The NSSN is supporting the MegaPicket2 to support the striking Unite Birmingham Binworkers this Friday 25th July. The workers are on indefinite strike after facing pay cuts of up to £8,000 a year, and are facing brutal strike-breaking measures by the Labour council, backed by Starmer’s government. Solidarity is even more essential as the council effectively threaten to fire and rehire the workers.
The MegaPicket2 was initiated by Strike Map and is now supported by over 15 national trade unions and many organisations. Transport is being booked form a number of areas, including London, Liverpool, Manchester and Oxford. For more info on transport and to keep up to date on details for the day, go to the MegaPicket2 Facebook event.
The NSSN will continue to give full solidarity to Unite and the striking binworkers and will keep mobilising support for the strike and for any action called to back the workers.
Unite conference votes overwhelmingly to re-examine relationship with Labour and suspend Angela Rayner from Unite membership over Birmingham bins dispute (11 July) – Unite has overwhelming voted to re-examine its relationship with Labour and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has had her Unite membership suspended over her role in the Birmingham bin strike. The decision was taken following an emergency motion passed at the union’s policy conference in Brighton today that condemned Birmingham’s Labour council and the Labour government for attacking the bin workers. Birmingham council leader John Cotton and fellow Unite Birmingham councillors have also had their Unite membership suspended for their roles in effectively firing and rehiring the workers, who are striking over pay cuts of up £8,000. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cutsread more
Birmingham bins fire and rehire threats won’t work, Unite (9 July) – Labour has been a disgrace and should hang their heads in shame. Missing in action Birmingham council leader John Cotton’s threats to effectively fire and rehire striking bin workers shows Labour is complicit in attacking workers. The bin workers are striking over pay cuts of up to £8,000 – up a quarter of their wages for some – and have an industrial action mandate until December. They have been told to accept these lower terms or be made redundant. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Let’s be very clear, what Birmingham city council has proposed is fire and rehire in a Labour council under a Labour government read more
Ombudsman urged to investigate Birmingham commissioners’ financial conflicts in keeping bin strike going (8 July) – Government planned to relieve commissioners of duties before major incident over bins declared in April. Unite is calling on the local government ombudsman to investigate whether Birmingham’s government appointed commissioners have a financial conflict of interest in keeping the bin strike going read more
Starmer and Rayner must intervene to end Birmingham bin strike, warns fire union leader (20 July) – Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright has called on Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner to step in to deliver a decent settlement for the striking Birmingham bin workers. In a challenge to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Wright said that the Labour government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts of up to £8,000 for the workers and compensates the strikers for lost income. The firefighters’ leader said that unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a ‘betrayal ‘ of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that Tony Blair’s Labour government failed to intervene in. Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner must urgently step in to resolve the Birmingham bin dispute in favour of the striking workers, Wright said. The FBU leader issued the stark warning to Starmer and Rayner ahead of a ‘solidarity megapicket’ by unions on Friday (July 25) read more
- Sign petition to support binworkers
- Send a message of support to Unite and the binworkers
- Donate to the strike fund – Unite WM/7186 Branch, account: 20308397, sort code: 608301. Title donation: BCC Strike Donation
- Send a postcard to tell Birmingham Council’s leader to ‘Stop attacking your workers’ at https://supportbinworkers.unitetheunion.postbug.app/
- Join the MegaPicket2 (hosted by Strike Map) – Friday 25th July details
Twenty-five unions sign open letter calling on government and Birmingham Council to end bin strike read more in Morning Star
The NSSN Conference on Saturday 5th July brought together hundreds of union reps and members together to support the strikes that are taking place and to discuss how we organise against the austerity from Starmer’s Labour Government. Fighting union leaders and striking workers spoke from our platform, followed by a full discussion from the floor.
Watch the videos of the platform speeches here – Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Steve Wright FBU General Secretary, Carmel Gates NIPSA General Secretary, Onay Kasab Unite National Lead Officer, Ian Hodson BFAWU National President, Ed Harlow NEU Vice-President, Fiona Brittle PCS NEC (personal capacity), Danny Taylor Unite Birmingham Bin Striker, Joel Mayfield Unite Sheffield Veolia bin striker, Caroline Hayhurst striking Unison Gloucestershire phlebotomist, Paula Peters DPAC, Lois Austin SpyCops and NSSN Chair Rob Williams
Come to the NSSN TUC Congress Rally & Lobby – 1pm Sunday 7th September in The Old Ship Hotel I Brighton Facebook event
The NSSN has produced the following model motion for union branches & trades councils to get support for NSSN TUC Congress lobby & rally which will lobby for support for the motion from the TUC Trades Councils Conference that will be tabled at the 2025 TUC Congress which campaigns to “oppose the attacks on disability benefits to…build support for the TUC Disabled Workers Committee to organise a demonstration and lobby of Parliament…and for the TUC to organise a weekend demonstration against Labour austerity as a launchpad for sustained trade union action in defence of workers and young people.”
The motion was tabled at the TUC Trades Councils Conference by NSSN National Secretary Katrine Williams on behalf of Cardiff Trades Council.
This (union branch/trades council) notes that the Starmer Labour government has
announced its intention to slash governmental budgets, which includes its vicious Welfare Bill to cut disability benefits. This is at the same time as councils make cuts, the NHS is under massive pressure and there is a funding crisis at all levels of education. This is alongside recessionary signs in the private sector, with threats to jobs while the cost-of-living squeeze remains.
This [union branch / trades council] believes that it is essential that the trade union
movement takes the lead in organising against Starmer and Reeves’s austerity and the bosses’ offensive. We 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.
This [union branch / trades council] welcomes the motion from the TUC Trades Councils Conference that will be tabled at the 2025 TUC Congress which campaigns to “oppose the attacks on disability benefits to…build support for the TUC Disabled Workers Committee to organise a demonstration and lobby of Parliament…and for the TUC to organise a weekend demonstration against Labour austerity as a launchpad for sustained trade union action in defence of workers and young people.”
Therefore, this [union branch / trades council] supports the 2025 National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) rally at TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 7th September, which will be on the theme ‘Make the rich pay not workers’ and will lobby for TUC Congress to pass the motion from the TUC Trades Councils Conference
This [union branch / trades council] resolves to:
• Affiliate / reaffiliate to the NSSN
• Publicise the NSSN lobby and rally at TUC Congress in Brighton to all our members and affiliates, and encourage them to attend
• Make a donation to the NSSN to help cover the cost of the rally
Support the Unite Sheffield Bin strike – Unite: Strikes at Veolia in Sheffield set to continue as company refuses to negotiate (26 June) – Fresh ballot from union shows strong support for continuing industrial action read more. Strikes at union-busting firm Veolia are set to continue in Sheffield following the latest successful ballot of workers at the Lumley Street depot read more
Support the Unison Gloucestershire phlebotomists strike
Time for ‘rogue’ NHS trust to resolve 100-day blood specialists strike, says UNISON (4 July) – The bizarre and counterproductive approach adopted by senior executives at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is not only out of step with the rest of the NHS, but it clearly isn’t working either read more
Gloucestershire phlebotomists pass 100 days on strike read more
Picketing and plan of action for week 19:
Monday 21st: Joint picket at Cheltenham General Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
Tuesday 22nd: Joint picket at Gloucester Royal Hospital from 07.30 to 12:00.
Wednesday 23rd: A team meeting on Wednesday morning so no picket.
Thursday 24th: Joint picket at Gloucester Royal Hospital from 07.30 to 12:00.
Friday 25th: Each site to decide.
Donate to the strike fund
Please show phlebotomists your support and solidarity by donating to their strike hardship fund:
Make a donation via SumUp
UNISON Gloucestershire DHC Branch 21311
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account number: 20301750
Reference: strikefund
Support the BMA Resident Doctors strike
Resident doctors vote yes to strike (9 July) – BMA urges health secretary to return to negotiations to make the ‘right’ decision. Resident doctors in England have delivered a renewed mandate for strike action in the fight for pay restoration, following the outcome of a six-week ballot. They will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July. Leaders of the BMA resident doctors committee have advised that doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published this week revealed 90 per cent of resident doctors voting in favour of a potential return to industrial action. The ballot, which ran from 27 May until 7 July, saw a turnout of 55 per cent, almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast with 26,766 of those participating endorsing the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay. The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate for industrial action from now until January 2026. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had no other choice given the ongoing failures to move the needle on pay restoration read more. Details of picket lines
NSSN news
Download and distribute our NSSN Workplace Report
Affiliate your union branch/trades council to NSSN (£50).
Renew/donate online (HSBC: 40-06-41, 90143790)
Cheque (NSSN, 16 Warren Rd, London E10 5QA).
Contact us: email – [email protected].
