 Jun) – Nursing staff are regularly forced to provide care to patients in chairs and corridors, compromising patient safety and dignity. We’re asking members to call it out and join our fight to eradicate the practice read more

RCN members vote to reject pay offer for nursing staff in Northern Ireland (22 Mar) – The results of the RCN’s consultation on the HSC pay offer for nursing staff in Northern Ireland have been announced read more

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

RCM

Election is no excuse to delay already overdue pay rise says RCM (28 May) – A General Election is no excuse to delay the already overdue pay rise hardworking midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) need and deserve. That’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in a letter to Victoria Atkins, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The RCM has written to the Secretary of State highlighting its frustration and anger of its members as they wait for another year in limbo when it comes to their pay read more

RCM launches snap poll for members in Northern Ireland (22 Apr) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling all its members in Northern Ireland to take part in its snap poll on additional hours worked which launches today. The RCM wants to know how many unpaid extra hours its members worked during last week, 15-21 April. Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) can let the RCM know by taking this quick poll here. Earlier this month RCM members in England, Scotland and Wales told the RCM that they had worked 136,834 extra unpaid hours to keep services running safely. The RCM says that now members in Northern Ireland have voted to accept the pay offer, it’s their turn to tally up the extra unpaid hours they’ve been working read more

BMA 

Donate to support striking junior doctors 

BMA

Junior doctors in Norhern Ireland march for pay restoration (7 Jun) – Stormont sees hundreds of disaffected doctors gather to seek fair remuneration read more

Urgent action demand on pay in Northern Ireland (6 Jun) – Junior doctors begin another round of industrial activity. Junior doctors will gather at Stormont today in a rally to mark the latest round of industrial action in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of junior doctors are expected to take part in the event at the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly to call for urgent action to reverse years of real-terms pay decline read more

Junior doctors plan strike prior to general election (29 May) – BMA requested Government make final offer which failed to materialise forcing further action. Junior doctors in England are set to resume strike action ahead of the general election, following the Government’s failure to provide a credible offer over restoring pay. The association’s junior doctors committee has announced doctors will stage a full, five-day walkout from 7am 27 June, unless the Government announces a ‘concrete commitment’ to restoring pay. Following months of industrial action, the BMA announced earlier this month that it had agreed to enter externally mediated talks with the Government in an effort to reach a ‘credible solution’ over the long-running pay dispute. Today’s announcement of renewed strikes comes after prime minister Rishi Sunak’s decision last week on 22 May to call a general election for 4 July. Following this announcement, the association said it gave ministers a ‘final opportunity’ to make an offer and avoid further strike action, but that this request was ignored. BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi said that doctors will now embark on a full walk-out by junior doctors beginning at 7am 27 June 2024 and ending 7am 2 July read more

Strike for fair pay commences (22 May) – Rejection of demand for full pay restoration forces walk-out in Northern Ireland read more

Government offers revised pay deal (16 May) – SAS doctors are set to vote on a new and improved offer on pay, after the BMA secured a concession following negotiations with the Government read more

Consultants in Northern Ireland to be balloted for industrial action (25 Apr) – No alternative’ as talks break down and deal agreed in England. Consultants in Northern Ireland are to be balloted on industrial action, the BMA has announced. The five-week ballot will open on 7 May 2024 after talks between consultant representatives from the BMA Northern Ireland consultants committee and the devolved Department of Health broke down read more

Doctors to enter pay negotiations with the Welsh Government (9 Apr) – BMA Cymru Wales has suspended forthcoming industrial action for Consultants and SAS doctors following a constructive meeting with the Welsh government to resolve its pay disputes. As a result of sustained pressure, including three rounds of industrial action by junior doctors in Wales, the Welsh Government has made a significant proposal to form the basis of talks to end the pay disputes with all secondary care doctors including Consultants, SAS and Junior doctors. Since the meeting last week, the committees representing doctors from all three branches of practice have voted to enter pay negotiations based on this proposal. The planned 48-hour strike by Consultants and SAS doctors due to take place from 16th April will now be suspended. Junior doctors have paused plans to announce more strike dates whilst they enter negotiations with the Welsh Government. The Welsh junior doctors committee, Welsh SAS committee and Welsh consultants committee will now each engage in pay negotiations, with the aim of reaching deals which can be taken separately to their respective members read more

