NSSN 736: Come to the NSSN Rally at TUC Congress and lobby for action

NSSN TUC Congress Rally & Lobby – 1pm Sunday 7^th September in The Old Ship Hotel I Brighton Facebook event

Confirmed speakers so far: Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Mick Whelan ASLEF General Secretary, Ian Lawrence NAPO General Secretary, Unite striking binworkers from Birmingham & Sheffield, Paula Peters DPAC.

The NSSN is organising a rally at TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 7th September, to lobby for unions to pass the motion from the TUC Trades Councils Conference and make a campaign of demonstrations and strikes the official policy of the TUC.

The NSSN has produced the following model motion for union branches & trades councils to get support for the NSSN TUC Congress 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.

Model Motion

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

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).   

Affiliation letter    

Support the striking Birmingham Binworkers

The workers have been on over 5 months of indefinite strike action after being threatened with 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 threatens to fire and rehire 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

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/

Support the Unite Sheffield Bin Strike

The NSSN supported the Solidarity Rally on Tuesday 19^th August to mark the year’s anniversary of the Unite Veolia dispute. There was a fantastic turnout of supporters, showing the huge support for the action, which gave everyone a boost.

Sheffield Veolia workers remain resolute as they spend one year on the picket line (19 Aug) – Workers remain strong in face of union-busting activities by employer who refuses to recognise their union for collective bargaining. Striking workers in Sheffield are staying strong on the picket line as the one-year anniversary of their strike action approaches. Unite members at refuse company Veolia have been on strike since 19 August 2024 in a fight for recognition. Despite having been the majority of workers at the Lumley Street site, Veolia refused to recognise Unite for collective bargaining – dealing with issues like pay, conditions, disciplinary matters and work policies. Workers remain furious at this refusal and continue to take strike action in demand of a basic democratic right. An agreement was even reached at Christmas only for Veolia to go back on the deal at the last minute. Unite activists have travelled across Europe and North America to exert pressure on Veolia management as part of a sustained campaign. Unite is continuing to maintain pressure on the picket line in Sheffield and at Veolia HQ in the UK and France read more

Donate to the strike fund – Unite NEYH, 60-83-01 20173962

Sign the Statement of Solidarity

Support the Unison Gloucestershire phlebotomists strike

Read the latest about the strike.

The results of the NHS phlebotomists in Gloucestershire Hospitals industrial action ballot returned a 100% YES vote, with a turnout of 100%.

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

Union News    

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RMT    

RMT National Dispute Fund     

RMT Demonstration – CHANGE OF DATE & LOCATION: No Sackings, No Deportations, Defend our members’ right to stay! – 8am Thursday 4^th September, the Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF. Nearest Stations Westminster and St James Park

BREAKING NEWS!! RMT will launch rolling strike action over pay, conditions and broken agreements on London Underground (21 Aug) – Tube union RMT, today announced rolling strike action across the network beginning on Friday 5th September for seven days, with different grades taking industrial action at differing times. The strikes come after management refused to engage seriously with union demands on pay, fatigue management, extreme shift patterns and a reduction in the working week, as well as failing to honour previous agreements made with staff. RMT says that management’s dismissive approach has fuelled widespread anger and distrust among the workforce, who voted in overwhelming numbers to take strike action. In a separate dispute over pay and conditions, workers on the Docklands Light Railway will also be striking during this period in the week beginning the 7 September, bringing significant disruption to the capital’s transport network read more

Breakdown in industrial relations – Cross Country – Firstly, I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues again for returning a splendid result in the ballot for industrial action. The union’s National Executive Committee has considered the matter and has taken the decision to call on all our Cross Country members to take the following strike action:

Members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:

00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 23rd August 2025

00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Monday 25th August 2025

Additionally, the union’s National Executive Committee has called the following industrial action short of a strike: No electronic scanning of tickets from 00.01 hours on Sunday 24th August 2025 until further notice.

To comply with legal advice the above industrial action short of a strike will be suspended for the duration of the strikes but will commence again immediately after the strike action has concluded. This dispute is about protecting the future of your jobs, the protection of negotiated agreements and the right of your Union to represent you effectively read more

BTP cuts leave rail workers and passengers exposed to violence (16 Aug) – Rail union RMT, has condemned planned cuts to the British Transport Police (BTP), warning they will seriously endanger the safety of railway staff, particularly those working alone on trains and at stations. The £8.5 million funding shortfall facing BTP this year could result in the closure of 13 police stations and the loss of around 600 posts including 200 filled roles. The union said the cuts will leave frontline rail staff exposed to rising levels of violence, harassment, and anti-social behaviour, with reduced or non-existent police response on much of the network. The impact is most acute for staff at stations and onboard trains, where RMT members already report regular verbal abuse, threats, and physical assault. Planned cuts in Scotland are so severe that large swathes of the country will have little to no BTP coverage whatsoever read more

Orkney Ferries seafarers to take industrial action (16 Aug) – Maritime union RMT, will begin industrial action on Orkney Ferries later this month, in a dispute over pay and conditions. From Thursday 28 August, RMT members will take action short of a strike by refusing to work any overtime until further notice. The move comes after the company failed to enter into meaningful negotiations with the union over the 2025 pay settlement. RMT is the largest trade union representing workers at Orkney Ferries and has consistently raised concerns about pay, working conditions and management’s lack of engagement read more

RMT mass meeting demands an end to rail outsourcing (14 Aug) – Rail union RMT, will hold a mass meeting in Manchester on Thursday 14 August at 2pm as part of its national campaign to end outsourcing on Britain’s railways. The event at The Vine Inn, 44 Kennedy Street will hear from General Secretary Eddie Dempsey and Regional Organiser Steve Shaw on the fight for a single, integrated and publicly owned railway. RMT says all rail jobs, from cleaning to catering, engineering to station services, should be brought back in-house to reverse decades of outsourcing that has driven down pay, eroded conditions and undermined safety. The union is also demanding the Labour government deliver on its pledge to deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation read more

RMT welcomes Transport Committee bus report and calls for long term local authority support (14 Aug) – Bus workers’ union RMT has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report on the state of England’s bus services and backed its call for long-term funding, protection of socially necessary routes and greater support for local authorities. The union said the report confirmed what bus workers and passengers have known for years – decades of deregulation and disinvestment have slashed services, driven up fares, and left communities isolated while frontline staff face low pay and job insecurity. RMT has welcomed the Government’s decision to repeal the ban on new municipal bus companies – a long-standing union demand – which would give local authorities the power to set up publicly owned operators and reinvest profits back into services and communities. The union said that repealing the ban is the first step to rolling out a system that moves our entire bus network to public ownership, and which is fully accountable and responsible to local communities. Government funding should be targeted to achieve this goal read more

Unless Tube pay offer improves, RMT will declare intention to strike (8 Aug) – Dear RMT Member: RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2025 – LONDON UNDERGROUND. I am writing to advise you that, following the magnificent mandate for industrial action you delivered in the ballot, a meeting was held earlier this week between your negotiating team and national officers. The unanimous view expressed at the meeting was that, unless London Underground makes a suitable offer to resolve the ongoing pay dispute, then your union should declare its intention to take strike action. Your union’s National Executive Committee has endorsed this position and offered its backing to your negotiating team as it develops a proposed schedule of industrial action. I will keep you updated with any developments.

Yours sincerely, Eddie Dempsey General Secretary read more

Tube ballot to defend agreements smashes anti-union law thresholds (29 July) read more

Tube worker vote YES for strike over pay (29 July) read more

DLR ballot successful (29 July) 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  

SOLIDARITY RALLY! ASLEF members on Hull Trains have taken over 70 days of strike action in support of a colleague who was unfairly dismissed. They’ve shown the power of solidarity. Now they need yours.