International solidarity needed – US – Don’t Fire MassArt Educators for Exercising their Right to Free Speech and Protest! – Sign the pettion
Union News
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RMT
RMT welcomes c2c public ownership and calls for end to outsourcing (18 July) – London to Essex train company c2c will come into public hands on Sunday but outsourced cleaners, will remain with a private contractor, RMT has said. The union fully supports Labour’s plan to create Great British Railways and to unite track and train under a single publicly owned body, benefiting railway workers and passengers alike. However, cleaners working for Bidvest Noonan on c2c trains and stations, will not enjoy the same benefits of public ownership as their colleagues directly employed by the train company. During the 2024 election campaign, Labour pledged to undertake the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation which would benefit thousands of RMT members read more
RMT demands public control of Merseyrail after £212m in private profits (17 July) – RMT has written to Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram calling for Merseyrail to be taken into public ownership, citing excessive profiteering by private operators and the overwhelming role of public investment in the service’s success. In the letter, RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey wrote: “I’m writing to you to ask you to meet with me to discuss the future of the Merseyrail concession. I also want to take the opportunity to reiterate my union’s position and urge you to endorse the option of bringing Merseyrail into public ownership…” read more
RMT to ballot GWR Gateline staff over dangerous lone staffing plans (11 June) – Rail union, RMT is balloting over 300 Gateline staff across Great Western Railway (GWR) for strike action in response to company plans to impose single staffing and extend working hours. The proposals would leave staff isolated, more exposed to abuse and violence, and unable to provide proper ticket enforcement and adequate assistance to passengers. Unfortunately management have resorted to attempting to intimidate workers by insisting they will not win the ballot and that the new working arrangements are being imposed regardless of union action. RMT is clear that single staffing on Gatelines is a direct attack on the safety, dignity and job security of frontline workers and the union will not accept it read more
CrossCountry workers to begin overtime ban in rest day working dispute (23 May) – RMT members at CrossCountry will begin an overtime ban and refuse to work rest days from Monday 9 June to Friday 25 October – excluding Sundays. The action follows Cross Country’s refusal to negotiate on enhancements for all grades to overtime and rest day working, despite previously agreed commitments read more
RMT strike action to hit Nottingham bus services in pay dispute (23 May) – Bus workers employed by CT4N in Nottingham will take strike action across four days in June and July in a dispute over pay and working conditions…Bus workers operate critical services across Nottingham, including the Medilink routes serving NHS hospitals and clinics. Despite the vital role they play in the city’s transport system, CT4N staff remain underpaid and undervalued read more
Balfour Beatty Rail Plant strike ballot to open (19 May) – Rail union RMT, will open a ballot for industrial action on Tuesday, after Balfour Beatty refused to improve its derisory 2.5% pay offer. RMT members working rail infrastructure maintenance, operations and engineering and technical support, have already overwhelmingly rejected this offer, which does nothing to address the rising cost of living. Despite further talks, the company has refused to make a meaningful improvement in their approach. The ballot will close on Tuesday 10th June 2025 and the union is urging members to vote “Yes.” Read more
ASLEF
ASLEF in action on Hull Trains – as long as it takes (9 July) – Mick Whelan, general secretary, ASLEF:COLLEAGUES, may I take this opportunity to praise our colleagues on Hull Trains who have been on all out strike in support of a colleague who has been terminated for doing nothing wrong, and outside the agreed processes and procedures, which is a real kick in the teeth to the safety culture of the whole railway. It has been made clear to the company that we are here until we get a right and just resolution to the issue and, along with the many messages of solidarity, we shall be sending a message to Hull Trains and the whole railway industry, that our branches will support financially their colleagues and friends for as long as it takes read more
TSSA
TSSA strikes at Translink suspended after new offers ahead of The Open (18 July) – Strikes involving TSSA members working at Translink have been suspended after the company made last minute offers ahead of walkouts due to start at midnight (00:01 Friday). The breakthrough for TSSA members working as Clerical staff and as Management, Professional & Technical Grades (MPT) came after extensive talks over two days at the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) involving union officials and Translink read more
TSSA supervisors win Translink concessions over strike ahead of the Open (11 July) – TSSA members working in Supervisor Grades (including railway controllers) at Translink have accepted an offer of a pay rise which removes the immediate threat of strike action for this group of workers ahead of the Open Championships at Portrush. Members in Supervisor Grades had been due to walkout over pay on Friday 18th July and Saturday 19th July before the company came back today with an offer of a pay rise which averages at around 7 per cent read more
Unite
Government must act to secure future of Lindsey oil refinery (21 July) – Share
Unite is demanding that the government takes immediate action to secure the long-term future of the Lindsey oil refinery. Unite made the call after the special managers who have been running the site since it filed for administration at the end of last month, wrote to the workforce informing them that as a buyer had not been found they were now in the process of winding down the site, with no more crude oil being purchased read more. Unite ‘Save Lindsey Oil Refinery’ Rally – 12.30pm, Thursday 24th July
Government must deliver Lindsey oil refinery certainty ‘in days not weeks’ says Unite (16 July) – The government has limited time to ensure the future of the Lindsey oil refinery, in North Lincolnshire, is secured, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Unite, which represents workers at the complex, said ministers must move quickly if the hundreds of jobs it supports directly and indirectly in communities across Lincolnshire are to be protected and oil supplies secured. Since the administration was announced on 30 June, 200 tanker drivers in the supply chain have been told they will lose their jobs. It is crucial that no more jobs are lost either at Lindsey Refinery or from the supply chain of this critical piece of UK infrastructure read more
Unite welcomes Orgreave inquiry announcement (21 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has welcomed the government’s announcement that it will hold a full public inquiry into the events at the Orgreave coking plant in Yorkshire in June 1984 and the subsequent actions of the police in attacking striking miners. The campaign for a public inquiry has been led by the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign. The public inquiry will be chaired by the Bishop of Sheffield and is the first step in overturning a 40-year miscarriage of justice, against working people read more
Carnival transport chaos on cards as West London bus workers balloted for strikes over pay (17 July) – Drivers, engineers and controllers could walk out. Bus travel in West London could grind to a halt this summer as nearly 2,000 workers are being balloted on strike action. Members of the Unite trade union, Britain’s leading trade union for public transport workers, are furious that not all elements of the new pay offer they have received from their employer are being backdated to their pay anniversary in December. This would mean drivers losing out on hundreds of pounds of back pay after First Bus bought the company earlier this year from RATP. One of the subsidiaries involved London United is also attempting to change the pay anniversary of some workers and is refusing to reinstate shift work premiums for others…The ballot opens today (Wednesday) and will close on 11 August. Should workers vote for strike action they could walk out on the August bank holiday Monday crippling bus services during the Notting Hill Carnival read more
Bin strike looming in Wrexham as workers balloted on action (17 July) – Street scene operators at Wrexham council angry over changes to working patterns. Bin strikes could take place in Wrexham later this year, including the August bank holiday and over the busy Christmas period, as over 100 Unite members are being balloted to take industrial action. The dispute comes after Wrexham council changed the way workers in the street scene operation team were given overtime. Street scene operators include refuse workers as well as those working on parks, gardens and highways. Previously, they were given additional days off over Christmas and can volunteer to work overtime. However, the council forced through changes without any consultation with workers or Unite, which means they now have to compulsorily work Saturdays and are threatened with disciplinary action if they do not attend. This is a choice by the employer to extend the working week without agreement and means every worker would lose half a day’s pay…The ballot closes on 5 August and industrial action could take place in late August. Unite members are also considering any potential strike action to take place over Christmas, when households usually have more rubbish needing to be removed than usual read more
Scottish Water workers celebrate pay victory (17 July) – Employees vote in favour of new pay offer that sees up to 10 per cent increase. Workers at Scottish Water are celebrating a significant above-inflation pay award today after a determined campaign of industrial action. Unite, Britain’s winning trade union, backed its members as they took part in strikes across the country this spring and summer. A ballot of workers on the most recent pay offer from the employer closed today with an overwhelming vote to accept pay increases for all grades. The lowest paid Grade 2 workers will receive a 10.67 per cent pay increase with increases for all other grades tapering to a 4.85 per cent increase for the highest Grade 8 staff. There will also be a joint review into the use of contracts within certain areas of Scottish Water, a review of stand-by hours including assessing the impact of these on employees wellbeing and a review of whether to take account of inflation in future pay awards read more
Unite takes action to support boiling bus drivers (17 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has taken action to support its bus drivers experiencing sweltering conditions at work. The union has issued all its bus driver members with an official letter to show to management when conditions become too hot in drivers’ cabs, informing the company that the driver is stopping work for safety reasons. The union has taken this decisive action as the UK has already experienced three heatwaves this year. Overheating bus cabs have become an increasing problem for bus drivers as the UK’s weather becomes more extreme. Many cabs are not air conditioned or have cooling systems that don’t work and drivers have reported temperatures exceeding 40 degrees centigrade in some cabs, which resemble greenhouses read more
Unite wins recognition deal for warehouse workers at Culina Logistics in Tilbury Port (16 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has won recognition for over 300 workers at Culina Logistics in Tilbury Port, Essex. The recognition agreement was voted through by 100 per cent of workers, who mostly work in the firm’s chilled warehouse working 12 hours a day on a four on, four off pattern including nightshifts. There are also a small number of hygiene workers who will be covered by the new agreement. Culina Logistics provides integrated supply chain services and expertise for food and drink products that require strict refrigerated temperatures. It is an ambient and chilled food and drink third-party logistics specialist, providing warehousing and distribution to firms across the country. The recognition agreement means Unite now has a strong platform to undertake collective bargaining on behalf of workers at Culina Logistics in Tilbury Port in order to improve jobs, pay and conditions, including improving shift patterns and holiday pay read more
Fawley ‘famished’ as oil refinery canteen workers strike (16 July) – Fawley workers will be famished when the oil refinery’s canteen staff strike over poverty pay. The predominantly female workers, employed by catering outsourcer Compass, are paid only slightly more than the minimum wage. They are demanding a pay rise that reflects the rising cost of living and ensures the gap between their wages and the absolute legal minimum does not shrink. London-based Compass Group is the world’s largest catering provider and raked in nearly £1.2 billion in operating profits in the six months to March 2025 – an increase of 11.6 per cent…The workers will strike from 25 to 28 July and from 1 to 4 August. Canteen and food services across the refinery will not be available during the strikes. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Workers at Village Hotel in Glasgow in historic strike vote (16 July) – Members of Unite, employed by Village Hotels in Glasgow, have overwhelmingly voted for strike action in a dispute over pay. The workers are seeking a pay increase to the real living wage rate of £12.60 an hour and for this to be paid across the board regardless of age, paid breaks for all workers and backdated wages for those under 21 years at the same rate as fellow workers at Village Edinburgh – who are paid significantly more for the same roles. The dispute involves the vast majority of the hotel’s food and beverage team, who recorded a 100 per cent yes vote in favour of strike action read more
Hodge podge airline hand luggage rules must be standardised to stop passenger abuse, Unite demands (15 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, is calling for hand luggage rules to be standardised as differences across airports and airlines is driving abuse against workers by angry passengers caught by unexpected surcharges. Airlines across the UK have different standards for hand luggage size and weight and levy different charges. They also have differing enforcement policies and incentive schemes for ground handlers who have to flag hand luggage that contravenes the rules. Due to the different standards and the variable enforcement of often sizable and unexpected extra charges for hand luggage that contravenes specific rules, airline workers regularly face abuse from angry passengers read more
Thousands of electricians benefit from 14% pay rise secured by Unite (15 July) – Thousands of electricians will benefit from a 14 per cent pay rise over three years secured by Unite, the UK’s leading union. The deal, negotiated through the Joint Industry Board (JIB) agreement, will benefit nearly 10,000 electricians employed by around 550 employers. From January 2026, the workers will receive a 3.95 per cent rise, followed by a 4.6 per cent rise in 2027 and a 4.85 per cent rise in 2028. Cumulatively, wages will increase by 14 per cent over three years read more
Knottingley Ardagh Glass bottle factory facing disruption during strikes (15 July) – Forklift drivers employed by Lockwood Haulage walkout over disgraceful union busting. Forklift drivers employed by Lockwood Haulage at the Ardagh Glass bottle factory in Knottingley will strike over union recognition. The forklift drivers were previously employed by GXO before transferring to Lockwood Haulage in March after the company took over the Ardagh Glass contract. GXO had a longstanding recognition agreement on collective bargaining with Unite, which Lockwood is refusing to honour…The workers will strike on 18 and 21 July. Industrial action will continue to escalate until the dispute is resolved. The strikes will severely impact Ardagh’s operations as the company will not be able to load bottle onto trucks for delivery to clients including Diageo, InBev, Coca Cola, Heineken and Highland Spring read more
Port Talbot development beginning of UK Steel rebirth (14 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has welcomed the announcement that the construction work on building a new electric arc furnace has begun at Port Talbot. The construction is a result of a £500 million grant supplied by the UK government, which was agreed following intensive lobbying by Unite. Unite believes that the construction of the electric arc furnace must be the first step in securing the long-term future of the UK steel industry. Substantial further funding is needed, after the steel industry had been starved of investment for decades read more
Industrial action escalates over Liverpool University hybrid working changes (14 July) – Hundreds of workers at Liverpool University are escalating their continuing industrial action by taking part in further strike days over changes to the current hybrid working agreement. Over 340 professional services staff including those involved in graduation ceremonies, confirmation of places and clearing for September’s intake of new students, will strike on 14 August and again from 16 to 19 September, when the university welcomes its new and returning students. At present, the workers, members of Unite, are also taking action short of a strike such as by refusing to work overtime. This is set to impact graduation ceremonies taking place from today to Friday (18 July) by causing administrative delays read more
Shell’s offshore medics secure pay deal (14 July) – The nation’s leading offshore trade union, Unite, has confirmed it has secured a pay increase for medics who work on Shell platforms. Unite represents around a dozen medics employed by United Healthcare Global Medical (UK) who provide essential medial cover on oil giant Shell’s platforms read more
Unite ballots Orkney Ferries workers on strike action in pay dispute (11 July) – Strike ballot opens on 15 July. Unite the union confirmed today that it is balloting Orkney Ferries workers on industrial action in an escalating dispute over pay. Unite represents around 30 outer north and inner isles workers who have rejected several offers from Orkney Ferries. The latest offer overwhelmingly rejected amounted to a basic four per cent increase. The ballot will open on 15 July and closes on 5 August, if workers vote for industrial action strikes could begin from the end of August read more
Unite sets Glasgow airport summer strike action (11 July) – Union resolves ICTS dispute with pay deal for 250 workers. Unite confirmed today (Friday 11 July) that around 100 workers are set for summer strike action in July as the pay dispute with Glasgow Airport Limited escalates. The trade union revealed that despite repeated offers to restart negotiations in an attempt to resolve the pay dispute, it has been informed that no new pay offer will be made to the workers. Unite says it has been left with no option but to issue strike dates claiming that the airport’s new management is ‘spoiling for a fight’. 48-hour strike action is set to take place from 06:00 on Thursday 24 July to 05:59 on Saturday 26 July. Last week, an emphatic 98.7 per cent of Unite members at Glasgow Airport Limited backed industrial action to secure a better pay offer after rejecting a basic four per cent pay offer. The workers include airport ambassadors, airside support officers, engineers and managers. The company made £40.65m in its latest recorded accounts. AviAlliance, a subsidiary of PSP Investments, acquired AGS Airports (which includes Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Southampton airports) in a £1.53 billion deal in January 2025.
