This is the last weekly NSSN bulletin of 2024. It has been an intense year. The hated Tories were smashed in the general election – thrown out of office by workers after 14 years of austerity, cost of living squeeze and more anti-union legislation.

But the first 5 months of the new Labour government has already shown that workers and their unions will have to organise and mobilise to win any gains and resist the threats of new austerity from Starmer and Reeves.

This is one of the main lessons from this year, as the militant mood of the strike wave was reflected in the election, and it was the escalated action called by ASLEF that inflicted a fatal defeat on the Tories’ Minimum Service Levels (MSL) attack on the right to strike. The NSSN demands that the immediate repeal of the MSL and the undemocratic industrial action ballots enshrined in the Trade Union Act, along with the rest of the Tory anti-union laws.

Also, throughout the year, workers in industry face closures and mass redundancies, but they are fighting back. We stand with them and their communities.

Please support the workers who are on strike during the last few weeks of the year, and those preparing for action in the new year. We send them our solidarity, as we do all workers and unions. See you all in 2025!

Please sign and share the following petitions:-

• RMT: Sign petition: To Neil McNicholas – Managing Director Unipart Rail: Tell Unipart Rail to stop De-recognition of RMT Union
• Sign the petition: To Joanne Maguire, Managing Director ScotRail and Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport – Stop the cuts to ScotRail ticket offices
• Sign the petition – Restore ticket office hours and Oyster facilities at London Overground ticket offices
• Unite: Support the sacked TGI Fridays workers: Sign this petition
• Unite: Please sign this  letter to Lizzie Hieron, chief customer officer: Shame on Sanctuary – Rents up, bills up. Wages down. Fair pay and union recognition now! Support Sanctuary Housing repair workers!
• Unite: Sign this petition – Striking Haringey housing workers need a pay rise now!
• Stand with PCS reps at Benton Park View, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• BFAWU: Stop the job cuts at Morrisons’s Rathbones bakery in Wakefield
• Stop the Council Cuts – Sign the petition: Save our Services – Nottingham City Unison

NSSN news  

Advanced notice!! NSSN Annual Conference 2025 11am-4.30pm Saturday 5^th July in Conway Hall London

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  

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RMT  

RMT National Dispute Fund  

RMT welcomes seafarer amendments to Employment Rights Bill (19 Dec) – Reaction to seafarer amendments to Employment Rights Bill. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The P&O Ferries scandal was one of the most shameful episodes in the history of industrial relations and therefore RMT strongly welcomes amendments to the Employment Rights Bill which can pave the way for the mandatory Seafarers Charter which we have been campaigning for to help protect jobs and employment and to stop the race to the bottom in the ferry sector read more

Modernising Maintenance is an Expensive Failure – RMT report (18 Dec) – RMT has today condemned the catastrophic failure of Network Rail’s Modernising Maintenance (MM) programme, describing it as a dangerous and expensive ideological hangover from the previous Tory government that has left the railway in crisis. Findings from the union’s Post-Implementation Review, based on testimony from over 6,000 members, reveal the devastating human and operational cost of the programme. The programme was implemented to deliver £100 million of cuts as part of the Government’s overall £2 billion funding slash to the railways. The MM programme, forced through without a union agreement, cut planned maintenance by 50%, reduced frontline staff, and imposed wholesale changes to working practices. Far from ‘modernising’ maintenance, it has created a recruitment crisis, deepened skills shortages, damaged the working lives of railway staff and increased safety risks across the network read more

RMT welcomes Government focus on buses and outlines priorities for success (17 Dec) – Bus workers’ union RMT has welcomed the Government’s renewed focus on the importance of local bus services and its commitment to reversing decades of decline in the sector. However, the union has stressed the need for guaranteed long-term funding, public ownership options, and strong protections for bus workers to ensure the plans deliver real improvements for communities and passengers. The Government’s announcement acknowledges the significant challenges facing the bus sector in England, including service cuts, rising fares, and job losses. These issues have deepened since privatisation and deregulation in the 1980s, which left services driven by commercial priorities rather than community needs read more

Avanti strikes suspended after latest offer put to referendum (13 Dec) – RMT has suspended strike action planned for 22, 23, and 29 December after receiving a revised offer from Avanti West Coast. Train Managers will now vote on the offer in a referendum, which concludes  on Tuesday 17 December 2024 read more

RMT wins pay deal for CalMac workers (13 Dec) – Workers at Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have won an improved pay deal after a strong campaign, RMT has announced read more

Strike action at Unipart Rail Crewe (27 Nov) – Unipart Rail Crewe workers are taking strike action today in response to the company’s de-recognition of the union and its campaign of intimidation. The action follows weeks of escalating hostility from Unipart Rail management, who have sought to undermine union representation through bullying and harassment. Despite these tactics, workers remain united and determined to fight back read more. Sign petition: To Neil McNicholas – Managing Director Unipart Rail: Tell Unipart Rail to stop De-recognition of RMT Union

MTR Elizabeth Line Control Room Grades to strike (23 Nov) – RMT has announced industrial action by Control Room grade members at MTR Elizabeth Line after rejecting the company’s latest pay offer. Members are due to strike between 9pm on Tuesday 31 December 2024 and 8:59pm on Wednesday 1 January 2025. They are also not working rest days or overtime from Thursday 5th December till the end of Wednesday 18 December. The union has rejected the company’s pay offer and is seeking improvements to holiday entitlement and a fair reduction in working hours read more

Rail for London Infrastructure strike to go ahead after bosses refuse to negotiate (15 Nov) – RMT members working for Rail for London Infrastructure (RFLI) will go on strike Saturday, after the company failed to meet with the union to resolve a raft of serious issues. The 24-hour walkout will begin at 6:00am on Saturday and finish at 5:59am on Sunday this weekend, affecting critical infrastructure repairs and maintenance across the network read more

Sign the petition: To Joanne Maguire, Managing Director ScotRail and Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport – Stop the cuts to ScotRail ticket offices

Sign the petition – Restore ticket office hours and Oyster facilities at London Overground ticket offices

DLR security and revenue protection workers strike (23 Oct) – DLR security and revenue protection workers striking in support of unfairly sacked colleague. RMT members working in security and revenue protection for ISS on the Docklands Light Railway are on strike today, in protest against the unfair dismissal of Mmaduka Joshua Obi. Mr Obi, an RMT representative with 15 years of service, was unjustly sacked for defending the rights of his colleagues by the company and the union will not stand for it. The union says he is a victim of a third party dismissal where KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) who run the DLR insisted that his employer ISS remove him from the contract. This is despite the fact a full investigation by ISS found that Mr Obi should continue in his role

RFA take two days strike action (3 Oct) – Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) seafarers are set to strike on Friday 4 October and Tuesday 8 October due to a long running dispute over pay. While discussions between the RMT union and the Ministry of Defence have been constructive, no satisfactory offer has been made. Further talks are scheduled to take place next week in an effort to resolve the dispute. During the strike, all RFA workers will be standing down from their duties, though essential safety measures—such as monitoring moorings and gangways—will remain in place read more

ASLEF
The value of collective action (12 Dec) – Mick Whelan’s column – December 2024: Colleagues, as we look back over the past four years we have proved our value as a trade union collective – a word that is not often used these days. First the dark days of Covid, when we went to work to serve our communities and country, initially not knowing how we would be impacted, but knowing the need to move medicine and key workers around the UK and keep the economy moving. Then we entered the two years of the political dispute with the Tories trying to destroy the rail unions, and our industry, and trying to take away what we had paid for, through productivity, in the past. Enabled and encouraged by the employers so long as they kept their own snouts in the trough of the failed privatisation model. When they could not beat you they changed the law to introduce forced labour and yet you beat them again read more

Tube strikes called off after union talks (5 Nov) – Planned strikes on the London Underground have been suspended following talks over pay between the Aslef union and Transport for London (TfL). Industrial action was due to begin on Thursday and a walkout was also planned for next Tuesday. Aslef said it had been given a “significantly improved” pay offer by London Underground management and it would discuss that offer with union members on Thursday read more on BBC website

TSSA

TSSA takes fight for ScotRail Ticket Offices to Holyrood (11 Dec) – TSSA today took its campaign to stop ScotRail drastically reducing the opening hours of 101 ticket offices to the Scottish Parliament. The union – which has represented ticket office staff for more than 125 years – is running a high-profile campaign demanding the Scottish government tell ScotRail to junk their plans read more

Funding shortfall for BTP will makes railways less safe and increase train delays – TSSA (10 Dec) – TSSA today issued a stark warning that funding shortfalls for British Transport Police (BTP) will lead to police station closures and staff cuts and potentially increase train delays read more

TSSA calls on public to respect travel workers over festive season – and beyond (10 Dec) – TSSA calls on public to respect travel workers over festive season – and beyond. Transport and travel union TSSA is reminding the public using the railways and bus network about the need to respect workers and fellow passengers alike during the festive season. The move follows the death of Jorge Ortega, a railway worker who died after being attacked at Ilford station last Wednesday night and comes at a time when TSSA is running a high-profile campaign calling for an end to violence against transport workers read more

Unite  

Birmingham bin workers to strike in new year over pay attacks (19 Dec) – Birmingham bin workers will undertake extensive strike action from early next year after the council refused to reverse or even delay the implementation of attacks on workers’ pay. The dispute will involve over 350 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, and is a result of the council’s decision to abolish the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role. The 150 affected workers face losing £8,000 a year and the cut could also reduce future pension payments. Many of the affected workers have decades of service at the council. Talks broke down on Tuesday when the council unexpectedly refused to delay the implementation of the cut in the WRCO role and was not even prepared to wait for the competition of the council’s own job evaluation process on the loader role which is set be completed in February… From Thursday 2 January an overtime ban will be in place as well as a work to rule which will mean workers adhering to official start and finish times and returning to the work yard for their 15-minute break and 30 minute lunch period. This will cause considerable disruption. In addition, there will be 12 days of full strike action with the first strike on Monday 6 January read more

Navantia takeover offers hope for jobs and future of shipbuilding at Harland and Wolff (19 Dec) – Unite will engage now to ensure outcome will satisfy key trade union demands. Unite has welcomed today’s announcement that shipbuilder Navantia is to take on all four Harland and Wolff shipyards. The union will now engage with the deal to make sure that commitments are delivered for the workforce at all four shipyards to transfer with no break to continuity of employment – meaning their pay, terms and conditions will be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Earnings (TUPE) regulations. Unite which is the largest union in the Harland and Wolff workforce. Workers, backed by the union, occupied the Belfast shipyard for eleven weeks in 2019 to defeat the last threat of closure. Unite has once again been active with the aim of securing an outcome that both guarantees jobs and a future for the industry read more

Unite delivers Repsol Resources recognition agreement at Flotta terminal (19 Dec) – Orkney based members secure foundation for better jobs, pay and conditions. Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, has secured a new recognition deal with Repsol Resources covering workers at the Flotta oil terminal in the Orkney Islands. The recognition agreement which was negotiated through the auspices of the conciliation service Acas, covers around 40 terminal workers. Those within the bargaining unit includes marine and production technicians along with control room operators and supervisory roles. The Repsol Resourses agreement means that Unite has a strong platform to undertake collective bargaining on behalf of the terminal workers to improve jobs, pay and conditions at the terminal read more

Remaining Synnovis strike dates suspended (18 Dec) – London based pathologists to return to work while negotiations with employer continue. The remaining three days of strike action at privatised pathology lab, Synnovis, have been suspended to allow talks to continue. Over 500 pathologists were due to strike 16-20 December over a restructure that had introduced threats of redundancy, downgrading and reduced staffing levels that would put patient safety at risk. Strike action today (Wednesday) and for the rest of the week has now been suspended while talks between Unite and Synnovis continue read more

Knowsley Livv Housing condemned as Scrooge employer as strikes extend into Christmas (18 Dec) – Livv Housing CEO cancels Christmas parties and tries to break strike by offering pay deal to workers who confirm they are ‘non-union members’. Pay strikes by Livv Housing workers in Knowsley will extend into Christmas, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The strikes will continue despite Livv Housing CEO Leanne Hearne offering workers in a company-wide email on 3 December a pay rise of five per cent before Christmas if they confirm they are “non-union members”. Unite believes this is an attempt to try and get workers to give up their union membership in order to weaken the strike. Hundreds of Livv Housing workers began striking in October after rejecting the five per cent offer, which does not reverse the real terms pay cuts they have experienced after many years of below inflation pay rises. Livv Housing, which manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily in the Knowsley area, reported reserves of £110.6 million in March 2024 read more

Unite comment on government decision not to compensate Waspi women (17 Dec) – Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government’s decision not to compensate the Waspi women despite the Ombudsmen’s recommendations is a disgrace. Ministers are making the wrong choices – they need to turn back now because voters will not forgive them.” Read more

Edinburgh airport tanker drivers Christmas and New Year strike action off after increased pay offer (17 Dec) – Unite members back North Air’s improvement to jobs, pay and conditions. Unite, the nation’s leading aviation union, can confirm that the scheduled strike action involving North Air fuel tanker drivers based at Edinburgh airport has been called off following the acceptance of a new pay offer. A new pay offer was tabled by North Air on Friday and was overwhelmingly backed by Unite’s members at the close of ballot yesterday read more

Thousands of electrical apprentices gain over £1,000 a year from Unite pay deal (17 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a pay uplift for thousands of electrical apprentices across the UK. The apprenticeship wage increase was negotiated by Unite with the UK-wide Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) and the Scottish electrical contractor’s association SELECT. The deal will see wages for first and second year electrical apprentices raise by more than £1,000 a year above the minimum wage read more

Christmas Sheffield First Bus poverty pay protest slams Grinch employers (17 Dec) – First Bus real living wage employer but Bidvest Noonan contractors on poverty pay. Community groups and residents will protest outside of First South Yorkshire’s Olive Grove depot over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Better Buses South Yorkshire and Unite Community members will join Bidvest Noonan workers involved in long running strike action over the company’s failure to pay the real living wage.

