This week’s NSSN bulletin comes out as Starmer’s Labour government announces brutal welfare cuts. This is on the back of reports of 10,000 job cuts directly related to the scrapping of NHS England and potentially many more in the NHS and civil service. At the same time, local councils continue to make huge cuts, NHS services are under massive pressure and universities and colleges face a catastrophic funding crisis. In addition, public sector workers are in line for a below-inflation pay offer.
The union movement must put itself at the head of the fight against Starmer and Reeves’s austerity, demanding that it is the rich who must pay for the crisis, not working-class people and the most vulnerable in society. It is essential that unions immediately come together to agree a united campaign of opposition, up to and including demonstrations and co-ordinated strike action.
Welfare reforms shouldn’t pit the poorest against the poorest, warns Unite (18 Mar)
RMT responds to Labour welfare cuts announcement (18 Mar)
PCS response to Welfare Reform Green Paper (18 Mar)
PCS: Widespread condemnation of government welfare reform plans (18 Mar)
FBU: Government must u-turn on “shameful” welfare cuts, says union leader (18 Mar)
MU Deeply Concerned by Proposed Cuts to Disability Benefits (18 Mar)
Unite blasts decision to make huge job cuts in NHS England (13 Mar)
PCS responds to scrapping of NHS England (13 Mar)
Unison: NHS England abolition: government must show it actually has a plan for the NHS (13 Mar)
RCN: Abolishing NHS England: ‘Government must not lose sight of the public’s priorities’ (13 Mar)
RCM responds to announcement that NHSE is to be scrapped (13 Mar)
CSP seeking assurances over NHSE closure process (13 Mar)
Society of Radiographers’ response to government’s decision to scrap NHS England (13 Mar)
Keep Our NHS Public: NHS England abolished as Starmer and Streeting take ‘control’ (14 Mar)
Unions must demand Employment Rights Bill is strengthened
Unions are responding to the Labour Government’s Employment Rights Bill, as it reaches an important milestone in its parliamentary progress (TUC, Unite, GMB, Unison, NASUWT, Equity, Community). The Report Stage of the legislation takes place on 11-12 March, as it moves through the House of Lords.
The NSSN welcomes the improvements to the rights of workers and unions that are contained in the Bill.
However, there are still loopholes with regard to zero-hour contracts that employers will look to exploit. Also, a major omission is not to bring in an outright ban on ‘fire and rehire. In this week’s NSSN bulletin alone, there are a whole number of current examples where employers in the private and public sector are using this disgraceful measure to look to smash workers’ pay and terms & conditions.
And while we also welcome steps taken to remove some of the Tory anti-union legislation, it is still short of the promises made by Labour in its general election manifesto. Sunak’s Minimum Service Levels Act (MSL) is to be scrapped but it is not sufficiently clear on Cameron’s Trade Union Act. Along with the MSL, the TU Act with its undemocratic voting thresholds for industrial action ballots, should have been immediately repealed by Starmer’s Government on gaining office last July. The unnecessary delay means that ballots still have to conform to Cameron’s thresholds, at a time when Starmer and Reeves are offering below inflation pay deals in the public sector and threatening cuts.
We also support the demand of the POA prison officers union that the amendment from John McDonnell MP be supported to restore their right to strike.
POA: Reinstate our right to strike demands prison officers’ leaders (4 Mar)
Campaign For Trade Union Freedom Rally: 3 years on from P&O sackings – strengthening the Employment Rights Bill – Join our rally to demand more from the Employment Rights Bill – Saturday, March 22, 11am – 3:45pm, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place London WC1H 9BB details register
‘Balls to the Spring Statement’ (called by DPAC) – 11am Wednesday 26th March at Downing St
Peoples Assembly demonstration: Austerity is a political choice, welfare not warfare, stop the far-right, stop the cuts – Saturday 7th June in Central London
Online rally – Turkey: Democracy Under Attack – Join us on Wednesday 19 March 2025 at 7pm for a crucial discussion on democracy, human rights, and global solidarity. Speakers include Jeremy Corbyn. Watch live on X/Twitter @spotturkey
Nigeria Solidarity Protest – 1pm Wednesday 26th March at Nigerian High Commission, London details
Advanced notice!! NSSN Annual Conference 2025 – Make the rich pay not workers!
11am-4.30pm Saturday 5th July in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Attendance fee – £10
This year’s NSSN Conference will be on the theme ‘Make the rich pay not workers!’ This is when the Starmer New Labour government is looking to slash budgets at the same time as councils make cuts, the NHS is under massive pressure and higher education is in crisis. This is alongside recessionary signs in the private sector, with threats to jobs while the cost of living squeeze remains.
A major part of our conference and our activity will be about the need for the trade union movement to organise against Starmer and Reeves’s austerity and the bosses’ offensive. Our conference will also demand the immediate repeal of the Tory anti-union laws, including the undemocratic voting thresholds, promised by Starmer but still in force despite his government being elected with a 160 seat plus majority last July. It will also be a platform for union reps and members from the growing number of disputes to speak about their action. We will continue to support workers’ struggles and publicise them in this, our weekly NSSN bulletin.
How Can Council Cuts Be Ended? Conference – hosted by NSSN – to debate a needs budget for Birmingham
12pm, Saturday 26th April – Comfort Inn, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY
NSSN news
Download and distribute our new Workplace Report – https://www.shopstewards.net/workplace-reports/
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, 16 Warren Road, London, E10 5QA.
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]
‘SPYCOPS’ EXPOSED AND DEFEATED – Campaigners have successfully exposed the scandal of 50 years of secret undercover political policing. In fact activists are also celebrating 5 decades of struggles for a better world, despite police spying and repression
Affiliate to COPS
ITV documentary – https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/itv-spycops-documentary-coming-soon-spring-2025/
www.campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com
https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/
https://tmg-uk.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/?locale=en_GB
https://powerbase.info/index.php/UndercoverResearch_Portal
Union News
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RMT
Outsourced cleaners will take strike action on Merseyrail (19 Mar) – Cleaners on Merseyrail will take 48 hours strike action from April 4 after they rejected a pay offer from Churchill. Despite repeated attempts to negotiate, outsourcing firm Churchill Services has refused to put forward an acceptable offer, leaving workers no other option but to take strike action read more
RMT calls for greater seafarers’ protections on third P&O anniversary (17 Mar) – Maritime union, RMT today called on the government to do more to protect seafarers, three years after P&O unlawfully sacked 800 workers read more
RMT accepts Avanti deal, ending rest day working dispute (13 Mar) – Rail union RMT has called off all planned industrial action on Avanti West Coast after members voted to accept a negotiated settlement in the rest day working dispute read more
RMT calls for e-bikes ban on Tube (13 Mar) – Tube union RMT, has called for a ban on e-bikes across London Underground after one caught fire on a station last month. The incident could have been far worse if the e-bike had been inside a tube train, putting those on board at severe risk read more
North Sea Collision (10 Mar) – RMT statement regarding the collision in the North Sea between the US-flagged oil tanker Stena Immaculate and the Portuguese flagged cargo ship Solong. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Our thoughts are with all the seafarers working on both vessels and their families…” read more
RMT suspends Avanti strikes following new offer (27 Feb) – RMT has suspended planned strike action in the Avanti Train Managers dispute following a new offer from the company. Strikes scheduled for 9 and 16 March will not go ahead while members vote on the deal in a referendum read more
Unipart rail staff strike over union derecognition (27 Jan) – Rail workers at Unipart Rail’s Crewe Depot will strike Tuesday, in protest against the company’s decision to strip RMT of union recognition. The move, described by the union as a disgraceful assault on workplace rights, has sparked outrage among staff, who are demanding the immediate restoration of their right to collective representation read more. RMT: Sign petition: To Neil McNicholas – Managing Director Unipart Rail: Tell Unipart Rail to stop De-recognition of RMT Union
ASLEF
Train drivers all out at Hull Trains (17 Mar) – Drivers at Hull Trains – an open access operator which runs services up and down the East Coast main line – will walk out on strike for eight weeks from Monday 31 March to Saturday 24 May to defend a train driver colleague sacked for doing nothing wrong read more
Elizabeth line strike called off after pay offer (25 Feb) – Almost 500 drivers had been due to walk out on 27 February and 1 March. Planned strikes by train drivers on London’s Elizabeth line on Thursday and Saturday have been called off following a new pay offer. Members of Aslef were due to stage a series of walkouts that would have caused travel disruption in the capital. Aslef said its executive would consider a revised offer from the line’s operators MTR, on Wednesday. Although the strikes planned for Thursday and Saturday have been suspended, no announcement has been made about further strikes days on 8 and 10 March read more on BBC website
Unite
TfL enforcement officers vital for safety and security intensify strike action (19 Mar) – Workers dealing with violence and aggression being paid thousands less than London Underground colleagues doing same job. Pay strikes by hundreds of officers within the Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate (CPOS) at Transport for London (TfL) have intensified. The workers, who deal with violence and aggression across the TfL network to keep the passengers and staff safe, are paid thousands less than their counterparts on the London Underground. In some cases, the difference can be an astonishing £27,000 a year despite the roles being equivalent. Strike action began in December, following the imposition of a pay offer by TfL that had been overwhelming rejected by the workers as unacceptable. Further industrial action was taken in February, with fresh strikes to take place on 20, 21 and 22 March read more
French trade unionists head to Sheffield to join picket line with Veolia refuse workers (18 Mar) – Unite members joined by comrades from CGT union. Protests at Sheffield town hall. French trade unionists are heading to Sheffield tomorrow (Weds 19 March) to join their British counterparts on the picket line at the Lumley Street depot of union-busting firm, Veolia. French CGT – Confédération Générale du Travail (General Confederation of Labour) – members are joining workers, members and activists from the Unite in protest against Veolia who are refusing to recognise Unite to represent their workers.