📆 Friday 29th August

⏰ 10:30

📍 Hull Paragon station

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. Strike mandate renewed: new strike dates – 10^th August-11^th September. See updates on ASLEF Facebook page

TSSA

TSSA warns against inflationary rises in train fares (20 Aug) – Rail and transport union TSSA is warning that any rise in rail fares for next year would price workers off the network after an unexpected rise in the rate of inflation. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) went up from 4.4% in June to 4.8% in July latest official figures show. Though the government has not outlined how regulated fares will be set for 2026, ticket increases are usually calculated by adding one percentage point to July’s RPI figures. That would mean a rise of 5.8% if the pattern used in the past were to continue read more

CalMac Pay talks 2025 read more

TfL pay talks update (29 July) –

TfL declines to improve its offer
All unions present state the offer is unacceptable in its current form

TSSA are representing you as TfL Head Office’s largest trade union in TfL Pay Talks for Pay Bands 1-3. At today’s round of pay talks, TfL’s negotiating team declined to improve their offer of 3.4% for this year. All trade unions present stated that this offer is not acceptable in its current form. TfL asked that all unions provide a written response to the offer by Thursday 31 July – and said that if all unions put the offer to their members and the offer was accepted by 28 August, they would be in a position to implement the deal in the November payroll. TSSA reps do not believe that this offer is yet in a fit state to present to you, our members, based on the results of our consultation with you in preparing our pay claim. There are no further meetings scheduled at this stage read more

TSSA members to commence action short of strike in Translink 30th July read more

Unite    

Save Lindsey Oil Refinery:-

Lindsey workers rally outside refinery and in Cleethorpes (20 Aug) – Lindsey workers will rally outside the oil refinery tomorrow (Thursday 21 August) and in Cleethorpes on Sunday, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today.

Lindsey oil refinery rally at DN40 3LW from 11:00 to 13:00 on Thursday 21 August
Cleethorpes rally from 10:00 to 12:00 beginning at DN35 OBY and ending at DN35 8LY on Sunday 24 August
Weds 3 September, 11am, Houses of Parliament, London

The workers are demanding that the government takes immediate action to secure the long-term future of the Lindsey oil refinery. Potential buyers have expressed interest in the site, which went into administration in June read more

Dale Farm workers vote to accept improved pay deal (21 Aug) – Significantly improved offer was made by management after workers announced escalating strike action. Ballot brings dispute at Cookstown, Ballymena, Omagh and Enniskillen sites of leading Northern Ireland dairy producer to an end. Members of Unite employed as drivers and engineers at four Dale Farm sites across Northern Ireland have voted decisively to accept a pay offer worth an extra 4.75 per cent. The improved offer was made by management after workers announced plans for industrial action commencing with an initial three-day strike on 20 September and escalating to an all-out strike action in the fourth week read more

OCS workers at Edinburgh airport back strike action (21 Aug) – Unanimous support for action in poverty pay dispute. Over 100 OCS Group workers based at Edinburgh airport are set to take strike action next month in an escalating dispute over poverty pay, Scotland’s leading aviation union, revealed today (21 August). The union can confirm that Unite’s OCS membership unanimously backed strike action in a ballot with a turnout of over 90 per cent. OCS workers at Edinburgh airport are now set for a series of 48-hour stoppages during September (see notes to editors). The dispute centres on OCS management tabling the lowest possible wage offer of £12.60 an hour matching the Scottish Living Wage minimum rate, which the workers overwhelmingly rejected read more

Greater Manchester bus standstill looms as workers ballot for strikes (20 Aug) – There could be severe disruption to buses in Greater Manchester as thousands of Unite members working for the ‘Bee Network’ including drivers are currently being balloted for strike action. At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5 per cent. Stagecoach is a highly profitable firm, with figures from last year showing it recorded a total operating profit of £51.1m – up from £33.1m – and a profit before taxation of £47.6m. Meanwhile 1,000 Metroline Manchester members at the following depots: Sharston, Hyde Road, Ashton and Wythenshawe are also being balloted after turning down an unsatisfactory below inflation pay offer of 3.5 per cent. Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay, especially in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. Since moving into Manchester in January this year, Metroline has increased its overall portfolio by 30 per cent. The firm is now set to bid for tenders in Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire as those areas move to franchising. Finally, a consultative ballot of 110 members at First bus Rochdale showed 95 per cent wanted to reject this year’s pay offer of six per cent, which does not go far enough to address the fact workers there have had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies. First Bus Rochdale are currently the lowest paid in the region on £15 per hour for all shifts, compared to those at some local rivals who earn £17 per hour Monday to Friday and £19 per hour on weekends. Meanwhile, cleaners, supervisors and engineers at First Bus Rochdale are some of the lowest paid in the area. First Bus Rochdale is part of First Group PLC, which had an operating profit of £204.3m in 2024 while dividends paid to shareholders were increased by 45 per cent compared to the previous year… The three ballots close on 4 September. If Unite members at the various bus companies across the Bee Network vote to take strike action, this could start as early mid-September with a view to coordinating industrial action so all walkouts happen at the same time. The Bee Network is an integrated transport network for Greater Manchester, comprising bus, tram, cycling and walking routes. Bus firms were brought into the network from December 2022 read more

Airbus workers set strike dates following overwhelming vote (20 Aug) – Strikes to commence at Airbus UK from early September. Unite, the Uk’s leading union, representing more than 3,000 aircraft fitters and engineers at Airbus, today announced a total of 10 days of strikes after members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over pay. Unite members have delivered a striking 90 per cent vote in favour of taking industrial action. Beginning early next month strikes will take place for 10 days over a three week period beginning on 2 September…Strike dates are as follows: 2/3 Sept, 10/11 Sept, then five further days from 15 September dependent on site specific shift patterns read more

Stagecoach North East strike suspended following improved pay offer (19 Aug) – A further strike this week by Stagecoach North East workers has been suspended due to an improved pay offer. Unite, the UK’s leading union, will be balloting the workers on the new offer over the coming days. Strike action scheduled for Thursday 21 August will not take place. If the offer is rejected, indefinite strike action will go ahead from 31 August read more

Back-to-school chaos as bus strikes hit West London (19 Aug) – Drivers, engineers and controllers to walk out over backdated pay. Parents and pupils heading back-to-school are set to be hit by bus strike chaos as nearly 2,000 workers at London United and London Transit taking strike action on Friday 29 August and Monday 1 September. Members of the Unite, Britain’s leading union, are furious that not all elements of the new pay offer they have received from their employer are being backdated to the pay anniversary date n 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 read more

Jones Engineering: OECD finds Unite complaint merits further consideration (19 Aug) – Complaint related to treatment of workers following 2023 dispute. Unite welcomes OECD offer of mediation. August 19th: Unite today welcomed the decision by the Ireland National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises that a complaint submitted by Unite and the global federation Building and Woodworkers International in respect of Jones Engineering and its American parent company Cathexis merits further consideration. The decision is available here. The complaint centres largely on the treatment of union members by Jones following a 2023 trade dispute surrounding the union’s claim for restoration of the first hour of ‘travel time’ read more

PX Limited strike suspended as workers are balloted on new pay offer (18 Aug) – A 24-hour strike tomorrow (19 August) by Unite members at PX Limited which would have caused disruption to the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria has been suspended to allow workers to vote on a new pay offer. Almost 40 workers were set to walk out after previously turning down two unsatisfactory pay offers from PX Limited, citing the fact they are an intrinsic part of processes at Sellafield. However the company has come back to the table with an improved proposal which employees are being balloted on. The affected staff at PX Limited provide critical process steam and electricity to Sellafield. Strike action would have caused disruption to any facilities that rely on this read more

Sellafield construction workers begin work-to-rule after overwhelming ballot result (14 Aug) – Strikes not ruled out if dispute continues. Unite, the UK’s leading union, that represents over 1,500 construction workers across 34 contractors at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, today confirmed that its members would be enacting a work-to-rule policy after members voted strongly in favour of industrial action over the refusal to pay Sellafield-specific allowances. The ballot returned a decisive mandate with well over 90 per cent support for strike and non-strike action. Unite members have given their employers a clear message: negotiate or face disruption. The work to rule will begin on Saturday 23 August and is indefinite. The action is scheduled to maximise impact with work hampered and delayed across disciplines including electricians, joiners, pipe-fitters, riggers, welders, groundworkers and painters read more