• When: 18:00 hrs, Friday 20 December 2024
• Where: Olive Grove Rd, Lowfield, Sheffield S2 4ER

In April, First Group announced that it had become an accredited real living wage employer paying the rate set by the Real Living Wage Foundation. First stated that ‘includes workers employed through third party contractors’. Although Bidvest’s parent company earned £278 million in profits in the second half of 2023, the company has told workers they will not receive the real living wage until November 2026 read more

Gloucestershire facing winter bus chaos as Stagecoach drivers ballot for strikes (17 Dec) – Hundreds of drivers in Cheltenham, Coleway, Gloucester and Stroud angry over pay. More than 250 Stagecoach West drivers are being balloted for strike action over inadequate pay offers, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The drivers are based at four depots across Gloucestershire with each depot negotiating pay separately. The pay deals put forward by Stagecoach for each depot exclude backpay and have been offered on the condition that Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday rates are abolished. The offers would still leave the workers being paid less than drivers at other Gloucestershire bus operators, which not only pay higher regular rates but have enhanced weekend and bank holiday rates as well read more

Luton Stellantis factory workers protest ‘totally unnecessary’ closure plans (16 Dec) – Move to shut profitable factory should be shown the door with failed CEO Tavares. Luton Stellantis workers will hold a two-day protest and a rally over the company’s plans to shut its profitable electric van factory, Unite, the automotive workers’ union, said today (Monday). A protest from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs will be held on Tuesday 17 December and Wednesday 18 December. A rally will also take place at 12:00hrs on Tuesday 17 December. The protest will be at Gate 1, Vauxhall (IBC Luton), Kimpton Road, Luton, LU2 0JX. Unite is calling for Stellantis to halt its plans to shut the Luton factory following the shock departure of CEO Carlos Tavares just days after the proposal to close the site was announced. Tavares suddenly left Stellantis at the beginning of this month after his ruthless cost cutting to drive up short-term profits damaged the company’s global operations read more

Synnovis strikes suspended to allow talks to take place (16 Dec) – Pathologists delay walk outs while negotiations with employer go ahead. Two days of strike action at privatised pathology lab, Synnovis, have been suspended to allow further talks to take place. Over 500 pathologists were due to strike 16-20 December over a restructure that had introduced threats of redundancy, downgrading and reduced staffing levels that would put patient safety at risk. Strike action today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) has now been suspended while talks between Unite and Synnovis take place. Strikes will significantly disrupt services at all affected hospitals in London, including organ transplants, with patients already being notified of surgery cancellations, and A&E departments at risk of closure. The three remaining days of industrial action are due to go ahead unless substantial concessions are achieved read more

A cruel Christmas for care workers separated from children (16 Dec) – Government accused of ‘institutionalising new gender pay gap’. Unite writes to party leaders demanding reform of ‘inhuman regime’. Unite has today (Monday) written to party leaders demanding urgent reform of the work permit regime which will see thousands of care workers spend Christmas without their families. Migrant health care assistants (HCAs) working in nursing homes and home care settings throughout Ireland are unable to bring their families to live with them due to the fact that their government-mandated salaries are below the family reunification earnings thresholds read more

Petrol shortages predicted at West Midland’s Tesco garages as tanker drivers strike (13 Dec) – Drivers taking industrial action over pay. Drivers elsewhere in the country earn up to £11k more. Around 20 tanker drivers in the West Midlands are taking strike action in the run up to Christmas that could see petrol run dry at Tesco garages across the region. Drivers contracted to XPO Bulk UK Ltd deliver petrol from refineries to Tesco stores across the West Midlands. Unite members at XPO are taking strike action from 19-24 December of the lack of a fair pay offer from their employer. Tanker drivers in other parts of the country earn up to £11,000 more read more

Strikes off at Leeds-Bradford airport as Unite secures pay increase for ramp agents (13 Dec) – Workers at Swissport to receive de-icing payment following threat of strike action. Ramp agents working for Swissport at Leeds-Bradford airport have won their fight for additional de-icing payments and have called off proposed industrial action that could have brought the airport to a standstill this Christmas. Workers at the airport, already responsible for baggage handling, moving planes around the tarmac and driving specialised vehicles had been due to take industrial action after they were denied a bonus payment for additional de-icing duties in cold weather. The payment was being paid to other Swissport workers at other airports and Unite members at Leeds-Bradford airport were rightly furious that they were missing out read more

Bakkavor workers vote for further strike action as company refuses pay demands (12 Dec) – Lincolnshire workers pass ballot for further industrial action. Hundreds of food factory workers in Lincolnshire have again voted for further strike action due to the continued failure of their employer, Bakkavor, to pay them a fair wage. Workers in Spalding, Lincolnshire, have been on strike since September and following a re-ballot, voted overwhelmingly for continuing their industrial action indefinitely. Bakkavor’s customers, major UK supermarkets like Waitrose, M&S and Tesco are seeing a shortage of products like dips and soups on their shelves. Shortages are expected to worsen as more and more workers join Unite and take to the picket line read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]

Sheffield bin strikes to continue following Veolia betrayal (12 Dec) – Refuse workers have deal pulled from table at the last minute. Sheffield refuse workers at outsourcing company Veolia have been left angry and dismayed after the company backed out of an agreed recognition deal at the 11th hour. Unite members have been on strike for months seeking a recognition agreement as they make up a majority of the workforce at the Lumley Street depot. A deal had finally been reached following months of painstaking negotiations by Unite representatives. Unite members voted on the picket line on a proposal that the company put forward and this was agreed. This agreement was relayed to Veolia. Unite representatives were meeting to discuss the return-to-work agreement, a common issue following strikes and a further indication that a recognition agreement had been reached. However, at the last minute, Veolia has reneged and backed out of the deal leaving Unite members on the picket line furious at such a betrayal read more

Water workers end industrial dispute after accepting long overdue pay offer (11 Dec) – Unite warns Northern Ireland Water cannot remain a low pay employer. Members of Unite employed in NI Water and NI Water Alpha have voted decisively to accept a pay offer providing a five per cent increase and a one-off payment of £1,500. The pay deal was for the 2023-2024 fiscal year and has already been provided to all other civil service workers read more

West Midlands Citizen Housing strikes end after Unite pay victory (11 Dec) – Strikes by more than 300 repair and maintenance workers employed by Citizen Housing in Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford and Worcester have ended following an improved pay deal. The workers voted to accept a 4.5 per cent rise backdated to April, plus a one-off payment of £500…The workers, who are responsible for providing services to 30,000 homes, took seven days of strike action during October. All subsequent strike action has now been called off read more

Unite secures huge pay win for Qantas workers (11 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a dramatic pay increase for workers employed as cabin crew by Qantas in the UK. The 550 workers who fly out of Heathrow Terminal 3 will receive pay increases of between 11 and 18 per cent, the uplifts will be backdated to July. The dispute arose in April when members were unable to keep step with the cost-of-living crisis due to being tied to a four year pay deal of an annual three per cent increase, signed in 2022 following the pandemic. Qantas were forced to bring forward this year’s pay increase to April on basic pay for certain grades of cabin crew with 1-2 years’ service to respond to an increase of the national living wage. Unite used that opportunity to reopen pay negotiations halfway through a pay deal. This was unprecedented read more

Unite secures union recognition at Camden Town Brewery (11 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading trade union, has successfully secured formal recognition for its members at Camden Town Brewery’s Enfield facility. The agreement covers approximately 40 employees, including brewers, technicians, warehouse staff, and packaging workers. This recognition ensures that Unite will represent the workforce in negotiations over pay, terms and conditions, and health and safety matters. The first round of pay negotiations is set to commence early next year read more

Unite response to government pay review body recommendation (10 Dec) – In response to the news that the government is recommending that pay review body increases, including for NHS workers, should be restricted to a 2.8 per cent increase for 2025/26, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The NHS recruitment and retention crisis will not be solved without taking the issue of restorative pay seriously. The NHS still desperately needs to attract more workers after 14 years of below inflation pay increases. This latest below inflation pay recommendation is an insult to dedicated NHS staff and further evidence that the pay review body is broken beyond repair. Unite has long been saying that NHS pay concerns must be resolved through direct negotiations with government.” If the government’s recommendation is accepted it will mean that over 200,000 NHS workers on grade two will be paid below the real living wage pay rate for 2025 of £12.60 an hour read more

Unite secures deal to avert dnata airline catering strikes (10 Dec) – The prospect of strikes by Unite workers employed at dnata have been averted following extensive negotiations. Over 700 Unite members, who provide onboard food for airlines across the UK, were being balloted for industrial action after the company sought to change their terms and conditions without consultation. The dispute would have affected most of the major airlines during the Christmas period. As a result of the negotiations and once the company understood the strength of the workers feelings, it was agreed to close down the working groups it had unilaterally formed during the dispute. Dnata has now agreed to work in full consultation with Unite about any potential changes read more

Hounslow CCTV and parking strikes off after Unite wins improved pay deal (10 Dec) – Strikes by London borough of Hounslow traffic wardens and CCTV operators have been called after Unite, the UK’s leading union, secured an improved pay deal. The workers, who are employed by NSL, voted overwhelmingly to accept a 10 per cent increase from November 2024 plus an additional 5.3 per cent increase from April 2025. Moped and car drivers will also receive an uplift of 40 pence an hour from April 2025. All strike action has now been called off read more

East Midlands Airport signs enhanced recognition agreement with Unite (10 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has signed an enhanced recognition agreement with East Midlands Airport that covers around 850 workers. The agreement significantly improves negotiation and consultation mechanisms for pay and other employment issues for workers at the airport. It also provides better union facilities for workplace reps read more

Unite response to Thames water results (10 Dec) – Reacting to Thames Water results for the first half of year which saw the beleaguered company’s debts increase to £16 billion and a 40 per cent increase in pollution incidents, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is the grim reality of water privatisation, a company swimming in debt while the rest of us are swimming in sewage. The only solution the company has is for customers to pay even higher bills. While corporate vultures wait in the wings looking to asset strip. It is time for the government to take control and stand up for the public interest. Thames Water needs to be brought back into public ownership and those who have racked up billions in debt are the ones who can pay it – not the taxpayer.” Read more

NHS spending on management consultants could have funded thousands of extra nurses (10 Dec) – Spending included nearly £60 million to just one consultancy firm over a three year period. Spending by NHS England (NHSE) and its integrated care boards (ICBs) on management consultants could have instead funded thousands of extra nurses, new research by the Unite trade union has found read more

Government must commit to the Medium Lift Helicopter to protect Somerset jobs (9 Dec) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is stepping up its campaign to ensure that the UK commits to buying vitally needed new helicopters that will be built by Leonardo at its Yeovil factory. The future of the west country helicopter factory will be an early test for the government’s defence industrial strategy statement of intent, which was launched last week read more

Bucks fizz to fall flat this Christmas as orange juice production under threat in Cardiff (9 Dec) – Workers at Princes Foods factory to strike over pay. Supply of fresh juice under threat. Nearly 200 workers at a food factory in Cardiff are to strike this month over pay which could see a nationwide shortage of fresh fruit juices. A severe shortage of classic cocktail ingredients in the run-up to Christmas could see bucks fizz and other festive drinks off the menu as workers at Princes Foods head to the picket line on 17 and 24 December. Unite members at the Welsh site are taking industrial action after having seen previous pay offers revoked by new owners. Unite’s members who work as line operatives and engineers had been offered between a four and seven per cent pay rise dependent on salary by the previous owner, Mitsubishi. The company was subsequently bought by Italian based multinational Newlat S.p.A who withdrew that offer. Instead it is offering just a three per cent pay rise. Staff at the factories, who work in labour intensive roles, are furious at such behaviour and after attempts to negotiate with the employer failed read more

Fare free-for-all in London as enforcement officers take strike action (6 Dec) – Compliance staff at TfL to strike over unacceptable pay offer. Hundreds of operations officers within the compliance unit at Transport for London (TfL) are to take strike action this month that will see London descend into a free-for-all fare scenario. Nearly 300 officers in the Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate (CPOS) are to head to the picket line after rejecting a pay offer from the company. Unite members voted for strike action after the company refused to make a percentage increase offer for staff and instead simply offered a lump sum payment. Additionally, the company is refusing to deal with pay parity issues with equivalent London Underground staff who earn considerably more…Unite has announced strike dates on 12,13 and 14 December and then the 20,21 and 22 December read more

Hampshire bus workers set to strike over pay (5 Dec) – First Bus drivers and supervisors to walk out over lack of fair offer. Over 140 drivers and supervisors at First Bus in Hampshire are set to strike this month after the company failed to make a reasonable fair pay offer. Workers based at the Hoeford depot who operate across Gosport, Fareham, Portsmouth and into Southampton will take to the picket line to demonstrate their anger at the pay rates on offer. Staff are now being paid barely above the minimum wage for a skilled and stressful job. Strikes are due to take place from 19-27 December meaning that bus services over the Christmas period will be close to zero. First has offered workers just a four per cent pay deal and has also refused to reinstate many of the terms and conditions that were removed during the Covid pandemic read more

Shortage of Christmas turkeys in West Midlands as drivers strike (5 Dec) – Drivers at Culina who deliver chilled poultry to strike after company plays Scrooge with no pay increase. Residents in the West Midlands could see empty tables this Christmas as HGV drivers who deliver chickens and turkeys to supermarkets go on strike this month. Around 40 drivers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are taking industrial action after their employer, Culina, failed to offer them any pay rise this year. Culina’s contract is with Avara Foods Hereford who supply Tesco and Marks & Spencers to deliver poultry from abattoirs to supermarket warehouses. Despite being in pay negotiations since April, no offer has been made to drivers who have been left with little choice but to take industrial action read more

Manchester braced for Christmas travel chaos as workers strike over pay (5 Dec) – Around 200 bus workers employed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will stage strikes shortly before Christmas in a strike over pay. The low paid staff undertake a variety of roles including ticketing, passenger assistance and information services across the Greater Manchester transport network. The four days of strike action will begin at 00:01 on Thursday 12 December and will continue until 23:59 on Sunday 15 December. There will be a further strike from  Friday 20 December until Monday 23 December. Strike action is set to further escalate unless an agreement is reached read more

Oscar Mayer fire and rehire risks millions in council pension investment for owners Pemberton (3 Dec) – A protest will be held outside a Local Authority Pension Fund Forum meeting in Bournemouth calling for councils to divest from Pemberton Asset Management over its role in firing and rehiring Oscar Mayer ready meal workers. Last week, Clwyd Pension Fund, which looks after retired officers and councillors from Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire, pledged not to invest anymore in Pemberton after discovering that £5.6 million of member funds were indirectly invested in the business. Six other Welsh pension funds have investments tied to Pemberton, as do many other local authority funds across the UK…Around 600 Oscar Mayer workers, who make up the vast majority of the Wrexham factory’s workforce, have been striking since September over the company’s plans to fire and rehire them to slash pay by up to £3,000 a year read more