Meanwhile, Unite can confirm it has now successfully negotiated a pay deal covering 250 ICTS central search workers at Glasgow Airport. The workers who deal with passengers directly in the security search area and process them for flights have secured a basic pay increase of five per cent. The ICTS deal means that disputes involving around 740 workers have been successfully resolved through negotiation at Glasgow Airport. This includes around 300 Menzies Aviation workers securing a pay deal which establishes a four per cent minimum increase for new starters, and up to 10 per cent for workers depending on grades. 50 Falck firefighters who perform fire safety functions at the airport also accepted a basic wage increase of 4.5 per cent while there have been wage wins for over 140 workers based at Glasgow airport employed by ABM and OCS… Over 100 Swissport workers remain in a dispute over working rotas and work-life balance, plus health and safety concerns. Workers provide ground handling services to many major airlines, including ticketing and baggage handling. A consultative ballot on a new offer made by Swissport to address these outstanding issues has been put to the workforce. The ballot concludes on 14 July. If this offer is rejected, Unite will move to open a full industrial action ballot read more
East Coast bus drivers strike ballot over pay (10 July) – 130 drivers reject two-year offer at publicly owned subsidiary of Lothian Buses. Unite has confirmed around 130 drivers employed by East Coast Buses are involved in an industrial action ballot after rejecting a two-year pay offer. The ballot will open today (10 July) and close on 24 July. If workers vote for industrial action then strike action could start in early August potentially impacting on the Edinburgh Festival and the Oasis concert (9 August) at Murrayfield. The East Coast Buses drivers provide services from the city of Edinburgh and the East Lothian coast and mainland. East Coast Buses and Lothian County are both owned by the publicly run Lothian Buses. A separate pay deal has been successfully negotiated by Unite for Lothian County bus drivers which run services across west Edinburgh and West Lothian read more
Belfast GLL leisure workers vote for industrial action (7 July) – Largest council in Northern Ireland has worst pay for leisure workers. Industrial action to commence Tuesday 15 July with a work to rule at outsourced leisure centres and gyms. Members of Unite and NIPSA employed at Belfast’s municipal leisure centres have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action. The ballot followed the refusal of Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) to agree the workforce’s pay claim. The company is contracted by Belfast City council to manage its outsourced leisure centres and gyms. As a result of GLLs failure to offer a fair pay offer a continuous work-to-rule will begin on Tuesday 15 July. The unions also contacted GLL to clarify that they stood ready to commence negotiations to resolve the pay dispute at any time. Because of the outsourcing of leisure services by Belfast City Council, pay for workers at leisure centres has fallen considerably behind that for leisure workers employed by other councils in Northern Ireland. Workers are seeking an additional one pound an hour pay increase this year which will reduce the pay differential with other leisure workers. The unions have also contacted GLL to clarify that they stood ready to commence negotiations to resolve the pay dispute at any time read more
Further disruption to North East bus services as Stagecoach workers ballot on strikes (4 July) – There could be a shutdown of the bus network across the North East this summer as over 80 engineers and cleaners for Stagecoach are being balloted for strike action in a dispute about pay. After years of historic low pay, the Unite members at Busways Travel Services, part of the Stagecoach North East group, have overwhelmingly rejected a below inflation pay offer of 3.3 per cent backdated to 1 April 2025. The company has struggled to recruit engineers in recent years, with low pay frequently cited as the issue…Nearly 500 members at Slatyford and Walkergate are also undertaking a ballot for strike action over pay. Their ballot closes on 15 July which means action could take place at the same time as their colleagues, from next month, if successful read more
International Transport Workers’ Federation staff strike to protect jobs (4 July) – A quarter of staff facing redundancy while senior management wages increase 47%. More than 100 workers at the London-based International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) will strike over planned redundancies and attacks on collective bargaining read more
Village Hotel workers in Glasgow ballot for strike action over jobs, pay and conditions (3 July) – Unite can confirm that workers at the Village Hotel in Glasgow are being balloted on strike action in an escalating dispute over pay, paid breaks and working conditions. Around 90 per cent of the food and beverage workforce are involved in the dispute which follows the refusal of Village Hotels management to negotiate over improved pay, contracts, and conditions. The ballot opened this week and closes on 15 July. If a strike mandate is achieved it will be the first strike action at a major hotel in over 40 years. The workers are demanding equal pay for everyone regardless of age starting at the real living wage of £12.60, paid breaks for everyone, and backdated wages for those under 21-years at the same rate as fellow workers in Village Edinburgh – who are paid significantly more for the same roles read more
Unite reject pay award from Welsh NHS and prepare for strikes (2 July) – NHS staff across Wales have voted to take strike action following a poor pay award. Members of Unite, one of the country’s leading health sector unions, have voted in heavy numbers to reject the pay award and indicated they are prepared to take industrial action demanding that the Welsh government make improvements to their pay. Unite members in Wales have voted in large numbers that the pay award is unacceptable. 87 per cent rejected the pay award and said they were prepared to take strike action to try to achieve a better and fairer pay increase. Unite is now calling on the Welsh government to open up pay negotiations with unions. If negotiations on pay do not happen Unite will have no choice but to start the formal industrial action ballot process. Any industrial action will affect a number of services including ambulance services where Unite has particularly high membership read more
Cardiff bus services under threat as workers ballot for strike action (1 July) – Bus services in Cardiff could be severely disrupted this summer, as over 450 Unite members including drivers are being balloted for strike action. The Unite Wales members work for Cardiff City Transport Services, better known as Cardiff Bus, which is the main operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area including Barry and Penarth. Workers are financially struggling and have rejected the company’s latest offer which leaves driver pay below levels in the rest of the UK…The ballot closes on 22 July. If workers vote to strike, action could start in early August and would be the first by members at Cardiff Bus in 10 years. Members being balloted work in driver, garage operative and engineering roles read more
Airbus workers balloted for strike action over pay (30 June) – Unite members at Broughton and Filton could walk out if pay offer isn’t improved. Over three thousand aircraft fitters and engineers at aerospace giant, Airbus, are being balloted from today (Monday 30 June) for industrial action in a dispute over pay. Members of the Unite union, Britain’s largest union in the defence and aerospace sector, are to be balloted about taking industrial action following a series of unacceptable pay offers. Although Unite has begun balloting for industrial action, the union remains hopeful that Airbus will return to the negotiating table and a mutually acceptable agreement can be reached. The highly skilled workers play a critical role in the production of aircraft wings for the hugely successful A320 family, A330, A350 and A400M military transport aircraft – core programmes in Airbus’s global operations. Should they vote to strike the company’s sites in Broughton (Flintshire) and Filton (near Bristol) will grind to a halt, delaying delivery of aircraft wings bringing aircraft deliveries to a standstill read more
Tata Steel: Strike set to escalate tonight as management cancels scheduled talks (26 June) – Pay freezes have left Tata workers at just over minimum wage. Unite has served Tata Steel with notice of five more days of strike action over the coming weeks following management’s decision to cancel scheduled talks on pay differentials. The next strike action follows a 48-hour stoppage last week and will take place from 21:59 hours tonight (26 June 2025) until 22.01 on 30th June 2025. There will be another one-day stoppage starting 21.59 hrs on 10 July 2025, with further strike action from 21.59 on 24 July 2025 until 22.01 on 28 July. The strike action is in addition to the continuous ban on overtime and work to rule and the discontinuous strike action as set out in Notice of Action dated 11 June 2025. The dispute surrounds the workers’ claim for restoration of pay differentials eroded as a result of pay freezes in recent years read more
Council workers overwhelmingly vote to reject this year’s pay offer (24 June) – Local authority workers who are members of Unite have overwhelmingly voted to reject this year’s pay offer of 3.2 per cent. Council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were offered the increase from 1 April 2025, which was tabled by national employers without any negotiation with unions. However, 84 per cent of Unite members in local authorities have rejected it in a consultative ballot. Following discussions with sister unions in the local authority sector who were consulting at the same time, Unite could now hold ballots for industrial action which could take place from late summer read more
Supermarket wine shortage looms as Encirc glass workers in Bristol strike (18 June) – There is set to be shortages of bottled, box and bags of wine on supermarket shelves this summer as over 200 Unite members at the Encirc site in Avonmouth, Bristol strike over pay and collective bargaining. Members at the factory work across different areas, including bottling and packaging red, white, rose and sparkling wine and distributing it from warehouses. Encirc supplies all the major supermarkets with wine, which is the most popular alcoholic drink in the UK. Encirc is a very profitable company, with a turnover of over £600 million. However, the firm has only offered its workers a 3.2 per cent pay rise without negotiating with Unite – the recognised union – and has now repeatedly stated from now on it will only give pay rises tied to inflation. This effectively means removing Unite’s collective bargaining rights, as any pay increases will be set by Encirc without negotiations before being imposed on workers. Previously, the union had been able to negotiate with management on pay. Unite members at Encirc, overwhelmingly voted to take strike action. Strikes will take place between 19 June and 5 July, with workers in different parts of the business taking strike action on different dates and times according to production schedules to have the biggest impact. There will also be a 12 week overtime ban as part of the action. Encirc asked for negotiations with conciliation service Acas, which Unite agreed to. However workers were then offered a worse deal than that which had already been rejected read more
London Hedin Mercedes mechanics to strike (17 June) – Brooklands, Bromley and Croydon workers walkout over real terms pay cuts. Mechanics at Hedin Mercedes-Benz dealerships will strike in June and July over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The mechanics, responsible for Mercedes repairs, MOTs and servicing across the capital, voted for industrial action over the company’s refusal to put forward a pay offer for 2025. Last year, the workers received a two per cent pay rise, while the average rate of RPI inflation for 2024 was 3.6 per cent. Meanwhile, RPI inflation for April 2025 was 4.5 per cent. The workers will strike on 23, 25, 27 and 30 June and 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11 July. Further dates will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved. The industrial action will impact Hedin customers requiring repairs, servicing and MOTs across its sites in Brooklands, Bromley and Croydon read more
Unite to ballot 1500 construction workers at Sellafield for strikes over lack of pay (11 June) – Nuclear site clean-up could grind to a halt if workers walk out. Staff demanding recognition for specialised work. Unite, the country’s leading trade union for nuclear site workers, is to ballot around 1,500 construction workers from 36 contractors at Sellafield. The affected workers range from electricians, joiners, pipefitters, riggers, groundworkers, welders and painters and other vital construction roles. The long running dispute is around the employers at Sellafield refusing to resolve requests for additional ‘Sellafield Specific Allowances’. The requested allowances relate to Unite construction members engaging and constructing on advanced technologies projects. A further demand was for the introduction of a nuclear professional allowance for Unite members who are working in a unique working environmental at Sellafield. All such requests have been refused by the employers read more
Wigan Alpla UK plastic packaging strikes over fire and rehire disgrace (9 June) – Coca Cola, Muller, Unilever, Britvic supply chains facing disruption due to Alpla UK’s exploitation. Plastic packaging workers employed at Alpla UK in Golborne, Wigan, will strike over the company’s attempts to fire and rehire them on degraded contracts. Over 150 workers, members of the UK’s leading union, Unite, are being threatened with the sack if they do not accept shift changes that will increase their hours, including extra nights and weekend working…The workers will strike on 16, 17, 27 and 28 June and 11 and 12 July. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved. Clients reliant on plastic packaging from the Golborne factory, including Coca Cola, Muller, Unilever and Britvic, will be impacted read more
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports summer strike action looms (27 May) – 600 Menzies Aviation ground service workers to ballot unless new offer tabled. Ground services crew employed by Menzies Aviation at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports have overwhelmingly rejected pay offers as Unite says summer strike action looms over the nation’s largest airports. Around 600 workers including dispatchers, allocators, airside agents and controllers have rejected two separate pay offers by Menzies Aviation at each airport. In the region of 300 Menzies Aviation workers emphatically rejected a basic uplift worth around 4.25 per cent at Glasgow airport. By an emphatic 100 per cent, around 300 workers based at Edinburgh airport also rejected an offer worth around four per cent read more
Unite to ballot NHS members over “substandard” pay award (4 June) – Union urges members in England and Wales to reject real-terms pay cut. Workers also balloted for industrial action. Unite, one of Britain’s biggest health unions, has begun balloting its NHS members over the recent below-inflation pay award from the government. The union, which represents staff working across the NHS in almost every professional group has urged members to reject the insultingly low 3.6 per cent award. It is also balloting members on whether they would be prepared to take strike action. The pay award is below the rate of inflation, with RPI sitting 4.5 per cent in April. The increase is less than doctors and dentists, who have been awarded four per cent along with an additional £750 increase. The increase is also lower than Scotland NHS pay award where workers were awarded 4.25 per cent for 2025/26 and 3.75 per cent for 2026/27 with a guarantee this is 1 per cent above the Consumer Price Index (CPI)… The ballot for Welsh NHS staff opens on 9th June and the ballot for English NHS workers on 16th June. The ballots will be open for three and four weeks respectively. Should staff reject the award and vote for industrial action, Unite will announce dates and locations in due course read more
CWU
CWU LIVE – The Future of the Post Office w/ Andy Furey & Mole Meade (17 July) – This week on CWU Live, we discuss the future of the Post Office following a major government review into its ownership and governance. With guests Andy Furey, CWU Assistant Secretary and Mole Meade, CWU NEC / PE member, we share the union’s take and explore what it all means for our members as well as the public read more
CWU members in Santander need your support. They have faced outsourcing, offshoring and technology is being used to negatively impact our members futures. They are now fighting back with a joint campaign with Advance Union. All CWU members, family members, friends and the wider public can help us by signing and sharing this petition.