HCSA

Reballot outcome: thresholds narrowly missed – In the latest HCSA reballot of junior doctors in England, those who voted returned a resounding 95.25 percent Yes vote for strike. However, strict trade union legislation dictates that this is not enough. Unions are additionally required to have over 50 percent of members participate in a postal ballot to move to strike. Unfortunately, this legal threshold was narrowly missed by just 0.5 percentage points, with 49.5 percent of HCSA junior doctors returning their postal ballots. This is not the end of the campaign for HCSA. The prospect of a new government after the general election is an opportunity to impress on political leaders the need for a change of approach on junior doctor pay. It will be HCSA’s priority to forge links with the new government, regardless of its political make-up, and press for an urgent plan to restore pay. HCSA will continue to be led by our members. If attempts to engage politically do not produce an increased offer for junior doctors, HCSA will consult the membership and explore the best way forward. We will not rule out the possibility of a future strike ballot read more

HCSA launches pay consultation of consultant and SAS members in Northern Ireland (21 May) – HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union has today opened a consultation of consultant and SAS doctors in Northern Ireland on NHS pay. Members are being asked whether they are willing to take strike action and/or action short of strike over pay read more

NEU

Support for Free School Meals (4 Jun) – Deltapoll/NEU poll finds majority support for extending Free School Meals to all primary school children read more

NEU launches manifesto for education (3 Jun) – The union has identified ten key policy areas in need of urgent attention from the next Government. As part of its Value Education, Vote for Education campaign, the National Education Union (NEU) has today launched its manifesto for education. The union has identified ten key policy areas in need of urgent attention from the next Government read more

Support these strikes:-

Action	Date	Contact
Glendale Middle School / Northumberland (Redundancies)	11,13 June	Sean Kelly [email protected]
James Allen’s Girls School / Southwark (TPS)	11-13 June	Freddy Vanson [email protected]
The Liverpool Blue Coat School / Liverpool (Conditions of Service)	12-13 June	Graham Copsey [email protected]
QEGS Mat Schools Chellaston, City of Derby, QEGS Derby / (City of Derby & Derbyshire) (Conditions of Service)	13 June	Kieran Picken [email protected] Daniel Bracken-Neale [email protected]
Belmont Park / Waltham Forest (Conditions of Service)	13-14 June	Pablo Phillips [email protected]
Bryon Court Primary / Brent (Forced Academisation)	14 June	Jennifer Cooper [email protected]

NASUWT

Strike action in Northumberland schools over jobs threat (5 Jun) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union are starting the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) at three middle schools in Northumberland where approximately 50 to 60 teachers are at threat of losing their jobs over reorganisation plans. From the outset, Northumberland County Council committed to protect staff from Job losses, but they have so far failed to honour this pledge. Northumberland County Council plans to close Glendale, Tweedmouth and Berwick Middle Schools as part of a move to a primary and secondary school system. Currently, the Council is refusing to consider either redeployment or voluntary redundancy schemes for affected teachers read more

Llangors Church In Wales primary teachers shunned by Powys LA (5 Jun) – Now in their 13th week of industrial dispute over adverse management, governance and avoidable redundancy through financial mismanagement, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Llangors Church in Wales Primary School are due to take their 11th day of strike action (Thursday 6th June). Powys County Council’s persistent failure to negotiate with NASUWT continues and the reduction of the teaching workforce is still proceeding, despite the ending of a dismissal process by compulsory redundancy of a member of staff read more

Wembley teachers strike over forced academy plans (3 Jun) – NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is taking the first of eleven planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) at Byron Court Primary School in Wembley over plans to force the school to become an academy. Removing the school from local authority control threatens teachers’ jobs and their terms and conditions. Parents as well as school staff oppose the forcible academisation of the school, which follows an Ofsted inspection late last year and the triggering of an automatic academy order by the Department for Education read more

Cheadle teachers fight pay and pensions attack (14 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Lady Barn House School in Cheadle are taking the first of six planned days of strike action on Thursday after they were threatened with being fired from their jobs unless they accept a pay cut to retain access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The employer is threatening teachers with ‘fire and rehire’ to force through new and inferior contracts which impose a 3.5% pay cut in return for remaining in the TPS. Despite current financial forecasts from the school stating they can afford to continue paying pension contributions up to 2028, the employer has refused to delay the imposition of contractual changes on staff read more