Send messages of support to [email protected]

Send messages of protest to [email protected]

Ford Dagenham Lineside Logistics workers ballot for strike (28 Nov) – Warehouse workers angry over pay, disgusting toilets and union-busting. Around 150 warehouse workers employed by Lineside Logistics based at Ford Dagenham are being balloted for strike action, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers have rejected a 2.5 per cent pay offer after cleaning and facilities workers employed by the same company at Ford Dagenham were offered a five per cent pay rise. They are also balloting over the unacceptable state of the toilets at the site – including the constant smell of sewage and instances of blocked drains causing waste to backflow. In addition, there is anger over union-busting after a Unite member who was actively campaigning for better welfare facilities was dismissed for spurious reasons read more

Ford staff strike escalates as anger over pay and contract changes grows (11 Nov) – Targeted industrial action hits key Ford operations in Dagenham and Speke. Strikes by Ford salary staff escalated today over the company’s refusal to address the workers’ concerns around pay and contract changes. Ford has failed to offer its workers a permanent pay increase. Instead, the company has offered many of its office workers a one-off payment for 2024 and wants to impose 100 per cent performance related pay from 2025 for all staff. Despite absences running at less than two per cent, it is attempting to change the long-standing sick pay policy and also wants to change the collective bargaining agreement with Unite read more

Southampton hospital porter strike suspended (28 Nov) – Scheduled strikes by Southampton hospital porters due to begin today have been suspended following last ditch talks. The 60 plus porters who were due to begin strike action today (Thursday 28 November) due to workplace bullying and harassment, suspended the industrial action late last night. The decision to suspend the strike action was made following extensive talks at the conciliation service Acas. The talks have made progress on the issues affecting the workers and as an act of good faith, the porters’ union Unite agreed to suspend today’s strike as an act of good faith and to allow for further talks…If the hospital management fails to agree to take action to resolve the problems at the heart of the dispute them strike action on each Friday and Monday beginning on 6 December and running throughout December and January will go ahead as planned read more

Capita staff begin vote on strike action (27 Nov) – Ballot of Capita workers in Manchester, Plymouth and Glasgow opens today over refusal of company to conduct 2024 pay negotiations. Workers at Capita will today (Wednesday 27 November) vote on strike action in a dispute over their employer’s refusal to negotiate any pay award for 2024. The workers, from Capita Life and Pensions regulated services, were due a 2024 pay award in April. The employer postponed the annual pay talks with their union Unite with the assurance that these workers would be given a pay rise in October. This has not materialised despite this part of the business reporting profits and a healthy balance sheet. The ballot which opens today across the three Capita sites will ask if staff wish to take strike action following the decision of their employer to deny them a pay increase…The ballot opens today (Wednesday 27 November) and closes at noon on Tuesday 17 December 2024 read more

HSE: Unite members vote for action over staffing crisis (27 Nov) – Unite, which represents a range of grades across the Health Services Executive (HSE) said today (Wednesday) that members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over the staffing crisis resulting from the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’. After the HSE claimed that it had lifted its recruitment ban, it emerged that vacancies are being benchmarked against the 2024 headcount, with the result that any vacancies unfilled in 2023 have effectively been lost to the health service read more

Grangemouth: Unite to hold march and rally to Scottish Parliament (26 Nov) – Unite, Scotland’s largest union, will stage a march and rally this Thursday in Edinburgh at the Scottish Parliament in protest at plans by Petroineos to close the Grangemouth refinery…Hundreds of workers from Grangemouth and other Scottish oil and gas workplaces will attend the march and rally. The rally will be addressed by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham among others. Petroineos announced in September that it intends to close Grangemouth (Scotland’s only oil refinery) in the second quarter of next year, with the loss of 400 directly employed workers and thousands more in the supply chain read more

Buy out of Harland & Wolff needs to safeguard workforce (22 Nov) – Those involved in the behind closed doors negotiations need to understand that there can be no going forwards without protections for workers’ jobs and continuity of employment. Unite, the largest trade union in Britain and Ireland, has highlighted that workers need that a transfer of Harland & Wolff shipyards to a new employer mist assure jobs, production and continuity of employment. Talks involving Navantia continue behind closed doors over a proposed takeover of Harland & Wolff. Workers have been kept in the dark and uncertainly hangs over the future of jobs and continuity of employment read more

Plymouth care staff to strike over being forced to work twice for pay (22 Nov) – Shortfall shift system means vital care workers made to work unpaid. Essential care workers at Plymouth council are to take strike action for the first time due to disgraceful management practices at the Independence @ Home (I@H) department. Workers at I@H provide support and care across the city for vulnerable adults at all times of day and night. They care for adults with mental health issues, substance addictions and terminal illnesses read more

Knowsley Livv Housing strikes intensify as repair and maintenance services suffer (20 Nov) – Call backlogs, delayed jobs and faulty repairs by third-party contractors impacting services for 13,000 homes. Knowsley Livv Housing strikes by hundreds of workers have intensified causing further disruption to repair and maintenance services. The dispute is a result of workers experiencing many years of below inflation pay rises. As a consequence, the workers have rejected a pay increase of five per cent because this does not reverse the real terms pay cuts they have previously experienced. Livv Housing, which manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily in the Knowsley area, reported reserves of £110.6 million in March 2024…Unite’s members will take fresh strike action on 22, 25, 28, 29 and 30 November and 1 December. Unison members will take further strike action on 22, 25, 26 and 29 November. Additional strikes will be called if the dispute is not resolved read more

Birmingham bin workers ballot for strike over pay attack (18 Nov) – Workers balloting over plans to downgrade Waste Recycling and Collection Officer roles. Around 400 Birmingham refuse workers are being balloted for strike action over the council’s plans to slash wages. The vote comes after the council refused to back down on its plans to cut pay by removing the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role…The ballot for strike action opens this Friday (22 November) and closes on Wednesday 4 December read more

Safehouse Habitats workers in three months strike action over attack on pay and conditions (11 Nov) – Dundee firm provides working shelters for major oil and gas operators. Unite the union can confirm that Safehouse Habitats workers based in Dundee will begin three months strike action from today (11 November). The dispute at Safehouse Habitats involving over a dozen technicians has escalated into all-out strike action following the refusal of the company to make any pay offer to the workforce. The company is also attempting to force through detrimental changes to the sick pay policy which could leave workers facing the minimum statutory sick pay level instead of six months full pay. The Safehouse Habitats workers made a salary sacrifice of around three per cent two years ago in order to access the scheme. The Safehouse Habitats technicians will be taking strike action commencing at 00:01 hours on 11 November continuing each day up to 2 February 2025 when the three months’ industrial action will conclude at 23:59 hours unless there is a resolution to the dispute read more

Support the sacked TGI Fridays workers: Sign this petition – On 7th October, over 1000 TGI Fridays workers were given 57 minutes notice of a call with their CEO at which they were all sacked. 35 sites across the company were padlocked and workers locked out of their workplaces with valued possessions inside. Support our national petition to demand legal, financial and political justice for these workers

‘Hypocritical’ Sheffield First bus slammed for strike breaking in poverty pay dispute (8 Nov) – First says Bidvest Noonan workers should get real living wage but is providing labour to undermine industrial action. Sheffield bus refuelling and cleaning strikes over poverty pay have intensified despite ‘hypocritical’ First South Yorkshire’s attempts to undermine the industrial action. First has publicly supported the Olive Grove depot workers’ demand that contractor Bidvest Noonan pay them the real living wage before the contract renewal date of November 2026. The company, however, is using its own staff to move buses within the depot – a role normally carried out by Bidvest employees – to undermine the two-month-old strike…Industrial action has now been extended to four days a week throughout November, with Bidvest Noonan workers employed at First’s Doncaster Leger Way depot also joining the strikes read more

Airlines braced for foodless fights as catering workers at eight UK airports ballot for strikes (7 Nov) – Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, London City, Stansted, Bristol, and Birmingham dnata workers ballot for industrial action

Passengers at airports across the country are facing the prospect of having no onboard food or drink during long and short haul flights as dnata catering workers ballot for strike action. More than 700 dnata workers providing food for airlines at Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow, London City, Stansted, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham airports are balloting for strike action. The production line, warehouse and delivery workers are angry at the company’s attempts to change their terms and conditions without consultation. If strikes go ahead, major airlines, including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, BA, Emirates, America Airlines and Air India, will be impacted read more

MEBSCA dispute: WRC issues invitation to Unite and employers (27 Oct) – Union agrees pause in industrial action pending engagement. Unite, which has been in a trade dispute with employers belonging to the Mechanical Engineering & Building Services Contractors’ Association (MEBSCA) since early September, has accepted an invite to talks from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The dispute centres on Unite’s claim for restoration of the first hour of ‘travel time,’ which was cut in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. The WRC has invited both parties to exploratory talks to establish if circumstances exist for a pathway forward read more

Llanelli Gestamp auto workers to strike over poverty pay (23 Oct) – Strikes to severely impact Nissan, BMW, JLR, Aston Martin and INEOS. Strikes by Llanelli Gestamp workers will severely impact the supply of critical metal components to Nissan, BMW, JLR, Aston Martin and INEOS, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Around 200 workers on various grades will begin strike action later this month over unacceptably low pay rates by Gestamp. The Spanish-based company brought in revenues of €12.3 billion in 2023 and reported a profitability (EBITDA) of €1.4 billion. Despite Gestamp’s huge wealth, many of the workers at the Llanelli factory earn the national minimum wage and will only be taken slightly above it under the company’s current offer…Strikes will take place from 28 October to 11 November. Industrial action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved read more

Unite local government workers to continue local pay disputes (23 Oct) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has confirmed that it will fully support its members who have secured an industrial action mandate. The union’s decision follows the announcement yesterday that the other local government unions have accepted this year’s ‘Green Book’ national pay offer, which covers the majority of workers in the sector. Unite recently completed balloting its local government members. Where it has secured an industrial action mandate it will go ahead with strike action on a council by council basis. Further details of this industrial action will be announced in due course once it is agreed with local members…In addition to the local industrial action Unite will also be focussing on local government funding. Several councils have effectively filed for bankruptcy, many others are on the verge of doing so while most have been forced to cut essential services read more

Marshalls construction materials workers ballot for strikes across England (22 Oct) – 300 workers in West Yorks, Cleveland, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Lancashire reject derisory pay offer. Workers employed by construction materials manufacturer Marshalls at sites across England are being balloted for strike action, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers have rejected a ‘derisory’ pay offer of a one-off non-consolidated £700 payment for 2024. Marshalls annual report for 2023 states it brought in revenues of £671.2 million and had an adjusted operating profit of £70.7 million. Chief executive Matt Pullen, who joined the company in March, is paid a salary of £580,000…The ballots for strike action at five of Marshall’s sites opened yesterday and will close on 11 November. The sites are located in Halifax in West Yorkshire, Stockton-on-Tees in Cleveland, Sandy in Bedfordshire, St Ives in Cambridgeshire and Ramsbottom in Lancashire read more

Princes “in a pickle” product shortages predicted in pay dispute (18 Oct) – Unite members at the Princes food production factories across the country are balloting for industrial action over pay that could see popular household staples disappear from shop shelves including big supermarkets like Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose M&S, Asda, Lidl and Aldi. Over 800 workers at five sites (Long Sutton, Wisbech, Cardiff, Bradford and Glasgow) are being balloted after rejecting a pay deal from the company’s new owners that would leave them worse off than the offer promised by the previous owners. Princes produce tinned meats, fish, vegetables, sauces, soups and soft drinks for some of the most well-known household brands including Branston, Crosse & Blackwell, Napolina and Batchelors. If workers agree to take strike action, many of these products could quickly become unavailable in shops. Unite’s members who work as line operatives and engineers had been offered between a 4-7 per cent pay rise dependent on salary by the previous owner, Mitsubushi. The company was subsequently bought by Newlat S.p.A who withdrew that offer. Instead they are offering just a three per cent pay rise. Staff at the factories, are furious at this behaviour and after attempts to negotiate with the employer failed are now balloting for strike action. The ballot opens on 24 October and closes on 19 November read more

Crisis in Haringey housing department leads to continuous strike action (14 Oct) – Housing maintenance and repair workers at Haringey council begin strike action tomorrow over the continued crisis within the council’s housing department.

Unite’s members haven’t had a pay rise in over a decade despite a cost-of-living crisis and inflation running rampant in recent years. The lack of pay increases for productivity is estimated to have left workers over £6000 out of pocket. Following previous industrial action this year, and with no sign of the council listening or negotiating, workers have been left with little choice but to escalate their industrial action to a continuous strike from 15 October. Unite has compiled a “dodgy dossier” following years of broken promises by management to meaningfully negotiate with union members on pay, terms and conditions read more. Send messages of support to [email protected] and messages of protest to: [email protected] Haringey Council CEO and Council Leader at [email protected]

Sign this petition: Striking Haringey housing workers need a pay rise now!