Every signature counts – https://cwu.eaction.org.uk/cwuadvancepetition
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]
Palace of Westminster security staff balloted for strike action (21 July) – The dispute is around 5 main issues which the employer has failed to address, of which the key issue is the removal of six days’ annual leave/rest days. Nearly 300 PCS members employed as security staff at the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) are being balloted to ask if they are willing to take strike action over their employer’s failure to address a number of outstanding issues read more
PCS responds to Independent Water Commission report (21 July) – PCS members in Ofwat, Defra, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural England and the Consumer Council Water are dedicated public servants who play a vital role in challenging water companies to clean up their act read more
PCS signs open letter to government about sewage and water industry reform (18 July) – The letter demands that public and environmental good be put before private profit, aligning with PCS policy supporting public ownership of utilities. PCS was approached by environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) because of our “leading voice in the trade union movement for green workplaces and environmental justice.” Read more
Confidence high among MyCSP strikers (18 July) – Themed picket lines and incredible support from the public and the wider trade union movement have helped striking PCS members at pensions administrator MyCSP remain resilient as they round off their second week of action. PCS members working for MyCSP in Liverpool and Cheadle have taken the second of six weeks of strike action over the employer’s failure to recognise PCS and to negotiate with the union on vital TUPE talks…The strike is planned to continue for another 4 weeks and picket lines will be held on weekdays from 7:30-10am at MyCSP Ltd, 40 Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2BW and from 8-10am at MyCSP, Landmark House, Station Road, Bird Hall Lane, Cheadle, SK8 7BS. Please go along to show your support if you’re in the area read more
Successful first week for MyCSP strike (11 July) – Strikers at MyCSP are today finishing the first of six weeks of strike action over their employer’s failure to recognise PCS. PCS members working for MyCSP in Liverpool and Cheadle have taken the first of six weeks of strike action over the employer’s failure to recognise PCS and to negotiate with the union on vital TUPE talks. The action this week has been well supported by long-standing and newer members, some of whom have never taken strike action before read more
NI Anti-Poverty Strategy will not address poverty (18 July) – PCS has branded the Northern Ireland Executive’s draft anti-poverty strategy a missed opportunity to address the root causes of deprivation and deliver meaningful change for citizens read more
MP calls for halt to changes to Skilled Worker Visas (16 July) – An Early Day Motion has been tabled calling for a halt to changes to salary thresholds for Skilled Workers Visa due to come into force on 22 July read more
Land Registry members vote to end industrial action (16 July) – PCS members voted 86% in favour of accepting a negotiated settlement to the long-running dispute. Last year, managers at Land Registry imposed a mandatory 60% office attendance policy which reduced flexibility, extended working days, brought financial impacts, and led to a detriment in personal wellbeing. Following a successful ballot, members started indefinite action short of a strike on 21 January. Land Registry members have now voted 86.4% in favour of accepting a settlement made as a result of the sustained industrial action, including the threat of a full strike read more
Parliamentary launch of PCS Tax Justice Campaign (15 July) – PCS launched our Tax Justice policy on 14 July in Parliament, calling for fairer taxation and proper HMRC funding read more
PCS members at MHCLG escalate industrial action (26 June) – PCS members in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will begin action short of a strike from 30 June.The dispute, which began earlier this year, centres on the closure of six offices, the imposition of rigid office attendance policies, and the withdrawal of location-neutral recruitment read more
Third two-day strike at CAA starts tomorrow (16 June) – Civil Aviation Authority members at Gatwick Airport and Canary Wharf will be walking out again on 17 and 18 June. PCS Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) members based at Gatwick Airport and Canary Wharf are taking six days of industrial action in their dispute over pay. In this six-day period of strike action, the members working for the aviation industry regulator walked out for two days on 3 and 4 June and 10 and 11. This is a continuation of the dispute that also saw them take strike action in January and March as well as a work to rule with an overtime ban. The members’ pay dispute goes back to 2024: the imposed pay offer for 2024-2025 was below the industry rate and the civil service pay remit. We are currently negotiating pay for 2025-2026, which will also consider the 2024-2025 pay dispute read more. And send messages of support to [email protected]
Resounding turnout and yes vote in OFGEM strike ballot (12 June) – PCS members at the energy regulator OFGEM have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute over pay, jobs, working conditions and industrial relations. On a turnout of 65%, smashing the undemocratic ‘threshold’ for action, 85% of members voted ‘yes’ for strike action. This is a resounding result, demonstrating the members’ depth of feeling and resolve. Our members have called time on OFGEM’s failure to fix pay in the organisation, on its refusal to provide reassurances on jobs and on its lack of regard for the agreements it makes with their union. With this new mandate now on the table, we now expect serious responses from OFGEM to resolve all the issues in dispute read more
Benton Park View strike rally attracts support from across the movement (9 June) – The strike rally at Benton Park View in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne drew support from across the labour and trade union movement. The rally on Friday marked over 5 months of strike action by employer services members on the site in defence of PCS reps Joel, Gordon and Rachel, dismissed by HMRC for trade union activity. Acting branch secretary Angie Foggett thanked members for their selfless support for the 3 reps. Joel and Gordon gave emotional accounts of the impact of the dismissals on their lives and those of their families… PCS HMRC Group will now meet to discuss the next steps in the campaign 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
Palace of Westminster security staff balloted for strike action (4 June) – The dispute is around five main issues which the employer has failed to address, of which the key issue is the removal of six days’ annual leave/rest days. Nearly 300 PCS members employed as security staff at the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) are being balloted to ask if they are willing to take strike action over their employer’s failure to address a number of outstanding issues read more
ONS members vote to escalate industrial action (2 Apr) – PCS members in the Office for National Statistics have voted for strike action in their dispute over a forced return to workplaces. In a ballot that closed on Monday (31 March), 68% of Office for National Statistics (ONS) members taking part voted to take strike action while 91% voted to take action short of a strike (ASOS), on a 71% turnout. Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the ONS in various locations (Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh) have been taking action short of a strike by refusing to comply with the new attendance policy. They 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. This action had no tangible impact on the ONS’s outputs, proving PCS’s argument that there was nothing to be gained by the attendance policy change. To increase the pressure on the employer, members had been working-to-rule since 27 August 2024. By extending the strike mandate by a further six months, this ballot result will allow PCS to further ramp up the pressure on ONS management over their insistence that staff spend at least 40% of the time in a designated workplace read more
Prospect
Prospect hails ‘important’ Cunliffe Review of the water sector (21 July) – Prospect hails the ‘important and timely’ review of the water sector by the Independent Water Commission but adds that the specialist workforce must be given the power and investment to do their jobs properly under any new regulatory regime read more
Prospect welcomes return of Pensions Commission to tackle ‘pensions timebomb’ (21 July) – The Pensions Commission is being revived by the government to examine why the pensioners of the future are on track to be poorer than the pensioners of today, unless action is taken to change course read more
Prospect raises formal Failure to Agree with Babcock Group boss over pension reforms (3 June) – Prospect has written to David Lockwood, chief executive of Babcock International Group, to raise a formal Failure to Agree following unsuccessful negotiations over making much-needed improvements to the company’s pension scheme read more
Prospect responds to BT’s full year review as it enters formal trade dispute over pay offer (22 May) – Rachel Curley, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, responding to BT’s full year results, said: “BT’s decision to increase its dividend at the same time as giving a derisory or non-existent pay rise to managers shows the disregard they have for Prospect members. People will be incensed that when 28% of managers are being offered a 0% pay rise, and the offer is worth 1.24% on average, the company has taken this decision to increase dividends. The overwhelming rejection this week of the insulting pay offer shows the strength of feeling among our members. We have subsequently notified the employer that we are now in a formal trade dispute with them in the hope that BT will now offer a fair deal. If an acceptable offer does not materialise in the coming weeks, we will be looking at all options available to us.” Read more
GMB
Cuncliffe report shows water privatisation has failed (21 July) – GMB has responded to a major review into England and Wales’ troubled water sector, published today. Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said: “The Cuncliffe report lays bare what GMB has said for years – water privatisation has been a disastrous failure. Our rivers and waterways have been fouled, while bills rocket and fat cat bosses get rich. Meanwhile the water infrastructure crumbles through lack of investment. It’s a disgrace – and one Ofwat has overseen. Now is the time to fundamentally reform the water sector and renationalise this vital resource.” Read more
Airedale Hospital workers to vote on strike action (21 July) – Airedale hospital workers will begin a strike vote on Friday [25 July]. Porters, domestics, catering and security staff are angry because they get worse terms and conditions than colleagues working at the same hospital. The workers have been outsourced to AGH Solutions (AGHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. AGHS uses its subsidiary status to not honour the NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions, including NHS pensions, sick pay rates, annual leave and Sunday working enhancements. GMB is calling for parity for everyone working across the trust. The strike ballot closes on 13 August, with any industrial action is expected to begin in September read more
Judges’ ‘old boys’ faces axe after historic ruling (18 July) – The secretive way judges are appointed via an ‘old boys’ network could be at an end after an historic Court of Appeal ruling read more
Abolishing Ofwat can’t let water companies off (18 July) – GMB Union has responded to the Government recommendation to abolish water regulator Ofwat, something the union formally called for at it’s congress last year read more
Water pollution figures ‘utter disgrace’ (18 July) – GMB Union has described serious pollution figures – which show incidents by water companies have risen 60 per cent in a year – as an ‘utter disgrace’ read more
GMB responds to Thames Water results (15 July) – GMB Union has responded to Thames Water’s finances showing a loss of £1.65 billion for the year to March read more
Historic worker win at Teesside wind firm (18 July) – Workers at a Teesside wind firm have scored an historic victory after winning the right to union recognition. Seah Wind now has 20 days to reach an agreement with GMB after the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) ruled in the union’s favour. The company, which builds wind turbine monopiles in Middlesbrough, refused voluntary recognition despite more than 81 per cent of its workforce joining the bid. Seah will now be the first business on Teesworks to be unionised. The company, which has received millions of pounds of Government money in subsidies to boost the production of green energy, now has twenty days to agree the bargaining unit with the union read more
Teesside wind firm faces strike vote (15 July) – A Teesside wind firm faces a strike vote after workers turned down a pay deal. More than 150 GMB members working at Seah Wind will today [Tuesday] begin voting on industrial action after rejecting imposed shift allowances and a 3.1 per cent pay offer that’s both below inflation and industry standards. The company, which builds wind turbine monopiles in Middlesbrough, has received millions of pounds of Government money in subsidies to boost the production of green energy. Industrial action will inevitably impact upon the vital net zero energy agenda read more
Sellafield workers vote to strike (18 July) – Mitie workers at Sellafield have voted to strike in anger at a ‘derisory’ pay offer. GMB members overwhelmingly rejected the 3.5 per cent deal offered by the company. The around 200 frontline workers are responsible for cleaning, security, landscaping, waste management, postal services, and laundry support the safety and functionality of one of Europe’s most hazardous nuclear facilities. Despite their vital role, the offer would leave many workers earning little more that £13 an hour. Last year Mitie reported operating profits of £166 million, up 42 per cent from the previous year, £5.09 billion in revenue and CEO pay of £14.7 million – 575 times the average worker’s salary. A two-week strike is now set to begin on 1 August affecting operations at Sellafield and associated sites read more
Southern Water hosepipe ban ‘shameless’ (16 July) – GMB Union has described Southern Water’s hosepipe ban as ‘shameless’ after the company leaked more than 100 million litres of water a day on average last year read more
Aerospace company cancels sick pay – 96 per cent vote to strike (15 July) – An aerospace company which has tried to cancel sick pay for workers now faces industrial action after a massive majority voted to strike. Bosses at Gardner Aerospace are attempting to cut the first three days of sick pay for staff in Consett, County Durham. Furious workers voted to strike with a 96 per cent majority on a turnout of 87 per cent. Gardner Aerospace’s Consett site produces high precision sheet metal components, which is heavy manual work, often resulting in directly resulted illness such as RSI, muscular skeletal conditions, and the development of hernias. GMB will now meet members to discuss next steps read more