Fawley refinery poverty pay canteen strikes escalate (18 Aug) – Strikes by Fawley oil refinery canteen workers over poverty pay have escalated, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. 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 began strike action in July. The latest round of strike action began today (18 August) and will last until 22 August. Further strikes will take place from 26 to 28 August and from 1 to 5 September. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved. The Fawley refinery is operated by multinational Esso read more

Bioethanol industry support rejection by government ‘short sighted’ says Unite (15 Aug) – Commenting on the government’s decision not to provide support to the UK’s under threat bio-ethanol industry, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a short-sighted decision that totally disregards the benefits the domestic bio-ethanol sector will bring to jobs and energy security. Once again, the government total lack of a plan to support oil and gas workers as the industry transitions is glaring.” Read more

Kingsmill agreement to purchase Hovis must not put jobs at risk (15 Aug) – Commenting on Kingsmill’s agreement to purchase Hovis, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “While there is still a long way to go before any buyout happens, Kingsmill and Hovis must ensure that jobs are protected. Unite represents workers at both companies and we will not tolerate attacks on jobs, pay or conditions. Unite will be working to ensure that Kingsmill and Hovis fully involve the union in any decisions that impact our members.” Read more

Gatwick ICTS baggage screening strikes suspended following improved pay offer (15 Aug) – Strikes by Gatwick ICTS baggage screeners have been suspended due to an improved pay offer. Unite, the UK’s leading union, will be balloting the workers on the new offer over the coming days. Strike action scheduled from 22 August to 26 August will not take place. If the offer is rejected, strike action from 29 August to 2 September will go ahead read more

Stoke residents face repair delays unless leave problems resolved (14 Aug) – Stoke on Trent council housing residents will face repair and maintenance delays due to industrial action if a dispute over annual leave is not swiftly resolved. Currently, Stoke council office workers receive two days annual leave more than craftworkers at the local authority. In a consultative ballot of over 225 craftworkers, who include joiners, plumbers and electricians, 99 per cent voted in favour of taking industrial action over the disparity…Unite will begin formal industrial action proceedings if the council does not provide annual leave parity in a timely manner read more

Unite secures recognition for members at Lineage in Peterborough (14 Aug) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has obtained recognition at Peterborough-based Lineage following a successful ballot. The news marks a significant step forward for staff rights and representation at the logistics and warehousing firm, giving Unite the legal framework to engage in collective bargaining on behalf of workers and enabling the union to negotiate improvements in areas including pay, job security, hours, equal opportunities and holiday entitlements. Lineage is the world’s largest refrigerated warehousing company. It operates over 450 facilities across 18 countries in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions…There are around 30 drivers and shunters working from the Peterborough site who will be covered by the recognition agreement and three Unite workplace reps have been elected. Discussions around recognition at its Peterborough site had been ongoing between the company and Unite since last September read more

Imperial College freshers braced for strike disruption as workers ballot over pay (14 Aug) – Teaching and support staff offered insulting pay offer from UK’s top university with total income of £1.3 billion. Imperial College freshers are facing disruption at the start of the academic year as teaching and non-teaching staff ballot for industrial action over pay. Members of Unite, along with members of other recognised unions, are angry at Imperial’s two per cent imposed pay increase. It is a real terms pay cut given that the latest RPI inflation stands at 4.4 per cent…Unite members are being balloted until 15 September. The staff involved in the industrial action ballots perform a variety of roles from teaching, research and library services to maintenance, administration and student welfare. Industrial action would have a severe impact on services across the university read more

Liverpool University staff halt strike action after hybrid working win (13 Aug) – Unite members at the University of Liverpool have voted to halt planned strike action tomorrow (14 August) and in September after accepting new terms to protect home working. Over 300 workers – professional services staff – took action including striking and holding a rally in June followed by working to contractual hours only (no overtime, no evenings, no weekends) after senior management tried to force through changes to their hybrid working practices without proper consultation with staff or Unite read more

Orkney Ferries workers overtime ban in pay dispute (13 Aug) – Unite claims ferry services will be reduced by industrial action. Unite the union confirmed today that Orkney Ferries workers will take part in industrial action in an escalating dispute over pay. Over 20 outer north and inner isles Orkney Ferries workers represented by Unite will take part in a continuous ban on overtime starting from 00:01 on 28 August. The union claims that due to the ferries relying on the goodwill of workers to take shifts beyond their contracted hours and at short notice that services could be reduced by the industrial action. The latest development in the pay dispute follows Unite’s membership overwhelmingly rejecting a two-year pay offer. Unite members have also reacted angrily to an enhanced ‘recall’ rate given for extra hours worked now being removed by Orkney Ferries read more

Cardiff Bus strike suspended as workers vote on improved offer (12 Aug) – Strike action by 450 Unite members at Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd, more commonly known as Cardiff Bus, has been suspended to allow them to vote on an improved offer. Workers at the firm including drivers were set to strike from Sunday 17 August until the morning of Sunday 7 September in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. Staff at publicly-owned Cardiff Bus had previously rejected an offer which left driver pay below levels in the rest of the UK, while timetabling issues had left workers unable to take proper breaks and workers also had unsatisfactory sickness terms. Cardiff Bus has now put forward an improved pay offer to Unite members, as well as proposing changes to conditions including longer breaks and improved sickness terms. All strike dates are currently on hold, pending the outcome of the ballot read more

Birkenhead, Chorley and Preston facing bus chaos as drivers in strike vote (12 Aug) – 500 Stagecoach workers in industrial action vote over pay. Birkenhead, Chorley and Preston are facing bus chaos as 500 drivers ballot for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers are demanding a pay rise that reflects huge disparities between their pay and drivers in the same areas. For example, Arriva drivers in Birkenhead earn £2.69 an hour more than Birkenhead Stagecoach drivers and £2.13 an hour more than Stagecoach drivers in Chorley and Preston. Stagecoach is a highly profitable firm, with figures from last year showing it recorded a total operating profit of £51.1m – up from £33.1m – and a profit before taxation of £47.6m…The workers are being balloted for strike until 28 August. If the ballot is successful, industrial action will be scheduled soon after read more

Wrexham Council attacking workers’ pay despite government cash injection (12 Aug) – Unite has criticised the chief executive of Wrexham council after it has emerged that millions of pounds of funding was allocated by the Welsh government to be used for workers, who are now set to take industrial action over attacks on their conditions and a loss of pay. Around 100 workers in the street scene operative team at the council will strike for several days from this month in a dispute about changes to their working patterns that would see them lose half a day’s pay every bank holiday. Street scene operators include refuse workers as well as those working on parks, gardens and highways. Wrexham council claimed the changes were due to cost saving, with bank holiday Monday bin collections changed to the Saturdays following bank holidays without any consultation with Unite. This means workers now have to compulsorily work Saturdays and are threatened with disciplinary action if they do not attend when previously they could volunteer to do overtime. The council has unilaterally decided to extend the working week despite Wrexham council recently receiving £3,808,252.13 in funding for waste services from the Welsh government, including the street scene team…Workers will be striking every weekend from 23 August until 15 November, while an overtime ban will also be in place during this time read more

Industrial action at Dale Farm could lead to milk shortages (11 Aug) – Drivers and engineers vote overwhelmingly for industrial action. Unite warns strike will impact milk collection and multiple Dale Farm sites in Northern Ireland. Trade union Unite has announced strike action at dairy producer Dale Farm group beginning on Wednesday 20 August. Engineers and drivers at multiple Dale Farm production sites will participate in the initial three day strike action. A further three day strike is scheduled for the following week escalating to a five day strike the week after. In the absence of a resolution, all-out strike action will commence from the fourth week. Drivers and engineers voted in a formal ballot with majorities of 90 and 89 per cent respectively for strike action in support of their pay claim. Pay for Dale Farm workers is lower than it is for industry comparators in Northern Ireland read more

NDP must yield workers’ dividend or risk missing targets (10 Aug) – Unite warns poor conditions shrinking construction labour supply. Quarter-trillion Euro package must be used to drive ‘race to the top’. Trade union Unite, which represents construction workers throughout Ireland, today (Sunday) warned that the National Development Plan (NDP), which envisages €275.4 billion of public capital investment to 2035, will miss its targets if poor working conditions in the construction sector are not addressed. Calling for a ‘workers’ dividend’, the union said that new public procurement criteria must be introduced which would strictly limit subcontracting chains while requiring collective bargaining and adherence to collective agreements, as well as union involvement in compliance monitoring read more