To: Councillor Peray Ahmet and Andy Donald, Leader and CEO of Haringey Council  

Newham ICT workers balloted on strike action over outsourcing plans (14 Oct) – Vital workers set to down tools this autumn over “catastrophic” privatisation scheme that could put resident’s data at risk. Unite members working for Newham council’s ICT department are being balloted over potential strike action this autumn after the council announced plans to outsource the department – putting jobs at risk and endangering residents’ data. Following the release of a previously withheld report documenting the council’s plans for the ICT department, workers reacted with dismay at Newham’s shortsighted plans. The main issue with Newham ICT is the lack of resources as no recruitment has taken place since 2012 to fill vacancies. There are currently around 45 full time staff and a number of posts being covered by contractors. The current business case clearly outlines a staffing capacity of around 130 to deliver the aspirations of Newham. While councils across the country have recognised the cost of outsourcing and have begun returning ICT departments in-house, Newham will now buck this trend because it claims to be unable to attract staff because its pay and conditions are “poorer than elsewhere” read more

Strikes to escalate at Fareham aerospace company with new dates announced (4 Oct) – Workers at Eaton Ltd manufacturing to stage further walks out over pay. Approximately 150 highly skilled aerospace workers in Fareham, Hants, are escalating their strike action after their employer, Eaton Ltd, continued to fail to make a pay offer that would bring them in line with industry averages. Unite members at the company voted overwhelmingly for strike action at the factory which produces essential parts and products for the aerospace sector. Fitters, technicians, supervisors and other staff will strike on the following dates: 16-19 October, 21-26 October, 29 October–1 November, 4-9 November, 11-16 November read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]

Ealing parking free for all as traffic warden strikes intensify into November (3 Oct) – Council refusing to recognise traffic wardens’ union despite working with it to insource service. Strikes by Ealing traffic wardens will intensify from next week in a dispute over union recognition, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Around 40 parking services workers employed by council-owned Greener Ealing Ltd have been on strike since late August over their employer’s refusal to recognise their long-term union Unite for pay and other matters. The workers were previously employed by Serco before being transferred to Greener Ealing Ltd earlier this year. Their roles are completely different to the rest of Greener Ealing’s waste management workforce. As a distinct group, they want Unite, which has represented the workers for a decade, recognised for collective bargaining on their behalf read more

Altrad workers at Sellafield to strike over broken pay promises (2 Oct) – Unite members offered four per cent less than previously promised by employer. Vital workers operating at Sellafield are to strike this month following a string of broken promises from their employer, Altrad Services. Unite members at the site, who are responsible for access and maintenance of the Fellside site which produces steam for the wider Sellafield site next door, are taking industrial action from 10-15 October, 17-22 October and 24-29 October 2024. Workers at the site are furious that their employer, Altrad Services, has reneged on previously agreed pay deals, potentially costing workers thousands of pounds. Members were originally advised and agreed to a 11.3 per cent rise in January 2024. Prior to that during the cost of living crisis, Altrad paid an additional four per cent salary increase which staff were told was permanent. However, Altrad have only now given members a 7.3 per cent rise, rather than the agreed 11.3 per cent – the reduction being the same as the cost of living increase. This broken promise and backtracking has caused outrage among staff who have been left with little choice but to take industrial action read more

Waterford City and Co Council: Stoppage by members at Dunmore Depot deferred pending engagement with management (1 Oct) – Dispute surrounds unilateral change to work practices. Unite, which represents members working for Waterford City and County Council, today (Tuesday) said that it has deferred a 24-hour work stoppage by Unite members at Dunmore Depot in Waterford, which had been scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday), as a gesture of good faith ahead of local engagement with management next week read more

Support the Sanctuary workers – contact the Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers branch to offer support or if you are a housing worker wanting to get organised [email protected]. “At Sanctuary Housing we are also campaigning for recognition. Sanctuary is a massive employer. It has 14,000 members of staff but currently recognises no union. Scandalously this organisation receives millions of pounds in public money. Shamefully much of this money comes from Labour authorities. No Labour authority should hand out contracts to union hostile employers! You can help us in our fight by dropping a few Join Unite@Sanctuary leaflets at your local Sanctuary care home, supported living or estate office. Message me via this platform, personally or via email if you can help. [email protected]. You can search your nearest Sanctuary workplace via this link: https://www.sanctuary-supported-living.co.uk/

Please sign this  letter to Lizzie Hieron, chief customer officer: Shame on Sanctuary – Rents up, bills up. Wages down. Fair pay and union recognition now! Support Sanctuary Housing repair workers!

CWU

CWU LIVE – Takeover Agreement Update (18 Dec)

CWU LIVE – Royal Mail Takeover & Restructuring (13 Dec) – On this weeks episode of CWU Live, we’re at Congress House, home of the TUC. We’re joined by Dave Ward, Martin Walsh, Tony Kearns, Tony Bouch & more as we talk Royal Mail takeover, USO, and discussions that are taking place across the union to ensure the CWU continues to offer a first class service to members read more

TV Licensing workers need respect, CWU warn BBC (11 Nov) – The Communication Workers Union have written to the BBC warning that TV Licensing (TVL) workers balloting for potential strikes are a “disrespected workforce”. In a letter addressed to BBC Chief Customer Officer Kerris Bright, CWU Assistant Secretary Andy Furey wrote about the dispute, which is related to the real terms pay freeze that TVL workers are having forced on them at the insistence of their contractor, Capita. The contractor was awarded the contract to do this vital work by the national broadcaster for the sum of £456 million over five years. Capita bosses are demanding that these 500 workers be subjected to a pay freeze for 2024, with the pay date intended to be for 1st April. Bosses claim that the pay freeze is necessary, and that any raise is financially impossible. However, as Furey says in the letter, Capita can “readily afford” a pay rise with reflects the cost of living, due to this “very lucrative” contract read more

Capita TVL BBC contract members to vote on strikes (1 Nov) – Industrial action ballot process begins, after employer refuses to offer pay rise. “We’ve now entered a formal Trade Dispute in accordance with the law, as a consequence of Capita imposing a pay freeze on our members working on the TVL / BBC Contract,” CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey told CWU News this morning. Nearly 500 CWU members are set to take part in the ballot, which asks two questions, on strike action and action short of a strike (ASOS). Ballot papers are being sent out next Friday and the result will be declared on Tuesday 3rd December read more

PCS  

You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:  

• Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490  
• Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]  

Early Day Motion calling for Prison Maintenance to be insourced (19 Dec) – The National Audit Office estimates the maintenance backlog has doubled to £1.8 billion in the past four years. Kim Johnson MP has tabled an Early Day Motion, EDM, calling for prison maintenance to be brought back ‘in-house’ read more

Online rally in solidarity with striking HMRC members (19 Dec) – The rally on December 23 marks the start of eight weeks of strike action in support of the three sacked reps from Benton Park View. Members in Employer Service based in Benton Park View in Newcastle will be starting eight weeks of strike action on 23 December in defence of three reps, Rachel Farmer, Joel Hamilton and Gordon Askew, who were sacked by HMRC in relation to their trade union activity. At 12:30pm on 23 December members and activists are invited to join an online rally to show support and solidarity for the strike action and demonstrate that the union stands with our striking members and that we will not accept the victimisation of our reps. PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote and national president Martin Cavanagh will be speaking at the event and at least one of the sacked reps. Monday 23 December 23, 12:30 pm. Join Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 981 9820 4587. Strike fund donations – donations to support the strikers can be made to the following account with the reference ‘BPV Strikes’: account name: PCS Fighting Fund Levy, account number: 20331490, sort code: 60-83-01

Support our Facilities Management strikers at the FCDO (19 Dec) – We have launched an e-action calling on Philip Barton, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to intervene and resolve the ongoing disputes with OCS and G4S. PCS members employed by OCS and G4S as cleaners, caterers, and security officers at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in East Kilbride are in dispute with their employer over, pay terms and conditions after both companies failed to table acceptable pay offers. The members are currently taking strike action which is planned to continue for the rest of December and into early January read more

English classes for ISS members in London (19 Dec) – Paid time off has been agreed for housekeeping and catering staff who do not speak English as a first language to attend the training read more

Met Police staff to refuse to comply with return to the office directive (19 Dec) – The industrial action, a first for the Met Police, will start from 6 January 2025. PCS members working for the Metropolitan Police will next year refuse managers’ instructions to go into the office for additional unnecessary days, ranging from 60-100% of the working week. The new policy affects over 2,400 civilians staff who support the day-to-day work of police officers. It disproportionately impacts women, part-time workers and those with disabilities. In the ballot that closed on 10 December, 91% of those who voted said they were prepared to take action short of a strike and 85% were prepared to take strike action. This is the first time that Met Police staff have voted for industrial action. The action short of strike, in the form of non-compliance with the new workplace attendance policy, will start from 6 January 2025. The intention is to persuade Met Police management to continue the current blended working deal read more

Strike ballot opens for ISS members at the DESNZ (18 Dec) – The facilities management workers at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in Whitehall are in dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The 57 members being balloted for strike action are employed by outsourcing company ISS in facilities management roles such as security guards and cleaners at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) read more

Fujitsu ballot opens for strike action over pay (17 Dec) – PCS members working on government contracts for Fujitsu Services UK have received only a 1.5% pay offer. PCS members working on government contracts for Fujitsu Services UK will from today be sent ballot papers in a dispute over a derisory 1.5% pay offer. Our pay claim is for 7.5% or £1750 cash underpin which is based on inflation and a catch-up element for the years of below inflation rises our members have endured. If the members vote for action, the subsequent strike could hit people completing their self-assessment tax forms in the new year. The ballot opens today and closes on 14 January 2025 read more

PCS urges MHCLG members to write to their MP (16 Dec) – We have launched an e-action calling on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to reconsider plans to close six regional offices. PCS members who work for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are concerned that local expertise will be lost because of the closure of the six offices in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Warrington and Truro; and about the impact this will have on jobs and services that MHCLG delivers. At the same time the department is seeking to introduce restrictions on recruitment and continues to implement a 60% office attendance mandate read more

PCS urges HM Land Registry members to write to their MP (16 Dec) – We have launched an e-action to coincide with the final week of the strike ballot over HM Land Registry’s plans for strict office attendance, use of individual data and changes to ‘classification’. HM Land Registry members have until 23 December to return their ballot paper for strike action read more

PCS condemns Cabinet Office jobs cut plan (12 Dec) – PCS has said that after a week of unacceptable civil service-bashing from members of the new government, the announcement of up to 400 voluntary redundancies at the Cabinet Office is extremely disappointing read more

Pensions Regulator members secure groundbreaking pay offer (12 Dec) – PCS members brought The Pensions Regulator (TPR) back to the negotiating table after more than 60 days of strike action from September 2023 to March 2024 and we have secured an improved pay offer read more

Outsourced strikers speak live from the picket line (11 Dec) – In a PCS first, we broadcast live from the picket lines today (11) speaking to striking outsourced workers at G4S, ISS and OCS. PCS members working for ISS, G4S and OCS are on strike this week and for the G4S and OCS members this will continue throughout December and into January. The members, who work on outsourced contracts in government departments, are involved in a long-running dispute over pay, terms and conditions read more

Strikes continue and more dates are added in our Facilities Management disputes (9 Dec) – Members working for ISS, G4S and OCS are all taking action throughout December and into January. PCS members working on outsourced contracts in government departments for G4S, ISS and OCS are involved in a long-running dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The members working for G4S and OCS have already taken a substantial amount of strike action and the extra dates announced today will see G4S members in Whitehall taking an extra 10 days to extend the strike over Christmas and into the new year. This coincides with strike action already planned for OCS and G4S members working at the FCDO site in East Kilbride. The G4S members employed in central London departments as security officers, pass office and receptionists are on strike all this week (9-13 December) and will now take a further 10 days of action across December and January from 23 – 27 December and from 30 December to 3 January. Over 40 ISS members employed as caterers, cleaners, post room staff and receptionists at 10 Victoria Street, 22-26 Whitehall, 8 Salisbury Square and Old Admiralty Buildings are taking their first five days of strike action this week, from Monday 9 to Friday 13 December. Please send messages of solidarity to [email protected]  read more

Met Police staff vote for strike action over return to offices (11 Dec) – The ballot closed yesterday and showed overwhelming support for action. In the industrial action ballot that closed yesterday (10) 85% of members who voted said yes to taking strike action and 91% voted for action short of a strike. It is the first time Met Police employees have ever voted for industrial action and shows the depth of feeling after managers reversed the existing agreement on blended working that allowed them to work from home part of the week. The new policy which forces members back to the office for between 60 and 100%, affects 2,400 civilians who support the day-to-day work of police officers. It disproportionately impacts women, part-time workers and those with disabilities read more

PCS responds to pay review body announcement (10 Dec) – PCS has described as not a “good sign if this is the shape of things to come,” tonight’s UK Government recommendation of a pay rise of 2.8% for millions of public sector workers including teachers, NHS staff and senior civil servants next year. The BBC reported that the government said departments would have to fund 2025-26 and future pay increases from their own budgets and unlike in recent years there would be no additional money if recommended pay awards exceed what departments can afford. It added that officials would have to consider whether additional costs could be covered through other savings or improvements in productivity. The recommendations will now be considered by independent pay review bodies read more

Successful two-day strike at DBS (10 Dec) – The PCS Disclosure and Barring Service picket line in Liverpool was well supported during the strike action this week in the dispute over the imposition of a new customer contact system. Striking workers held picket lines on both strike days (9 and 10) outside their workplace at Shannon Court in Liverpool where they spoke to the public and other staff from the building and made themselves visible with their placards and banner. The strike action affected people requiring DBS checks for their employment as our members routinely help customers with email queries about their DBS check, help with barring referral disputes, and deal with complaints from the public. Introduced without proper consultation, the new customer contact system, “Max Contact” would not only force members to carry out work they’ve not been required to do before, but has also been beset by early technical problems and will fail to offer customers the resolutions they need. The two-day strike by our members in DBS Customer Services will now be followed by a work to rule up to 24 December. PCS has a further meeting with DBS on Thursday morning to discuss the new system. Show your support for the strikers by emailing [email protected]  read more

PCS responds to Cabinet Office minister’s comments on civil service reform (9 Dec) – The government should invest in the civil service and end the costly culture of consultants by bringing work in-house, where it should be, PCS says in response to the Cabinet Office minister’s comments on civil service reform read more

Members vote for strike action over sacked reps (9 Dec) – Members at HMRC Benton Park View in Newcastle have resoundingly voted for strike action in defence of the PCS reps sacked at their site. Members in PT Ops, employer services based at Benton Park View in Newcastle have delivered a resounding message to the employer over the sacking of 3 PCS reps, Rachel Farmer, Gordon Askew and Joel Hamilton. More than 67% of members in employer services took part in the ballot with 96% voting for strike action in defence of their reps, demanding that they are reinstated read more. Sign petition: stand with PCS reps at Benton Park View, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Ballot launched over pay at the Civil Aviation Authority (6 Dec) – PCS members working for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are being balloted on industrial action following the imposition of a derisory pay offer. The CAA, with staff working in offices at Gatwick Airport and at Canary Wharf, made an offer well below deals won by PCS members in other parts of the aviation industry. The offer is 4% for the lowest-earners, and 3% for other grades. The union has negotiated pay deals at Heathrow, worth more than 15% over 2 years, and at NATS, worth 17% over three years. The CAA’s inadequate offer, which is less than the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance, leaves CAA pay dragging behind the rest of the aviation sector read more