Where and when : Wednesday 19 March Lumley Street depot @ 11am, Sheffield Town Hall @ 1pm read more
Strike action by infectious disease prevention team at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals escalates (17 Mar) – NHS trust not willing to provide decent facilities for staff to wash themselves after shifts. Senior staff get vastly better conditions. Strike action is to escalate at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) responsible for controlling the spread of infections after the trust refused to improve the appalling facilities the staff have to use after their shifts. Over 40 members of the Unite trade union who work in the RRT are to take part in a second round of strike action after no improvements to their working conditions or commitments to do so have been made by the trust. RRT staff work long shifts in unpleasant conditions, cleaning and sterilising areas of the hospital to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases. Yet the trust has failed to provide adequate welfare facilities such as showers, changing areas, rest areas or toilets for staff to use before, during and after their shifts. Workers will now strike from 17-28 March inclusive to highlight their plight and put pressure on the trust to improve their working conditions. Staff are also unhappy about their job description and grading that means they are among the lowest paid workers in the hospital earning barely above minimum wage read more
Striking Heathrow British Airways cleaners protest at airline’s HQ over poverty pay (14 Mar) – Demonstrations also hit employer OCS as industrial action escalates. Striking workers employed by facilities services firm OCS to clean British Airway’s offices at Heathrow will protest outside the airline’s headquarters in London. The workers, who are on strike over poverty pay, will also stage a demonstration outside OCS’ Feltham offices read more
Livv Housing union-busting firms named and shamed as strikes intensify (14 Mar) – Elect Building and Maintenance Ltd and Orca call centre providing strike breaking services. Long running Knowsley pay strikes by hundreds of Livv Housing workers has intensified, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The escalation comes as contractors brought in by Livv Housing in an attempt to undermine the industrial action were named and shamed. Prescot-based Elect Building and Maintenance as well as Wrexham-based Orca customer contract services are providing services to Livv Housing despite being aware of the strikes. Demonstrations will take place outside of the companies’ headquarters over their attempts to undermine the strikes…Unite’s members will take fresh strike action from 17 March to 30 March. Tenant services to more than 13,000 homes will be affected. Additional strikes will be called if the dispute is not resolved. Unite’s members recently voted to extend their industrial action mandates, meaning strikes could extend well into the summer read more
Livv Housing strike picket line & demo – Friday 21st March, Livv Housing, Kings Business Park, Lakeview, Prescott L34 1PJ. Picket from 7.30am, demo from 9.30am
Strike action to hit Scottish Water as future Unite unrest set to flow (14 Mar) – Union criticises executives for using talks to ‘water down’ pay offer. Unite the union can confirm today (14 March) that its 500-strong Scottish Water membership will take strike action at the public body in a dispute over pay following a breakdown in talks. An initial 24-hour strike action will now take place on 28 March with the union warning more industrial action is ‘inevitable’ due to the stance of Scottish Water executives. The previous scheduled industrial action inclusive of a standby ban and a ban on contractual overtime over two consecutive weekends was postponed to allow talks through the conciliation service Acas. Unite has severely criticised Scottish Water executives for using the talks as a device to ‘water down’ an offer made to the workforce, and to fall back on an inferior offer read more
Unite blasts decision to make huge job cuts in NHS England (13 Mar) – Decision taken without consultation of unions. The Unite trade union, one of the leading unions for healthcare workers in the UK, has criticised the decision announced by government to slash thousands of jobs from NHS England. Unite, along with other healthcare trade unions, was not briefed, consulted or involved in the decision by the health secretary or other government officials. Unite members are deeply concerned about the news that there will be a 50 per cent cut to NHSE as it is unclear what this will mean for our members. The lack of detail is greatly unsettling for staff and many of our members will now be deeply concerned about the future read more
Steel tariffs: Government must protect UK steel industry (12 Mar) – Government must designate steel critical national infrastructure and introduce strict procurement rules to protect industry. Unite, the UK’s leading union, is calling on the government to immediately designate UK produced steel as critical national infrastructure, following the decision of the United States to impose tariffs on the product. Unite believes there should be strict procurement rules for public sector projects to ensure they always use UK produced steel and that that all future major infrastructure projects should be required to use UK produced steel. By designating steel as a critical national infrastructure, in the interests of national security, the government would not be breaking competition rules read more
Unite says the future of Dundee university at risk as it demands urgent government action to protect jobs (11 Mar) – 632 jobs to be axed as university bids to address £35m deficit caused by ‘gross financial mismanagement’. Unite the union has today (11 March) demanded urgent government action to protect hundreds of jobs at Dundee university and claimed that unless this happens then the future of the university is at risk. Dundee university staff were informed by interim principal Shane O’Neill today that 632 jobs are in immediate danger of being axed, as the university grapples with a £35m deficit. The scathing jobs cuts proposal represents about 20 per cent of the university’s workforce of more than 3,000 people. Unite claims that jobs could be at risk as early as April read more
Unite responds to Old Trafford expansion plans (11 Mar) – Responding to the announcement that Manchester United, co-owned by Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos, is planning to spend millions redeveloping Old Trafford football stadium, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Jim Ratcliffe’s priorities are completely wrong. Rather than looking to redevelop Old Trafford he should be concentrating on the future of the Grangemouth refinery. The refusal of Petroineos to invest and transform Grangemouth into a sustainable air fuel (SAF site) is set to result in hundreds of job losses of skilled workers, while causing serious damage to the Scottish economy. Unless Ratcliffe does the right thing at Grangemouth the government should refuse to provide any assistance to his Old Trafford plans.” Read more
NI Ambulance workers vote for industrial action in shift dispute (11 Mar) – Management proposals risk leaving areas without adequate ambulance cover and are an attempt to make paramedics pay the price for a staffing crisis they did not cause. Paramedics and ambulance workers in Unite have voted decisively for industrial action in a recent consultative ballot. In total 86 per cent indicated a willingness to take strike action on management proposals to impose a new shift system. The new shifts were to be piloted in the South Eastern health and social care area for a year and would see a significant reduction in ambulance cover at nighttime. While the new shifts are only being trialled in the South East they will impact ambulance services across Northern Ireland. Existing NIAS cover arrangements see ambulances travel from across Northern Ireland to cover shortfalls. The new shifts will increase the likelihood for such long journeys which then has a knock-on impact leaving other areas, especially rural ones, with insufficient cover read more
Birmingham bin chaos could stretch into summer as workers vote to extend strikes (10 Mar) – Birmingham’s bin chaos could stretch into the summer after workers voted in favour of extending their strike mandate over the council’s use of temporary labour to undermine their industrial action. Unite has warned Birmingham council and its employment agency Job&Talent that it is unlawful to provide labour to replace striking workers. The union is calling on Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, which is part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to take action and stamp out illegality…Nearly 400 workers will tomorrow (Tuesday 11 March) begin an indefinite strike over the scrapping of the waste collection and recycling officer role (WRCO), which has impacted 150 workers with pay cuts of up to £8,000 read more
Birmingham bins wasting millions on expensive employment agencies Unite reveals (9 Mar) – Most bin workers earn slightly above minimum wage as council pumps agency profits. Birmingham council was wasting millions of pounds on expensive employment agencies prior to strike action, with the costs now expected to be even higher, Unite revealed today read more
Government must rethink international aid cut, Unite (8 Mar) – Unite the UK’s leading union, which represents thousands of workers in the not-for-profit sector, is calling on the government to urgently rethink its financial plans, following last week’s announcement of increased defence spending read more
HSE: Unite serves notice of industrial action over staffing crisis (10 Mar) – Unite, which represents a range of grades across the Health Services Executive (HSE), said today (Monday) that it has served notice of industrial action over the staffing crisis resulting from the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy.’ Last year it emerged that, despite the HSE’s claim that a recruitment ban had ended, vacancies are being benchmarked against the 2024 headcount. The result is that any vacancies unfilled in 2023 have effectively been lost to the health service, leaving a staffing shortfall of over 2,000 posts read more
Royal Navy tugboat crew strikes suspended for talks (6 Mar) – Consultations over Devonport, Portsmouth, Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh Serco Marine services to go ahead. Strikes by around 300 Serco Marine workers providing Royal Navy afloat services have been suspended, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Following talks with the MoD, Serco and the Royal Navy, Unite has agreed to suspend strike action at Devonport, Portsmouth, Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh. Serco has agreed to delay signing its new contract with the MoD to allow for 30 days of union consultations read more
Eurotunnel maintenance workers to take strike action over pay (5 Mar) – Unite members at Eurotunnel to walk out for five Sundays after talks break down. Following a breakdown in negotiations, drivers and maintenance crew working at Eurotunnel Services Ltd are to take strike action throughout March. Around a dozen members will walk out after rejecting a pay offer from the employer. Unite’s members do highly skilled and safety-critical work for Eurotunnel and Le Shuttle ensuring tunnels and track are in good working conditions read more
First Bus Hampshire strikes suspended as workers vote on new pay offer (3 Mar) – Strikes due across March now suspended by Unite. Strikes by Unite members at First Bus Hampshire have been suspended today (Mon 3 March) as a goodwill gesture after the bus company came forward with a new and improved pay offer. Over 140 drivers and supervisors at First Bus in Hampshire were to take further strike action and March after the company attempted to impose a pay deal that had already been rejected by workers. After last minute talks on Friday, First have made a new pay offer read more
Ealing council hit by protests over traffic warden union-busting (3 Mar) – Striking Ealing traffic wardens will protest outside the council’s headquarters over union-busting tomorrow (Tuesday 4 March). The traffic wardens, who are employed by Greener Ealing, began industrial action in August 2024 over the council-controlled company’s refusal to recognise their union, Unite. Since then, four wardens have been sacked on trumped up charges while they were taking strike action. 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 over a decade, recognised for collective bargaining on their behalf read more. Send messages of support to Patrice 07915 064797 – Unite rep of Ealing Parking Assistants who has been sacked (along with 3 others) for leading strike action
Derby Premier Inn protests over sacking of worker for trade union activities (28 Feb) – Unite member Anne Marie Toal fired on spurious charges for raising health and safety concerns. A protest will be held outside Derby Premier Inn on Saturday (1 March) after a worker was sacked for being in a union read more
Heathrow passenger assistance workers ballot for strikes over pay (26 Feb) – Nearly 450 Wilson James Heathrow workers demand pay parity with Gatwick colleagues. Nearly 450 Heathrow workers providing assistance to passengers with restricted mobility (PRM) are being balloted for strike action over pay. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the workers are angry at being paid an average of 9.5 per cent less than Wilson James staff at Gatwick performing the same role. Wilson James’ reported gross profits of £35.4 million for the year ending July 2024, with the company’s gross turnover increasing by 17.7 per cent from the previous year. Heathrow Airport Limited, meanwhile, reported a profit before tax of £696 million in the nine months to 30 September 2024 read more
TfL enforcement officers vital for safety and security escalate strikes (19 Feb) – Workers dealing with violence and aggression being paid thousands less than London Underground colleagues doing same job. Pay strikes by hundreds of officers within the Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate (CPOS) at Transport for London (TfL) will escalate in February. The workers, who deal with violence and aggression across the TfL network to keep the passengers and staff safe, are paid thousands less than their counterparts on the London Underground. In some cases, the difference can be an astonishing £27,000 a year despite the roles being equivalent. The first round of strike action took place over six days December, following the imposition of a pay offer by TfL that been overwhelming rejected by the workers as unacceptable. The workers will strike again on 20, 21 and 22 February and further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more
Go North East workers consulted for strike action amid reign of terror by management (17 Feb) – Staff threatened with dismissal on spurious grounds. Safety of drivers and passengers in danger. Out-of-control management at a bus company in the North East of England has forced over 1,000 workers to be consulted on next steps, including the possibility of strike action, the Unite union announced today. Drivers and engineers at Go North East, based in depots across Tyneside, Northumberland and County Durham, have been forced to the brink by a dangerous management culture that has seen drivers threatened with dismissal, suspended and sent home from work when health and safety issues are raised. Workers have been forced to resign, and management has imposed what one worker described as a “dictatorship” with “my way or the highway” style practices. Go North East has created a culture of fear to discourage members raising genuine safety concerns on behalf of passengers and drivers. Such behaviours are widely seen by union members as retribution by management after workers won a well-deserved pay rise after a bitter industrial battle in 2023 read more
Bassetlaw ICU nurses to strike over fire and rehire Doncaster transfer threat (11 Feb) – Nurses fear forced transfer could lead to Bassetlaw ICU shutting through ‘decommissioning by stealth’. Intensive care nurses at Bassetlaw Hospital will strike over attempts to transfer them to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for at least two months a year, with the possibility of it being increased to four. Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has threatened to fire and rehire the nurses on new contracts stipulating they must work part-time in Doncaster if they refuse to transfer voluntarily. The proposals have already led to four members of staff leaving Bassetlaw ICU for other units. The nurses fear the transfers are one more step towards Bassetlaw Hospital losing its ICU permanently through ‘decommissioning by stealth’ read more
Wrexham Oscar Mayer fire and rehire workers ballot to extend long running strikes (10 Feb) – Long running strike action at Wrexham’s Oscar Mayer ready meal factory is set to stretch into the summer as workers ballot to extend industrial action. Around 550 Oscar Mayer workers have been striking since last September over the company’s attempt to slash pay by up to £3,000 a year by firing and rehiring them on inferior contracts. The workers are now being balloted to extend strike action over the dismissal of a handful of colleagues during the industrial action. Oscar Mayer disgracefully sacked the workers after they sent a letter stating they would be working under duress under the revised terms the company wants to impose read more
Send messages of support to [email protected]
Send messages of protest to [email protected]
Sign petition: To Beaumont Myers, Marie Carter & Jonathon Kirby, Directors at Almost Famous – Justice for the Sacked Workers of Almost Famous Burgers – Pay Us What We’re Due!