Teachers at Llangors CiW Primary School escalate to councillors in 6th week of strike action (13 May) – On Tuesday 14th and Thursday 16th May, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Llangors CiW Primary School in Llangorse will once again take strike action. An early morning picket will take place from 07:30 – 09:00 on Thursday with support from members of the local community. This will include the school’s former Foundation Governors, who resigned last month in support of the teachers. The dispute continues as the Council’s failure to engage in negotiations with NASUWT persists, with no communication from the local authority since 29th April. NASUWT members have now reached out to all 67 councillors in Powys, stating terms for resolution and requesting urgent action read more

Teachers to strike at Lincoln school over bullying concerns (22 Apr) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Sir Francis Hill Community Primary School in Lincoln will begin strike action this week over bullying and adverse management practices. The first planned day of industrial action will take place on Wednesday 24th April and further days are planned for the 1st and 2nd May. NASUWT members have endured a pattern of bullying that has affected the health, safety and welfare of teachers. Strike action is the last resort to restore a safe and supportive atmosphere to the school read more

Employer intransigence prompts further strike action at Ascot school (17 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at St Mary’s School in Ascot are taking the first of six further days of strike action today over attempts to downgrade their pensions. This follows an initial day of strike action in March. Teachers are facing the forcible withdrawal of their pensions from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to an inferior Defined Contribution (DC) scheme, which will pay out less in retirement. Teachers have been told that if they do not accept the transfer of their pensions, they will be dismissed from their jobs and reengaged on new contracts which include the DC pension arrangements read more

Norfolk teachers strike to protect their pensions (16 Apr) – Teachers at Aurora Eccles and Aurora Whitehouse schools in Norfolk are taking strike action after their employer threatened to remove them from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) under threat of being sacked. The Aurora Group runs publically funded schools for children and young people with special needs. The DFE have fully funded councils to pay for increased employer contributions to the TPS and the council has passed this funding onto Aurora. Aurora are however choosing to keep this money instead of passing it on to teachers, which means that teachers would be forced to move to a cheaper, inferior pension scheme. The employer has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the NASUWT, causing great distress to our members. They are left with no action but to take strike action this week and in the coming weeks to protect their pensions and their livlehoods. Further strike action is planned for Tuesday 23 April, Wednesday 24 April and Thursday 25 April read more

Teachers at Boston school strike for a safe working environment (16 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Haven High Academy in Boston are due to begin the first of six days of strike action on Wednesday over adverse management practices, including the failure of the employer to put in place adequate measures to deal with poor pupil behaviour. Teachers at the school feel they are being left vulnerable to abuse and violence from pupils due to a lack of consistent sanctions for students and support from management to manage pupil behaviour read more

Teachers at Chester college strike over pensions attack (15 Apr) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Abbey Gate College in Chester are taking a further five planned days of strike action, starting tomorrow (Tuesday) over attempts to make teachers choose between their pension or their pay. The employer is attempting to remove staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and enrol them in an inferior Defined Contribution scheme. If teachers choose to remain in the TPS they must accept a reduced salary. Teachers took an initial day of strike action last month read more

EIS 

EIS AGM: Dundee and Angus College Picket as College Dispute Rolls On (6 Jun) – EIS-FELA members at Dundee and Angus College will hold a picket and rally at D&A Kingsway Campus on Friday 7th June. The strike action at D&A College is part of a national day of industrial action being undertaken by FELA members as part of the ongoing pay campaign, and coincides with EIS AGM being held at the Caird Hall (6th-8th June) in Dundee read more

Rejection of Employers’ Side Pay Offer – Statement by SNCT Teachers’ Panel (5 Jun) – The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) has today unanimously rejected the pay offer made by COSLA on 4th June 2024. In this formal rejection, the Teachers’ Panel was clear that a pay offer of 2%, from August 2024, followed by a further 1% in May 2025, falls far short of its expectations in relation to the restoration of the value of teachers’ pay read more