100s of Bradford Council workers lodge equal pay claim (14 July) – Hundreds of Bradford Council workers have launched equal pay claims, with GMB Union accusing bosses of ‘burying their heads in the sand’. Local authority workers in the city signed up after GMB Union uncovered staff working in a mainly male departments are effectively being paid more an hour than female counterparts in other parts of the council. There are already hundreds of claimants – with hundreds more expected to join the claim. If successful, they would be able to up to 6 years pay differential – a bill likely to run into millions of pounds. GMB urges council workers in female dominated roles to contact the union to submit a claim and protect their legal right read more
Asda Distro managers to vote on union recognition (7 July) – Managers working in Asda’s distribution operation will vote on whether they want a union voice following a decision from the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). More than 1,000 salaried employees working in 23 depots across the UK will take part in a ballot on whether they want GMB to be their recognised union. The CAC granted the ballot after the union provided a petition showing more than 60 per cent of workers backed the move read more
Birmingham equal pay strikes loom (1 July) – Birmingham could be set for more equal pay strikes as women workers vote with hundreds of millions of pounds of stolen wages left unpaid. Members of GMB Union, Birmingham Council Council’s largest trade union, will today begin a consultative vote on strike action. Around 3,000 workers across Birmingham schools are expected to take part in the initial ballot. Birmingham Council admitted it had an equal pay liability in June 2023. Then in December 24 agreed a formula – with unions – which valued the claims at at least £250 million read more
GMB members reject local government pay offer (30 June) – GMB members have voted to reject a 3.2 per cent pay offer from the Local Government Association (LGA) for 2025/26. The union balloted almost 150,000 school staff, carers and other council staff. A majority of 77 per cent rejected the deal. GMB Local Government and Schools Committees then unanimously agreed for the union to demand a meeting with the local government employers read more
Stafford school strikes loom (24 June) – Workers are furious after school bosses demand more work for less money, says GMB union. GMB Union has today announced that workers at a West Midlands primary school will stage strike action next week. Schools support staff at Doxey Academy in Stafford, owned by Creative Learning Partnership Trust, will down tools after school bosses threatened to impose a new contract on staff. The new contract will see support staff and Teaching Assistants paid only for term time work. The changes could see some staff as much as £6,000 worse off a year. Strike action will begin on Wednesday 2 July read more
Thames weir and lockkeepers suspend industrial action (17 June) – River Thames weir and lockkeepers have suspended industrial action after a last-minute offer from bosses. Workers, employed by the Environment Agency, had voted to strike and we’re set to begin ‘work to rule’ today [Tuesday] over concerns only 52 permanent trained staff were expected to perform tasks needing more than 90 during peak season. They have now received an offer pledging at least 80 staff during the summer. Industrial action has been suspended will GMB and members review details of the offer read more
Brink’s staff vote to strike over pay row (30 May) – GMB Union members employed by logistics and security giant Brink’s have voted decisively to strike over a dispute about pay and working conditions. The strike ballot saw 78 per cent of members, who are based in Feltham, vote in favour of industrial action. These workers, employed as driver couriers, are responsible for transporting cash and valuables—a role that carries significant risk and responsibility. Despite this, members say their concerns have been ignored and their work undervalued. GMB is calling on Brink’s to return to the negotiating table with a fair and respectful offer that reflects the vital role these workers play in the UK’s cash-handling infrastructure read more
GMB ballots NHS staff on pay award (22 May) – GMB Union has begun balloting tens of thousands of NHS and ambulance workers in England on this year’s pay award. The Department for Health and Social Care announced today [Thursday] NHS staff will receive a 3.6 per cent pay rise for 25/26. The ballot opens today and closes on 17 July read more
School staff demand parity with teachers’ pay (22 May) – School support staff have demanded parity with teachers following the pay award today [Thursday]. Teachers have been handed a 4 per cent award, while school staff including teaching assistants, caterers, admin staff and caretakers have been offered just 3.2 percent. Research by GMB, which represents more than 100,000 school support staff across the country, shows teaching assistants earn an average annual salary of just £17,000 read more
Sunderland refuse fury at bin bag snooping (21 May) – Workers at Pallion Recycling Centre are balloting for industrial action that will shut the site this summer. Private company SUEZ, which runs the plant, wants to introduce ‘bag splitting’ – asking workers to open residents’ black bags and search them for recyclable materials. GMB members have raised multiple safety concerns, including the lack of proper protection from the risk of needles and dangerous chemicals. So far SUEZ has not listened. The ballot closes on Friday, 30 May, – with any industrial action expected in June. A petition calling for a reversal of the decision is now live 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
Fundamental change is needed to fix water, not tinkering around the edges (21 July) – Consumers and environment has suffered for too long read more
Pay up Mitie: Striking cleaners demand the pay that they are owed (16 July) – The striking workers, most of whom are women, are experiencing extreme distress as a result of Mitie’s failure to pay them what they’re owed. NHS cleaners employed by private contractor Mitie in East Lancashire are striking to demand the pay that they deserve. So far, the cleaners have taken six days of strike action. They are striking for the whole of this week. Today, the group met with UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea at UNISON Centre in London. The 40 cleaners, contracted by Mitie, are among the lowest-paid staff in the NHS. They have been routinely underpaid for months, due to payroll problems, on top of which they have yet to receive their COVID-19 recovery payments, which were agreed in 2023 read more
Pay up Mitie: Striking cleaners demand the pay that they are owed (16 July) – The striking workers, most of whom are women, are experiencing extreme distress as a result of Mitie’s failure to pay them what they’re owed. NHS cleaners employed by private contractor Mitie in East Lancashire are striking to demand the pay that they deserve. So far, the cleaners have taken six days of strike action. They are striking for the whole of this week. Today, the group met with UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea at UNISON Centre in London. The 40 cleaners, contracted by Mitie, are among the lowest-paid staff in the NHS. They have been routinely underpaid for months, due to payroll problems, on top of which they have yet to receive their COVID-19 recovery payments, which were agreed in 2023. The £1,655 COVID-19 recovery lump sum payment was part of the deal agreed by the government and health unions following strikes in the NHS. It was made in an effort to recognise the sustained pressure facing the health service. Tens of thousands of NHS staff have received the payment. However, the hard-working cleaners employed by Mitie, who are essential to maintaining hygiene standards in hospitals, have received nothing read more
Strike fund appeal for Nottingham healthcare workers (7 July) – Donations are being sought for healthcare support workers as their dispute at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust continues read more
School support staff: Have your say now (1 July) – UNISON is urging school support staff members in England to take part in a consultation on the make-up of their new negotiating body read more
Royal College of Nursing
Protect the ‘nurse’ title: an update (15 July) – The Westminster government has said it will protect the title “nurse” in law following a campaign by nursing leaders and Dawn Butler MP. But what happens next? Read more
NHS pay: ‘Nursing staff are playing constant financial catch-up’ (14 July) – RCN analysis reveals severe pay erosion, with band 5 nurses being the worst hit read more
Public backs better pay for nursing as tens of thousands vote on NHS award (16 June) – As RCN members have their say on a pay increase of 3.6%, the public shows its support for nursing 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 ballots members on industrial action over on call arrangements (26 June) – Midwives in South Tyneside and Sunderland are being balloted on industrial action over proposals for on call arrangements that would see them being ‘on call’ on their days off read more
RCM announces details of consultation with members on pay award (29 May) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has announced plans to consult with its members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the 3.6% pay award. Last week the RCM cautiously welcomed the news that the governments in all three nations had accepted the pay recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) in full. On Wednesday the RCM Board met to discuss next steps and approved a consultation which will be launched on Monday 16 June and run for three weeks, closing Monday 7 July. The RCM says that, as in previous years it will be led by its members and is urging all Agenda for Change (AfC) members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure their details are up to date so they are able to have their say when the consultation opens read more
CSP
Members in England, Northern Ireland and Wales vote to accept pay award (18 July) – CSP members have voted to accept the 3.6 per cent pay award for NHS staff in 2025, as announced by the UK government, Welsh government and Northern Ireland assembly read more
SOR
NHS England pay award consultation closes with acceptance (3 July) – The society’s consultation on the 2025/26 pay award closed last week, with more than half of participating members accepting the result read more
NEU
Joint statement by 22 union leaders on defending the right to peaceful protest (15 July) – Today, a total of twenty-two general secretaries of the trade union movement have issued a statement expressing deep concern about the erosion of the right to peaceful protest. Following a peaceful march for Palestine on January 18 in London, charges were brought against prominent activists, including former NEU executive member, Alex Kenny. The statement calls for the charges to be dropped read more
Teacher and school leader pay (9 July) – Joint education union response to Secretary of State: “Responding to the Secretary of State’s consultation on the STRB report, ASCL, NAHT, NEU and Community have set out their united view on the need for the Government to provide the additional investment needed to fully fund September’s 4% teacher and school leader pay increase. Teachers and school leaders have seen huge real terms cuts to their pay since 2010. Their pay cuts have been much greater than those of other professions and as confirmed by the STRB this has hit the competitiveness of teacher and school leader pay hard. Excessive workload and poor wellbeing are driving teachers and leaders out of the profession, worsening the recruitment and retention crisis in education. The unions are also calling for a fair national pay structure and the removal of performance-related pay read more
Sixth Form College indicative pay ballot results (4 July) – National Education Union members who teach in sixth form colleges have returned a strong result in their indicative ballot over their readiness to undertake a formal strike ballot in support of their 2025/26 pay claim. Over 4,500 members across 75 colleges were balloted, achieving a 68.2 per cent turnout overall and an 88.7 per cent vote in favour of action. Should the pay claim not be met satisfactorily by the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA), then a formal strike ballot will follow in the autumn term read more
OGAT strike action over increased working hours continues into July (30 June) – National Education Union members in fourteen Outwood Grange Academy (OGAT) secondary schools across the country will continue to take strike action throughout July. The dispute is over an increase to workload created by the proposed extension to the school day. Ongoing talks are in place to find a resolution. ACAS talks have also been scheduled for 10 July. However, until such time as a clear picture emerges of how workload will be reduced members are not willing to stop the action. Dates for action are 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 17 July read more
NASUWT
Strike action withdrawn at Salford school, but promises must be kept (18 July) – Strike action planned for Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd July by members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Moorside Primary School in Swinton has been withdrawn to enable further talks to take place aimed at resolving the dispute, and allow time for the employer to demonstrate that much needed measures are being put in place. NASUWT members at the school have been taking strike action as a result of the failure of school leadership and governors to deal with a number of concerns related to health and safety, pay practices, safeguarding, adverse management practices and dangerous pupil behaviour. While these issues remain a concern for NASUWT teachers, the Union has withdrawn the final two scheduled days of action due to take place next week as a gesture of goodwill to facilitate further negotiations and implement necessary changes within the school. There is much more work to do to fully resolve the concerns ahead of the new school year in September. Separately, NASUWT has asked Salford City Council to remind schools of their obligations under the law after agency workers were hired to cover for striking staff on the first two days of strike action on 8th and 9th July. This was despite the school stating that they were following DfE advice, which explicitly states this is unlawful. Such actions are a breach of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, which prohibit the supply of agency workers to perform the duties of striking employees read more