Heathrow members to decide on the future of their dispute (6 Dec) – Border Force officers have already taken eleven days of strike action in their dispute over enforced rota changes. 650 Border Force officers have taken 11 days of strike action and 53 days of action short of a strike against a roster imposed in April as a result of Priti Patel’s disastrous tenure as Home Secretary… The members are now being surveyed to ask about the continuing impact of the rota and whether they want to vote for more strike action in 2025. The survey opened today (6) and closes on 24 December read more

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman members ballot for strike action (28 Nov) – A ballot is under way for PCS members working at the PHSO who are in dispute over pay, hybrid working and proposals being piloted that could see extra responsibilities delegated to more junior staff without any extra pay. More than 200 members working at the PHSO in Manchester and London are being balloted from 27 November to 22 January. The issue over pay follows PHSO’s refusal to match the 5% pay increase set out in the Civil Service Pay Remit. While senior management at PHSO argue that existing contractual pay increments mean a minority of staff will receive more, a 3.4% across the board increase was imposed earlier this year read more

Update on the G4S dispute (22 Nov) – Mark Page, PCS industrial officer, gives us the latest on the long-running industrial action. G4S guards in the DWP provide security services for around 700 workplaces across the country. There are 3200 workers on the DWP G4S contract read more

Use the e-action to fight de-recognition of PCS at the Imperial War Museum – The e-action sends an email to the director general asking her to halt plans to derecognise PCS, and preserve workers’ voices and rights. On 6 March, Imperial War Museum Director Francoise Harris wrote to PCS, FDA and Prospect unions confirming that they wish to derecognise PCS and FDA and move forward with only one union, Prospect. The three unions, Prospect, PCS, and FDA have a constructive and collaborative relationship and all three have appealed to management at the IWM not to derecognise PCS and FDA read more

Sign our petition for members in Hinduja Global Solutions to keep their jobs – 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

CAA workers vote to take strike action for the first time in 40 years (17 Dec) – Prospect members working at the Civil Aviation authority (CAA) have voted strongly in favour of industrial action in a pay dispute. This is the first time in 40 years that its employees have voted for industrial action. 73% of those who voted did so in favour of taking strike action (27% against) while 94% voted in favour of taking action short of a strike (6% against). Turnout was over the legal threshold. The CAA imposed a 3-4% pay offer on staff after going through the motions of negotiating – an offer which neither kept pace with the industry nor civil service (The CAA is a Non-Departmental Public Body) read more

Spending review must be built on the insights of those who deliver the Government’s missions (10 Dec) – The Government has kicked off its full Comprehensive Spending Review, writing to departments asking them to identify 5% of efficiency and productivity savings read more

The Government needs a competitive offer on pay for its new Civil Service approach to work (9 Dec) – Then Government has announced plans to make the state operate better by recruiting tech and data specialists from the private sector to work in the civil service read more

Union members balloted on strike action over navy support contract (9 Dec) – Prospect members working at Serco Marine are balloting on industrial action over a refusal of the company to involve members in the development of a new contract with MoD read more

Supplier of advanced Royal Navy and RAF training threatened with strike action (18 Nov) – Prospect members working at aerospace company Draken have voted to take industrial action in a dispute about pay which has failed to keep up with competitors in the industry… Prospect is now seeking an urgent meeting with the employer to try to find a way to resolve the dispute. Details of any dates for strike action or action short of a strike will be announced in due course unless a resolution can be achieved read more

FDA

Prime Minister responds to FDA’s concerns over his language regarding civil servants (Dec 16) – FDA General Secretary Dave Penman received a letter from Prime Minister Keir Starmer responding to the FDA’s criticism of statements the Prime Minister made regarding the civil service during his Plan for Change speech read more

FDA General Secretary writes to Prime Minister over “disappointing” and “insulting” language regarding civil service (9 Dec) – The FDA has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in response to comments he made during the launch of the government’s Plan for Change, in which he said that too many in Whitehall were “comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline” and had a “don’t say anything” attitude read more

GMB  

Low paid NHS workers hit with £70 million in car parking fees (19 Dec) – Low-paid NHS workers were hit with more than 70 million in car parking charges last year, new figures from NHS Digital show. Figures released today [Thursday] show health workers in England forked out a whopping £70,510,110 just to park at work in the financial year 2023/24. NHS staff in the North West paid out the most at almost £15 million, followed by the North East and Yorkshire with more than £14.5 million, then the Midlands with more than £11 million read more

Water bill hikes ‘won’t stop leaks and sewage spills’ (19 Dec) – GMB, the water union, has reacted to Ofwat’s announcement today [Thursday] that the average water bill will rise by an average of £86 from April read more

GMB reacts to Harland and Wolff deal official announcement (19 Dec) – GMB Union has reacted to the takeover of Harland and Wolff by Spanish firm Navantia, announced today [Thursday] read more

NHS pay award must be ‘truly independent’ – GMB tells PRB (18 Dec) – NHS workers’ pay award must be ‘truly independent’ of the Government’s recommendation, GMB Union has told the Pay Review Body [PRB}. The union has today [Wednesday] written to the PRB  – which reviews evidence from unions, ministers and employers before making a recommendation for NHS pay in April. GMB, the only major union to engage with the pay process for 2025/26, has already submitted evidence to the body calling for an above inflation pay rise. Last week the Government submitted its own evidence, saying it can only afford 2.8 per cent pay rise, some of which must be used to pay for last year’s deal. GMB’s letter asks the PRB to consider all the evidence and make a recommendation based on the needs of workers, not just following the Government’s affordability plan. The union will give evidence to the PRB in person on 21 January 2025 read more

Harland and Wolff deal ‘welcome but challenges remain’ (17 Dec) – GMB Union, the union for shipbuilders, has responded to a deal to save Harland and Wolff, reported today [Tuesday] read more

Northern Ireland Water strike off after GMB members accept pay offer (11 Dec) – GMB members in Northern Ireland have overwhelmingly voted to accept the company’s pay offer for 2023/24, which brings an end to the ongoing dispute read more

GMB hails ‘historic first step’ to settle Birmingham equal pay (10 Dec) – Birmingham City Council workers will gather in Victora Square to hail the historic first step in settling the city’s long-running equal pay crisis. Four years after launching their campaign, 6,000 low paid, predominantly women workers look set to finally receive settlement payments from the local authority. GMB Union re-entered talks with council chiefs last month and have now thrashed out a way forward to settle the claims – knows as a ‘framework agreement’. Settlement payouts are expected to be as much as four times higher than the payment offered to workers in 2021, with settlement expected to take place in the middle of 2025 read more

Thames Water ‘sinking in debt’ (10 Dec) – GMB, the union for water workers, has responded to Thames Water’s half yearly results, released today read more

BCP Council plots ‘Scrooge-like’ plan to fire and rehire 5000 workers for Christmas (3 Dec) – Council’s written threat to staff must be withdrawn after members expressed worries about costly new job evaluation scheme, says GMB union. GMB, the union for local government workers, is warning Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council not to fire and rehire its entire workforce – a plan set to be unveiled at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday 10 December. BCP Council Chief Executive Graham Farrant has written to all employees announcing all workers will be dismissed and reengaged on new terms – leading frightened staff to contact GMB with worries they will be dismissed. This tactic, also known as ‘fire & rehire’ was roundly condemned by the Labour Party when P&O Ferries dismissed all its staff in 2022. The party will now seek to ban the practice in legislation soon to go before parliament. BCP Councill’s ruling Liberal Democrat ruling group will decide at the 10 December meeting whether to proceed with the Chief Executive’s preferred option of dismissing the whole workforce or to potentially go to ACAS, who may be able to independently mediate. GMB believes the council may have wasted millions of pounds on a new, unfit-for-local-government job evaluation scheme when such money could have been spent on the residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole read more

More than 300 GMB members to strike in South London hospitals as talks fail (28 Nov) – Last-minutes talks fail to prevent a strike of ISS workers across 5 hospital sites. Members of GMB, the union for all NHS workers, are set to strike across two NHS trusts and five hospital sites in South London. The workers are employed by private contractor ISS as domestics, porters and catering staff and will be taking four days of strike action from tomorrow. On the final day of strike action, Monday 2 December, the members will be marching to ISS UK Headquarters in Canary Wharf. The dispute centres around pay, terms and conditions read more

Labour’s cash-strapped Lambeth Council set to lose £300,000 a week as parking strike hits borough revenue (12 Nov) – Cllr Claire Holland, Leader of Lambeth council is burying her head in the sand about the strike hitting council’s parking service. GMB, the union for local government workers, has estimated that the current strike being carried out by parking wardens in Lambeth is set to cost the local authority around £300,000 a week in lost revenue. Lambeth Council’s parking contractor Apcoa employs the traffic wardens within the borough, as well as neighbouring boroughs Kingston, Richmond and Wandsworth. Dozens of members are taking action over a litany of workplace issues, including the fact that some workers have been offered no pay rise at all for 2024 read more

More than 200 parking wardens to strike across three London Boroughs as last-ditch talks fail (8 Nov) – Zero pay rise, no recognition and disrespect towards members has led to strike, says GMB. More than 200 parking wardens and environmental officers across three London Boroughs are set to walk off the job from 7am on Monday 11 November until Midnight on Sunday 17 November. The strike will take place across the boroughs of Wandsworth, Richmond and Lambeth, with members in Kingston also currently voting on whether to join their colleagues read more

Luxury headscarf makers walk out again later talks break down (7 Nov) – Dozens of headscarf workers will walk out for four more days after talks broke down. Skilled weavers at Lappet Manufacturing, in Carlisle, will walk out today, tomorrow [Friday], Saturday [9 November] and Sunday [10 November] in anger at low pay and ‘crushing’ targets, GMB has said. Workers need years of experience to make the high end headscarves, predominantly for the Saudi Arabian market, but their pay does not reflect that, says GMB Union read more

Winter walk-out headache for British Gas over supplier strike (15 Oct) – Strike action by contractors in the energy giant’s supply chain could lead to delays, says GMB. GMB Union has announced today that workers at British Gas supplier TVS Supply Chain Solutions have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. More than 90 per cent of workers rejected the company’s pay offer and were willing to take industrial action, which comes after 10 months of talks and a three year pay-freeze for TVS staff. The company provides parts and maintenance support across British Gas home heating products, including home boilers and metering. Around 150 workers at the company’s Leicester and Coventry HQ are expected to take eight days of strike action between 18 – 21 and 25 -28 October 2024 read more

Tetley’s workers walk out again (9 Oct) – Tetley workers will walk out again today as GMB announce 12 more strike dates. Almost 150 GMB members working at Tata Consumer Products, which makes Tetley Tea in Teesside, will down tools in anger at ‘poverty pay’. Dates of further industrial action, likely to be during the next two months, will be announced in the coming days 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 Unison

Water customers will be outraged that bills are rising again (19 Dec) – Public frustration is understandable as households everywhere will bear the cost of water companies’ failures for years to come read more

Compensation refusal is desperate blow for ‘Waspi’ women (17 Dec) – Solution must be found to desperately unfair situation. Commenting on the government’s announcement today (Tuesday) that no compensation will be paid to ‘Waspi’ women who have campaigned to be treated fairly after changes to their pensions, UNISON head of equality Josie Irwin said: “This decision is a cruel blow to a generation of women, some of whom are now suffering financially. That’s because the coalition government moved the goalposts about when the women could claim their state pension…” read more

Swansea Bay health workers’ strike suspended following new pay offer, says UNISON (10 Dec) – A strike by hundreds of NHS staff at hospitals in Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot set for this week has been suspended after health board managers made an improved pay offer, says UNISON today (Monday). Healthcare support workers were due to walk out at eight hospitals in the local area from 7am tomorrow (Tuesday) until 7pm on Wednesday. The union says it is now to put the improved offer to the healthcare assistants over the next two weeks to establish whether they want to accept or reject the proposals. The dispute centres on Swansea Bay University Health Board’s refusal to pay staff for extra work they have been doing. Hospital workers say their wages should reflect the more complex extra tasks they’ve been doing for years and that they should have been paid at a higher salary grade read more

Pay is key to turning around NHS fortunes, warns UNISON (10 Dec) – The union says 2.8% wage rise proposed for NHS next year will go down badly with staff. The government’s plans to limit wage rises across the NHS to 2.8% next year will go down badly with staff already facing a hellish winter, says UNISON today (Tuesday). The decision to delay talks on the promised modernisation of NHS pay scales until the second half of next year isn’t helpful, says UNISON. Similarly, insisting the cost of pay reform must be deducted from the pot available for the 2025/26 annual wage rise will hit workforce morale, says the union read more

Councils urged to back national care service to fix ‘broken’ system, says UNISON (10 Dec) – Union calls on councillors across England to support motion for social care reform. Councils are being asked to pledge their support for a national care service for England in a campaign launched today (Tuesday) by UNISON. The union is urging councillors across England to back a motion it has drawn up that calls for the urgent reform of social care, including the introduction of a fair pay agreement for staff read more

Solidarity with the South Korean trade union movement (5 Dec) – Message follows the president’s attempt to impose martial law. Candle lit vigil in South Korea against the attempt to impose martial law by the president. Members of the KPTU holding a vigil. The signs say: ‘Resign for treason!’ UNISON condemns the attempt to impose martial law, including banning the right to strike, on 3 December in South Korea by the President Yoon Suk Yeol. Forty-four years after formal democracy began in the country, it was a desperate, anti-democratic act designed to extend the political life of the president. UNISON congratulates the South Korean trade union movement, including the Korean Public and Transport Union (KPTU) for its courageous, swift and successful mobilisation in defence of democracy. We stand firmly with the people and trade unions of South Korea and are ready to extend our solidarity whenever needed read more

Workers at Livv Housing continue to strike as pay and conditions row heightens – HUNDREDS of workers at a housing association will be next on strike in December: Unison dates – 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 23rd and 24th targeted action, 20th all out. From 6th to 21st everyday targeted action of contact centre for evenings and weekend shifts. Unite – All out on 6th, 9th, 18th, 20th, 23rd and 24^th read more on Knowsley Unison website. Trade Union wide demo supporting Livv striking workers – from 8am today

Support Manchester EIS Strike by Unison and Unite members – Mental Health workers in Early Intervention in Psychosis will be on strike. It’s not over pay, which is not enough, but over serious concerns for the service, it’s users, & the community. Show your support. @MancStrikeNHS. Next strikes 10-12 December. Picket line: Friday 8^th & Monday 11^th November, 8am -11am 70, Manchester Rd, M21 9UN