EIS Rejects Further Education Minister’s call for end to Action Short of Strike (31 May) – The EIS has responded to the statement made In the Scottish Parliament, by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Graeme Dey in regards to the ongoing national pay dispute involving college lecturers. In his statement, the Minister conveyed Scottish Government tolerance of Scottish colleges in their use of deeming, which is the withholding of up to 100% of salaries from staff taking industrial action short of strike (ASOS). Rather than put an unequivocal stop to threats of deeming by college employers, Mr Dey invited the EIS-FELA to abandon the industrial action that they have been forced to take in pursuit of a fair pay rise, in exchange for colleges not to deem – essentially asking members to give in to the threat of deeming read more

Glasgow EIS Opens Consultative Ballot over Education Cuts (22 May) – The Glasgow local association of the EIS has opened a consultative ballot of its members to gauge their willingness to take industrial action in opposition to Glasgow’s Council’s planned education cuts. This three-week ballot is the next step in EIS Glasgow’s dispute with Glasgow City Council over deep cuts to teacher numbers which has already seen 125 teachers lost this year, with a further 172 set to go next session and a total of 450 proposed teaching posts lost over the course of Glasgow City Council’s 3-year budget plan read more

INTO

Non Teaching Staff Strike Action 03 June 2024 – INTO acknowledge that our sister unions must pursue their objectives in ways most appropriate to their members. The interests of INTO and our non-teaching trade unions are not dissimilar, and to be clear, the INTO supports their endeavours. Our non-teaching education staff are essential and vital to the running of our schools. Indeed, our schools simply would not function without them. Our members have reported, over many years, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff to the many essential non-teaching roles in schools. This is directly related to their salary and how they are valued. Our children need these workers to be appropriately remunerated for the essential role they fulfil. Therefore, we stand fully behind them in this dispute and will take no steps to undermine their campaign. INTO members should not reduce the efficacy of the industrial action of classroom assistants. Our members should undertake no duties that would be untypical of that day read more

UCU 

Staff vote to strike at University of Lincoln over job cuts (6 Jun) – UCU has today announced that members at the University of Lincoln have voted to take industrial action over drastic cuts to over 200 jobs. 80% of members who voted supported industrial action, on a turnout of 55%. Dates for strikes will be announced in due course, but may be as soon as next month which could impact clearing and open days. The looming threat targets over 220 employees across the university, including one in ten academic staff. This is despite the most recent accounts showing that in 2022/23 the university ran a £3m operating surplus and had £46m in cash reserves read more

University of Cambridge college supervisors win 15% pay rise (5 Jun) – University of Cambridge college supervisors have won an average pay rise worth 15%. The bumper pay jump follows Cambridge UCU’s multi-year ‘Justice for College Supervisors’ campaign. College supervisors lead undergraduate tutorials, or ‘supervisions’ as they are known, yet many are precariously employed by colleges and paid an hourly rate. The campaign demanded that supervisors’ training be paid, that pay packets properly reflect the full number of hours spent on preparation, and that supervisors be moved from gig-economy style hourly paid contracts into secure employment read more

UCU declares academic boycott of Goldsmiths over job cuts (3 Jun) – UCU today announced a global academic boycott of Goldsmiths, University of London over the institution’s plans to cut jobs. Staff at Goldsmiths are already undertaking a marking boycott in a dispute over management’s attempt to sack more than one in six academic staff. With Goldsmiths and its boss Professor Frances Corner refusing to back down from these devastating plans, UCU’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) has approved escalation to an academic boycott, beginning today read more

University of Winchester staff to strike tomorrow (3 Jun) – University of Winchester staff will strike tomorrow over brutal job cuts. Staff will be picketing the university from 8am tomorrow morning. They will then begin action short of strike on Wednesday (5 June), including working to rule and refusing to cover for absent colleagues. The action follows an overwhelming 79% of UCU members voting to strike on a turnout of 59% in a fight against plans to cut around 40 academic staff and increase workloads. UCU fears the changes will lead to unmanageable working hours read more

Staff vote to strike at Sheffield Hallam University over ‘vicious job cuts’ (3 Jun) – UCU today announced that members at Sheffield Hallam University have voted to strike over drastic cuts and erosion of terms and conditions. 87% of members who voted have supported industrial action, on a turnout of 53%. Dates for strikes will be announced in due course. UCU has accused the university of pushing ahead with expensive building projects and satellite campuses, while launching a wholesale attack on staff and students through an unprecedented cuts programme, severely breaching the post-92 contract and national framework, and destroying working conditions read more