NASUWT response to early closure of LIPA School (18 July) – Commenting on the closure of LIPA School in Liverpool four days before the end of the summer term due to safety concerns, Matt Wrack, Acting General Secretary for NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “Teachers at LIPA School have long raised the alarm on issues of health and safety. Though matters should never have reached this conclusion – full school closure for the last days of term – it is a relief to see that their concerns are finally being taken seriously. We look forward to working with the Chair of Trustees in September to make LIPA School a safe, warm and friendly place for everyone. When teachers stand firm, change follows.” Read more
More Dorset teachers strike as dispute widens over restructuring plans (15 July) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Sturminster Newton High School in Dorset are taking strike action today (Tuesday) in protest at restructuring plans. The Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST), which runs Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury schools, is pushing ahead with plans to cut teachers’ jobs and cut the pay of subject leads and head of year posts. The NASUWT believes this is unacceptable and will significantly impact the remaining teachers’ workloads, their pay and status and will be detrimental to pupils’ education. NASUWT members at Shaftsbury School have already taken strike action over the plans and now teachers at Sturminster Newton are striking, with further days of action planned in September read more
Shaftesbury teachers draw public support as dispute deepens over restructure (7 July) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union will continue strike action at Shaftesbury School this week as Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST) refuses to come back to the negotiating table. SAST has made a number of teachers redundant in a cost-cutting exercise and now expects Heads of Department to be shared between Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High School. Teachers at Shaftesbury School will hit the picket lines on Tuesday 8th and Thursday 10th July, and will enjoy renewed public support after a video from last week’s picket line went viral on TikTok over the weekend. In the video, Shaftesbury teacher Rachel Sammons explains the “traumatic” impact of losing her job as Head of English after working at the school for twenty five years. Thousands of people, including her ex-pupils, have commented to share their shock and dismay at the cuts read more
Call to Education Secretary to act on antisemitism in schools (1 July) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has today written to Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson to ask that the Department for Education provides guidance for schools on dealing with antisemitism and all forms of racism. In a survey of Jewish teachers conducted by NASUWT, 90% of the respondents said their employers need more training on recognising and challenging antisemitism read more
Teachers strike at £24k-a-year private school over ‘second class’ pay offer (26 June) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Surbiton High School are taking the first of three days of strike action today (Thursday) over a pay award that is 45% lower than that given to state school teachers. The fee-paying school in the London borough of Kingston, Surrey, which charges as much as £24k a year per pupil, has only offered 3% to teachers for the 2024/25 academic year. In contrast teachers in the state-funded sector were awarded 5.5% for the 2024/25 academic year read more
Teachers strike at OGAT schools over planned increase to school day (2 June) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at five secondary schools run by the Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) are to take strike action over plans to increase the length of the school day and the resultant impact on teachers’ working hours, workload and the welfare of staff and pupils. Members at OGAT Hindley in Wigan, OGAT Foxhills in Scunthorpe and OGAT Easingwold in York will begin six days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday). Members at OGAT Portland and OGAT Valley, both in Worksop, will begin five days of strike action on Tuesday 10th June. OGAT is planning to increase the length of the school day and teaching contact by 30 minutes per day from September 2025 onwards read more
Glodwick teachers strike over years of mistreatment (22 May) – On Thursday 22nd May, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union will begin strike action at Glodwick Infant and Nursery School in Oldham due to continuous issues with health and safety, and mistreatment of staff. Further strike days are planned on 3, 4, 5 and 10, 11 and 12 June. For years, teachers at Glodwick have endured a lack of action from school leadership over health and safety risks onsite. It is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to report and mitigate these risks as leadership is not responding in an appropriate manner. Two months ago, the teachers took the difficult decision to escalate their concerns to Oldham Local Authority. Last week, it seemed that progress had finally been made, with Oldham promising to put measures in place to mitigate risks and protect teachers. But Oldham have reneged on the deal, leaving teachers vulnerable to persistent intimidation and bullying from senior leaders. They have no choice but to take industrial action read more
NASUWT responds to STRB report (22 May) – Responding to the publication of the STRB report, Matt Wrack, Acting General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union said: “Teachers have been waiting for this announcement and it is welcome that the Government has published the report and its response early enough for the award to be applied from September. We also welcome that the STRB recommendation has recognised the need to increase pay by more than the 2.8% the Government proposed in its evidence and that this has been accepted. Teachers in the NASUWT will be wanting to assess the details and the Union will be carefully considering the implications of today’s announcement…” read more
Westbourne Academy teachers strike over constant disruptive behaviour (12 May) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union members at Westbourne Academy in Ipswich will begin strike action on Tuesday 13th May due to untenable levels of classroom disruption. A large group of pupils at Westbourne Academy are refusing to attend lessons and instead choose to roam the school, disrupting other lessons and engaging in threatening behaviour towards staff and other pupils. Teachers have sought help from school leadership but no plan has worked in practice, with teachers often waiting for most or all of their lessons for urgent assistance read more
Epsom teachers strike to protect pensions (6 May) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Ewell Castle Senior and Prep Schools in Epsom are starting the first of seven days of planned strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) after being threatened with dismissal from their jobs unless they agree to new contracts that would leave them worse off in retirement. The Employer is seeking to withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and impose inferior pension arrangements on teachers which would adversely affect their future financial security. Teachers have been threatened with fire and rehire if they do not agree to sign new contracts amending their pension entitlements read more
EIS
EIS ULA Members Launch Consultative Ballot Over ‘Derisory’ 1.4% Pay Offer (1 July) – EIS ULA announced that its members have commenced a consultative ballot on a proposed 1.4% pay offer for the 2025-26 academic year, with the trade union recommending members reject the pay offer and vote YES to taking industrial action. The ballot will be open for six weeks and will close on Monday, August 11th read more
EIS Opens statutory ballot at UWS over redundancy threat (26 June) – The Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers’ Association (EIS ULA) branch at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has announced the opening of a statutory ballot for strike action. This significant step comes as the Union seeks a firm guarantee from UWS management that there will be no compulsory redundancies as part of the ongoing Organisational Change Project (OCP). The ballot opened on Monday, June 23, 2025, and will close at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 read more
EIS AGM: EIS Launches Consultative Strike Ballot Over Workload (5 June) – The EIS opens a consultative industrial action ballot over teacher workload. The ballot will be launched on Friday afternoon by General Secretary Andrea Bradley during her keynote address to the EIS Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Aviemore read more
EIS Members at Robert Gordon University escalate strike action as compulsory redundancy dispute continues (28 May) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers’ Association at Robert Gordon University are set to take their fourth and fifth days of strike action on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th May, intensifying their ongoing dispute with University management over planned compulsory redundancies. This escalation underscores the deep-seated concerns of staff regarding job security and the potential detrimental impact on the quality of education and research at RGU read more
UCU
UCU Stop the Cuts campaign
Sign petition against the education cuts
Unions force University of Surrey to halt outsourcing plans (21 July) – The University and College Union (UCU), together with the other campus unions Unite and Unison, today (Monday) hailed its victory in forcing the University of Surrey to abandon plans to outsource all new professional services roles read more
Union condemns Myerscough College decision to close Witton Park campus (16 July) – The University and College Union (UCU) has today condemned the closure of Witton Park Campus after management confirmed it would shut the site down. UCU members working at the Witton Park campus of Myerscough College in Blackburn were shocked when management announced proposals in May to close the centre, giving them less than three months’ notice read more
97% strike vote at Manchester international student college (15 July) – Staff at INTO Manchester, a private college for international students, have overwhelmingly voted to strike over low pay. An incredible 97% of UCU members voted to take strike action in a ballot that saw a turnout of 83%. The union said strike action can now only be avoided if management agrees to pay staff fairly. The dispute is over a paltry 2% pay award for 2025. INTO Manchester has refused to make an improved offer despite charging international students up to £38k per year, making over £20m last year and paying out £15m in dividends read more
Huge 94% strike vote at Warrington & Vale Royal College over frozen pay (14 July) – An overwhelming 94% of staff at Warrington and Vale Royal College backed strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 75%, UCU announced today. The huge vote reflects staff anger at having their pay frozen for almost a year (from Thursday 1 August 2024). Warrington is now the only college in the North West that has refused to make a pay offer this academic year read more
Staff & students rally to defend jobs at Working Men’s College (10 July) – Staff, students and supporters of the historic Working Men’s College (WMC) in Camden held a rally in protest against sweeping cuts to staffing and the college’s vital adult education offer. UCU members organised the rally to coincide with a meeting of the college’s governors, who are threatening to cut staff and student provision. Nineteen jobs have been placed at risk just weeks before the start of the new academic year as a direct consequence of funding cuts read more
University and College Union strike ballot at University of the West of Scotland in dispute over threat of compulsory redundancies (7 July) – A ballot for industrial action opens today at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in a dispute over job cuts and university senior management’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. The ballot could pave the way for strikes at the university. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at UWS are being asked if they are prepared to take part in strike action and action short of strike. Action short of strike could include working to contract and not covering for any absent colleagues. The ballot will run until 14 August read more
Staff to lead rally against job cuts at Redbridge Institute of Adult Education (7 July) – The University and College Union today condemned plans by Redbridge Institute of Adult Education (RIAE) to cut at least 12 staff ahead of the new academic year this September, and confirmed staff will be protesting against the cuts later this week. On Friday (11 July) staff and students will demonstrate outside the college at 12.30pm to demand management halts the cuts. RIAE management is trying to slash jobs, cut student service provision and reduce teaching hours. Management claims the cuts are necessary due to funding pressures. However, UCU, supported by fellow unions Unison, GMB and NEU, said the proposals are unjustified, excessive, and deeply damaging to students and staff. The union also warned the loss of experienced teaching and support staff would harm students and place unsustainable pressure on remaining staff read more
Centre for Academic Language and Development staff at University of Bristol to strike in July and August (26 June) – Staff working in the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Language Development (CALD) have voted to take 21 days of strike action in a dispute over plans to threaten staff with redundancy, the University and College Union (UCU) has announced today. An overwhelming 95% of UCU members who voted backed strike action in a ballot that had a turnout of 82%. Staff will down tools on the following days (picket info tbc):
- Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 July
- Monday 14 July, Wednesday 16 July and Thursday 17 July
- Monday 21 July to Thursday 24 July
- Monday 28 July, Wednesday 30 July and Thursday 31 July
- Tuesday 5 August to Friday 8 August
- Monday 11 August
- Wednesday 13 August to Friday 15 August read more
Cheshire College South & West staff to strike in July and August (25 June) – Staff at Cheshire College South & West (CCSW) will take industrial action for four days over July and August in a dispute over pay, the University and College Union (UCU) has announced today. An overwhelming 79% of UCU members who voted backed strike action in a ballot that had a turnout of 58%. Staff across the three CCSW campuses in Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Chester will down tools on Monday 7 July and again on Thursday 21, Friday 22 and Tuesday 26 August, with pickets at the Crewe campus from 8am-11am on each day. The dispute is over management’s refusal to provide staff a pay award for the current year; instead imposing a paltry one-off payment of just 1.5% read more
University of Bradford staff to down tools for 10 days over £16m cuts programme (25 June) – Staff at the University of Bradford will begin ten days of strike action next week over plans to make £16m of cuts, slash hundreds of jobs and close multiple courses. The full strike dates are;-
- Monday 30 June
- Monday 7, Tuesday 8, Thursday 10 & Friday 11 July
- Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 July