Health workers in East Suffolk and North Essex launch strike appeal (26 Nov) – More than 350 workers at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) have launched three weeks of strikes to stop their jobs being outsourced. On Monday 25 November, cleaners, porters, housekeepers and other facilities staff started three weeks’ worth of strike action to keep their jobs in the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT). The dispute comes after the trust wrote to staff in April to tell them their jobs could be outsourced. In May, the chief executive of the trust, Nick Hulme, was filmed telling workers lobbying a board meeting that the decision to outsource had already been made. Staff fear the sell-off will threaten their pay and conditions and pose a serious risk to patient safety. As an example, outsourced staff in Ipswich get fewer days of annual leave and less sick pay than their colleagues directly employed by the NHS. They also missed out on the extra one-off payment of £1,655 that NHS staff received in the last financial year. Now, more than 350 workers, employed at Colchester Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital and several other ESNEFT community sites have walked out until Friday 13 December – or until the trust abandons plans to outsource their jobs. They had already taken more than 20 days of strikes and ahead of this week’s strikes, staff had to hold a second ballot to renew their legal mandate to take industrial action. Workers again voted 99% in favour of strikes in results announced on Friday (22 November) read more. Sign petition  Write to the Board. How to donate to the strike appeal: UNISON Colchester & Ipswich Area Health, UNITY Bank, Sort code: 60-83-01, Account number: 20403881, Reference: STRIKE

Grimsby maternity support workers launch strike appeal (26 Nov) – Maternity support workers at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby are fighting for proportionate backpay and need your support. Maternity support workers at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby have just completed two weeks of strike action in their fight to secure proportionate back pay for carrying out clinical duties beyond their pay band for years. Although the NHS trust re-banded them from Band 2 to Band 3 in October 2023, the trust is currently refusing to make an equitable offer of backpay. As things stand, the current proposals would see some maternity support workers, who have nearly forty years’ service, and have worked high levels of unsocial hours, receiving less backpay than someone who has been at the trust for only four years. The support workers took two days and then one week of strike action earlier in the year and started a two-week strike as of Monday 11 November read more. How to donate: Unity Trust, Sort Code: 60-83-01, Account Number: 20337627, Account name: Grimsby Goole Scunthorpe health branch

UNISON Scottish Police Staff members have voted to REJECT the pay offer and are willing to take industrial action to secure a fair and reasonable pay deal PoliceStaffScotland @UNISONPSS on X/Twitter

Serco workers at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital to escalate strike action (28 Oct) – Workers will begin their second 48-hour walkout at 7am on Monday 11 November. Caterers, housekeepers, security guards and porters employed by Serco at Great Western Hospital in Swindon will take further strike action in their ongoing dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Monday). Workers will begin their second 48-hour walkout at 7am on Monday 11 November as they demand the same one-off payments already awarded to their NHS colleagues. They previously took action in September read more

Strikes will close schools for two weeks in first minister John Swinney’s constituency (8 Oct) – UNISON, the largest local government union, has notified Perth and Kinross Council that schools and early years centres will close for two weeks from 21 October, in a pay dispute that affects all council staff in Scotland, the union says today (Tuesday) read more

NIPSA

Update On Pay Award Talks For 2024/25 (Health & Social Care) (11 Dec) – NIPSA, alongside other Agenda for Change (AFC) trade unions, met on the 10 December 2024 with the Minister of Health to discuss the pay award for 2024/25. While these talks were positive and constructive, it is important to highlight that no firm or written offer was made during or following this meeting read more

Statement On Recent Offer To Healthcare Workers (22 Nov) – The Minister of Health has returned to the trade unions following a meeting with the Executive, presenting an offer that is strikingly similar to the previous one—a proposal that undermines the principle of pay parity. This offer asks healthcare workers to relinquish a portion of their pay increase, with no guarantee that the full amount will be paid in the future. As a result, healthcare workers in Northern Ireland would face an overall lower percentage pay rise of for the 2024/25 financial year, compared to the 5.5% already awarded to their counterparts in Great Britain. This raises a crucial question: how can this offer be considered parity? Read more

Statement From HSC Trade Unions (22 Nov) – Following an update from the Department of Health and on the Executive discussion on public sector pay, Health Trade Unions in Northern Ireland reaffirmed our position that the Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendation should be implemented in full. Furthermore, the Health Trade Unions insisted that any pay offer must ensure pay parity be backdated to 1st of April 2024. This serious matter remains unresolved. We remain committed to representing our members’ interests and will consult with them in due course regarding any further developments read more

Industrial Action Update in Children’s Social Work Services (9 Nov) – NIPSA moving to CAP caseloads to protect social work members. The purpose of this article is to provide Social Work members with an update on the current industrial action situation in Children’s Social Work services, which is driven by chronic staffing shortages and unsafe workloads. Despite months of discussion with key representatives from the Department of Health and the five HSCT’s and subsequent assurances that an offer was imminent. Negotiators reported that there has been no contact with NIPSA, from the Department since 4 October 2024. Branch Officers from the five HSC Trusts, therefore met this week to review the current situation. It was unanimously agreed that a significant escalation of current action was now unavoidable due to the employer’s inaction. The action agreed will take the form of calling a halt on employers exploitation of our members’ good will and professionalism. NIPSA will move to implement a ‘cap’ or ‘ceiling’ on the number of cases assigned to Social Workers in all Looked After Children (LAC) and Family Support/Family Intervention Services across Northern Ireland. Action being developed, in addition this will include limits on Social Workers supervising contact, limits on Social Workers covering Duty and an extension of current industrial action on private law to include Article 56 work. Given the complications around these issues, and to ensure consistency in this escalation regionally, it was agreed Branches will meet with their members working in these areas, to address any queries this escalation may entail read more

Royal College of Nursing  

Government position on pay increase for nursing ‘deeply offensive’, RCN says (10 Dec) – As the UK government submits its evidence to the Pay Review Body for 2025/26, we say the proposed figure for nursing staff proves nursing staff were right to ask for direct pay negotiations read more

NHS pay consultation in Wales: RCN members vote reject (4 Nov) – RCN members working for the NHS in Wales have overwhelmingly voted to reject the 2024/25 pay award from the Welsh government read more

NHS pay consultation in England: members vote reject (23 Sept) – Two-thirds of members who voted said the 5.5% pay award isn’t enough 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

RCM welcomes long overdue pay award for members in Northern Ireland (17 Dec) – A long overdue pay award has finally arrived for midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Northern Ireland. In a letter to Health and Social Care unions the Minister for Health Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that RCM members in Northern Ireland will receive a pay rise of 5.5%. The proposed pay award is on par with what RCM members received in England and Wales and the RCM has welcomed confirmation that it will be backdated for all Agenda for Change (AFC) staff to June 2024. A memorandum of understanding also confirms that full parity will be maintained and that the remaining two months 1 April to 31 May will be paid at a later date read more

Government pay recommendation ‘not good enough’ says RCM (12 Dec) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the Government’s pay recommendation of 2.8% for 2025/26 as ‘not good enough’ and says it won’t meet the expectations of its hard-working members. Furthermore, moving the crucial structural negotiations which formed part of this year’s pay round into 2025/26 runs counter to the Government’s previous commitment of getting the pay process back on track. The RCM says for the past number of years its members’ faith in the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) process has slowly eroded and this will further test that read more

Statement from HSC trade unions Northern Ireland (15 Nov)

CSP

Northern Ireland’s department of health accepts Pay Review Body recommendations (17 Dec) – The department of health’s acceptance of the Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendations for 2024/25 will mean members in Northern Ireland will receive backpay in the March payroll read more

Disappointing NHS pay recommendation a test for the PRB, says CSP (11 Dec) – The pay review body for the NHS in England needs to show its mettle or risk being abandoned, the CSP has said read more

CSP members in Scotland warn of staffing crisis impacting patient care (11 Dec) – CSP members in Scotland have spoken out about the real pressures they are facing in the NHS, and the shocking impact on physiotherapy services and patient care read more

CSP consults members over next steps on HSC pay (4 Dec) – The CSP is asking members working for Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland whether they wish to move to a formal industrial action ballot over pay read more

The CSP has called for an above-inflation pay rise for NHS staff in its submission to the pay review body for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (26 Nov) – In evidence to the pay review body (PRB), the CSP cited severe workforce shortages that are placing enormous strain on patient care and the health and wellbeing of physiotherapy staff. The submission drew on testimony from local representatives that provided a stark insight on working in the NHS read more

SOR

NHS will haemorrhage staff unless pay is restored to match national averages, says SoR (2 Dec) – The Society of Radiographers has submitted written evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body to highlight the issue read more

HSC Trade Unions Northern Ireland discussions with Department of Health hit stalemate (25 Nov) – Negotiations regarding pay have stalled out, with hopes being raised for a meeting later this week in pursuit of public sector pay deal read more

Pay award consultation for Scottish SoR members open now (4 Sept) – The Society wants to hear responses from members in Scotland over the proposed 5.5 per cent pay increase read more

BMA

Why I have voted to reject the 24/25 GMS contract (13 Dec) – Accepting the offer displays we are willing to do more with less which would be unsafe and unsustainable read more

NEU

Joint union evidence to School Teachers’ Review Body (13 Dec) – Unions representing the majority of teachers and school leaders in England have urged the STRB to make the recommendations needed to reverse the real terms pay cuts since 2010, restore pay competitiveness and tackle excessive workload.  These actions are essential to tackling the recruitment and retention crisis read more

Joint union letter to Education Secretary on pay and funding (12 Dec) – Today four education unions – ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU – have written to the Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, outlining their concerns about the inadequate and underfunded pay recommendation outlined in the Department for Education’s evidence submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body, published on 10 December read more

School expenditure (12 Dec) – The Government’s latest data on school funding shows that schools are in no position to absorb further cuts to education read more

DfE evidence to STRB on teacher pay in England (10 Dec) – Commenting on the Department for Education’s submitted evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The proposed unfunded 2.8% pay increase for September 2025 for teachers in England set out in the Government’s evidence to the STRB falls well short of the urgent action needed. School cuts have left education on the brink, with a deep and severe recruitment and retention crisis that is causing wholescale damage to education provision…” read more

Support the following NEU strikes:-

Action Date Content Sir George Monoux / Waltham Forest (Conditions of Service) 16-18 Dec Mallainee Martin [email protected] Pablo Phillips [email protected] Whitefield School / Waltham Forest (Conditions of Service) 16-19 Dec Mallainee Martin [email protected] Pablo Phillips [email protected] Newbury Park Primary / Redbridge (Conditions of Service/Victimisation of Rep) 17-18 Dec Venda Premkumar [email protected] Redbridge Alternative Provision / Redbridge (Conditions of Service) 17-18 Dec Bill Stockwell [email protected] George Dixon Primary / Birmingham (Transfer of Employer) 17-19 Dec David Room [email protected] Maricourt Catholic High School / Sefton (Workload & Directed Time) 17-19 Dec Conor Quinn [email protected] Selwyn Primary School / Waltham Forest 17-19 Dec Mallainee Martin [email protected] Pablo Phillips [email protected] Connaught School for Girls / Waltham Forest (TLR Payments/Workload) 17-20 Dec Mallainee Martin [email protected] Pablo Phillips [email protected] The Sixth Form College Farnborough / North East Hampshire (Terms & Conditions) 18-20 Dec David Dhanjal-Field [email protected]

NASUWT

NASUWT to de-escalate action at Gable Hall School (18 Dec) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union is to de-escalate its current industrial action campaign at Gable Hall School in Thurrock from tomorrow (Thursday) in order to provide the employer with the opportunity to meet with us and negotiate a resolution to the current dispute over workload and working practices. If the employer does not take the opportunity to do so, further industrial action is likely in January. NASUWT is withdrawing the current action short of strike action from 23:59 hrs on Wednesday 18th December to allow members to return to school from Thursday 19th December to teach their pupils and to allow educational trips and visits to take place unaffected by the employer’s actions read more

Teachers send united message as they vote for industrial action (16 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action in a dispute in relation to pay for the 2024-25 Academic year. 92.7 % of those returning ballot papers voted in support of strike action, with 99.0% in support of action short of strike action. Teachers in Northern Ireland have yet to receive a formal pay offer for this academic year while teachers in England and Wales received a 5.5% pay uplift read more

Above inflation multi-year pay award needed for teachers (13 Dec) – An above inflation, fully funded, multi-year pay award for all teachers and school leaders in England is needed to address the crisis in teacher numbers. The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has today submitted detailed evidence on the 2025/26 pay award to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which makes recommendations on teachers’ pay to the Secretary of State for Education read more

Unions outline concerns over pay proposals (12 Dec) – Today four education unions – NASUWT, ASCL, NAHT, and NEU – have written to the Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, outlining their concerns about the inadequate and underfunded pay recommendation outlined in the Department for Education’s evidence submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body, published on 10 December read more

Unfunded pay offer would mean cuts to pay, jobs and pupil support (11 Dec) – Commenting on the government proposal for a 2.8% unfunded pay offer for teachers in September 2025, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “The Government’s decision to publish its submission to the pay review body has caused major concern for teachers and for schools…” read more

Members strike over school closure plans (10 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Lewis Girls School, Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, are taking strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) over plans to close the school and merge with Lewis Pengam School. The decision over the closure is being made without any consideration to the impact the changes will have on members’ workload, working conditions and the welfare of members. Members have been given no assurances that they will not lose their jobs read more

Striking teachers protest at the Senedd over pupil behaviour (10 Dec) – On Thursday 12th December, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, at Ysgol Nantgwyn, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and Ysgol Abersychan in Pontypool will take strike action over poor pupil behaviour and will be taking their protest to the steps of the Senedd. At 11am on Thursday, striking members from both schools will gather in front of the Senedd to express their concern over the lack of progress on this crucial issue read more