Unite files ethical trading complaint against Bakkavor as dispute escalates (30 Jan) – Customers of food manufacturer to be targeted as union continues to campaign for fair pay. Unite has made a formal complaint on behalf of its members to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which ensures compliance with international labour standards in the global supply chains of member companies. Major high street supermarkets are signed up members of the ETI and will now be aware that Bakkavor is paying poverty wages to its workforce. Unite members at the food manufacturer have been on strike since the early autumn to secure better rates of pay. Hundreds of members working for Bakkavor Foods in Spalding, Lincolnshire, are taking industrial action after years of real terms pay cuts. Bakkavor’s management has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations. Instead, they have brought in strike-breakers from other sites. In response, Unite has complained to the ETI which means that it will have alerted all its members to Bakkavor’s appalling behaviour read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]
Capita staff begin strike action over pay (29 Jan) – Workers at outsourcer Capita will today (Wednesday 29 January) begin strike action in a dispute over their employer’s refusal to negotiate a pay award for 2024. There will be ongoing industrial action until 5.59am on Wednesday 5 February. The workers from Capita were due a 2024 pay award last April. The employer postponed the annual pay talks with their union Unite with the assurance that the 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. In December 2024, workers voted overwhelmingly to take strike action across the two Capita sites. This industrial action will start today following the decision of their employer to deny workers a pay increase. The dispute involves around 1,000 employees…The Capita staff in Manchester and Glasgow work on Royal London account which will all face disruption and delays if industrial action takes place…The picket locations and times:-
- Manchester: Broadhurst House, 56 Oxford Street, M1 6EU
- Glasgow from 08:00-10:00 at The Skypark, 8 Elliot Place, G3 8EP read more
Unite condemns union-busting and offshoring threats from Princes Foods (24 Jan) – Factories across the UK under threat. Princes threatening jobs by moving production overseas. Unite has condemned the union-busting approach of Princes Foods after its chairman threatened to withdraw all pay offers and to move production overseas with the risk of hundreds of job losses. Workers at Princes Food sites across the UK have been taking industrial action after the new owners, Italian conglomerate Newlat, refused to honour a pay rise that had been negotiated with previous owners, Mitsubushi. Today (23 Jan), the chairman, Angelo Mastrolia, announced that in response to the prospect of further industrial action in February, his company will transfer the production of much-loved British foods like Branston beans and Crosse & Blackwell to overseas facilities in retribution. This would also come with the threat of hundreds of job losses for those workers at sites in Cardiff, Lincolnshire, Glasgow, Bradford and Wisbech read more
Housing workers in Southwark to strike over annual leave disgrace (22 Jan) – Workers to walk out as council gives more leave to those on higher salaries. Nearly 160 essential housing and estate services workers in the London Borough of Southwark are set to strike later this month over the council’s disgraceful approach to annual leave. Unite members, who perform vital repairs and maintenance on council-owned housing stock and the council’s own properties get up to 12 fewer days annual leave than management grades in administrative positions at the council and the lowest paid technicians get two fewer days than higher paid colleagues in the same department. Despite negotiations by Unite, the council has refused to compromise or offer additional leave to housing workers to bring them up to the same level. Workers will now head to the picket line to voice their anger from 28-30 January read more
Reading parking chaos continues as strikes escalate (22 Jan) – Modaxo refusing to negotiate on pay. Outsourced traffic officers on worse pay than council staff. Residents of Reading, Berkshire, are to face further parking chaos in January and February as Unite members in the Modaxo enforcement teams take further strike action over pay. Nearly 40 civil enforcement officers are to take part in industrial action from 24-30 January and from 31 January-6 February. They have previously taken strike action in December last year. Reading council has outsourced parking protection to Modaxo. The dispute is in relation to Modaxo’s failure to address concerns around rates of pay. Civil enforcement officers are currently on just £12 per hour which is significantly lower than the rate they would be paid if they were directly employed by the council read more
Bidfood warned Unite takes zero tolerance view to union busting (21 Jan) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has warned that industrial action is probable at food wholesale and distributor Bidfood unless the company reverses its decision to tear up longstanding recognition agreements and derecognise unions. Bidfood is one of the UK’s largest food distributors and has a huge number of high profile clients across the country including schools, prisons, the army, Subway, Five Guys and Manchester United. Last Friday (17 January) Unite and the other recognised union were told without warning that Bidford was tearing up the recognition agreement that had been in place for over 30 years and was immediately derecognising them…Unite believes that the decision to derecognise the union is a precursor to attacks on workers’ pay and conditions. The majority of Unite’s members are based at Bidfood’s depots in Battersea, Birmingham, Plymouth and Salisbury…The GMB union also represents workers at Bidfood and has also been derecognised read more
Unions warn Belfast council of leisure centres strike threat (13 Jan) – Patience of leisure workers at end, Greenwich Leisure Limited must provide clarity and transparency. Trade unions Unite and NIPSA have met Belfast city council management and warned them of the prospect of disruptive industrial action by leisure centre workers. The workforce is in a pay dispute with outsourced management company Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). Following disputes in late 2023, GLL recommitted to an updated recognition agreement with both unions. Despite this, management failed to engage with the unions and instead imposed a pay settlement for 2024. This month a new employee absence policy was imposed for GLL staff in the face of opposition by both unions 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
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 – USO Trials – Latest Updates (13 Mar) – Some USO trails are now officially underway, and this week we’re live with Assistant Secretary Tony Bouch, National Executive member Luke Elgar and others as we discuss the latest on where we’re at with the trails, the challenges members may be facing, and take a deep dive into all things deliveries watch video
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]
Members at IOPC vote for strike action (14 Mar) – In the ballot that closed yesterday (13), members at the Independent Office for Police Conduct have voted to take strike action over job cuts, terms and conditions. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is undergoing three years of restructures which has already led to job cuts, down-grading of roles and increased workloads. Management has also imposed mandatory office attendance. In the ballot of over 400 members that closed today (13), 79.25% said they were prepared to take part in strike action. The 400+ workers investigate the most serious complaints against the police. Any strike action is likely to increase the backlog of cases, which already stretches to eleven months read more
Border Force Maritime staff vote to strike (13 Mar) – Over 120 PCS members working on patrol boats in the English Channel have voted for strike action after allowances have been frozen for years. In a ballot of the members, which closed today (13) almost 99% voted for strike action on a 64% turnout. Members in Border Force Maritime who include the Cutters fleet that patrols UK waters 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, will now consider strike action read more
PCS responds to scrapping of NHS England (13 Mar) – PCS has called on government ministers to consult with PCS and our sister unions as a matter of urgency, following the prime minister’s announcement that NHS England is to be abolished read more
PCS response to PM’s speech on civil service reform (13 Mar) – PCS has called for unions to be fully consulted on any proposals for changing the way our members work in response to the prime minister’s speech outlining plans for civil service reform, including greater use of artificial intelligence read more
Email your MP to keep MHCLG offices open (12 Mar) – Join our calls for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to reconsider plans to close six regional offices. In November, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) formally announced plans to close six regional offices in Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield, Truro and Warrington, leaving affected staff with uncertainty about their future and reducing the department’s presence in these communities. Please complete and share the MHCLG e-action to email your local MP to support this important campaign read more
MHCLG members to vote on strike action (26 Feb)
Fujitsu members to take more strike action (12 Mar) – The members will walk out for 22 days in March and April in their dispute over pay. The PCS members employed by Fujitsu Services UK on HMRC contracts will walk out for 22 days from March 21 to April 23. The dispute comes after their employer imposed a 1.5% pay offer while their civil service colleagues received 5% for doing similar jobs. The members took two days’ strike action in January to coincide with the tax deadline for self-employed people; the new round of action is expected to affect time-sensitive work, putting Fujitsu at risk of financial penalties for missing targets. Members are angry that Fujitsu reports large profits from the HMRC account while offering them below-inflation pay rises read more
Email your MP to support launch of new report on Safe Routes (12 Mar) – PCS and Care4Calais will be in Parliament on Tuesday 25 March to launch a new report, Safe and Secure Routes: Refugee Visa-to-Travel Proposal read more
Support striking CAA members (10 Mar) – PCS members working for the Civil Aviation Authority escalate their pay dispute by taking a further two days of strike action from tomorrow (11). Our members based at Gatwick Airport and Canary Wharf escalated their dispute over pay with well-supported joint strike action last month with Prospect members. Our members also walked out in January. They are angry that while some of them received a pay offer of just 3%, chief executive Rob Bishton last year was given a 32% pay rise read more
More Met Police staff to take strike action (4 Mar) – Hundreds of civilian staff working in Crime Intelligence are to take two weeks’ strike action over a forced return to workplaces. The 359 PCS members work in Met Intelligence where they provide analytical reports of where crime is being reported so resources can be strategically deployed. They will walk out from March 17 to 28, following a two week strike by their colleagues in referencing and vetting in February after management threatened to dock the wages of staff who refused to comply with the directive to work from the office read more. Donations have started to pour into PCS’s fighting fund, from non-striking PCS members who want to support the fight against 60% mandated office attendance, an issue affecting many across PCS. You can make a donation online. Please use our quick form to email the London mayor to ask him to intervene and work with the Home Secretary to find a resolution for our members read more
Benton Park View Strike action extended until 16 May (4 Mar) – The national disputes committee has agreed a further nine weeks of industrial action at Benton Park View in defence of three reps who were unfairly dismissed by HMRC. PCS members working in Employer Services at Benton Park View have been on strike since 23 December in support of three reps who were sacked by HMRC because of their trade union activity read more. Take action, show your support and send solidarity messages to the reps and branch, email HMRC group secretary Steve Swainston: [email protected] read more. Members can also support the campaign by donating to the fighting fund. Donations can be made to the PCS account with the reference ‘BPV Strikes’ –
- Account name: PCS Fighting Fund
- Levy account number: 20331490
- Sort code: 60-83-01
Picket lines have been organised at the site for the dates below, from 7am – 9am. The branch is asking all striking members and supporters to attend to show their solidarity on:-
- Friday, 14 February (main gate)
- Wednesday, 19 February (main gate)
- Tuesday, 25 February (main gate)
- Wednesday, 26 February (Ainthorpe)
- Tuesday, 4 March (Ainthorpe)
- Wednesday, 5 March (main gate)
- Friday, 14 March (Ainthorpe).
G4S security officers vote for more strike action (3 Mar) – The members who work in Jobcentres have already taken over six months of strike action in their long-running dispute. In a ballot that closed on Friday (28 February), PCS members working as security guards for G4S on the DWP contract have sent their employer the strongest possible message by voting 97.2% in favour of taking more strike action in their dispute read more
Facilities management action suspended to allow for talks (27 Feb) – PCS is to enter into intensive talks for 2 weeks from Monday (3) aimed at resolving our long-standing disputes with government contractors OCS, ISS and G4S over pay, terms and conditions. The suspension of the action comes because of a proposal to engage with PCS nationally on dispute resolution and will mean planned strike action in the ongoing facilities managements disputes will be suspended from 3 to 17 March to allow intense negotiations to attempt to reach a resolution to the trade disputes. Our members, who work in security, as cleaners, caterers, porters, receptionists, maintenance operatives and post room staff, have shown tremendous effort and resolve in their determination to win their fight for fair pay, terms and conditions. The strength they have shown on their picket lines for many weeks and the impact of their action has forced a concession of the offer of national negotiations read more
ONS workers balloted on continuing industrial action (27 Feb) – The members are already taking action short of a strike including refusing to comply with their employer’s new attendance policy. Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh, have refused to follow an instruction to spend at least 40% of their time in the office and are refusing to work overtime, out of hours and out of grade. Under the current industrial action (short of a strike), members are following PCS’s advice to spend as much or as little time in the office as they choose, rather than meet an arbitrary quota. This action has restored members’ autonomy over hybrid working to match the long-standing arrangements that were in place at ONS since lock-down restrictions were lifted. With their six-month strike mandate running out at the beginning of April, PCS is balloting members for a new mandate to allow the action to continue read more
PHSO members start week of targeted strike action (24 Feb) – The week’s action follows a one day strike by all PCS members at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman earlier this month. 40 members who carry out a range of casework and administrative roles relating to complaints and investigations about the NHS and other UK government bodies are taking five days of strike action this week. The dispute at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is over pay, a compulsory return to the office and proposals that could see extra responsibilities delegated to more junior staff without any extra pay. On 12 February over 200 PCS members at the PHSO held a one day strike. This week’s targeted strike action is being taken by members who work in sections which have a high turnover of work that others rely on. It is anticipated that backlogs of work will build up quickly. The strike involves members who are mainly based at Citygate in Manchester and the branch will hold picket lines outside the offices on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-10.30am. Please go along to Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HQ to show your support read more
Border Force officers at Heathrow to be balloted for more strike action (29 Jan) – The members took industrial action last year over the imposition of a new, inflexible roster. Over 550 Border Force officers at London’s Heathrow Airport are to be balloted for more strike action after managers refused to address their concerns over a new roster system. In 2024 PCS members took 11 days of strike action and 53 days of action short of a strike in protest at the imposition of the new roster, which forced staff into a complicated pattern of long shifts with a lack of flexibility and disproportionately affects those with caring responsibilities read more
ISS GPA strike ballot – Vote YES (22 Jan) – Vote today, attend one of our online members’ meetings and read our Frequently Asked Questions. Members working for ISS delivering cleaning, catering and logistics services to the Cabinet Office, Canary Wharf Hub, and the Department for Education have been sent a strike ballot paper as part of our escalation of the ongoing disputes around pay and conditions read more
Land Registry Action Short of a Strike begins (22 Jan) – Nearly 4000 PCS members in England and Wales have begun an indefinite work to rule. PCS members in Land Registry began their action short of a strike (ASOS) yesterday (21) in pursuit of the objectives voted for in their industrial action mandate read more
Further strikes announced by G4S members in East Kilbride (13 Jan) – The members at the FCDO will take strike action for another five weeks. G4S members working as security officers at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) building at Abercrombie House in East Kilbride have already taken an extended period of strike action in their dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The new strike dates run from 24 January to 28 February. PCS met with FCDO management last week and we have another meeting scheduled, which we hope will be positive, but until the dispute is settled the strike action will continue. So far G4S has failed to make a pay offer that lifts members out of poverty pay and delivers any significant improvements to terms and conditions 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
Prospect
Government must recognise the fine line between cutting bureaucracy and undermining essential functions of the state (13 Mar) – The Prime Minister has announced plans to reform Whitehall including making significantly more use of AI and digital and technical skills to deliver more efficient services read more
It would be a mistake to see environmental and other regulators as ‘blockers’ (11 Mar) – The government has announced its Planning and Infrastructure Bill as it seeks to remove barriers to construction read more
This government must end the tradition of treating the civil service as a political punchbag (10 Mar) – The government has said it plans a radical reform of the civil service, and that some parts “would and can” be smaller read more
Prospect members at the CAA to take strike action (28 Jan) – Prospect members working at the Civil Aviation authority (CAA) will take strike action in a dispute over pay. Aircraft maintenance mechanic with a flash light inspects plane engine in a hangar. This will be the first time Prospect members have taken strike action there in 40 years. Strike action at CAA HQ in Crawley will be for 24 hours on 6 February.
Industrial action short of a strike, which has been ongoing since 20 January consisting of working to rule and an overtime ban, will pause for the duration of the strike, resuming on 7 February. Ongoing action short of a strike could cause delays across the industry to things like fleet refits, the introduction of new models, licensing of new hanger facilities. 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. NEXT strike action will be on this Tuesday and Wednesday 11-12 March
Vital Navy support workers to go on strike (27 Jan) – Prospect members working at Serco Marine will take strike action over a refusal of the company to engage with members on the parameters of a new contract with Ministry of Defence read more
Prospect members working at Draken Europe to take strike action (15 Jan) – Prospect members working at aerospace company Draken (in Hurn, near Bournemouth, and Teesside) will take strike action from the 20th to 21st of January inclusive read more
FDA
“FDA is not afraid of civil service reform, but it has to have substance” (11 Mar) – FDA General Secretary Dave Penman responds to the government’s latest announcement on the reshaping and renewal of the state read more
GMB
Devon County Council backs down on fire and rehire (18 Mar) – Devon County Council (DCC) has backed down on its threat to fire and rehire almost 1,000 staff, after a GMB campaign. Following negotiations with the union, the local authority has agreed to new terms and conditions for workers. After negotiations with GMB, Devon County Council has agreed to new terms for 800 staff. Workers were angry over the councils’ proposals to remove the Essential Car User Allowance, which would have significantly impacted social workers, carers and education welfare officers who use their vehicles for work. After an intense campaign by union members, including a petition signed by more than 2,000 people, the council returned to discussions and put forward an improved offer. GMB members have unanimously accepted the deal read more
River Thames weir and lock keepers set for strike vote (17 Mar) – River Thames weir and lockkeepers are set to ballot for industrial action over safety concerns, GMB has warned the Government. In a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the union says workers are ready to act following ‘budget-driven decisions’ that are ‘putting people and property at risk’. There are only 52 permanent staff on the river, plus 10 temporary posts which expire at the end of this year and have yet to be filled. According to a 2008 EA assessment, more than 100 staff were needed during peak season. Climate change has seen an increase in severe weather and flooding, with workers managing multiple weirs while being denied the required 24-hour or 48-hour rest periods between shifts – posing a safety risk to both the public and staff. GMB members have now told the union they are ready to act read more
Arla ‘decision makers’ swerve meeting over factory closure (13 Mar) – Arla ‘decision makers’ today [Thursday] swerved a crucial meeting over the proposed closure of their Settle factory. GMB Union met with the company today in the first formal consultation over plans to move production to the company’s site in Lockerbie, Scotland at a cost of 130 jobs. However, key decision-makers from Arla were absent, meaning critical questions about GMB’s alternative business case went unanswered. The union calls on Arla bosses to engage properly with the process read more
ERB vote ‘will improve lives of millions’ (12 Mar) – GMB Union has said the Employment Rights Bill, which passed the House of Commons today [Wednesday] will ‘make the lives of millions of working people better’ read more
Steel tariffs ‘potentially disastrous’ (12 Mar) – GMB Union has described steel tariffs imposed today [Wednesday] as ‘potentially disastrous’ read more
Yorkshire politicians join GMB’s fight to save dairy factory (10 Mar) – Yorkshire politicians have joined GMB’s fight to save a dairy factory from closure. More than 130 jobs will be lost if Arla Foods UK goes ahead with its plan to close a facility in Settle and move production to the company’s site in Lockerbie, Scotland. GMB Union today met key stakeholders, including the MP for Skipton and Row Sir Julian Smith and the North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith. This broad-based coalition is determined to challenge Arla’s decision and explore all options to keep the site open. The union will meet company bosses on Thursday (13 March), while almost 200 people have a signed a petition to save the factory read more
More than 1,000 cash handlers vote on strike (6 Mar) – More than 1,000 cash workers will vote on strike action after bosses offered them a real terms pay cut. GMB members are angry after being offered a deal as low as 1.4 per cent in some cases, while G4S’s directed competitor Loomis offered workers 4.6 per cent earlier this year. The ballot begins today [Thursday] and ends on 21 March. GMB Members working for G4S Cash deliver millions of pounds each week across the country to banks and businesses – a dangerous job which leaves them open to attack. If the workers went on strike, ATMs might be left without cash, while airports may run out of foreign currency read more
Whisky workers vote on strike action after talks bail (5 Mar) – Whisky workers at Inver House distillery will vote on strike action after refusing a 3 per cent pay rise. The Lanarkshire-based company, with distilleries across the Highlands, refused to re-open talks and engage with conciliation service Acas as workers seek a 4 per cent deal. A consultative ballot showed 94 per cent support for a vote on industrial action if talks broke down. The three-week ballot of GMB members on possible industrial action closes on 24 March. Inver House has five distilleries across the Highlands and produces whiskies including Balblair, Balmemach, Knockdhu, Old Pulteney and Speyburn. The company is a subsidiary of ThaiBev, one of the biggest drinks companies in Southeast Asia which recorded profits of £600m last year read more
Fire & rehire threat at Birmingham manufacturer (5 Mar) – Company managers are trying to slash workers terms and conditions while its still legal, says GMB. GMB Union has today slammed a Birmingham based door manufacturer after it came to light that workers had been threatened with the sack if they refused to accept worse terms and conditions. The threat, known at Fire & Rehire, has seen workers at fire-door manufacturer Knowles given just days to accept a new contract. Around 100 workers at the company are impacted by the threat read more
South London parking wardens stop issuing tickets (3 Mar) – Forced by ‘penny-pinching’ employer, wardens across four boroughs will stop issuing tickets from today. More than 200 parking wardens and environmental officers across four London Boroughs are due to stop issuing tickets as a form of industrial action from today [Monday 3rd March]. This is the continuation of a dispute which has seen GMB members take 14 days of strike action since November. The action is being taken by wardens in Wandsworth, Richmond, Lambeth and Kingston, and will continue indefinitely or until APCOA agree to settle the dispute read more
Outsourcing of Old Bailey cleaners paused after GMB Union campaign (26 Feb) – GMB Union, which represents members employed as cleaners at the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court), have won a temporary reprieve for staff due to be outsourced. Cleaning staff were due to be transferred to contractor OCS on 1 March. Outsourced staff are at risk of worse pay and conditions than their directly employed colleagues, and OCS has a track record of poor working practices. After GMB raised concerns about the transfer at a recent Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting, the City of London Corporation agreed to look at the proposal again. Among the concerns raised were the speed of the transfer and the potential impact on the working conditions and job security of staff read more