Staff will be on picket lines from 8am every strike day and the branch is planning a rally outside the front of the university on Monday 30 June at 11.30am. The action comes after an overwhelming 67% of UCU members who voted backed downing tools in a ballot with a 57% turnout. The dispute is over the £16m of cuts management wants to force through read more
Edinburgh University staff strike in dispute over £140million cuts and job losses (20 June) – University and College Union (UCU) members at the University of Edinburgh are on strike today, Friday 20 June, in the first of a series of strikes over senior management’s plans to cut £140million from the annual budget and refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. Staff will be on picket lines across the university and will hold a rally from 11.00am on George Square in Edinburgh. As well as striking today, to coincide with a university open day, staff at the university will also take strike action at the start of the new academic year in September. The union estimates that cuts of £140million could see 1,800 staff lose their jobs. The strike follows a ballot where 84% of UCU members at the university voted to back strike action and 93% to back action short of strike. The turnout was 60% read more
Staff back strikes at Truro and Penwith College in job cuts dispute (19 June) – Staff at Truro and Penwith College have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action in defence of jobs and student provision. Last week over eight in ten of UCU members who voted (82%) backed strike action, in a ballot that beat the anti-trade union turnout threshold of 50%. The dispute is over management’s plans to axe up to 100 employees in redundancy plans that have already seen some staff given the boot. Financial mismanagement has led to a £4.2m shortfall for 2024/25 and the college is refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies. College expenditure has persistently outstripped income since 2017 read more
University of Lincoln staff vote for strike action (9 June) – Staff at the University of Lincoln have voted to take industrial action in a dispute over plans to threaten nearly 300 staff with redundancy, the University and College Union has announced today. An overwhelming 86% of UCU members who voted backed strike action in a ballot that had a turnout of 61%. The dispute is over the announcement by the university to threaten up to 285 staff with redundancy, having previously told UCU that were no plans for large-scale cuts. This comes after 220 staff already lost their jobs through voluntary severance and redundancy last year read more
Four days of strike action begins at Bournemouth University this week (9 June) – Staff at Bournemouth University will strike on Wednesday 11, Thursday 12, Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 June, in opposition to management plans to cut over 100 academic staff, UCU announced today. The walkout follows an overwhelming 75% yes vote in favour of strike action with 91% backing action short of strike on a turnout of 78%. There will be pickets across multiple campuses on the strike dates. The dispute is over plans to cut 116 academic staff next month (by Thursday 31 July). Bournemouth leaders claim they need to make £20m cuts due to a fall in student numbers. This would see 15 courses permanently closed, including undergraduate degrees in English, politics and anthropology. Overall, including academic and professional services staff, the university is planning to slash more than 200 jobs read more
Three days of strikes to hit Havant & South Downs College (6 June) – Staff at Havant & South Downs College (HSDC) will strike on Friday 13, Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 June over plans to cut the jobs of around one third of the workforce, UCU announced today. The Principal and Chief Executive, Mike Gaston, announced his retirement this week, and this follows the announcement of formal intervention in the running of the college. The college is based over three sites, Alton, Havant and South Downs and staff will be picketing all three from 8am to 10am each day. The walkout follows a ballot of UCU members, in which 64% backed strike action on a turnout of 61%. National Education Union (NEU) members will also be joining the action. The dispute is over management’s plans to axe around one in three staff by the end of the month due to a financial crisis of its making. The college claims it needs to cut £3.7m from its budget and wants to cut staff by 29% at Alton, 30% at Havant and 33% at South Downs. The Department for Education has intervened in the management of the college, issuing a Financial Notice to Improve and demanding additional oversight from the Further Education Commissioner. College management has offered talks with UCU and NEU next week about how the strike can be avoided and the trade dispute resolved read more
University union lays ground for its first ever strike ballot against Labour (26 May) – Delegates at the University and College Union’s (UCU) annual Congress have overwhelmingly voted to prepare for an industrial dispute with the Secretary of State for Education over university funding, the first step towards a potential strike ballot, announced the union today (Monday 26 May) read more
UCU Congress votes for England-wide college strike ballot over low pay (25 May) – Members of the University and College Union (UCU) attending the union’s Congress (UCU) today (Sunday 25 May) voted to ballot staff at further education colleges across England for strike action. UCU has already launched a consultative ballot, which closes on Friday 20 June, to lay the ground for a strike ballot to open in Autumn. The union is demanding a new deal for further education workers, including a 10% pay rise, parity with schoolteachers, national bargaining and nationally agreed workloads read more
Union vows to fight cuts at Liverpool Hope (21 May) – Liverpool Hope University intends to axe 39 staff before the end of the year, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The threatened cuts will fall on the faculties of education and social sciences, creative arts and humanities, and human and digital sciences with courses including sociology, education studies and health science being hit. Management claims it needs to make the cuts due to a its own predicted deficit, with staff set to go as soon as November (2025). Despite the cuts to front line staff, the university has healthy cash reserves and its vice-chancellor takes home a total package worth over £300k. If the university refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies by Friday 23 May, UCU will enter into a formal industrial dispute, which is the first step towards a possible strike ballot and disruption on campus read more
Strike ballot opens at Kingston University over cuts & course closures (19 May) – Over 300 staff at Kingston University will be asked to vote yes to strike action in a ballot that will open tomorrow. The dispute is over a £20m cuts programme that university management is forcing through, including the closure of the humanities department alongside courses in the department of criminology, sociology and politics. The university has already tried to get staff out the door through a voluntary severance scheme. UCU fears compulsory redundancy is also on the cards and that a further nine departments are at risk. Management pulled out of talks aimed at resolving the dispute and refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies despite its £7m surplus (23/24) and the over £400m it holds in reserves read more
University of East Anglia staff begin strike action today over threat of compulsory redundancies and lack of financial transparency (1 May) – Staff at the University of East Anglia (UEA) will begin nine days of strike action today (Thursday 1 May) in a dispute over compulsory redundancies, financial accountability, and transparent governance. Pickets will be in place from 8:00-11:00 read more
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
Sign this petition: To Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority and Chief Fire Officer – STOP, THINK & REASSESS Dangerous Cuts to Firefighter Numbers
Starmer and Rayner must intervene to end Birmingham bin strike, warns fire union leader (20 July) – Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright has called on Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner to step in to deliver a decent settlement for the striking Birmingham bin workers. In a challenge to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Wright said that the Labour government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts of up to £8,000 for the workers and compensates the strikers for lost income. The firefighters’ leader said that unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a ‘betrayal ‘ of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that Tony Blair’s Labour government failed to intervene in. Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner must urgently step in to resolve the Birmingham bin dispute in favour of the striking workers, Wright said. The FBU leader issued the stark warning to Starmer and Rayner ahead of a ‘solidarity megapicket’ by unions on Friday (July 25) read more
Firefighters’ union joins call for government to take water into public ownership (15 July) – The Fire Brigades Union has joined calls for the government to bring water into public ownership to ensure clean and adequate water supply firefighters need to safely tackle fires. The findings contained in the final report of the Westminster and the Welsh governments’ “Independent Water Commission” into the water sector chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe (known as the Cunliffe Commission) will be presented soon, with Thames Water bosses quizzed by MPs on Tuesday. The Cunliffe Commission was prevented from considering public ownership by the remit imposed by ministers, a decision heavily criticised by campaigners against sewage pollution. It is instead confined to providing comment on ‘regulation’. A recent review by academics – the People’s Commission on Water – recommended public ownership as the best way to push down costs, limit pollution and drive investment. In its recent report on the water sector, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee concluded that “the current models of ownership in the water industry may not be bringing about the culture the sector needs” and called for “strong and significant reforms” read more
POA
NEC minutes June 2025 read more
National Chair update July 2025 read here
Protecting those who protect us – The provision of PPE in prisons must not be an afterthought, says HMP Send’s Gary Milsom-James (21 July) – Every day, prison officers’ step into environments fraught with unpredictability. They maintain order, ensure safety, and uphold justice within some of the most challenging workplaces in Europe. Yet, despite the demanding nature of their role, one fundamental aspect of workplace safety – personal protective equipment (PPE) – often remains overlooked read more
Scotland’s prisons are at breaking point (18 July) – There’s no sugarcoating it; Scotland’s prison system is in crisis. Overcrowding is at record levels, staffing is dangerously low, and violence is on the rise. But let’s be absolutely clear, it is our members who are being forced to hold the line in impossible circumstances read more
HMP Pentonville inspection report exposes the crisis in the UK’s jails says union (18 July) – The appalling state of HMP Pentonville is one of the clearest examples of the crisis facing the country’s prisons a union leader has said. The latest inspection of the London prison has resulted in an Urgent Notification being issued by the inspectorate to the Secretary of State because of the conditions found 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
NAPO
Probation Union to ballot members for industrial action (18 July) – Napo the largest trade union in the HMPPS Probation Service (England and Wales) has today served notice of its intention to ballot its members to support a campaign of industrial action. This follows an unresolved trade dispute on Probation Pay and Workloads and a deadlock following recent negotiations with the employer on a joint Napo, UNISON and GMB claim for a 12% pay increase in 2025 read more
Unions submit 2025 Pay Claim to Cafcass (4 June) – The attached joint pay claim has been submitted to the employer by Napo and UNISON this week. We are seeking on behalf of our members: Either a 6% rise or a flat rate of £3,500 whichever is higher read more
Unions lodge Pay Progression Dispute (1 May) – The Probation Unions position is that the trade unions and employer previously reached an agreement that, under the Competency Based Framework, on the 1st of April each year eligible staff would achieve incremental progression – i.e. moving up one pay point within their bay band. Also, that this process is completely separate to the outcome of any pay negotiations between the employer and trade unions, which can result in increases in the value of employee’s pay. Our view is that there exists a wealth of evidence, much of it previously issued by HMPPS to its staff, that they were – at least until recent months – of the same view read more
BFAWU
Challenging Workplace Sexual Harassment: Lessons from Around the World (2 July) – This online event put together by the Workers Policy Project as part of the End Not Defend Campaign brought together powerful voices from across sectors and continents — to share strategies, expose employer inaction, and build pressure for serious, preventative change read more
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
BALPA
BALPA cautions against speculation in wake of Air India crash report (18 July) – Following publication on 11 July 2025 of the preliminary report into the Air India flight 171 crash, BALPA is cautioning against hasty conclusions and unhelpful speculation as to the causes of the accident to prevent the spread of misinformation and undermining the ongoing investigation read more
BALPA response to Southend airport incident (14 July) – Responding to the news of the incident at Southend airport on Sunday, BALPA General Secretary Amy Leversidge said: “We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident at Southend airport yesterday, and our thoughts are with those affected. A full and thorough investigation must now be carried out, and we urge people to refrain from speculation regarding the cause of the crash…” read more
NUJ
News on “endangered” public service media needs “stable and adequate funding” says Ofcom (21 July) – Regulator’s PSM review also recommends “public service content should be findable on YouTube” read more
Scrutiny of government an essential part of public interest journalism, says NUJ (16 July) – The National Union of Journalists has voiced its concern over the use of a super-injunction, preventing public interest journalism about a data breach confirmed by the UK government. In February 2022, the personal information of almost 19,000 people seeking relocation to the UK was disclosed following a breach under the Conservative government. A super-injunction granted, prevented reporting on the breach and on the relocations of Afghans to the UK under the Afghan Relocation Route read more
Hong Kong: new law curtails trade union activity (14 July) – The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IF) in criticising anti-union legislation passed by the Hong Kong government read more
NUJ statement on Johnston report (14 July) – The union has welcomed publication of a review into the BBC documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. The report published on 14 July recognises the BBC breached editorial guidelines on accuracy. In response to a request by Tim Davie, BBC director general, the review conducted by Peter Johnston includes a series of recommendations for consideration by the broadcaster read more
Equity
Equity welcomes Bristol City Council’s decision not to move forward with Bottle Yard Studios sale (21 July) – Equity has welcomed the news that Bristol City Council are not moving forward with the sale of The Bottle Yard Studios, the only UK film studio to be owned by a local authority. The U-turn follows months of campaigning around the sale, our union having repeatedly expressed concerns around the effect the sale would have on jobs and the local economy, as well as the loss of value to the public purse and the city’s council tax payers read more
Equity signs two new major agreements in immersive theatre (17 July) – New agreements with The Lost Estate and Inventive Productions set out minimum terms and conditions for performers and stage management read more
Equity launches Outdoor Theatre Charter (14 July) – Equity opens Charter to venues and landowners as seven new companies sign on read more
Equity challenges Spotlight’s fees in High Court (14 July) – Equity’s legal challenge against casting directory Spotlight is officially listed to be heard at the high Court on 16 and 17 July 2025 read more
Musicians Union
Save Pernambuco Bows: Write to Your MP Today (10 July) – The MU is calling on members to take urgent action to protect the future of high-quality bow making and the musicians who rely on it, after a proposal to move pernambuco wood from Appendix II to Appendix I read more
Westminster Council: Back Your Buskers! (9 July) – Sign the petition calling for new pitches in Westminster to replace those lost due to the Leicester Square busking ban read more
Community
Statement – EAF, Port Talbot (14 July) – Responding to the groundbreaking for a new Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot today (Monday 14th July), Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said: “This bittersweet day is a consequence of the devastating closure of the blast furnaces, but importantly a future for Port Talbot steelmaking is being secured. The workforce needs the Electric Arc Furnace project to be both a success and a turning point, and we look forward to playing our part to get the new furnace up and running…” read more
Joint Advice on School Teachers’ Pay in England 2025-26 (10 July) – The Government has accepted in full all of the recommendations of the STRB report, which includes a 4% pay increase from 1 September to all school teacher pay points and allowances in England. Community and our sister teaching unions are clear that the Government must invest to support the urgent restoration of the real value of teacher pay against inflation and to repair the competitive position of teaching in the graduate labour market. The increase of 4% to all pay points and allowances is effective from 1 September 2025. These proposals are subject to formal consultation ending on 9 July, with all pay increases backdated to 1 September read more
USDAW
Usdaw calls on the Government to reverse the Lords’ change (16 July) – Retail trade union leader Paddy Lilis is staggered that Peers have defeated the Government on a proposal to protect workers from unfair dismissal from day one of their employment. Today’s vote took place in the House of Lords during the report stage of the flagship Employment Rights Bill. Usdaw is calling on MPs to reverse this change when the Bill comes back to the House of Commons read more
Usdaw calls on the Government to reverse the Lords’ changes (15 July) – Retail trade union Usdaw has expressed disappointment that Conservative and Liberal Democrat Peers have defeated the Government twice on their flagship Employment Rights Bill in the House of Lords. Usdaw calls on Labour to reverse these changes when the Bill comes back to the House of Commons read more
Usdaw urges the company to improve their pay offer to avoid planned strikes (28 Apr) – Usdaw members working at breakfast cereal giant Weetabix will be taking three days of industrial action in a dispute about pay from tomorrow (29 April). The strikes affect sites at Corby and Burton Latimer read more
Burton Latimer and Corby Weetabix strikers ‘determined’ as they begin two-day industrial action (29 Apr) read more on website of Northamptonshire Telegraph
UVW
“Striking is not a game – but we’re ready to play”: Solidarity rally for Draughts Games bar workers (15 July) – “An especially empowering moment was when the police arrived despite our gathering being measured and completely peaceful. The officers came and confirmed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with our rally” – Pearl, UVW member and worker at Draughts Games Bar. Over 60 people gathered outside Draughts Waterloo on Monday evening to show support for the brave bar staff who have voted unanimously to strike over exploitative zero-hours contracts, chaotic scheduling, and unsafe working conditions. The rally – full of joy, colour, art, and resistance – was joined by supporters from radical games collective Games Transformed, live mural painting by street artist dukdukpaint, and a brief visit from police. It marked a powerful moment in the growing campaign for dignity and security in hospitality work read more
100% Yes Vote to Strike at Draughts, a Chain of Trendy London Board Games Bars (14 July) – “I feel really proud of all of us for coming together and getting this far. It’s not an easy thing to organise and it’s bittersweet to see all my coworkers putting in time and energy to fight for our rights. Like all people, we deserve to be treated with respect and our needs matter. In a better world it shouldn’t come to a strike. But we are not afraid to stand up for ourselves!” – Pearl,UVW member and worker at Draughts [she/they] read more
West End Quays concierge and cleaners to strike in July against surveillance, intimidation and punitive pay policy (25 June) – Cleaners and concierge at West End Quays luxury apartments in West London will walk out on strike on July 7, standing up to what they say is an aggressive and union-busting agenda from management. The workers, all members of United Voices of the World (UVW) union, are fighting the attempted imposition of performance-related pay, the unlawful use of CCTV surveillance and a culture of bullying and abuse of disciplinary processes read more
Hundreds of NHS facilities’ workers at St Helier and Epsom Hospitals launch historic strike ballot in major push for equality (25 June) – “We are the pillars of this hospital — if we don’t clean, transport people around or serve food, patients and their families suffer. The board knows this. It’s time they gave us the respect we deserve. Change our contracts. Give us equality, dignity, and the recognition every NHS worker should have” – Dennis Gyamfi, a cleaner at Epsom Hospital and UVW member read more
Crisis at Solace Women’s Aid: Barnet and Tower Hamlets Support Workers set to strike (11 June) – “We are calling for a healthier work environment—for ourselves and for the survivors we support—and a real say at work through our union, UVW.” Domestic violence advisors at Solace Women’s Aid charity in Barnet have opened a strike ballot in response to unmanageable workloads and chronic understaffing. Meanwhile, their counterparts in Tower Hamlets are also poised to strike, with a separate ballot still live, following the charity’s backtracking on a promise to voluntarily recognise their union. Both groups are members of United Voices of the World (UVW). The dispute now spans two critical Solace teams in the UK’s fight against domestic violence read more
Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office was 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
Cleaners vote for first ever strike at Ernst & Young in the face of job cuts (14 July) – Cleaning staff working at EY (Ernst & Young) sites in London have successfully voted to strike on 15-18 and 20-22 July after being told by subcontractor Mitie that 37% of their jobs would be at risk. The cleaners, represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), voted by a margin of 98% to strike, with a 90% turnout. Cleaners will be picketing at EY offices at 1 More London Place and 25 Churchill Place on the morning of Tuesday 15th July and the afternoon of Wednesday 16th July, with a protest at 1 More London Place at 12pm on Tuesday and a protest at 25 Churchill Place at the same time on Wednesday. Before the redundancies were announced, cleaners had reported issues of overwork, including some reporting physical health conditions such as arthritis. Cleaners have expressed concerns that their already high workload will be pushed onto a smaller number of staff, exacerbating these issues read more
Mandate (Ireland)
PTSB, FSU, Mandate & Unite Agree 2025 Pay Agreement (15 July) – PTSB (“the Bank”) and its Group of Unions (FSU, Mandate & Unite) confirm they have reached an agreement on pay negotiations for 2025 following acceptance by members on 11th July. The agreement, supported by an independent mediator, follows significant and extensive negotiations over the past number of months read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU working to counter threat of job losses at IS Varian in Dublin (16 July) – SIPTU representatives are engaged in negotiations with the management of brush and houseware manufacturing firm IS Varian concerning the threat of redundancies at its plant in Walkinstown, Dublin 22 read more
SIPTU members in Bus Éireann vote to accept above inflation pay increases (14 July) – SIPTU members, along with their colleagues in the other transport unions, have voted by 62% to 38% to accept a Labour Court recommendation on wage increases at the public bus company that will see basic pay rises of 3.5% and 3.25% over the next two years read more
City Hotel Derry management agree to LRA talks with SIPTU representatives (12 July) – SIPTU members employed in the landmark City Hotel Derry have suspended planned protest action following agreement by the company to engage with their Union representatives at the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) at a meeting in Belfast scheduled for 16th July at 10.00am read more
Unions seek management meeting prior to referring Tara Deep dispute to WRC (9 June) – Tara Mines Group of Unions has written to management requesting an urgent meeting to discuss its failure to commence work on the Tara Deep project in-line with the agreement which resulted in the mine’s operations recommencing last year read more
Industrial action at AbbVie plant in Cork in pay and collective bargaining dispute (30 May) – A work-to-rule industrial action in the AbbVie manufacturing facility in Carrigtwohill, County Cork began on 19th May in a dispute concerning pay and anti-union practices being implemented by the pharmaceutical manufacture read more
Other news
General Strike Centenary & The Cramlington Train Wreckers 2026 – As you know, next year is a hugely important year for working history (centenary of the General Strike) .Following the success of The Cramlington Train Wreckers last November (4,000 people attended 7 venues) it is transferring to the 1200-seat Newcastle Theatre Royal next July. We are looking to touring it next year but would like feedback from unions re support. Can you circulate it among your affiliates, please? We also have an event at Glasshouse in May to mark the first full day of the centenary of the General Strike.
We are using both events to encourage a new layer of (young) trade union activists. It is an opportunity to draw in people We had a tremendous intervention in at Durham Miners’ Gala over the weekend. Any support would be appreciated.
The Cramlington Train Wreckers is transferring to Newcastle Theatre Royal after a sell out tour at 7 North East venues (4,000 attended!) last November.
www.cramlingtontrainwreckers.co.uk
www.wisecrackproductions.co.uk
From SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) – 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/
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, MU, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)
Fight blacklisting and victimisation of union reps
‘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 the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) here
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
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
Support Berlin hospital strike – support a strike that has been going on for several weeks at CFM, the outsourced facility management company of Charité, one of the largest and best-known university hospitals in Europe. CFM colleagues earn much less than their directly employed colleagues who were not outsourced, even though their work as non-medical staff keeps the hospital running. They are demanding reintegration into the regular workforce, equal pay for equal work and the same collective wage agreement as the public sector so that they can fight together. This is an important dispute in which we have repeatedly been involved since the start of the outsourcing process (2006) and the fight against it. We therefore ask you to send us messages of solidarity for the strike so that we can pass them on to the colleagues. We have already been able to read out and distribute several statements of solidarity from other sectors and other cities, which has greatly motivated and strengthened the strikers. You can find a short English article here: https://www.socialistworld.net/2025/05/29/call-for-international-solidarity-with-striking-berlin-workers/. Please send your messages of solidarity to: [email protected]
Appeal for support for two victimised Mass Art (Massachusetts College of Art and Design) workers over their participation in a rally over Gaza. This is part of the current nationwide crackdown on opposition, especially in educational bodies, which the Trump administration is demanding. Please send copies of any messages of support to [email protected].
Sign the petition if you haven’t already. Share widely! https://chng.it/9JcTZ8QBcr
Call and email MassArt administration:
MassArt President Mary Grant (617) 879-7077
Like, share, and comment on the Instagram post by Massachusetts Teachers Association Rank and File for Palestine (MTA RF4P) calling to defend our right to protest against genocide and for us to be taken off leave and not disciplined: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJeVFBlxh9b/?igsh=MXRobzA2cjk4dTE3aQ==
Turkey’s People Rise Up for Democracy (25 Mar) – Mass protests are sweeping across Turkey as people take to the streets against the oppressive rule of President Erdoğan, which has made life unbearable for many read more on the website of SPOT – Solidarity with the People of Turkey
Online Rally: Thursday 3rd April
#SolidarityWithTurkey #StandWithTurkey #FreeThemAll
Please share widely and stand with us! ✊
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
Diary
2025
July
26 Troublemakers At Work conference central Manchester read more
September
7 NSSN TUC Congress lobby & rally 1pm Brighton