Essex teachers threatened with school lock out (9 Dec) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Gable Hall School in Thurrock are being threatened with being locked out of the school and prevented from teaching their pupils after they voted to take industrial action in an ongoing dispute over workload and working practices. Members at the school are due to begin action short of strike action from Wednesday over concerns about adverse management practices which are resulting in unsustainable workloads that are undermining teachers’ health, safety and wellbeing. NASUWT members have sought to minimise any disruption to pupils’ education at the school. However, the employer has responded by threatening to lock out more than three-quarters of the teaching staff at Gable Hall School. Despite making every effort to avoid industrial action, the employer is refusing to engage in genuine negotiations and has now threatened teachers with a lock out. Mossbourne Trust Management is currently running the school and will formally take over as of the 31st December from The Ortu Federation read more

Northumberland teachers strike to save jobs (7 Oct) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union are continuing their campaign of strike action at three middle schools in Northumberland following the failure of Northumberland County Council to engage in meaningful consultation over plans to close the schools, which has resulted in over 100 redundancy notices being issued. The council wants to close Glendale, Tweedmouth and Berwick Middle Schools as part of a move to a primary and secondary school system. The NASUWT have tried for months to secure firm commitments from the Council and from Berwick Partnership Headteachers, to put in place real mitigations to avoid unnecessary compulsory job losses and teachers took strike action earlier this year in June. Teachers begin the first of seven days of strike action over the next three weeks beginning today (Monday 7 October). They will be on strike on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week and further action will take place on Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 October. Members will be demonstrating on Berwick Bridge on Monday and Tuesday between 8am and 9.15am and National Executive Member John Hall will be available to speak to media on Tuesday 8 October on Berwick Bridge read more

EIS

SNCT Statement: Class contact time reduction – plan must be forthcoming to avoid dispute (16 Dec) – The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee (SNCT) has met in response to the Cabinet Secretary for Education’s parliamentary statement of Tuesday 10th December and the joint COSLA/Scottish Government statement issued on the same date read more

Cabinet Secretary Statement on Scottish Education – EIS Comment (11 Dec) – The EIS has responded to the statement on Scottish education by Cabinet Secretary for Education Jenny Gilruth read more

INTO

Member Update: Ballot Result on Strike Action (16 Dec) – The results of the postal ballot are in:

• Turnout – 49.52%
• Vote for Strike Action – 92.53%
• Vote for Industrial Action Short of Strike – 97.27%

On the back of a strong turnout in the postal ballot we are committed to embarking on a campaign of co-ordinated and planned industrial action in conjunction with our fellow trade union colleagues in the UTU and NASUWT. The NEU’s ballot does not close until Thursday 19 December 2024 when we hope they will be joining these three unions in a campaign of industrial action. The unions are currently engaging with each other to agree a co-ordinated approach to industrial action. Members will be informed of the timeline and details of the first phase of action short of strike following the Christmas break read more

UCU  

Strike ballot on the cards as 300 staff threatened with sack at Coventry University (17 Dec) – Coventry University has threatened more than 300 staff with the sack. Those who remain will be forced to work through a subsidiary company on behalf of the university, and any new starters would be unable to access the industry-standard Teachers’ Pension Scheme. From correspondence it has received from university management, UCU estimates over 100 staff could lose their jobs and more than 200 could be contracted over to Peoples Futures Limited (PFL), a company owned by the university. UCU said its Coventry University members are meeting this week to decide how to fight the punitive proposals and that they will likely begin balloting for strike action read more

UCU calls on Open University to withdraw fire and rehire threat (13 Dec) – The University and College Union (UCU) has today reiterated its call for the Open University (OU) to scrap plans to fire and rehire staff. In a letter sent to the OU’s vice chancellor and chair of council, the local branch has expressed their shock at the institution’s plan to threaten a group of Associate Lecturers with fire and rehire proceedings. The OU first began consulting on fire and rehire plans in 2023 and expects to fire over 20 lecturers in the early part of 2025 if those staff refuse to have their working hours and pay reduced. Many of the 160 staff initially threatened with fire and rehire have confirmed they only signed up to reductions in hours and pay because of that threat.  The tutors under threat (who provide tuition and academic support to students) have a high workload, often because they have agreed to do additional work in areas the university has found it hard to recruit in read more

UCU welcomes decision to retain over 150 Level 3 qualifications (12 Dec) – Responding to the outcome of the Department for Education’s review of Level 3 courses, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘Labour has listened to UCU and reversed the previous Tory government’s defunding of many crucial Level 3 qualifications. We welcome this decision, which will keep many BTECs in place and retain a key entry route into higher education for working-class students. The government must now ensure that course closures do not lead to current and future students losing out, as there is a risk they will be denied choice…” read more

HE offer 2024/25: member consultative ballot – Following a decision by UCU’s higher education committee, we are running a formal electronic consultation of HE members in participating institutions on the final pay and conditions offer for 2024/25. This launched on Tuesday 12 November 2024 and closes on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at 17:00. UCU’s higher education committee recommends that you:-

• vote to REJECT the pay element of the offer, and
• vote to ACCEPT the terms of reference on the pay-related elements (contract types/casualisation, workload, equality pay gaps, pay spine review).

This consultative electronic ballot launches on 12 November and closes on 3 December read more

UCU response to ‘disappointing’ further education pay recommendation (11 Oct) – UCU has today responded to the latest further education pay recommendation from the Association of Colleges (AoC). The further education employer body is recommending a pay offer of 2.5% or £750, whichever is greater. As part of the union’s New Deal For FE campaign, UCU members are calling for a 10% or £3k pay rise along with: parity with schoolteacher pay, a minimum starting salary of £30,000, closure of equality pay gaps, national agreements on workload, a return to national bargaining read more

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

  

FBU

FBU demands “significant above-inflation” pay rise ahead of talks (10 Dec) – The Fire Brigades Union has written to fire service employers to start the process of negotiating a pay rise for the UK’s firefighters and fire control staff. After more than a decade of real terms pay cuts under the Tories, the union is looking to the Labour government to make funding available for an above-inflation rise. Last year’s pay settlement saw a rise of 4%, as well as a boost to on-call firefighters’ retainers, and a minimum of six months’ paid maternity leave across the UK. In 2022 and 2023, the threat of strike action forced rises of 7% and 5%. Unlike many other parts of the public sector, the fire and rescue service has collective bargaining, meaning that the union will sit down with employers to negotiate a pay rise. Fire service pay is negotiated July to July read more

POA  

Spotlight on the right to strike (17 Dec) – The debate over giving prison officers back their ‘industrial muscle’ is heating up, reports Charley Allan. The ban on prison officers taking any form of industrial action has been raised many times in Parliament in recent years, often in the context of exploitative pay, terms and conditions. Back in December 2020, Labour’s Grahame Morris highlighted how “it is a criminal offence even to suggest that they should, for example, start working to rule” when attacking the then Tory government for rejecting the pay review body’s recommendation of a £3,000 rise for Band 3s, which he described as “an abuse of power” read more

General Secretary update (13 Dec) read more

National Chair Update November 2024 read more

The late Joe Simpson, Deputy General Secretary (17 Dec) – The membership will have received notification of the death, on Friday 27 September, of Deputy General Secretary Joe Simpson. This was extremely upsetting for his family and partner, but also for those POA members and employees who had known Joe for many years. Joe Simpson was more than just a Deputy General Secretary to me; he was a man whom I considered to be a long-time friend and I will miss him read more

Video tribute to Joe Simpson

We must ensure Joe’s memory lives on (17 Dec) – The NEC, POA members and the wider trade union movement are still grieving the loss of POA Deputy General Secretary Joe Simpson. Judging by the volume of emails I have read from all who worked with Joe, dealt with Joe or met him, there is no doubt that he was well respected and valued by all who had the pleasure of his company. HMPPS have been considerably thoughtful with their tributes to Joe, and I personally thank them for their kind words and understanding read more

Campaign for the right to strike (9 Dec) – The POA NEC have never given up over the last 30 years in getting Section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 repealed. We have had many setbacks legally and politically, but that just makes us more determined with our campaign. Before the General Election I met the leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer and put our case to him and whilst he listened, he did not commit to repealing it or indeed say that an incoming Labour Government would keep the restrictive legislation in place and neither did many other senior Labour politicians. The National Chair, in his recent Circular update informed the membership that the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State Shabana Mahmood MP met with us both and stated that they would not restore our right to have basic rights at work ie the right to strike. Whilst we were not surprised at this, we were saddened that an incoming Labour Government merely stated that they would defend their stance in the European Court of Human Rights. I did remind the Secretary of State that they were defending a piece of legislation which was brought in by a Tory Government in 1994. I believe there were and are other options available to this Government and we will continue to campaign for justice at work for our members. POA Honorary Life Member John McDonnell MP has tabled 3 amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, seeking to restore the right of Prison Officers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to take industrial action. His amendments are called NC1, NC2 and NC3 (NC stands for new clause- ie an extra bit to add to the original bill) and all of them make changes to section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which is the legislation banning Prison Officers from taking industrial action read more

NAPO

Cafcass Pay Consultation update (16 Dec) – Thank you to all those members who voted in the consultation ballot on the Cafcass pay offer for 2024-25. We are aware it was a quick turnaround, but there was overwhelming support to accept the offer with over 89% of those voting in favour. UNISON had a similar result, in that their members also voted to accept the offer. The joint trade unions have informed management this morning of the fact that the offer of 4.43% for all staff has been accepted and we have assurances from the employer that they will be able to ensure that this appears in your January pay. The Section Executive Committee wish all our members an enjoyable and relaxing break and we will be in touch in the New Year with consultation on the 2025-26 pay round. Thank you for your support over the last 12 months – The Family Court Section Executive Committee read more

Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025 (29 Nov) – Further to last week’s mail out alerting members about the launch of the Sentencing Review, we are now in a position – following approval at this week’s meeting of Napo’s National Executive Committee (NEC) – to detail the process for individuals to have input into Napo’s evidence. The deadline for formal submissions to the review is the 7th January 2025, which means there will be a short window in which to gather the views of our membership in the run up to the festive season and early into next year read more

BFAWU  

News from Bakers Union: Union Fury at Private Equity Owned Morrisons Bakery Closure (20 Nov) – The BFAWU have reacted furiously at the beyond disappointing announcement today that Morrisons are to close their Rathbones site in Wakefield and make redundant 400 loyal workers, with many more in the supply chain and agency workers also impacted. Many of the workers losing their jobs have worked at the site throughout the 20 years it has been producing bread for Morrisons. This news comes after Morrisons were taken over by Private Equity firm Clayton & Dubilier in 2021 read more

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

Nautilus International

Pay increase for members at Red Funnel (17 Dec) – Nautilus members employed by Red Funnel will receive a 6% pay increase from 1 April 2025 after voting to accept the company’s 2025 pay offer. Red Funnel has also made commitments to review pay progression for masters and to explore initiatives such as an Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme read more

Nautilus awaits Stena response during pay review (3 Dec) – Nautilus International is awaiting a response from Stena Line Pte Ltd after ‘respectfully’ rejecting the company’s offer at the 2025 pay and conditions review read more

RFA officers overwhelmingly vote to continue strike action (6 Nov) – Nautilus International members at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have voted by an overwhelming majority to continue both strike action and action short of strike. Even more members voted in favour of industrial action than the first ballot in early 2024, strengthening the Union’s mandate in the fight for fair pay at a service where wages have shrunk by 30% in real terms since 2010. The Union was required by law to reballot members in order to continue industrial action, which began with action short of strike on 1 June and has since escalated to include five days of full strike action – the first strikes in the history of the organisation. However, the mandate for industrial action is now even stronger after the government’s failure to put forward a serious pay offer. On a turnout of 63%, 97% of members voted for action short of strike and 90% voted for strike action. In the previous ballot, the turnout was 60% with 79% voting yes to strike action and 85% voting yes to action short of strike read more

NUJ   

Observer sale confirmed (18 Dec) – The Guardian/Observer chapel of the NUJ will meet tomorrow to consider the sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media read more

NUJ statement on Investigative Powers Tribunal report (17 Dec) – The National Union of Journalists welcomes the publication of the Investigatory  Powers Tribunal published online this morning (December 17th 2024). The National Union of Journalists welcomes the publication of the Investigatory  Powers Tribunal published this morning read more

Guardian and Observer strike enters final day (13 Dec) – Striking journalists outside the Guardian’s HQ in London were upbeat and determined during their second 48-hour stoppage in protest at the hurried sale of the Observer with a festive sing-along of seasonal carols and solidarity songs. Following last week’s two-day strike, NUJ members once again showed their resolve. They kicked off the second 48 hour strike within two weeks with many journalists announcing on social media that they were not working yesterday or today, Friday 13 December. The effect on the Guardian’s website was apparent, with stories beginning to appear under Guardian staff bylines or news agency credits read more

Billy Bragg sings at third day of Guardian & Observer strike as MPs table early day motion (12 Dec) – Politicians express “serious concerns” about Observer sale read more

Sports journalists facing a “disturbing rise” in online abuse (11 Dec) – “Relentless and debilitating” abuse has worsened read more

104 journalists killed this year, according to IFJ annual Killed List (10 Dec) – Sharp increase in number of imprisoned journalists read more

Equity

Equity Exclusive: Creative arts and entertainment shrink by nearly 15% since July (17 Dec) – Analysis of GDP data shows “rapid and significant” shrinking of arts and entertainment under Labour read more

Equity calls on Newham Council to save Applecart Arts (17 Dec) – Last night Equity and Applecart Arts took the campaign to Save Applecart Arts to Newham Council. The community performance space is an important source of freelance work for Equity members but is facing immediate cashflow issues due to funding cuts, with the doors likely to be closed before Christmas if action is not taken read more

Panto postcards deliver Stormont arts funding message (11 Dec) – Theatre and show goers across Northern Ireland have been sending postcards to the Northern Ireland Finance Minister asking for funding for the arts read more

“The Welsh Government is still not listening” – Equity responds to arts funding plans in the Welsh Government’s draft budget (10 Dec) – The Welsh Government’s draft budget did not redress cuts to arts funding read more

Welsh National Opera Chorus strike action update (8 Nov) – Industrial action short of strike is ramped up and strikes planned for February. Equity members of the Chorus at Welsh National Opera today agreed to postpone planned strike action set for Friday 15 November, but other industrial action will continue. Further talks are expected and both sides hope to build on progress made in recent weeks. However, Equity members are clear that the situation cannot drag out, and strike action is now planned for 6, 7 and 8 February 2025 if the dispute is not resolved, in addition to further industrial action short of strike. The 30-strong Chorus are taking action to save jobs and prevent compulsory redundancies. Industrial action short of strike has seen Chorus members wear campaign t-shirts on stage during curtain calls, make speeches to the audience from the stage, demonstrate outside venues, and hand out campaign leaflets as audiences arrive read more