Jones Engineering: Unite meets Irish Embassy in Stockholm to highlight concerns (8 Aug) – Despite Jones being forced to drop High Court action against shop stewards, company refuses to engage meaningfully with Unite. Embassy had supported opening of Jones’ new Swedish office. Trade union Unite, which represents construction workers throughout Ireland, this week met with senior officials at the Irish Embassy in Stockholm read more

Potential disruption to bus services in and around Bristol as drivers ballot for strikes (8 Aug) – There could be major disruption to bus services in and around Bristol as over 1,000 drivers, members of Unite, are being balloted for industrial action over pay at six depots. In Bristol, the First West of England drivers work at Bristol Bus Station, Lawrence Hill and Hengrove, which provide inner-city bus routes in the city as well as services for Bristol Airport, the local universities and Amazon’s Bristol warehouse. The other three depots being balloted are Weston-Super-Mare, Bath and Wells. The dispute comes after members rejected a two-year pay deal, which would give them just £1 an hour extra of pay per hour from now until March 2026, then a 30p hourly increase from April 2026. New starters will only be offered 50p extra on the hourly rate, which goes up by just 10p next April. Drivers will also lose out financially, as despite the pay anniversary date being April First West of England has not committed to giving backpay for the past four months of the wage increase. First West of England is part of First Group PLC. Last year, First Group PLC had an operating profit of £204.3m and share dividends were increased by 45% compared to the previous year…The ballot at Lawrence Hill and Hengrove closes on 19 August while the one at Bristol Bus Station, Weston-Super-Mare, Bath and Wells closes on 21 August. As First West of England is the main bus operator in Bristol, any industrial action is likely to be extremely disruptive with delays and cancellations of services expected read more

Unions lodge notice of first 24-hour strike by workers at Belfast council leisure services (7 Aug) – Joint UNITE-NIPSA press release: Belfast leisure workers are lowest paid in Northern Ireland and are seeking a one pound an hour increase to the current pay offer. Talks ended without management company Greenwich Leisure Limited making any improved pay offer. Unite and NIPSA trade unions have announced a 24-hour strike by leisure staff at facilities operated by Green Leisure Limited in Belfast. 14 leisure centres and two gyms owned by Belfast City Council are operated by the arms-length management company. The strike will commence at 00.01 on Tuesday August 12 and continue until midnight. The industrial action is likely to shut down entirely the operation of several leisure centres, given that more than 200 leisure workers are members of two trade unions. Pay at Belfast leisure centres has fallen behind that of other council leisure facilities in Northern Ireland following the decision to outsource them to Greenwich Leisure Limited. Belfast leisure worker pay is now the lowest in Northern Ireland…The strike follows an overwhelming ballot for industrial action by workers in both unions and represents an escalation from a work-to-rule which came into force on Tuesday 15 July. Labour Relations Agency-mediated negotiations between the trade unions and the employer ended on Wednesday 30 July, after management failed to provide any improved offer read more

Potential shutdown at Bournemouth Airport as workers ballot for industrial action over pay (5 Aug) – Bournemouth Airport could be shut down next month as almost 80 workers are being balloted on whether to take strike action. The workers, members of the UK’s leading union Unite, include plane fuellers, baggage handlers, security and check-in staff and flight dispatchers amongst others. With workers in so many sections of the airport involved in the dispute any strikes would close the airport thus grounding all flights for the period of the stoppage, and causing flights into the airport to be delayed or cancelled. Members have unanimously rejected a pay offer of 4.5 per cent for the lowest paid bringing them up to £12.22 per hour, then 3 per cent for the higher paid members. Many workers have struggled with the cost of living crisis and believe that given increased costs of essentials this equates to a real terms pay cut. Meanwhile Bournemouth Airport is profitable. This year it increased all of its airport charges by 5 per cent as well as investing over £50 million in expanding the airport due to increased passenger numbers…The ballot closes on 20 August. Any strike action could happen as early as the first week of September read more

Potential disruption to bus services in Hertfordshire, Bucks and Bedfordshire as workers ballot for strikes (1 Aug) – There could be major disruption to bus services across the South East, as 700 Unite members including drivers are being balloted for industrial action over pay. The dispute covers workers across Arriva the Shires and Arriva Kent Thameside across five depots. These are Luton, Milton Keynes, (both the Shires) and Stevenage, Ware and Hemel Hempstead (Arriva Kent Thameside). At the Shires, around 50 routes a day out operate of Milton Keynes and Luton while Kent Thameside operate approximately 30 routes a day out of Hemel Hempstead, Ware and Stevenage, meaning any strikes will be extremely disruptive. Arriva have offered a below-inflation increase of 65p per hour, equating to 3.82% for a bus driver backdated to 1 January 2025. This is despite the fact in the last financial year Arriva – which operates in 11 European countries – was purchased by new American owners I Squared Capital and saw its total revenues reach €2.46bn in the year read more

Glasgow Village Hotel set for historic strike action (1 Aug) – Village Hotel in Glasgow, one of the city’s major hotels, is set to be rocked by all-out strike action starting on 2 August. Unite understands that the industrial action will be the first strike at a major hotel since the chambermaids went out at Grosvenor House Hotel, London in 1979. On 15 July, Unite members returned an overwhelming mandate for industrial action when 100 per cent voted yes to strike action on an 81 per cent turnout read more

200 OCS passenger assistants at Edinburgh airport balloted over strike action (30 July) – 200 OCS Group workers based at Edinburgh Airport are being balloted on strike action in an escalating dispute over pay, Scotland’s leading aviation union, revealed today (30 July). OCS has tabled the lowest possible wage offer of 12.60 an hour to match the Scottish Living Wage minimum rate to the workers which they overwhelmingly rejected. The ballot on industrial opens on 30 July and closes on 19 August. It means potential strike action could take place from early September if the ballot is successful. The OCS Group covers workers who aid passengers with reduced mobility issues including assisting with wheelchairs and ambilift vehicles for travellers at Edinburgh airport read more

Unite hits out at union busting firm supplying coffee chain Starbucks (30 July) – Unite has hit out at the unfair treatment of two shop stewards working at Food Service Logistics, who have been suspended on trumped-up charges. The reps are a senior shop steward and their deputy, who have been falsely accused of being involved in an altercation after being singled out to do work not in their job description and now face disciplinary hearings next week. It comes after these Unite stewards had previously brought numerous grievances against Food Service Logistics including discrimination for trade union activity and behaviour of management towards them and other Unite members. Hemel Hempstead-based Food Service Logistics is a primary supplier to the Starbucks retail network in the south of England, including franchised stores. Starbucks itself has come under fire in recent years after facing accusations of unfair dismissals and union busting in the US read more

Unite ballot shows NHS staff overwhelmingly reject pay deal (29 July) – Unite’s ballot of members in health has demonstrated the strength of feeling among the NHS workforce with 89 per cent of members believe that the pay award (3.6%) is unacceptable and are prepared to take action up to including strike action. The strength of feeling around government cuts was even greater with 95 per cent of members expressing their willingness to take action in order to oppose cuts to the NHS. We are calling on the UK government to meet with us and in order to avoid a strike that is likely to affect a number of Trusts (including Ambulance Trusts) and a number of national organisations such as NHS England and NHS Blood and Transplant. The pay award offered to Agenda for Change NHS staff (i.e. most staff other than doctors) was below RPI and CPIH. It is less than the award for doctors and it is less than that offered through negotiations in Scotland…Unite is committed to resolving this issue and will work with the government to do so, but given the lack of willingness from ministers to date, Unite will progress towards the next formal ballot we are required to carry out in order that we can take action. Our members have witnessed the NHS deteriorate for years and feel duty bound to take a stand to defend it 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CWU  