Staff to strike at North East college group open day (2 May) – Staff at five colleges in Cleveland, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees will strike on Thursday 16 and Wednesday 22 May in a long running dispute over low pay that has already seen staff down tools for eight days. On Thursday 16 May staff will picket the open day at Redcar and Cleveland College campus and on Wednesday 22 May they will picket Stockton and Riverside College campus. The strike action is the latest escalation after staff rejected employer Education Training Collective’s (ETC) most recent offer. This did not include any improvement on pay and was limited to an extra two “wellbeing days” and additional points on the lecturer and course leader pay scales starting on Thursday 1 August 2024. ETC’s position on pay remains that it wants staff to accept a paltry increase of just 3% for 22/23, with an additional 1% from May 2023 read more

University of Kent staff vote to strike over course closure “bonfire” as VC quits (5 Apr) – Staff at the University of Kent have backed strike action in defence of jobs. The result comes as the person in charge of the cuts, vice-chancellor Karen Cox, announces she will step down in May, before they are even implemented. An overwhelming 85% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 57%. The vote comes after 58 staff were placed at risk of redundancy as part of a programme that would see courses closed across the university read more

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

FBU

Union leader tells Labour to put workers’ rights at heart of campaign, as Clause V meeting gathers (7 Jun) – The Labour Party is due to meet today for its ‘Clause V’ meeting, which sets the party’s manifesto ahead of the general election. Affiliated trade unions, including the Fire Brigades Union, will be in attendance. “This general election is an opportunity to end fourteen years of vicious attacks on working people under the Tories. After over a decade of pay cuts and attacks on conditions, workers have had enough. Strengthening workers’ rights and reversing authoritarian anti-trade union laws are popular, vote winning policies…” read more

Fire Brigades Union responds to latest Senedd report on fire service governance failings (6 Jun) – Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee has today published a new report on the governance of Welsh fire and rescue services. Following an investigation into the controversial appointment of Stuart Millington as Interim Chief Fire Officer for South Wales, the report finds a lack of clarity and “troubling” responses from respondents in senior positions read more

Firefighters win 4% pay offer and advances on maternity following talks (26 Apr) – 4% headline pay offer 2024. Firefighters and fire control staff have been offered a package of pay improvements, including an above-inflation pay rise, improvements to maternity pay, and a large increase to the retainer paid to on-call firefighters. Pay negotiations have been underway at the National Joint Council (NJC) between the Fire Brigades Union and fire employers for some months read more

POA 

National Chair update May 2024 read more

NAPO

Napo’s Manifesto Asks (4 Jun) – In the run up to the General Election, we have drawn up our manifesto asks for the next government read more

BFAWU 

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

BALPA

Bristow Helicopters Dispute Update Statement (16 May) – In response to the latest Bristow Helicopters statement to media, BALPA General Secretary Amy Leversidge said: “We appreciate Bristow Helicopters management finally acknowledging that pilots and tech crews are critical to the success of the company and indicating they want to come back to the table to negotiate with us. However, they need to accept that in a ballot of our members 95% rejected the current offer on the table. After the ballot we entered back into ACAS talks and after over a week of trying to get movement from Bristow management they tabled an offer that was virtually indistinguishable from the rejected offer. There is no confusion or misunderstanding on our part, our members are clear and resolute – we need an offer that is just focused on pay and is not reliant on reducing terms and conditions…” read more

Nautilus International

Royal Fleet Auxiliary officers to press ahead with planned industrial action ahead of UK General Election (31 May) – Nautilus has called on all UK political parties to use the UK election period to ‘affirm their support for our national defence and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by committing to a pay rise reflective of the rate of inflation and restoring the pay our members have lost over the last decade’. Nautilus International members in the RFA voted overwhelmingly for action in response to a below inflation pay offer for 2023/2024 and real terms pay cut of over 30% since 2010. Nautilus has consistently called for a consolidated pay rise that reflects the high rate of inflation and a pathway to pay restoration. But after a series of talks between the Union and the Government, no credible offer to RFA officers was made. Members therefore chose to proceed with the action, despite a general election being announced, due to the strong sentiment that their work supporting the country’s national defence is underpaid and undervalued read more

NUJ  

Lyra trial adjourned after harrowing evidence (7 Jun) – The trial of three men charged with the murder of journalist and NUJ member Lyra McKee was adjourned on Friday until June 13th, following harrowing evidence at Belfast Crown Court regarding the cause of her death read more

Journalists at Springer Nature titles set to strike over pay (7 Jun) – 93% of NUJ members at the Nature Portfolio of journals have voted for strike action, due to start 20 June read more

PSNI report on access to journalist’s records grounds for grave concern (7 Jun) – The NUJ has expressed grave concern at a report of the PSNI Chief Constable regarding the use of covert powers against journalists and lawyers read more

NUJ hails PSNI review as “important step towards transparency” (4 Jun) – The union will participate in an advisory group as part of an independent review of PSNI use of surveillance against groups including journalists read more

National World journalists voice anger at 1.5 per cent pay award for Local Democracy Reporters (29 May) – NUJ calls on National World to offer a fair pay rise to its Local Democracy Reporters read more

Equity

Millions paid in royalties because of Equity contracts (4 Jun) – £6.1 million has been paid out in royalties in the first five months of 2024 because performers were working on Equity contracts read more

Equity members vote to continue fight against pay cuts and compulsory redundancies at Welsh National Opera (19 May) – Today at Equity’s Annual Conference members voted unanimously to pass an emergency motion supporting the Chorus of the Welsh National Opera read more

Musicians’’ Union

Protect the Junior RWCMD department: Sign the Petition (3 Jun) – Members at the Junior RWCMD department are campaigning to keep the college’s junior music and drama programmes open read more

Protect Welsh National Opera: Sign the Petition Now (2 May) – Musicians at Welsh National Opera orchestra are campaigning to keep the orchestra full time and secure the company’s future read more

Community

Win for workers at Euro Car Parts (3 Jun) – Following a workplace ballot for union recognition through the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), we are delighted to announce that we have won Community recognition for warehouse workers at Euro Car Parts Tamworth T1 and T2 sites. The union achieved a 46.5% turnout through a postal ballot with 96.5% of the votes cast supporting union recognition. We have had an active membership across the two sites for 8 and a half years and have represented hundreds of members with individual disciplinary and grievance matters during this time. This ballot result means that going forward we will be able to elect and train a workplace rep committee and campaign for better pay and terms and conditions on behalf of the entire warehouse workforce read more

Union votes for strike action over Tata job losses (9 May) – Community said 85% of its members backed industrial action. Members of the largest steelworkers’ union, Community, have voted in favour of industrial action over Tata Steel’s restructuring plans. The union said 85% of those who voted supported the move. Workers were balloted after Tata Steel announced 2,800 job losses across the UK as part of the closure of Port Talbot’s blast furnaces and a transition to greener steelmaking read more on BBC website

USDAW

Usdaw members at a GXO distribution centre in Swindon start industrial action over pay on Sunday, which could impact B&Q stores (22 Mar) – Members of the retail distribution union Usdaw at a GXO distribution centre in Swindon, which operates a B&Q contract, are starting a 48-hour strike over pay, starting at 2pm on Sunday 24 March 2024. Over 100 drivers and clerical staff are set to take part in the action read more

UVW

Strippers sue bosses at “London’s premier club” over stolen wages (4 Jun) – Dancers at SophistiCats in Soho have instructed their union, United Voices of the World, to start legal proceedings over trade union victimisation, unlawful deduction of wages, unfair dismissal, and bogus self-employment status. The dancers organised with UVW after being subjected to intense pressure to sell champagne, abusive and threatening behaviour, fines – such as £50 for arriving a little late or using the toilet at an “inappropriate” time – and unfair application of rules and procedures at the club in Soho read more

Migrant cleaners at Department For Education to strike for equality in June (9 May) – “No sick pay, too much work, no proper holiday cover. We feel we are treated with disdain, we are fed up and stressed but united in our resolve” – Gloria Mancera, cleaner of 18 years service at DfE and UVW member. The cleaners at the Department for Education (DfE) have voted unanimously to strike again, returning a 100% yes vote, and will walk out of their jobs for the second time in a year on 11 and 12 June 2024. They took three days of strike action last summer as part of a mass strike by UVW members demanding dignity, equality and respect. The cleaners, who are outsourced to ISS UK Limited and are members of United Voices of the World (UVW), demand parity of terms and conditions with civil servants read more

IWGB

Workers at debt charity vote to strike following “aggressive intimidation” from management (8 Mar) – Frontline workers at the debt advice charity Rooted Finance will down tools later this month after their ballot to strike passed with a 100% yes vote. The decision to walk out on March 18 and 19 follows what workers have described as “anti-union and intimidatory tactics” from management read more

Find out more about the couriers’ strikes on the X/twitter of the IWGB Couriers’ branch @IWGB_CLB

SIPTU (Ireland)

SIPTU welcomes long-awaited increase to Early Years workers’ minimum pay rates (3 Jun) – SIPTU members employed in the Early Years education sector have welcomed the Government announcement that increased minimum pay rates for Early Years educators and managers will come into force with a new Employment Regulation Order (ERO) on 24th June read more

SIPTU members in the National Advocacy Service vote for strike action starts 12th June (31 May) – SIPTU members employed in the National Advocacy Service (NAS), who provide free representation for adults with disabilities across Ireland, have served notice of strike action on their employer to commence on the morning of Wednesday, 12th June and continue until there is a just resolution of their pay dispute read more

Other news 

ORGREAVE 40th ANNIVERSARY MARCH AND RALLY – Saturday 15 June 2024. Assemble 1pm City Hall, Barkers Pool Sheffield S1 2JA details

Sign this petition: To the Right Honourable Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister – Make toxic landfills safe – Support ‘Zane’s Law’! Find out more about this campaign here

Affiliate with STAMMA – STAMMA’s Employment Support Service helps people who stammer as well as those who don’t around issues related to stammering in the workplace. Union branches and regions can affiliate with STAMMA to access a range of services and support at a reduced rate.

£75 for branches and regions
£125 for national unions with under 400,000 members
£200 for national unions with 400,000+ members

STAMMA website

Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps 

Hazards urgently need our support

Many workers were blacklisted because they raised complaints about health and safety or took on the role of a union safety rep. So when our blacklisting campaign was first starting back in 2009, Hazards magazine set up the Blacklist Blog on their website. Alongside our FaceBook page it is the go to online resource for what our campaign has achieved over the past 13 years. www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

Hazards is now in financial difficulty and needs the support of the union movement. Its major funding stream has vanished almost overnight. The magazine and the Hazards centres around the country need union branches or official unions to take out a regular subscription to keep the union movement’s flagship safety magazine in operation. If you or your union committee can afford it, please support Hazards:

https://www.hazards.org/friends/index.htm

PCS rep in Newcastle sacked by HMRC (5 Apr) – Gordon Askew was sacked by HMRC on grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse following strike action taken by the branch. HMRC management at Benton Park View in Newcastle have sacked Gordon Askew, a member of the branch executive committee, on the grounds of ‘potential’ computer misuse. PCS members at Benton Park View, alongside HMRC East Kilbride, took part in targeted strike action last year, as well as their members taking part in the three national days of strike action. Following the strike action, the department launched an investigation into two Newcastle-based representatives. The charge against Gordon was a ‘potential’ breach of the department’s IT policy; arising from a Microsoft Teams message sent to a number of PCS members, relating to strike action. The department’s decision maker claimed that Microsoft Teams had been used “without a legitimate business reason”. A second rep is on a similar charge. We understand the decision maker said that they had considered a lesser penalty, but had decided to sack the rep because he didn’t appear to be sorry enough for what he had done. This was despite him having nearly thirty years of spotless service to the department. PCS is discussing next steps with our Legal Department read more

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. You can catch up on disputes at Strike Map UK. Also, check out Organise Now! – Support for new worker organising.  

International 

Solidarity with the striking textile workers at Ozak in Turkey – read more on Twitter of Solidarity with the People of Turkey @spotturkey

Diary  

2024

June

22 NSSN Conference 2024 – 11am Conway Hall, Holborn, London

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 