Britain faces potential Nandos shortage union warns (20 Feb) – Workers supplying the UK’s favourite Peri-Peri chicken are preparing to strike, says GMB. GMB Union has today warned of the potential for Nandos shortages on highstreets and delivery apps across the country. The warning comes as workers at the restaurant chain’s main poultry provider, Avara Foods, are considering strike action. Over 500 Avara workers could join the strike action after bosses threatened de-recognition of their trade union. Avara is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of poultry products to supermarkets and restaurants, including Nandos read more
Strike ballot opens at Tower Hamlets school over planned job cuts (14 Feb) – GMB Union has today (Friday 14 February) opened a ballot for members at St Luke’s Church of England Primary School after the school put forward plans to cut more than 20 per cent of teaching assistant roles. A recent indicative ballot saw over 90 per cent of GMB members at the school vote for strike action. Under the proposals, 6 of the 27 teaching assistants employed by the school would be made redundant. A further 2 agency teaching assistants will not have their contracts renewed. The school, located on the Isle of Dogs, has a significant number of pupils with special educational needs. The proposed redundancies raise questions about how well those pupils will be supported with fewer staff in the classroom. The ballot will close on Tuesday 4 March read more
Strike action looms at major HGV company (15 Jan) – Workers manufacturing spare parts for Volvo and Scania Heavy Goods Vehicles will walk out next month. GMB Union have today announced that workers at CNC Speedwell have voted overwhelmingly to support strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay. Workers at the Walsall based company manufacture key components for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), including Volvo, DAF and Scania. Staff are furious after company managers rejected demands for a pay rise of just £1. Industrial action could take place as early as February, with around 150 workers expected to walk out 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
Staff at Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals start three-day strike over pay (17 Mar) – “Phlebotomists are vital to the health service and deserve much better than the treatment they’ve received.” Read more
Court of Appeal rules Ofsted inspector was unfairly dismissed, says UNISON (14 Mar) – Andrew Hewston’s six-year ordeal should finally be coming to an end. A unanimous judgment handed down today (Friday) by the Court of Appeal has found that a former Ofsted inspector, dismissed for brushing water off a child’s head, was unfairly dismissed read more
NHS England abolition: government must show it actually has a plan for the NHS (13 Mar) – Thousands of expert staff will be left wondering what their future holds. Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement today (Thursday) that NHS England is to be abolished, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Everyone wants more to be spent on frontline services so the sick and injured can be treated sooner. Delays and long waits for operations and appointments have left several million unable to work, with a knock-on effect on economic growth…” read more
Harassment and abuse levels still far too high in NHS (13 Mar) – Latest figures show most NHS staff are anything but happy with their pay. Commenting on the annual NHS staff survey published today (Thursday), UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “A workforce that feels treated well is at the heart of getting the NHS back on track. But the survey shows there’s a long way to go…” read more
Scale of NHS England job cuts will cause concern to staff (10 Mar) – Fixing broken NHS needs a proper plan. Commenting on new proposals for significant cuts to the workforce at the central body of NHS England announced today (Monday), UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “Staff will be understandably concerned about this sudden change of direction. The number of redundancies being sought at NHS England has trebled in just a matter of weeks…” read more
Christina McAnea celebrates with winning healthcare assistants (12 Mar) –
Action at Greenwich and Lewisham hospitals was the first re-banding campaign launched in London and saw five days of strike action.Action at Greenwich and Lewisham hospitals was the first re-banding campaign launched in London and saw five days of strike action read more
Women not safe from violence and misogyny, including at work (8 Mar) – Attitudes must change, Christina McAnea says on International Women’s Day. Speaking at an International Women’s Day event in Liverpool* today (Saturday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea paid tribute to the city’s tireless women campaigners and stressed the union’s continued commitment to speak up for women everywhere read more
Support Manchester Mental Health strikes by Unison and Unite members read more on Mancunian Matters website
Livv Housing strikers find solidarity at community conference (28 Feb) – Long-running Merseyside dispute follows a real-terms pay cut of 30% since 2011. UNISON members working for Livv Housing, on Merseyside, who are striking over pay, spoke about their action to the union’s community seminar in Bristol today. Their long-running dispute stems from years of below-inflation pay increases, and UNISON says the employer must make an offer that goes some way to addressing a real-terms pay cut of 30% since 2011. Individual teams who work in repairs, maintenance and the housing association’s call centre took strike action in October, November and January. The latest strike has run throughout February, affecting 13,000 homes across Merseyside read more
Livv Housing strike picket line & demo – Friday 21st March, Livv Housing, Kings Business Park, Lakeview, Prescott L34 1PJ. Picket from 7.30am, demo from 9.30am
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 Unison and Unite are continuing their strike action this month. For strike dates, read more on Knowsley Unison website and Facebook page. Please donate to strike funds by emailing [email protected] for details
NIPSA
Update To PBNI Members (18 Mar) – There are two issues for your consideration and you should read both carefully, action is required read more
Industrial Action by Teaching Staff (12 Feb) – You will be aware that the teaching staff have entered into a period of industrial action by taking action short of strike action in relation to teacher’s pay. NIPSA members are encouraged to support this action and should only undertake work in accordance with their normal duties and job descriptions. Support can be shown by not undertaking any additional responsibilities that may arise directly from the action short of strike action. Please extend solidarity to our teaching colleagues fighting for fair pay read more
Royal College of Nursing
Long COVID: lack of government action ‘shameful’ (17 Mar) – Nursing staff are still being denied access to vital financial support after having their lives torn apart by long COVID read more
NHS Staff Survey: results should ‘send shockwaves through government’ (14 Mar) – New data reveals nursing staff in England face discrimination, overworking and abuse while at work read more
Abolishing NHS England: ‘Government must not lose sight of the public’s priorities’ (13 Mar) – It’s essential the nursing voice is included in decisions, and the chief nurse must have a place alongside new medical directors under the plans 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 responds to announcement that NHSE is to be scrapped (13 Mar) read more
Re-banding and backpay win for maternity support workers (12 Mar) – Two skilled and committed maternity support workers (MSW) from the north of England with over 25 years of experience between them have successfully challenged their pay band and won their case with the support of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) read more
CSP
CSP seeking assurances over NHSE closure process (13 Mar) – The CSP is supporting members affected by the UK government’s announcement that it will abolish NHS England read more
NHS Staff Survey – improving NHS working conditions has never been more urgent (13 Mar) – CSP reacts to the latest data, and asks members to organise around their employers’ results read more
CSP launches pay survey for NHS members (10 Mar) – The CSP is inviting members employed by the NHS in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to take part in a pay survey read more
SOR
Society of Radiographers’ response to government’s decision to scrap NHS England (13 Mar) – The SoR has issued a formal response to the government’s announcement that it plans to abolish NHS England read more
SoR calls on members to participate in Change NHS survey (6 Mar) – The survey closes on Friday 14 April. Change NHS has published a new survey aimed at getting health professionals’ opinions on suggestions from the NHS Change: 10 Year Health Plan engagement process, and radiographers are being encouraged to take part read more
NEU
Government teacher targets report (13 Mar) – Commenting on the National Foundation for Educational Research’s 2025 Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The government made noises on the campaign trail that they would commit to tackling recruitment and retention. The NFER points to the current trajectory being inadequate to the task. For so long as the whole system is starved of the funding it so obviously needs, schools and colleges will experience greater financial pressure and the quality of education services will remain at risk. More schools are in deficit now than at any point since 2010 and class sizes are the largest on record read more
NEU launches indicative ballot on pay (1 Mar) – The National Education Union (NEU) has today (Saturday) launched a preliminary electronic ballot on the need for a fully funded pay award that takes steps to address the crisis in recruitment and retention. Around 284,000 teacher members working in maintained schools across England will be consulted over the government’s recommendation to the School Teachers’ Review Body of an unfunded pay rise of 2.8 per cent for teachers in 2025/26. A 2.8 per cent increase is likely to be below inflation and would do nothing to repair the damage to the competitive position of teacher pay against other graduate professions. Teachers face another pay cut. The already critical recruitment and retention problems damaging our education service will get even worse. The pay recommendation is unfunded read more
United Learning ballot (26 Feb) – The National Education Union has begun a formal strike ballot of around 400 teacher members working at 14 of United Learning’s independent schools in a dispute over pay. The employer’s pay offer is between 2-3%, depending on the workplace. This is insulting. If it were to be adopted, this would see teachers’ pay rates in many of the trust’s independent schools fall even further below the levels set by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document for state schools with a number of schools falling below this level for the first time. The union is calling on United Learning to address longstanding pay erosion in the 14 schools with an 8% pay offer. We are seeking a commitment of parity with pay scales in the state sector. This is the first time there has been a national ballot at the trust, one of the largest operators of independent schools in the UK. The ballot opens today (26 February) and closes on 26 March, with action anticipated for week commencing 28 April read more
NEU Cymru to ballot members for strike action (8 Jan) – Members of the National Education Union Cymru at Ysgol Robert Owen in Newtown have asked their union to ballot for industrial action following proposals for massive redundancies. Ysgol Robert Owen opened on September 1st 2024, at a cost of £22m, and yet within months staff have been told that up to one in six of them face redundancy and the state-of-the-art Hydro Pool may never be used read more
Please support the following strikes:-
| Action | Date | Contact |
| George Dixon Primary School / Birmingham | 18-20 March | [email protected] |
| St Matthews CofE Primary / Bolton | 11-13 March | [email protected] |
| Coventry Foundation Schools / Coventry | 18, 20 March | [email protected] |
| Western Rd Community School / East Sussex | 18, 20 March | [email protected] [email protected] |
| Hambrough Primary School / Ealing | 18-19 March | [email protected] |
| Elmwood School / Walsall | 18-20 March | [email protected] |
| Lammas School / Waltham Forest | 19-21 March | [email protected] [email protected] |
| Leytonstone School / Waltham Forest | 19-21 March | [email protected] [email protected] |
| Willowfield Secondary School / Waltham Forest | 19-21 March | [email protected] [email protected] |
| Dunraven Schools / Lambeth | 18-19 March | [email protected] |
| Leighton Park School / Reading | 21 March | [email protected] |
| Red Hill CofE Primary / Worcestershire | 18-20 March | [email protected] |
| Newbury Park Primary / Redbridge | 19-21 March | [email protected] |
NASUWT
Review must deliver the curriculum and assessment system pupils and teachers deserve (18 Mar) – Commenting on the publication of the interim findings of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said: “The Review’s interim report deserves to be considered carefully. In moving on to the next phase of the review it will be critical that the voices and experiences of teachers are central to the testing of the interim conclusions and in the Review’s further work towards the development of its recommendations…” read more
Teacher numbers will continue decline without coherent action on pay and conditions (13 Mar) – Commenting on the NFER’s Teacher Labour Market Annual Report, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “This report further underlines the mounting challenges for the Government in addressing teacher numbers and meeting its commitment of recruiting 6,500 new teachers…” read more
Support for miscarriage bereavement leave welcomed (12 Mar) – Responding to reports that the Government has accepted the principle that those experiencing the loss of a baby before 24 weeks should be entitled to bereavement leave, NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach, said: “It is a welcome and positive step that Ministers are accepting the principle that those who lose a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy are entitled to take bereavement leave…” read more
Minibus safety petition launched (5 Mar) – A UK-wide petition to put school minibus safety on the political agenda has been launched today. It is the latest stage of a campaign by the parents of a child killed in a minibus crash and NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union. Liz and Steve Fitzgerald’s daughter Claire was 13 when she was killed along with 11 other pupils and their teacher. The tragedy occurred on November 18th 1993 when a minibus from Hagley Roman Catholic High School crashed on the M40 near Warwick. Only two pupils survived. Although much has been done to improve the safety of minibuses themselves since the crash, the NASUWT is deeply concerned that the fundamental cause of the accident – a teacher driving a minibus when they shouldn’t have been – remains unresolved. NASUWT is calling on parents, teachers and the public to sign the petition on the House of Commons website and call on their MP to back the campaign to ensure all schools with minibuses are required to have a full public service vehicle operator’s licence read more
Kent teachers strike over attempts to downgrade pensions (27 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Farringtons School in Chislehurst, Kent, are today taking strike action over changes to their pensions which will make them significantly worse off in their retirement. The fee paying school is seeking to force teachers to accept detrimental changes to their pension contributions. Those wishing to remain in Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) will see cuts to their pay or will have to join an inferior pension scheme. The employer has refused to recognise the NASUWT in discussions over the proposals and members have been left with no other option than to take strike action to seek to protect their incomes and their pensions. Further days of strike action are set to be taken on Tuesday 4 March, Wednesday 5 March, Tuesday 11 March, Wednesday 12 March and Thursday 13 March read more
Stockport teachers strike over violence and abuse from pupils (26 Feb) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Werneth School in Stockport will take the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) over working practices which have led to teachers being unacceptably exposed to poor student behaviour including verbal and physical assaults. Changes to working practices at the start of the autumn term have led to an increase in disruptive and violent behaviour from pupils. Four days of strike action originally due to take place last December were withdrawn to give the employer an opportunity to resolve the dispute. However, despite some changes, members do not feel substantive improvements have been made and have been left with no choice but to reinstate strike action read more
Strike action at Reading school over pensions fire and rehire threat (24 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Leighton Park School in Reading are taking the first of six planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over attempts by the employer to make teachers choose between their pension and their pay. Teachers have been told they must make a choice between moving to an inferior pension scheme or remaining in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) but accepting a 7% pay cut. Furthermore, teachers have been threatened with being fired and reemployed on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept these changes read more
Real-term pay cut prompts strike action at Liverpool schools (21 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Merchant Taylors’ Schools in Liverpool (Merchant Taylors’ Senior Boys and Girls and Stanfield Preparatory School) will be taking the first of five planned days of strike action on Wednesday over teachers’ pay. Members have been given only a 1.14% pay award for the current academic year, in comparison to the 5.5% rise awarded to teachers in the state sector read more
NASUWT members vote for action in sixth form college disputes (11 Feb) – In ballots of teachers in sixth form colleges, NASUWT – the Teachers’ Union, has today announced that members in 23 sixth form colleges have voted in support of strike action and/or action short of strike action in their disputes over teachers’ pay. The Union is in dispute with individual college employers and with the sixth form colleges association over their failure to deliver a 5.5% pay award for 2024-25 backdated to September 2024. As a result of the NASUWT’s decision to ballot members working in sixth form college academies, the employers have confirmed that a 5.5% pay award backdated to September 2024 will now be paid to all teachers. Once the pay awards are implemented, the NASUWT’s disputes in individual sixth form college academies will be resolved. However, where employers of teachers working in non-academy sixth form colleges do not commit to paying in full a 5.5% award backdated to September 2024, NASUWT remains in dispute and members will take industrial action having voted in support with a turnout of 56%. NASUWT has identified significant levels of funding available to sixth form colleges with around £500 million in reserves. In April 2025, colleges will additionally receive a share of £50 million additional funding read more
Teachers in Northern Ireland vote to reject pay offer (6 Feb) – Teacher members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the pay offer for teachers in Northern Ireland. Teachers had been offered 5.5% but the offer also sought to address other matters. 78% of NASUWT members voted in favour of rejecting the offer, with 5734 teachers participating in the survey. NASUWT members will now commence action short of strike in schools from Monday 10 February read more
Teachers at Liverpool school take strike action over adverse management practices (3 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Gateacre School in Liverpool will be taking the first of five planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over concerns about the way in which they are being managed and a failure to recognise workforce trade unions. Members have been subject to a long-standing culture of adverse management practices and treatment which has undermined their wellbeing, health and safety in the workplace. This includes excessive workloads and working hours, the failure to address poor pupil behaviour and excessive monitoring and surveillance of staff. The employer has also failed to agree to any collective bargaining arrangements with education workforce trade unions. Northern Schools Trust, which officially took over the running of the school in December, derecognised workforce trade unions several years ago read more
East Dunbartonshire teachers to take action over failure to tackle abuse and violence (29 Jan) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Kirkintilloch High School in East Dunbartonshire are to begin a programme of industrial action over the failure of their employer to act to address poor pupil behaviour and abuse of teachers. Members are to begin taking action short of strike action from Wednesday 5th February which will initially consist of refusing to cover classes for absent colleagues. Members will also refuse to undertake any additional voluntary duties such as extra-curricular clubs, trips or study classes which are outside of their contracted working hours. Concerns include regular verbal abuse and swearing at teachers and some violent incidents, pupils being allowed to roam around corridors and shared spaces in the school when they should be in class, no serious consequences for poor behaviour and an overuse of ineffective restorative approaches to managing incidents of abuse. Furthermore, neither the school nor the local authority appear to have done anything significant to embed the key points of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour announced by the Cabinet Secretary last August read more
Teachers at Coventry School Foundation to take further strike action over attack on pensions (27 Jan) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at the Coventry School Foundation (Bablake Senior, Bablake Junior, King Henry VIII Senior and King Henry VIII Junior) are taking further strike action this week as a result of the failure of the employer to withdraw attacks on their pensions. Members are due to take strike action tomorrow (Tuesday), Wednesday and Thursday this week. Twelve further days of strike action have been pencilled in for late February and March. Members have already taken six days of strike action. Teachers have been told they must make a choice between moving to an inferior pension scheme or remaining in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) but taking a pay cut. Furthermore, teachers have been threatened with being fired and reemployed on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept these changes read more
EIS
Glasgow Teachers Suspend Planned Strike Action Following Offer from SNP Councillors over Cuts (13 Feb) – The EIS has announced that planned strike action in Glasgow schools has been suspended, following an offer from Glasgow City Council SNP group to withdraw future planned education cuts, and a promise that additional Scottish Government funding will be used to increase the number of teachers working in Glasgow’s schools to 2023 levels. Following discussion on the offer letter, Glasgow EIS Local Association has decided to suspend its initial planned day of strike action, scheduled for Thursday 20 February, as an act of good faith, until talks take place at full Council level on delivery of the offer outlined in the letter read more
Dispute Declared Over Teachers’ Class Contact Time – Statement from the SNCT Teachers’ Panel (7 Feb) – The Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) has declared a formal dispute following the failure of COSLA and the Scottish Government to table a proposal on the nature and timescales for a reduction of class contact time to a maximum of 21 hours per week, as a step towards the alleviation of teachers’ workload. Following COSLA and the Scottish Government’s inability to table a proposal by a previously set deadline of 12 noon on Monday 3rd February, the Teachers’ Panel met today to consider its response. It was the unanimous view of panel members that the abject failure to realise publicly stated commitments and make meaningful progress on the promise to reduce class contact time to a 21 hour maximum, has left no option but the declaration of a formal dispute read more
INTO
INTO reaffirms commitment to gender equality ahead of International Women’s Day (7 Mar) – The INTO marks International Women’s Day, Saturday 8 March, by reaffirming its unwavering commitment to gender equality, both for its predominantly female membership and the girls in our schools. The theme of International Women’s Day 2025 is ‘Accelerate Action’ read more
Member Update: Joint Consultations with Members (14 Feb) – Dear Members, Following the outcome of the NITC constituent members consultation around the pay offer from management side, NITC informed management side that it was not in a position to accept the offer. NITC has requested that further negotiations take place in an attempt to find a solution that is acceptable to teachers and school leaders. While the recommendations of the Workforce reviews being enacted has the potential to create the conditions for a reduction in teacher workload, INTO along with other teaching unions remain keen to engage with members to find a definitive understanding of the workload issue in schools. Any proposed change to working conditions cannot be a one size fits all solution as the issues will vary depending on which sector (primary, post primary, special, nursery or support services) teachers or school leaders work in read more
Action Short of Strike (ASOS) Action Commencing 10 February 2025 – Action Short of Strike (ASOS) Action Instructions: These action short of strike action instructions will apply to all INTO members. The action short of strike action instructions apply to all members working in grant-aided schools or employed directly by the Education Authority on teachers’ terms and conditions of employment. These action short of strike action instructions are effective and will be continuous from 00.01 on 10 February 2025 read more
UCU
Industrial action warning over cuts at Edinburgh University (17 Mar) – The University and College Union (UCU) Scotland today (Monday) warned the principal of the University of Edinburgh that strikes and other forms of industrial action are a real possibility if senior management don’t roll back on threats of £140million cuts and take compulsory redundancies off the table. UCU members at the university were asked in a consultative ballot if they would be willing to take strike action if the university didn’t rule out compulsory redundancies. In a turnout of 59%, easily beating the anti-trade union threshold, 75% of members voting said that they would be willing to strike. 85% said that they would also take part in action short of strike which could include working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertake voluntary duties. If the same vote was repeated in a statutory ballot, which could open in the coming weeks, then the university will face the possibility of strikes and other action on campus read more
University of Bradford staff back strike action over 300 job cull (17 Mar) – University of Bradford staff have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a consultative ballot over plans to axe at least 300 jobs in a programme of cuts that will see chemistry and film & television courses shut down. An overwhelming 69% of staff who voted in the consultative ballot backed strike action, with the turnout surpassing the 50% anti-trade union threshold. If the result is repeated in a statutory ballot then the university faces the possibility of strikes on campus. The dispute is over the huge cuts programme university management is attempting to force through read more
University of Bedfordshire job cuts ‘will affect students’, warn unions (14 Mar) – University of Bedfordshire plans to sack scores of staff will make life worse for students, UCU and UNISON warn. University leaders told workers earlier this week that they could lose their jobs as bosses looked to deal with a predicted £5m deficit next year, say the unions. That deficit — caused mainly by a drop in the number of international students — follows substantial surpluses over the last five years totalling more than £60m, which have helped swell reserves to more than £200m, say the unions. Nearly 240 existing posts will go under the plans, but the university expects to create around 160 new jobs which staff made redundant can apply for. The university is planning on merging faculties and schools to cut spending. Unions warn this will lead to fewer staff and less specialised support for student learning read more
UCU comment on announcement of 632 job losses at Dundee University (11 Mar) – Commenting on the news announced at an all staff meeting today (Tuesday 11 March) that Dundee University will be cutting 632 jobs, and that they expect to do so including by using compulsory redundancies, Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: “This is a hammer-blow to hard working and committed workers at the university who are being made to pay the price for egregious management failure. It’s four months since workers first learned that there was a problem, and it feels that very little has happened in the intervening period to turn the university around. We are clear that there is an alternative to sacking staff and cutting courses, student support and vital educational provision in this city, and we’ll continue to do all we can to save jobs and to preserve education in Dundee.” Read more
Coventry University staff & students hold alternative open day in protest against fire & rehire cuts as petition hits 4,000 signatures (10 Mar) – On Saturday 15 March Coventry University staff and students will hold an alternative open day in protest against the fire and rehire cost cutting exercise vice-chancellor John Latham (CBE) has embarked upon, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The alternative open day will be held in the Yard from 10am to 1.30pm on Saturday 15 March and will showcase the best of Coventry University. Speakers include Zarah Sultana MP, UCU General Secretary Jo Grady and President Maxine Looby, Coventry poet laureate John Bernard, university students and staff, as well local artists and activists. Coventry UCU has also launched a petition demanding Latham is removed from his government appointed non-executive post on the board of the department for business and trade, which now has close to 4,000 signatures and can be signed here. The union believes he should resign from all his additional roles with the Singaporean government, an Australian software company TechnologyOne, and the NHS England workforce training and education committee, so he can focus on the crisis at Coventry read more
University crisis will see over 10,000 staff lose their jobs, fears UCU (4 Mar) – UK higher education faces an unprecedented crisis, the University and College Union (UCU) declared today, with new data compiled by the union showing over 5,000 jobs at risk. The announcement comes as UCU launches ‘Stop the Cuts, Fund Higher Education Now’, a campaign calling for urgent action from the Labour government. So far, this academic year, university employers have announced their intention to cut over 5,000 jobs (5,361), while at least five other universities have asked staff to quit but refused to specify how much they want to cut from their staffing budget. Alongside this the sector has announced over £238m of cuts and declared deficits of at least £30m. Were university bosses to plug these holes solely through axing staff, UCU fears around 5,000 more jobs could go (4,739) read more
Brunel University staff begin strike action over job cuts (27 Feb) – Staff at Brunel University will begin 16 days of industrial action tomorrow in defence of jobs, announced the University and College Union (UCU). The first day of strike action will take place on Friday 28th February 2025, with further dates planned over six weeks. Staff will be on picket lines from 8:00 am to 10:00 am each day outside the Mary Seacole Building. The full strike dates are:-
- Week 1: Friday 28th February (1 day)
- Week 2: Wednesday 12th March (1 day)
- Week 3: Tuesday 18th March and Thursday 20th March (2 days)
- Week 4: Monday 24th March, Tuesday 25th March, and Friday 28th March (3 days)
- Week 5: Tuesday 1st April, Wednesday 2nd April, Thursday 3rd April, and Friday 4th April (4 days)
- Week 6: Monday 7th April, Tuesday 8th April, Wednesday 9th April, Thursday 10th April, and Friday 11th April (5 days)
The dispute arose over management’s plans to make 423 job cuts, 282 of which are compulsory redundancies read more
Strike ballot to open at Durham University over impact of £20m cuts (24 Feb) – Over 1,000 members of staff at Durham University are set to be balloted for strike action at Durham University, over plans by management to cut £20m from the university’s staffing budget. The ballot will open next Tuesday and run until Tuesday 1st April. It comes as management says it intends to axe around 200 professional services jobs by the end of summer with even more staff due to be culled next year read more
15 days of strike action begins today at University of Dundee (24 Feb) – University and College Union (UCU) members at the University of Dundee today (Monday) begin 15* days of strike action over the university’s £30million deficit and the threat to cut jobs including by the use of compulsory redundancies. Staff at the university will strike each weekday for the next three weeks. In an earlier ballot over whether to strike, 74% of those voting backed strike action on a turnout of 64%. Staff will be on picket lines from 8am-11am outside the Tower Building on Perth Road in Dundee read more
University of Sheffield strike ballot opens today over plan to put as many as 1,000 staff at risk of redundancy (24 Feb) – Staff at the University of Sheffield are being asked to vote in support of strike action in a ballot that opened this morning. The strike ballot is over plans from management to threaten as many as 1,000 staff with redundancy. It will close on Monday 31 March, and a successful result would pave the way for strike action as soon as April if management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies. The dispute is over management’s goal of cutting £23m from its staffing budget over this academic year and the next. UCU estimates this equates to over 400 jobs. The union believes as many as 1,000 professional services staff are about to be threatened with redundancy in a restructure of every school within the university read more
UCU: Please sign – Remove Coventry University vice-chancellor from government role – Coventry UCU Rally Saturday 15th March
Up to 14 days of strike action to hit Newcastle University in March (14 Feb) – Newcastle University staff will strike for 14 days next month unless management protects jobs. The full strike dates are:-
- Week 1: Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 March
- Week 2: Monday 10, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March
- Week 3: Monday 17, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 March
- Week 4: Monday 24, Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March
Staff will be on picket lines outside university buildings each day of strike action read more
10 days of strike action begins tomorrow at University of Sheffield International College (11 Feb) – Staff at the University of Sheffield International College (USIC) will down tools tomorrow in the first of up to ten days of strike action in a fight to protect jobs. Staff will be on picket lines every day of strike action from 8am-12pm outside the campus building on Solley Street. The full strike days are:-
- Week 1: Wednesday 12 and Friday 14 February
- Week 2: Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 February
- Week 3: Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 February
- Week 4: Tuesday 4 March and Thursday 6 March
- Week 5: Monday 10 March
The strike comes after USIC put 36 staff in the student support and academic teaching teams at risk of redundancy by April 2025. The employer has claimed the cuts are necessary due to a fall in student numbers this academic year, which it says has hit the company’s finances, but it has also described the financial situation as a “short-term gap” in communications to staff read more
Staff overwhelmingly back strike action at University of East Anglia over brutal cuts (6 Feb) – An overwhelming 82% of University of East Anglia (UEA) staff have voted in favour of strike action. The ballot resulted in the highest turnout UEA UCU has ever achieved, reaching 67%. 84% of staff also backed action short of strike, which could consist of working to rule. UCU said management now needs to begin meaningful negotiations to prevent compulsory redundancies if it wants to avoid industrial unrest. The dispute is over management’s threat to cut over 190 staff members to meet continued budget shortfalls. According to the business case published in November 2024, management intends to cut at least 30 staff in the faculty of medicine & health sciences, 25 in the faculty of science, 22 in the faculty of arts & humanities, and at least 90 from departments across professional services. This dispute follows over 400 staff leaving UEA in 2023 due to management’s projected £40m deficit in that year read more
Cardiff UCU Press Release against cuts announcement (28 Jan) – Cardiff University senior management today announced cuts to departments, and degree programmes on a scale that is unprecedented in UK higher education. Cardiff UCU, the recognised representative trade union for academic and academic-related staff at the University, condemned the plans as cruel and unnecessary, vowing to ballot for strike action and fight compulsory redundancies tooth and nail read more
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 responds to Coventry University VC government appointment (20 Dec)
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 fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Government must u-turn on “shameful” welfare cuts, says union leader (18 Mar) – Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright has called on Labour MPs to vote against the government’s assault on disabled benefit claimants read more
POA
Damning new report must be treated as an ‘emergency alarm’ say prison officers (14 Mar) – A new report has highlighted rising attacks on staff inside a Prison estate which is unsafe for use and bursting at the seams. A report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Prison Estate Capacity published today, lays bare the dire state of our Prison system which must be treated as an emergency alarm call for urgent Government action read more
Employment rights bill and prison officers right to strike (13 Mar) – POA Circular 14/2025 explained to members that John McDonnell MP had submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate the basic human right of Prison Officers ability to withdraw their labour. The Executive invited members, their families, friends and others in the Trade Union movement to contact their MPS to support the amendments. As a result of the campaign 1572 people contacted their MP by email, along with many others who contacted their MP by other means. Despite this, MPs were denied a vote on John’s proposal and the Bill has now gone through the Report Stage without John’s amendments included and we will continue to have our basic rights denied. John McDonnell did speak in the House of Commons on his amendments and a link to his speech can be found here. In addition, the following MPs added their name to the amendment: John McDonnell, Mary Kelly Foy, Richard Burgon, Mike Amesbury, Dr Simon Opher, Jon Trickett, Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Kim Johnson, Nadia Whittome, Steve Witherden, Kate Osborne, Imran Hussain, Jeremy Corbyn, Andy McDonald, Ian Byrne, and Zarah Sultana read more
Mick Pimblett discusses the POA’s stance on the lack of rights to any form of industrial action for prison workers (10 Mar) – The POA’s Assistant General Secretary Mick Pimblett discusses the POA’s stance on the lack of rights to any form of industrial action for prison workers and the absence of their reinstatement from the Government’s new Workers Rights Bill read more
Steve Gillan calls on all MPs to support John McDonnell’s amendments to the Workers Rights Bill (8 Mar) – POA General Secretary Steve Gillan calls on all MPs to stand up for working people by supporting John McDonnell’s amendments to the Workers Rights Bill watch video
Prison officers’ right to strike (4 Mar) – As you are aware, in 1994 the right to strike for Prison Officers was removed by the then Tory Government via S127 of the Criminal Justice Act. The incoming Blair Government committed to reinstating the right to strike in England and Wales but failed to follow through on its pledge. Meanwhile the Scottish Government reinstated the right to strike for Prison Officers there in 2015. The right of Prison Officers to withdraw their labour is a fundamental human right recognised by the United Nations and should be reinstated for all UK Prison Officers. As the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Commons former Labour Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP has submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate this basic human right for Prison Officers in the rest of the UK. Please contact your local MP, urging them to support the amendments. This can be done by following the link below: https://unityconsulting.good.do/prisonofficersrighttostrike/poarighttostrike2025/ read more
Reinstate our right to strike demands prison officers’ leaders (4 Mar) – The right of Prison officers to withdraw their labour is a fundamental human right recognised by the United Nations and should be reinstated for all the UK’s Prison Officers according to the Prison Officers Union. In 1994 the right to strike for Prison Officers was removed by the then Tory Government. The incoming Blair Government committed to reinstating the right to strike in England and Wales but failed to follow through on its pledge. Meanwhile the Scottish Government reinstated the right to strike for Prison officers there in 2015. As the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Commons former Labour Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP has submitted amendments to the Bill that would reinstate this basic human right for Prison Officers in the rest of the UK read more
NAPO
Programmes – the shambles that we predicted long ago (18 Mar) – Yet again, Napo and our sister unions in Probation are being faced with more alarming news from the centre in relation to the capacity issues around Programme delivery as well as the quality aspects. It is now apparent that the decision to downgrade and reduce the costs for the delivery of Programmes has been driven by incorrect information as well as a refusal to listen to the experts. This has resulted in what is now being seen as one of the worst examples of business restructuring since the dark days of Transforming Rehabilitation read more
This changes everything! (18 Mar) – HMPPS has finally admitted that there is a deep and serious crisis in the Probation Service that bears out everything we have been saying in our Operation Protect campaign, launched back in June 2023 read more
Update: Ongoing Business as Usual (BAU) Pay Discussions (17 Jan) – This is a reminder regarding the content of our previous communication (JTU 62-2024 Pay Update). We want to emphasise that we are continuing to address Business As Usual (BAU) pay issues separately from the ongoing pay negotiations for 2025 read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
BALPA
Women in Aviation Charter signed by BALPA (7 Mar) – To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), the British Airline Pilots’ Association has signed the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, reaffirming its commitment to gender equality and inclusivity in the aviation industry read more
Nautilus International
Nautilus stands united with seafarers and emergency crews after North Sea allision (11 Mar) – Our thoughts are with all seafarers involved in this tragic incident, particularly with the family, friends and colleagues of the missing crew member. The decision to suspend the search and rescue operation weighs heavily on our maritime community read more
NUJ
BBC journalists reach settlement over discrimination claims (18 Mar) – Four BBC women journalists have reached a settlement with the corporation over issues of discrimination, preventing the need for a tribunal hearing this week read more
NUJ reacts to publication of Reach plc annual report (18 Mar) – The union has urged Reach plc to urgently reconsider its pay offer to journalists following publication of its annual report today, revealing £102.3m in operating profits and a £1.24m pay package to Jim Mullen, Reach CEO, in 2024 read more
NUJ repeats call for release of Jimmy Lai (17 Mar) – The union has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in welcoming a statement by the UN special rapporteur on Counter-terrorism and Human Rights, urging China and Hong Kong to release Lai read more
Equity
Save Scotland’s River City soap, says Equity (18 Mar) – Cutting River City would be a “disaster for Scottish television.” Sign our petition to Save River City read more
Equity to question Bristol City Council over lack of consultation on Bottle Yard Studios sale (17 Mar) – Equity is campaigning against a rushed sale of the studios read more
Unions back Equity’s call for action on public transport sexual harassment and the reinstating of arts education (12 Mar) – Motions moved by Equity’s Women’s Committee passed at annual TUC Women’s Conference read more
Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club launch fighting fund to save BGWMC (25 Feb) – Friends group are campaigning to save the iconic venue. Equity is encouraging members to support the Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC) as they start fundraising to save the iconic London venue. Equity has backed the campaign by the Friends of BGWMC since last summer when the programming team at BGWMC were given two months’ notice to shut down and vacate the venue read more
Welsh National Opera chorus vote unanimously for further action short of strike (24 Feb) – Members will take further action short of strike on Thursday 27 February and Saturday 1 March read more
Musicians’’ Union
New Agreement between Buxton International Festival and the Musicians’ Union (18 Mar) – We are delighted to announce a new agreement between the MU and Buxton International Festival (BIF), detailing how its musicians will work as well as the minimum fees they will be paid read more
MU Members at Welsh National Opera Renew Mandate for Industrial Action (15 Jan) – MU members at WNO have voted to renew their mandate for industrial action read more
USDAW
Usdaw joins a call by the Young Women’s Trust for increased funding to enforce employment rights (18 Mar) – Shop workers trade union leader Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, has co-signed a letter to the Chancellor organised by the campaigning charity Young Women’s Trust. It states that for the Employment Rights Bill to work for young women and their employers, the Government’s spending review, due in June, must increase funding for enforcement of workplace rights. The letter has been co-signed by a wide range of trade unions and women’s equality campaign organisations read more
Usdaw secures 5.2% increase in hourly pay which will increase pay gap with Real Living Wage (17 Mar) – Following negotiations between retail trade union Usdaw and supermarket giant Tesco, the union has welcomed today’s announcement that staff pay will increase to £12.45 per hour in March and £12.64 in August across Tesco stores and fulfilment centres, with London staff seeing their pay increase to £13.66 and then £13.85 read more
Alliance Healthcare propose the closure of their Nottingham site – Usdaw will enter into consultation talks (11 Mar) – Usdaw is the Trade Union that represents Alliance Healthcare workers at the company’s Nottingham site, known as D80. Today, the healthcare products wholesaler has announced that they propose to close two Midlands Distribution Centres: one on the Boots Nottingham estate and another on a site in Hinckley. In addition, they propose up to 110 job losses at their South Normanton site. In total, there will be upwards of 845 roles at risk across the three sites affected read more
Usdaw welcomes new employment rights and seeks further strengthening (10 Mar) – Retail trade union Usdaw welcomes progress on Labour delivering their manifesto promise of a new deal for workers, as the Employment Rights Bill 2024 returns to the House of Commons for its report stage on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March 2025. Usdaw will be seeking to engage with Government to further strengthen the legislation, particularly on Statutory Sick Pay, low-hours contracts and redundancy consultation read more
UVW
Cleaning company forces cleaner onto unpaid sick leave after doctor’s request to reduce stress claimed to be impossible (13 Mar) – “I felt very intimidated, very observed, constantly called into investigation hearings, so my health declined and I had to be signed briefly off work. When I came back, they didn’t follow my doctor’s advice and sent me home on Statutory Sick Pay. I can’t live on that kind of pay” – Nelly Cabascango, cleaner and UVW member. Ecuadorian-born Nelly works as a cleaner for Principle Cleaning Services Ltd., contracted to clean the offices of Landsec, the largest commercial property developer in the UK. Like many cleaners, Nelly has faced a daily battle against unfair treatment: intimidation, excessive scrutiny and repeated investigation hearings that took a toll on her well-being. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many cleaners, who are often spoken to rudely, harassed, or made to feel invisible and “second class” by clients, managers or the public read more
BOOM! UVW WINS AGAIN! (12 Mar) – The cleaners at Riverside Quarter – luxury apartments on the Thames in Wandsworth – have defeated the threat of mass redundancies! On March 1st, new contractor, Nexgen, announced plans to cut up to 20% of the workforce. But UVW members fought back – refusing to attend consultation meetings and threatening legal action & industrial action. And guess what? TODAY, Nexgen backed down! With a strike ballot set for March 17th, they scrapped the cuts and confirmed NO JOB LOSSES. The UVW members from Ecuador and Bolivia are no strangers to fighting back. In 2022, they won statutory union recognition, sick pay and a massive pay rise. This is worker power in action. This is how we do it. Solidarity wins! UVW Facebook page
Museum strikes paused again as pay offer promised by 1 April – Following talks between UVW and Wilson James earlier this week, the incredible guards at Natural History Museum, London Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum have agreed to suspend daily strikes due to commence on 7 March, following confirmation that a pay offer will be presented by 1 April. The guards are demanding a significant pay rise after years of poverty pay, full sick pay for day one, more annual leave and other benefits. Since last October, 76 days of strike action have been called including periods of daily walks outs.
Strike action will resume in April if the museums fail to deliver UVW Facebook page
Security guards at London’s top museums pause strike action pending promised pay offer (20 Feb) – “We hope their promised response will be a positive one, helping to prevent future strikes” – Edi Palalej, security guard and UVW representative at V&A Museum. Security guards at the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have agreed to temporarily pause their historic strike action after nearly three straight weeks of daily walkouts throughout February. The decision comes following promises that the museums will present an acceptable offer by early March. If no offer is forthcoming, or if it fails to meet workers’ demands, guards will resume strike action every day from 7 March. On 14 February, the Business Director and Senior HR Business Partner of the museum contractor Wilson James told UVW representatives to expect an offer from the museums’ by 7 March latest read more
Solace Women’s Aid workers pause strike as redundancy process stops for talks – hold vigil for domestic violence victims (20 Feb) – “The victim/survivors have to be at the forefront of this conversation, because at the end of the day if they cut the service it mostly affects them. They won’t be able to get the support that they really, really need. We are the main service in Tower Hamlets. Without us, a lot of victim survivors will not have any kind of support and that’s the reality.” – Solace domestic support advisor and UVW member read more
UVW Stands in Solidarity with Courageous Fruit Pickers Fighting for Justice (29 Jan) – UVW was proud to stand in solidarity with our courageous members Juli, Aida, and their fellow fruit pickers outside the Home Office on January 24, alongside the Land Workers’ Alliance (LWA), the Solidarity Across Land Trades union (SALT), and other organisations to demand justice for seasonal workers from Latin America. The workers were lured to the UK with false promises, only to face harassment, discrimination and abuse. The conditions were so appalling that they took the historic step of organising the first-ever strike of UK seasonal workers read more
Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office has been targeted in a break-in! (10 Jan) – Overnight, laptops, essential equipment and other valuables worth several thousands of pounds were stolen, disrupting critical support for low-paid, migrant and precarious workers. This won’t stop our fight for justice. The theft comes as UVW leads critical campaigns with hundreds of workers taking strike action across London. Please support UVW during this critical time. Help replace stolen equipment and ensure campaigns for dignity and equality continue. Every donation makes a difference. Donate now: https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/donate. Read more on UVW Facebook page
IWGB
Join the drivers log-off: Friday 14th February (4 Feb) – Drivers working for apps like Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee are at a breaking point. Poverty pay, high car rents, brutally long hours to try and ends meet and the threat of unfair deactivation hanging over our heads are having a devastating financial, physical and mental impact on us and our families. Drivers’ lives are being torn apart by these companies in their endless pursuit of profit… That is why we are calling on all unions, groups and associations to join us on the 14th February in striking from 4pm-10pm read more
Mandate (Ireland)
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)
BNM Recycling workers serve strike notice for 2nd and 3rd April (18 Mar) – SIPTU members employed by Bord na Móna (BNM) Recycling, the country’s last publicly owned domestic waste collection service, have today served notice of a two-day strike action which will stop the company’s domestic waste collection services on 2nd and 3rd April read more
SIPTU Health members update: Section 39 pay proposals (12 Mar) – Following intensive negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), we advise that SIPTU has secured a set of proposals which will now be put forward for your consideration. These proposals, brokered by the WRC, mark a step forward in our campaign for fair pay and conditions read more
BNM Recycling workers commence strike ballot due to threat to employment conditions (20 Feb) – SIPTU members employed in Bord na Móna (BNM) Recycling, the country’s last publicly owned domestic waste collection service, will commence a ballot for strike action in response to the threat to their terms and conditions of employment from a proposed privatisation of the enterprise read more
Other news
From SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) – Call to Action!
Housing Crisis Workplace Impact Survey:-
To aid our engagement with trade unions, and to expose a well-hidden aspect of the housing crisis, we have a survey about the impact of the housing crisis in the workplace.
The survey is completely anonymous. It asks about the impact of rising rents, as well as stress, illness and injury triggered by bad housing which in turn leads to workplace absences. The survey closes on 31st March 2025.
Please help by filling in the survey if you are in work, and for all to circulate within your networks.
www.shaction.org/housing-in-the-workplace-survey/
Summit of Resistance: We Demand Change – Saturday 29 March
11:00am to 5:00pm Central London location tba more details
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
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.
See Stop the War website for info on protests.
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)
Gaza protest on Saturday 18th January in Central London: oppose the arrests, defend the right to protest – the NSSN stands in solidarity with all those who have been arrested, including Stop The War Coalition’s Chris Nineham. It is outrageous that as a ceasefire is announced, protestors were denied the right to march, particularly under the watch of a Labour government and Labour London Mayor. We demand justice for all those arrested – with the immediate dropping of all charges Stop the War Coalition statement
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
Affiliate to the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) here
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
Urgent: Stand in Solidarity with Turkey’s Oppressed Voices! 🚨
The Turkish government is cracking down on trade unionists, activists, journalists, and opposition voices. Over 300 people were arrested in February alone.
We must demand:
✅ Freedom for those detained
✅ An end to authoritarian repression
✅ International solidarity
Read & sign the petition and join the movement: https://tinyurl.com/solidarityturkiye
📅 Online Rally: 19th March. Details to follow…
#SolidarityWithTurkey #StandWithTurkey #FreeThemAll
Please share widely and stand with us! ✊
30 More People Arrested in Turkey for Supporting a Peaceful Future (22 Feb) read more on the website of Solidarity with the People of Turkey (SPOT)
Turkey: Union Leader Detained Again After Meeting with Workers (17 Feb) read more on the website of Solidarity with the People of Turkey (SPOT)
NIGERIA SOLIDARITY – END THE ATTACKS ON DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS! END THE ‘TREASON’ TRIAL AND DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST ADARAMOYE MICHAEL LENIN AND OTHER #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTERS
The ‘treason’ trial of Michael Lenin and 10 other #endbadgovernance protesters was scheduled to commence on 29th of January after its postponement last year.
Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others would be arraigned in Court on trumped up charges of treason and terrorism financing which could potentially earn them a death penalty if not quashed.
Further details on www.NigeriaSolidarity.com/Events
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]
Diary
2025
July
5 NSSN Annual Conference 2025 11am-4.30pm Conway Hall London
12 Durham Miners Gala details
18–20 Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival details
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