CWU LIVE – It’s Too Hot to Work! Working in a Heatwave w/ Jamie McGovern (15 Aug) – What do you do when it’s too hot to work? Host Michael Walker speaks to Jamie McGovern CWU Health & Safety Policy Assistant, about the risks involved when working in the heat 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]

Decisive moments for national campaign (20 Aug) – PCS activists met online yesterday as the union progresses its national campaign read more

MSP tables motion to support PCS members in Ofgem (20 Aug) – Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba has brought a motion to the Scottish Parliament supporting PCS members in dispute with the energy regulator, Ofgem. Following months of stalled negotiations, over 700 PCS members employed by energy regulator Ofgem in Glasgow, London and Cardiff will take strike action on 26, 27 and 28 August in an attempt to force their employer back to the table on talks. Mercedes Villalba, Scottish Labour MSP for North East Scotland, has moved a motion to the Scottish Parliament in support of the members read more

Security staff at Houses of Parliament to strike (19 Aug) – The members will strike for two 24 hour periods and also implement an overtime ban and work to rule. Over 300 PCS members working in the Parliamentary Security Department of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) have announced strike dates after giving the Clerk of the House of Commons two weeks to resolve their dispute. The key issue is the reduction of annual leave entitlements, but pay has also stagnated since 2019 and the ethnicity pay gap is widening yearly. Management has consistently failed to address members’ grievances in a timely and satisfactory manner, and has also been heavy-handed in the use of disciplinary sanctions, including dismissals. The security officers will walk out from 7am on Wednesday 3 September until 7am Thursday 4 September and from 7am on Wednesday 10 September until 7am Thursday 11 September. The members will also take action short of a strike, consisting of an overtime ban and a work-to-rule from Monday 1 September until Friday 12 September. The members are responsible for security checks which include checking passes/credentials, patrolling the buildings and the grounds as well as guarding the various gates of the Commons and the Lords. The strike days coincide with sessions of Prime Ministers’ Questions as well as evening sessions. The announcement of industrial action follows a ballot that closed on 29 July where 98% of members voted to take strike action read more

Super picket and social marks mid-way point of MyCSP strike (18 Aug) – The members have taken six weeks of strike action and start the next six weeks today, in their fight for union recognition. PCS members working for MyCSP in Liverpool and Cheadle have been on strike since the beginning of July, in an effort to secure union recognition and to ensure that PCS is fully involved in the talks to protect their terms and conditions ahead of the transfer of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) contract from MyCSP Ltd to Capita on 1 December. The initial six weeks’ strike was due to end on Friday 15 August but another six weeks have been added as the employer has failed to address our demands for recognition and negotiation. Since the dispute began, new members have been joining PCS and taking part in strike action and picket-;line duty. Picket lines have been held every day of the strike action in Liverpool and Cheadle, but the numbers on the picket lines were swelled on Friday 15 August to mark the end of the first six weeks. The weather was perfect and as local rep Gary Wheeler said, “the sun shone on the righteous”. Lots of cars passing were beeping their horns for the dozens of picketers and supporters and there was a party atmosphere on the picket lines read more

PCS launches indicative ballot on new FCDO performance-based pay system (14 Aug) – PCS is urging members at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to vote in an indicative ballot following the department’s decision to introduce a new performance-based pay system which risks discrimination read more

Protecting Workers from Extreme Heat: PCS Backs TUC Call for Legal Limits (13 Aug) – The TUC’s Week of Action on Workplace Temperatures exposed widespread unsafe heat levels in UK workplaces. PCS supports the call for legal limits and urgent action to protect workers’ health, safety and comfort as climate change drives more frequent read more

Ofgem workers to strike across energy price cap day (12 Aug) – PCS members working for the energy regulator Ofgem are set to strike on 26, 27 and 28 August over pay, jobs and working conditions. The dispute in Ofgem is about pay, jobs, working conditions and the way decisions about these are made. Whilst progress has been made on a couple of the issues, Ofgem is refusing to reach key agreements on the other matters. In an industrial action ballot in June, members voted by a resounding 85% for strike action on a 65% turnout. Since then we have attempted to resolve the dispute through negotiation. Our negotiators have listened to Ofgem’s views about our initial proposals and have offered new alternatives which constructively respond to those views. Unfortunately, Ofgem has not taken the same approach, which has led to the negotiations stalling. Therefore we are calling on Ofgem members in Glasgow, Cardiff and London to take strike action on 26, 27 and 28 August, which includes “price cap day” read more

PCS industrial action escalated at ONS (7 Aug) – PCS members at the Office For National Statistics have stepped up their long-running dispute over a forced return to workplaces by instigating a zero-office attendance policy and increasing their use of work to rule. More than 1200 members began the escalation with immediate effect on 25 July, while the branch considers next steps in the use of its mandate to use strike action. In a ballot which ended on 31 March, members voted for strike action with 68% of ONS members taking part voting to take strike action while 91% voted to take action short of a strike (ASOS), on a 71% turnout. PCS members have been in dispute with ONS since April 2024 over changes to the hybrid working policies and have since held three statutory ballots on a programme of continuous industrial action involving non-compliance with mandated office attendance targets and working to rule. The PCS ONS Branch has been placing pressure on the interim ONS senior management to engage with us after a growing number of ONS members have reported managers attempting to force attendance based on wafer-thin “business requirements” to undermine our action short of a strike (ASOS) that has restored working autonomy to members read more

IOPC staff vote to pause industrial action after improved offer (4 Aug) – The members at the Independent Office for Police Conduct have been taking action short of a strike in a dispute over office attendance and job cuts. Over 400 members at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been taking action short of a strike since 1 April after management announced the imposition of a change to existing hybrid working arrangements. The IOPC has also seen restructuring which involves job losses 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]

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

GMB 

Airedale Hospital workers vote to strike (18 Aug) – Airedale hospital workers have voted to strike in anger at two-tier workforce structure. Porters, domestics, catering and security staff will walk out over the fact they get worse terms and conditions than colleagues working at the same hospital. More than 90 per cent of those who voted said they were ready to take industrial action. 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. The workers want parity for everyone working across the trust. GMB will now meet with members to discuss strike dates read more

Vivergo closure shows impact of tariffs (18 Aug) – GMB Union says the closure of Hull and Redcar bioethanol plants shows the impact tariffs are having on UK industry read more

Bromley parking wardens begin talks in fight against poverty pay (15 Aug) – On Tuesday [19 August] GMB Union will sit down with Apcoa Parking, the private contractor running parking services for Bromley Council. Workers there are currently paid the legal minimum wage of £12.21 per hour – well below the London Living Wage of £13.85 an hour. The talks come while Apcoa is embroiled in ongoing disputes with GMB members in neighbouring Richmond, Wandsworth, and Kingston. In Lambeth, Apcoa workers recently settled their dispute after securing a new rate of £15 per hour read more

Striking Sellafield workers left to urinate in public (14 Aug) – Striking Sellafield workers are being left to urinate in public after the company refused to provide facilities for them. Almost 200 workers have walked out of the Cumbria nuclear facility after overwhelmingly rejecting the 3.5 per cent deal offered by the company. GMB members working for Mitie, have begun their ninth day of strike action today [Thursday]. Not only has Sellafield refused to provide access toilet access to those on the picket line, as yet they haven’t provided GMB with a location to install a Portaloo. The nearest public toilet is several miles away. Mitie’s pay offer would leave these frontline workers, 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, earning little more than £13 per hour read more

Use UK ceramics in British embassies, GMB tells Govt (13 Aug) – Use uk pottery in British embassies worldwide to back our ceramics industry, GMB tells foreign secretary read more

Waltham Forest bin workers reject pay deal as strike threat looms (31 July) – Outsourced refuse workers in Waltham Forest have rejected a 2.8% pay offer, sparking the possibility of industrial action. The offer did not apply to those workers recently placed on the London Living Wage, despite them being among the council’s lowest paid employees. Over half the workforce employed by FCC Environment and working on behalf of Waltham Forest Council voted in a ballot, which saw 100% of GMB members reject the pay deal on 100% turnout. A 3.2% pay offer is now on the table – although it still excludes London Living Wage employees and sits below the rate of inflation. GMB will ballot members on the offer. Refuse workers’ frustration with FCC Environment and the council extends beyond pay. Concerns have also been raised over inadequate staff facilities at the waste depot and insufficient supplies of water for workers, particularly in hot weather read more

NHS workers reject pay award – GMB demands meeting with Streeting (25 July) – GMB members have voted by 67 per cent to reject the pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. The union has now written to the Secretary of State calling for an urgent meeting to discuss pay and other issues of significant importance to GMB members working across the NHS and ambulance services read more

Hula-Hoops, Pom-Bears and Disco workers begin strike vote (22 July) – Hula-hoops, Pom-Bears and Disco crisps could be in short supply as workers begin voting on strike action, GMB Union has warned. KP Crisps workers at the company’s site in Billingham, County Durham, rejected a pay rise of just 77 pence per hour. The ballot closes on 12 August, with any industrial action likely to take place in September 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

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

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   

Strike on the cards at Dorset hospitals in outsourcing dispute (12 Aug) – Overwhelming majority of health workers say they want to vote for strike action. Three women holding UNISON placards that say ‘Stop Subcos – Keep the NHS public’. Healthcare staff at three NHS trusts in Dorset say they want to vote for strike action in a row over plans to move 1,700 staff from the NHS to an external company. An overwhelming majority (98%) of members, including porters and cleaners, have backed plans for an industrial action ballot, which is set to open in the coming weeks. Any action could result in widespread disruption across the region read more

Health workers prepared to take strike action over pay, warns UNISON (6 Aug) – Pay consultation must act as a wake-up call for ministers. NHS staff in England are far from happy with this year’s pay rise and many are prepared to take strike action to challenge it, says UNISON today (Wednesday). Seven in ten (70%) of UNISON members who responded to the union’s consultation on the 2025/26 NHS pay award said they’d back walkouts if the union were to ballot for strike action. The result should be a wake-up call for ministers who must commit now to dealing directly with growing anger among health workers, says the union. The government must hold urgent talks to address problems with the outdated NHS salary structure and combine these with negotiations on next year’s wage rise. This is the only way to convince health workers that ministers get the seriousness of the situation, says UNISON. The pay award of 3.6% for NHS workers on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts barely matches inflation. That’s done nothing to lift staff morale, adds UNISON 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

NIPSA

Royal College of Nursing    

RCN Northern Ireland lodges formal dispute over failure to implement pay award (1 Aug) – Absence of a pay award in Northern Ireland will once again push nursing staff out of pay parity with colleagues across the UK read more

NHS and HSC pay consultations results: 3.6% is not enough (31 July) – Swift investment is needed now as RCN members deliver their verdict on a broken system that holds back nursing pay and careers…Consultations took place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a record number of nursing staff taking part. In England, the turnout in the consultation reached 56%, with more than 170,000 nursing staff voting. Nine in 10 (91%) said 3.6% was not enough to turn around a struggling profession gripped by widespread vacancies or keep patients safe amid an NHS corridor care crisis. We’re telling ministers in England to use the summer to reach agreement or face formal escalation to dispute and an industrial action ballot. In Wales, members working in the NHS also voted overwhelmingly to say that 3.6% is not enough. We’re now pushing for meaningful discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and considering next steps. As a pay award, staff on AfC NHS Terms and Conditions in England and Wales will receive the 3.6% consolidated uplift backdated to 1 April 2025 from August salaries. In Northern Ireland, members were consulted on the recommended award and voted to say 3.6% is not enough. However, no funding has been made available by the Northern Ireland Executive to award the 3.6% uplift that the Northern Ireland Health Minister has said he wants to pay. We’re working on next steps to secure this long-overdue award and make sure that nursing staff in Northern Ireland don’t continue to fall behind on pay parity. Read more about the results in Northern Ireland and Wales 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    

BMA

BMA calls meeting to address Government’s 10-year plan (15 Aug) – Special representative meeting will be held to consider reform goals set for NHS. The BMA is urging doctors to participate in an upcoming extraordinary meeting to consider and respond to the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS. The association is set to hold a special representative meeting on Sunday 14 September as part of its response to proposals put forward by the Government in its 10 Year Health Plan, which it says poses potential risks to the medical profession and to patients read more

‘Greater mutual understanding’ achieved between government and resident doctor leaders (6 Aug) – Meeting between health secretary and RDC leads to further cooperation on bringing strike action to an end and addressing pay claim. Agreement on further negotiations on pay, jobs and working conditions for resident doctors in England has been reached following ‘constructive’ talks between the BMA resident doctors committee and Wes Streeting. A meeting held yesterday between the health secretary and RDC co-chairs Ross Nieuwoudt and Melissa Ryan has seen each side commit to further discussions aimed at meeting doctors’ demands and bringing strike action to an end. The meeting, which has been described by Dr Nieuwoudt and Dr Ryan as ‘constructive’ and ‘informative’, comes following a five-day full walkout by resident doctors in England last month. Following the walkout, the BMA had urged Mr Streeting to ‘reconsider his strategy’ on reaching a solution to the impasse on doctors’ pay and resume talks. Striking a cautious yet optimistic tone on their meeting with the health secretary, Dr Nieuwoudt and Dr Ryan said they felt they had ‘achieved a greater mutual understanding’, and that they were eager to work with the Department of Health in finding a way forward read more

NEU  

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 read more

NASUWT  

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

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

EIS  

With schools returning post-summer, time is running out to address teacher workload (15 Aug) – With many schools across Scotland having now re-opened after the summer, and with more set to return next week, time is running out for the Scottish Government and COSLA to deliver on the commitment to address high teacher workload by delivering a promised reduction in teachers’ class contact time. The country’s largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), is currently running a consultative ballot on industrial action over this issue, with the ballot set to close towards the end of the month read more

EIS Members at UWS vote overwhelmingly for strike action over redundancy plans (23 July) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers Association (EIS-ULA) have delivered a strong mandate for strike action at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in response to the university’s proposed redundancies. Over 94% of members who participated in the ballot supported taking industrial action, signaling their deep-seated opposition to the university’s proposals. UWS is seeking 75.2 FTE redundancies relating to academic and academic related staff, which the EIS believe will have an adverse impact on the quality of education students would receive. The staff cuts would also place additional burdens on an already stretched workforce at UWS. The EIS lodged a dispute in March in response to the proposed redundancies, but a lack of meaningful consultation discussion resulted in a ballot for strike action being opened last month. The EIS has formally complained to the university that it has not shared sufficient information and that the university identified redundancy pools without the pre-requisite initial consultation on avoiding redundancies read more

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 11^th 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 

Failing funding system pushing students into hardship and mental health crisis (14 Aug) – Nine in ten students can’t afford essentials such as rent and food, new polling from UCU published today reveals. On A-level results day, when we congratulate students on their hard work and achievements, half of undergraduates questioned also say money worries are harming their mental health. The findings expose the crisis in higher education funding, showing how the current system is pushing students into financial hardship and severely impacting their wellbeing read more

University of Bradford staff to continue strike action this week in ‘vicious’ cuts row (13 Aug) – Staff at the University of Bradford will strike for three more days this week over budget cuts that will see hundreds of jobs go and multiple courses close, UCU confirmed today. As part of the planned cuts the university aims to reduce staffing to the level it was in 2019. This which equates to the loss of around 300 full-time equivalent jobs, but well over this figure once part-time roles are included. The cuts will see chemistry and film & television courses shut down, despite Bradford being UNESCO’s first City of Film and this year’s UK City of Culture. Chemistry, and its successful apprenticeship programme, are crucial to training skilled workers for the regional economy and the uptake for chemistry degree apprenticeships is increasing. Staff will strike on Thursday 14 August, Friday 15 August and Saturday 16 August, following five days of action in July, with pickets at the university’s main campus on Great Horton Road on each day. The days of action will coincide with the release of A-Level results, as well as an Open Day on Saturday, highlighting the commitment of members to defend both staff working conditions and student learning conditions at the university read more

Staff at Liverpool Hope University announce strike action over job cuts (31 July) – UCU members at Liverpool Hope University have announced they will take 10 days of strike action across the first two weeks of teaching in response to the university’s plans to slash academic jobs. Staff will walk out from Monday 22 September to Friday 26 September, and again from Monday 29 September to Friday 3 October. The action comes after 69% of UCU members voted in the recent ballot, with 85% backing strike action. The dispute centres on proposed cuts to academic posts across multiple departments, including Education and Social Sciences, Creative Arts and Humanities, and Human and Digital Sciences. UCU says these plans pose a serious threat to the university’s academic mission and the quality of provision for students. Despite a partial retreat by university management, after union-negotiated alternative proposals reduced the number of roles at risk, 11 positions and over 30 staff remain under threat. Management has reopened its voluntary redundancy scheme yet refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies. UCU says there is no financial justification for these cuts, pointing to significant cash reserves and highlighting that the university’s recent deficits stem not from staff costs but from rocketing non-staff expenditure, including major capital projects. Meanwhile, senior leaders at the university have continued to enjoy generous pay packages, with the vice-chancellor receiving a total of £313,000 in 2024 read more

Strike ballot opens at University of Leicester over threat of compulsory redundancies (31 July) – UCU has this week opened a ballot for strike action at the University of Leicester. The dispute is over university leadership’s refusal to rule out a programme of compulsory redundancies in the upcoming academic year 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

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

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

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

FBU  

“Shocking” lack of resources as 17 fire services send crews to Dorset & Wiltshire wildfire (14 Aug) – Firefighters continue to tackle the major wildfire at Holt Heat, Dorset, with a critical lack of resources meaning that crews have had to travel from across the UK to assist. All neighbouring fire and rescue services have sent crews, including Devon and Somerset; Avon; Gloucestershire; Oxfordshire; Royal Berkshire; and Hampshire & Isle of Wight. The major incident has triggered a rare National Resilience response: a national emergency programme co-ordinated by central and local government to respond to large-scale or critical incidents. Under this, firefighters have been sent to assist in Dorset from as far away as Merseyside. Fire and rescue services sending crews also include Essex; Kent; Surrey; Bedfordshire; Lincolnshire; Norfolk; Leicestershire; Greater Manchester; Merseyside; Lancashire; and South Wales read more

Sign this petition: To Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority and Chief Fire Officer – STOP, THINK & REASSESS Dangerous Cuts to Firefighter Numbers

Invest in fire service to protect public from emerging risks of e-batteries, says FBU leader (28 July) – Firefighters need resources to keep public safe from emerging risks of e-batteries and climate change, says the leader of the Fire Brigades Union. The Office for Product Safety recently reported that there were at least 211 e-scooter and e-bike fires last year, including five that caused fatalities. The figure in 2020 was 26. Most of the e-bike and e-scooter fires reported last year were in London, and the true national total is certain to be higher since it is based on voluntary reporting by regional brigades. Lithium-ion battery fires are particularly challenging to extinguish, potentially causing explosions and the release of flammable gasses. Alongside an increase in flooding and wildfire incidents fuelled by the climate crisis, these challenging incidents will continue to put pressure on the fire and rescue service in coming years. Despite increasing pressures, 1 in 5 firefighter posts have been lost to cuts since 2010. As a result of lack of investment fire service response times in England have slowed by over three minutes since the 1990s read more

POA    

NEC minutes July 2025 read more

General Secretary update read more

National Chair update July 2025 read here 

Employment rights bill and prison officers right to strike – 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

Today’s news on the Probation staffing deficit (20 Aug) – As you would expect, Napo has been contacted by a growing number of media outlets following the BBC news feature this morning about a serious deficit in the number of Sentence Management staff and how this will exacerbate the capacity crisis in Probation read more

Health and Safety Matters – Unions call for an emergency meeting with senior HMPPS management (19 Aug) – Over the last fortnight we have seen many of our members contact Napo to express their anger and frustration about recent Health and Safety incidents within the Probation estate. Napo’s view is that the responsibility for ensuring the safety of their workforce lies with the employer and that senior HMPPS management must reassure Probation staff that their wellbeing is being taken seriously. This is why Napo has demanded that the Probation Joint National Council be convened at the earliest opportunity. We have asked for HMPPS Health and Safety experts to also be on hand, and our hope is that it will be possible to reach a collective position that will produce practical steps to immediately improve safety standards that reflect the ‘changed world’ that our members are now working in read more

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    

Post BFAWU Conference Foodworker 2025

“Our Members Won’t Pay the Price for This Merger” (16 Aug) – The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU) has responded to yesterday’s announcement of the proposed acquisition involving Allied and Hovis, calling for urgent clarity, reassurance, and full engagement with the workforce. The union has made clear that its priority is to protect the jobs, pay, terms, and conditions of its members throughout the process. BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley said: “Our members will not bear the brunt of this merger. We expect both companies to be open, proactive, and committed to protecting jobs, pay, and conditions — and we will hold them to that.” Read more

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

Nautilus International

MAIB urges rethink on watchkeeping in ‘the digital age’ as collisions persist (6 Aug) – The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has called for a fundamental reassessment of human watchkeeping practices following a series of serious collisions involving merchant vessels in 2024 read more

NUJ  

Branch solidarity statements in response to killing of Al Jazeera journalists (21 Aug) – The NUJ and its branches have expressed condemnation and called for accountability after Israeli forces deliberately killed six media workers and another civilian in yet another targeted attack against Palestinian journalists read more

NUJ members hold vigils and protests for colleagues killed in Gaza (18 Aug) – Following the killing of five Al Jazeera staff and a freelance photojournalist by Israeli forces on Sunday, NUJ members across the UK and Ireland are holding vigils and protests in solidarity with colleagues killed read more

Belarus: Journalists imprisoned, exiled and persecuted (15 Aug) – Media facing intensified crackdown. The plight of journalists in Belarus persecuted for just doing their job is being highlighted by the International Federation of Journalists, backed by the NUJ. Currently, 37 journalists remain behind bars and 39 media organisations have been declared ‘extremist formations’, five years after President Aleksander Lukashenko’s latest fraudulent electoral victory read more

Equity  

WNO dispute settled with long-term protections for chorus (20 Aug) – Equity, on behalf of its members in the chorus of Welsh National Opera, has successfully concluded negotiations with Welsh National Opera (WNO) for a new full-time contract at a competitive, industry-standard salary — an agreement welcomed by an overwhelming majority of chorus members. The agreement has been hailed as “a long-term safeguard for WNO’s full-time chorus” by Equity and ends the long-running industrial dispute at the company. It marks a remarkable turnaround. Just over a year ago, the company’s opening proposal was for a part-time contract with a 15% pay cut. Through unity, determination, and — for the first time in their history — taking industrial action, chorus members secured a contract that safeguards the principle of a full-time ensemble at the heart of WNO read more

Lucy Harrison Casting liquidation (19 Aug) – Equity has been supporting members with issues of non-payment. Equity has been supporting members with issues of non-payment in the run up to and aftermath of Lucy Harrison Casting going into liquidation, securing payment for the majority of members who got in touch before the company’s liquidation. Lucy Harrison Casting (LHC) is a large agency representing models and actors, booking jobs on a range of big brand commercials and other work read more

Casting concerns over Quasimodo role (14 Aug) – Concerns about the casting process for a production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Concert, which casts a non-disabled performer in the title role read more

Win: International School of Screen Acting abolishes audition fees (14 Aug) – Equity student activists secure win for Break Down Barriers campaign read more

“Artists will pay the price” of ACE application portal meltdown, warns Equity (13 Aug) – Equity General Secretary responds to the outage of Arts Council England’s grant application portal & calls on ACE to take steps to mitigate the “real problems” the outage has created for artists read more

Musicians Union

MU Responds to Birmingham Council’s City Centre Wide Busking Ban (19 Aug) – The MU will continue campaigning to overturn the ban as Birmingham becomes the first UK city to entirely outlaw all city-centre busking read more

TUC Shares Solidarity with Musicians at Northern Ballet (15 Aug) – Trades Union Congress (TUC) Regional Secretary Dave Pike has shared a video message in support of musicians affected by ongoing issues at Northern Ballet read more

Community

Recognition agreement secured at XPO Thurrock (12 Aug) – Community is pleased to announce the signing of a new recognition agreement at XPO Thurrock in Essex. The agreement will cover all staff working in the Payroll, Engineering Administration, Reconciliation and Administrative Assistance Operations departments at the Titan Truck Park site in West Thurrock. Elections will shortly be held for two local union representatives, with one each covering the day and night shifts respectively read more

UVW  

Draughts workers shut down Stratford and Waterloo bars with strike action (20 Aug) – “We are trying to let them know that we are not going to just roll over or quiet-quit, like a lot of people have suggested. We are not going to simply accept that because this is a hospitality job we don’t deserve to be able to plan our lives, to be able to rely on the money that we can project when we see the rota that we have, and simply that we can expect to be treated like normal human beings” – Brune, a bar worker (she/they) on strike. Workers at Draughts board game bars in Stratford and Waterloo have walked out for their second and third strike days since 9 August, taking a stand against insecure and unsafe working conditions. The strike involves servers and bar staff who are demanding respect, stability, and safety at work read more

Hotel workers and Bar staff united! (19 Aug) – “We will not be silenced, hospitality jobs can be made better, and the workers can be treated with respect; now is time for our employer to hear this and stop hiding behind excuses!” – Brune, bar staff at Draughts and UVW member. Saturday 9 August 2025 was one for the history books… and the songbooks. Some 70 striking workers and supporters filled the streets outside the Radisson Blu hotel in Canary Wharf and then they took the tube to Draughts board game café in Waterloo, London! Read more

Over 300 Hundred St Helier & Epsom hospital workers Vote 98% YES to Strike

NHS Inequality Sparks Revolt (14 Aug) – “I’ll be out there on the picket line with my family by my side. Word about the ballot is spreading through the hospital, and the feeling is the same everywhere: we’re all ready to take action” – Dennis Gyamfi, cleaner at Epsom Hospital and UVW member. Inequality has sparked a revolt in the NHS. Over 300 essential facilities workers at St Helier and Epsom hospitals, all UVW members and overwhelmingly from migrant and minority ethnic backgrounds, have delivered a historic ballot result, with an 81% turnout and 98% voting YES to strike action — a decisive escalation in their campaign for full equality in the NHS. This is the first time NHS workers have voted to strike to secure the basic NHS terms and conditions set out in Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts while being directly employed by the NHS. It is also the first strike in recent history at these two hospitals 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

Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office was targeted in a break-in! – in January, 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)  

Sign NOW! #RespectAtWork

SIPTU (Ireland)  

SIPTU to meet with senior management at Leprino Foods following shock closure announcement (19 Aug) – SIPTU representatives are to meet with senior management at Leprino Foods in Portlaoise tomorrow, Wednesday, 20th August, following the announcement that the company intends to cease production at the plant in 2026 read more

Sign this petition: Take Action for Workers’ Rights!

Other news    

Youth walkout against Trump – from the Socialist Students website

It’s official: Donald Trump is coming to the UK for a state visit from Wednesday 17 September – Friday 19 September. Trump has attacked the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people and other minority groups, and supports the mass deportation of migrants. He has bragged about helping billionaires get even richer, all while millions of Americans live in poverty. Socialist Students is putting out the call for Trump to be met by a massive youth walkout on September 17 – the day he arrives in the UK. We can start to prepare now, by organising meetings in our schools, colleges and universities on how we can protest and build the walkouts. Let’s get ready to show Trump that we reject him and his politics of exploitation and division!

Workers unity against the far-right

The far-right are again trying to whip up racist division by scapegoating refugees and migrants. The NSSN calls for the unions to play a leading role in opposing this offensive, which will only weaken our movement in the interests of the employees. We call on the TUC to implement the policy passed at its 2018 Congress, to launch a campaign of ‘Jobs and homes NOT racism.’

See info on counter-protests on the Stand Up to Racism website

Join Disabled People Against Cuts to protest against the Labour policies killing disabled people outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool 29/09/2025 at 12pm. We will assemble near the Wheel of Liverpool on Keel Wharf L3 4FN. We encourage those who can to a mask in order to protect immunocompromised members of our community and will have some masks available for those who do not have their own details

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

www.worbella.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

STAMMA website    

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

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

Stop the attack on Gaza   

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

See Stop the War website for info on protests. The next national central London demo is this Saturday 6^th September – 12noon details  

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, USDAW, BFAWU, 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   

Sign petition  

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    

Iran: Stop the execution of labour activist Sharifeh MohammadiDear Brothers and Sisters,

In mid-August the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again confirmed the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, a long time labour activist. Her life is now in immediate danger.

Sharifeh Mohammadi is a committed Iranian activist who has long been engaged in the struggle for workers’ and women’s rights. In July 2024, after a 30 minute trial in the previous month, she was sentenced to death by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of “armed rebellion” and “propaganda against the state.” The authorities accused her of alleged ties to banned groups, particularly Komala, the Kurdistan Organization of the Communist Party of Iran.

Mohammadi has firmly denied these accusations. Her legal team emphasised that her work with workers’ organisations, including the ‘Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organisations’, was entirely lawful under international standards. These charges are widely seen as politically motivated — a means to suppress independent labour organising and silence critical voices. The regime is clearly unpopular, as shown in low turnouts in elections, and has faced both protests like the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in 2022/3 and, especially since 2017, a number of workers’ protests and strikes.

In October 2024, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned her death sentence and granted her a retrial. However, despite national and international pressure, the retrial in December 2024 found her guilty and in February 2025 the death sentence was reinstated. Now the Supreme Court has confirmed that decision — a dangerous signal not only for Mohammadi but for all political dissidents in Iran as the regime seeks to especially repress both protests and independent organising.

Sharifeh, a mother with a 14 year old son, and many others urgently need your solidarity and support. Public statements, political pressure, support for campaigns, and media engagement can all help save her life and bring global attention to the Iranian regime’s repression of activists. Every action counts.

Demand the lifting of death sentences on Sharifeh Mohammadi and other Iranian oppositionists
Free political and labour activist prisoners
For the right to freely organise trade unions and other bodies

Protests by all workers organisations, including factory organisations and local union branches, regional bodies and national trade unions can have an impact.

Please send protests to Iranian embassies and ask other union bodies to do the same.

Sharifeh Mohammadi’s family and leftist labour activists living abroad, have launched an international campaign since her detention, with pages on Telegram, Instagram, and X/Twitter:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/free_sharifeh_mohammadi/

Telegram: https://t.me/freesharife

X/Twitter: https://x.com/freeSharifeh

Copies of protests should be sent to [email protected] and also to the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organisations’ Telegram account https://t.me/komite_h

Recent reports:-

18 August 2025, Iran Wire: Iran’s Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi

18 August 2025, Radio Free Europe (US funded):

Iran’s Supreme Court Upholds Activist’s Second Death Sentence

19 August 2025, Center for Human Rights in Iran:

Death Sentence for Woman Labor Activist In Iran Re-Issued – Center for Human Rights in Iran

Background

Februart 2025 – Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/womens-rights-defender-resentenced-death

July 2024 – Human Rights Watch: Iran: Labor Activist Sentenced to Death | Human Rights Watch

Support Nigeria Solidarity

From Rob Williams NSSN Chair:-

At a recent international conference recently I had the privilege to meet Adaramoye Michael, National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign in Nigeria. Michael is one of the Nigerian activists facing trial for treason, which can carry the death penalty, for the ‘crime’ of protesting against bad governance and poverty. The trial of Michael and other defendants has been delayed repeatedly but is now set for 9 October, 2025. Please show your support by asking your branch to pass the Nigeria Solidarity motion that can be found here: Union Motion – Nigeria Solidarity, sending protest letters to the Nigerian High Commission (template here: Letter to Embassy on #EndBadGovernance Protestors Repression – Google Docs), donating to the campaign if possible, and taking solidarity photos in the days before 9 October.

Further details on www.NigeriaSolidarity.com/Events   

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

[email protected]

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==

Diary     

2025  

September

7 NSSN TUC Congress lobby & rally 1pm Brighton  

7 Burston strike school rally – 10am details