Musicians’’ Union

Musicians’ Union Cautious on Government AI Consultation (17 Dec) – The MU was invited to respond to a government consultation on a proposed exception to UK copyright law which will allow AI developers to use creative works to train their systems without breaching copyright read more

Women in Piping and Drumming Report Reveals Culture of Sexism in Sector (13 Dec) – National Piping Centre research reveals fundamental challenges facing women in piping and drumming read more

Protect Welsh National Opera: Email Your Political Representatives for Support (30 Oct) – Email your political representatives to support musicians campaigning to protect Welsh National Opera jobs and secure the company’s future, including touring in England and Wales read more

Musicians’ Unions Worldwide Back Call to Save Northern Ballet’s Orchestra (5 Nov) – The International Federation of Musicians backs Northern Ballet Sinfonia in a message of solidarity signed by over 20 musicians’ unions worldwide read more

Community

HelloFresh workers protest mass dismissals (18 Oct) – Workers and members of the community gathered in Birmingham today to protest HelloFresh’s decision to dismiss 79 workers from its Nuneaton warehouse. The company dismissed workers via email last week following concerns being raised about the dire working conditions on site read more

USDAW

KP Snacks strike suspended after negotiations with Usdaw (9 Dec) – Usdaw has suspended strike action at the Ashby-de-la-Zouch site of KP Snacks in Leicestershire, which was due to start today (9 December), this follows a restart in pay negotiations read more

UVW

Department for Education security guards to join mass strike on 21 December (17 Dec) – “We all saw how the cleaners and caterers were treated, and how UVW stood up for them. They were able to win their demands, and it was their fight that inspired me to join UVW. Morale is high despite G4S’s response, which really showed they don’t seem to care about us. They say they won’t negotiate with UVW, even though all the guards have joined. We do not accept that they want to negotiate with a union that doesn’t represent us. We are ready to strike” – Dele Bodumde, who has served as a security officer at DfE for 12 years and is a UVW member. Security officers employed by G4S at the Department for Education (DfE), who are members of United Voices of the World (UVW), will strike on Saturday 21 December in a fight for fair pay and sick pay parity with civil servants. The guards, who work at Sanctuary Buildings in central London, are demanding a minimum pay rate of £15 per hour, a comprehensive sick pay scheme in line with directly employed DfE staff, improved annual leave entitlements and better quality uniforms read more

Hundreds of Harrods workers to strike over pre-Christmas weekend and boxing day as store refuses talks (10 Dec) – “As one of the world’s leading luxury department stores, Harrods should be setting the standard for retail and hospitality workers. Instead, we are earning the living wage and denied basic benefits such as a food allowance and Christmas bonus – something which should be commonplace in a company accumulating millions of pounds in profit year on year” – Alice Howick, Harrods waiter and UVW member. Hundreds of retail, restaurant, kitchen, and cleaning workers at Harrods will walk out of their jobs on the weekend of the 21 and 22 December as well as Boxing Day – the busiest retail dates of the year – if the luxury store continues to deny them a Christmas bonus and improved working conditions read more

She asked for a chair three years ago… and she’s still waiting. a disabled science museum guard sues her employer for discrimination (20 Nov) – “I’m really happy we all joined the union and are fighting for our rights. My fight through the courts and our strike at the Science and Natural History for better pay and conditions are intimately connected, because no one should be discriminated against or treated poorly at work. We deserve dignity and respect in our workplace” – Malina Nowicka, disabled security guard at Science Museum and UVW member. Malina is a disabled cancer survivor with a fainting condition who works at the Science Museum as a security guard. She asked for a chair at work to help her avoid fainting, but her requests were ignored for years. On five occasions, an ambulance had to be called to the museum due to her condition, yet no action was taken to alleviate her situation. Now she is taking the Science Museum and security contractor Wilson James to court read more

V&A Museum security guards join the fight for fair pay! (18 Nov) – “We’ve been let down by Wilson James and we’ve been let down by the V&A. We work in the same building, for the same corporation as the directly employed staff, everyone should be paid and treated fairly. Cleaners get more than we do and they deserve to, they work hard as we do. But this shows how we are unappreciated” – Edi Palale, V&A Duty Shift Manager of 15 years. The security guards at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum have joined the fight for £16 per hour and improved working conditions in the security sector. They will be balloted for strike to strike between 22 November and 6 December in what is a first for the museum’s guards. The guards, members of United Voices of the World (UVW), at all three of the world-renowned South Kensington-based museums, V&A, Science and Natural History Museum guards are now in dispute with outsourced contractor for security, Wilson James. The V&A vote follows the strike ballot at the other two world-renowned South Kensington-based museums, which saw a 96% yes vote out of a 95% turnout read more

“We want to have a voice”: Battersea Power Station migrant cleaners demand fair wages and union recognition  (12 Nov) – “We are getting organised with our union, so we can negotiate collectively for fair treatment and respect. We want to have a voice, and to be able to say: we’re here too, and we have rights” – Carlos Vásquez Ortiz, Colombian cleaner and UVW member. After years of relentless overwork and staff shortages, under a series of cleaning contractors, the cleaners at Battersea Power Station—one of London’s most iconic landmarks—are demanding change. The recent takeover by OCS is seen as an opportunity to start afresh, and the workers, many of them migrants, are calling for official union recognition in a joint effort by United Voices of the World (UVW) and GMB unions. Their demands include better pay, improved working conditions and an end to the chronic issues that have left them exhausted and feeling undervalued for years read more

Now, that’s what you call a picket! Over 300 join striking Natural History and Science Museum security guards (31 Oct) – “I’m here at the picket line because my colleagues and UVW had no choice. We’ve felt ignored and undermined for so long, we had to make a stand. There was no other option. Being on strike is an empowering experience and you win confidence. There’s a lot of people supporting you, different trade unions, MPs speaking, members… Others should make a stand too. It’s not impossible. It can be done“ – Bayo Owolabi, museum guard on strike. On Saturday 26 October, UVW staged its largest-ever picket, with over 300 striking security guards and supporters gathering outside the Natural History and Science Museums read more

UVW threatens landmark private prosecution over use of strike breakers (29 Oct) – UVW has instructed the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) to serve notice on Wilson James, the security contractor at the Science and Natural History Museums, and the BMSL* agency that private prosecutions will be brought against them if they use agency workers to cover security guards on strike. Strikes have been called for between 25 and 27 October 2024, and between 30 October and 1 November 2024. This would be the first prosecution in relation to these regulations and the first time an employer could be held criminally liable as an accessory read more

IWGB

IWGB in Italy: Standing with GKN Workers for Jobs, Justice, and Climate (2 Dec) – When IWGB representatives joined a delegation to Italy to support the GKN workers, it was a powerful opportunity to stand in solidarity. They travelled alongside trade union activists from the UK and across Europe, all gathering in Florence to support GKN workers. This was a solidarity trip that exemplified the strength of collective action. The GKN Fight: Three Years of Relentless Resistance. The story of the GKN factory in Campi Bisenzio near Florence goes back to 2021. With no warning, GKN’s workforce was told their factory would be closed, and hundreds of jobs gone in a stroke. But the GKN workers refused to accept this fate. They took control of the factory, launching a worker-led cooperative and occupying the site to protect their livelihoods and their right to shape their own future. What began as a fight to save jobs has transformed into a movement for a *just transition* that centres on workers, communities, and environmental sustainability. The GKN workers have also been innovative in their fight for justice read more

RESPEITO E DIGNIDADE: Support the eCourier strike! – “For years, our company, eCourier, has been denying me and my colleagues our basic rights by illegally misclassifying us as independent contractors. In 2017, eCourier, owned by Royal Mail, were found to have broken the law in not classifying as workers, and committed to an internal investigation. Since then, no investigation has taken place. Every time workers at eCourier try to speak out, we are met with bullying and harassment from management, led by CEO Malcolm Fullick. We’ve tried to go through the courts to take back what is rightfully ours, but we’ve come to realise that no one is coming to save us. If we want to transform our workplace, it’s our job to make that happen ourselves. We’re taking the fight directly to eCourier, demanding worker status, dignified pay, a fairer workplace and an end to bullying and harassment. We’re balloting for strike action, and we won’t back down until we win what we deserve. We’re up against huge companies like Royal Mail, with deep pockets and institutional power, so we’re going to need all the help we can get to achieve justice. Help us win our fight by joining us on the front lines, fighting against lawlessness and exploitation in the gig economy. Please sign our petition and donate to support the campaign

Mandate (Ireland)

Dunnes members win 5 percent pay increase but continue to push for progress on outstanding issues (18 Dec) – Mandate Trade Union is pleased to announce that Dunnes Stores workers have secured a five percent pay increase, following continued campaigning by its members. This latest increase marks a significant achievement for Dunnes workers and follows a series of wins over the past four years, during which Dunnes employees have seen their pay rise by more than 29 percent since January 2020 read more

Tesco Workers Begin Protests for Respect & Representation (12 Dec) – Members of the Mandate Trade Union have today (Thursday, 12th December 2024) launched public protests following Tesco management’s decision to deny workers their right to be represented by their trade union and refusing to agree to an adequate pay increase. The first protest took place at Ardkeen in Waterford at 10am. According to Mandate, the protests will continue until Tesco agree to “respect their workers” read more

SIPTU (Ireland)

Report shows major pay gap between Health Care Assistants in public and private employment (8 Dec) – A new report from the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) has revealed a significant pay gap between the earnings of Health Care Assistants (HCAs) in the public and private sectors in some European countries, including Ireland read more

SIPTU to consult Section 39 Organisation members on industrial action on pay claim (3 Dec) – SIPTU is to begin a process of consultation with members in Section 39 Organisations concerning industrial action over the issue of Government inaction in relation to a longstanding pay claim in the sector read more

Other news  

Troublemakers at Work online meeting on Strikes: Solidarity & Lessons, at 7pm on Tuesday 17 December. With the strike wave behind us, we will be joined by strikers from current disputes to discuss the latest developments. Details and registration via troublemakersat.work/meeting  

Alan Hardman ‘Need not Greed’ – Alan Hardman’s razor-sharp political cartoons collected for the first time. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, Need Not Greed is a career-spanning collection of visual art by one of Britain’s greatest unsung political cartoonists. Alongside Alan Hardman’s essential work, the book also includes a contribution from former President of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, as well as a foreword by Jeremy Corbyn order a copy – £45 each

Can you help? Crowdfunding to tour a production and exhibition of The Grunwick Strike Autumn 2025 – 2026 – We wanted to get in touch to let you know we are crowdfunding for a new production and interactive exhibition.  The theatre show will tell the story of Jayaben Desai – the inspirational leader of the 1976-78 Grunwick Film Processing Factory Strike.  We need your help to get this production and exhibition on the road, any donation you make will mean we are one step closer to getting this very important story out there performing to audiences across the UK. Any money raised will be matched by other funders.  We’ve just got eight weeks to reach our target.  Please find the link for our crowdfunding campaign HERE. Link to our Crowdfunding video Here. www.cramlingtontrainwreckers.co.uk 

Affiliate with STAMMA – at this year’s NSSN Conference, Gary Clark retired CWU Royal Mail rep and a member of the NSSN Steering Committee spoke about 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  

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

From Strike Map – Our final instalment of the ‘Industrial Unionism’ series with Manifesto Press is here. Building on this success of our other pamphlets- which has sold over 2,000 copies, our next pamphlet in our series is the infamous ‘A Manual of Industrial Unionism’ by William Z Foster. Click the button here to pre-order your copy for you and your organisation

  

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. This has now escalated and widened.

See Stop the War website for info on protests. The next national demonstration is Saturday 18^th January in Central London – assemble 12noon BBC Portland Place

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)  

  

Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps  

Blacklisting collusion investigation update:-

Statement from the independent investigation into union collusion in blacklisting, commissioned by Sharon Graham:

“90 per cent of the investigation has been completed. However, in preparing the last 10% some new issues have been thrown up which need some urgent investigation, and these issues have to be looked into which will cause a delay.”

The independent investigation into union officials colluding in blacklisting was one of the first things Sharon Graham set up when she was elected as General Secretary of UNITE the union. The independent legal team is headed up by Nick Randall KC (Matrix chambers), alongside JC Townsend (XXIV Old Buildings) and Paul Heron (Public Interest Law Centre). Witness statements, documentary and electronic evidence has been collated over the past two years. 

The investigation was set up because blacklisted union members in the Blacklist Support Group, the Construction Rank & File and UNITE branches campaigned for it. An oversight committee made up of blacklisted workers, has been assisting the legal team, and has ensured that the investigation is independent from the union itself. There has been much speculation about the likely outcome of the final report. This statement gives an indication that there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

https://ibci.uk

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  

Germany: Request for solidarity message for German strikers who are mainly responsible for cash transport – They are in the ver.di trade union in Berlin-Brandenburg. The drivers have very precarious conditions (some have 10 to 11 hour shifts without a real break as they are not allowed to leave their vehicles) and are generally on a low wage. The bosses are blocking improvements and demand changes for the worse which has heightened anger. The latest strike saw over 2000 of the 10,000 workers nationally striking. Next strike starts on 11 November. Email messages of support via [email protected]

Nigeria: Support the campaign to demand the dropping of the charges of Adaramoye Michael (Lenin), Babatunde Oluajo(Sankara), Mosiu Sodiq and 1 other person abducted by the state. They are not criminals! They  were leaders of the #Endbadgovernance protests in Abuja. You can make donations through the link below to support the campaign for their release.

Latest news on campaign – #EndBadGovernance Global Solidarity Protest Call for Dropping of Charges against Protesters and End to Sham Trials

Model motion – https://linktr.ee/nigeriansolidarityuk

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-democratic-socialist-movement

Türkiye: journalists among groups detained in raids (29 Nov) – NUJ condemns detentions and joins the International Federation of Journalists in calling for their immediate release read more on NUJ website

Diary   

2024 

2025

July 5 NSSN Annual Conference 2025 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall London

  

CONTACT US  

PHONE 07952 283 558  

EMAIL mailto:[email protected]   

   

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/NSSN_AntiCuts   

FACEBOOK NSSN GROUP   or STOP The CUTS  Likes page   

ADDRESS NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE