- Lobby TUC General Council – 9am Wednesday 22nd October at TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
In this week’s NSSN bulletin, we remind everyone that we are calling a lobby of the next meeting of the TUC General Council on Wednesday 22nd October to demand that the policy passed at TUC Congress earlier this month is implemented to call a national demo against Starmer’s cuts.
TUC Congress voted for motions from the TUC Disabled Workers Conference and Trades Councils Conference that set out a strategy to take on Starmer’s austerity offensive, specifically: “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 NSSN welcome that these motions were passed unanimously by Congress, and it is now official TUC policy to call a national Saturday demonstration. But the NSSN is now calling on union reps and members now to demand that the TUC name the date for this demonstration. The lobby of the TUC General Council is part of this campaign.
As NSSN Chair Rob Williams said in the NSSN Rally: The TUC should name the date. He called for it to be on Saturday 22nd November – just before the Budget on 26th November. Rob said that the bosses are lobbying Starmer’s Labour Government in their interests, the trade union movement must mobilise to put our demands forward – no to austerity, make the rich pay!
Consider taking this brief model motion to your next union meeting:-
- This union NEC/branch/union branch committee/trades council welcomes the unanimous vote at this year’s TUC Congress for the motions from the TUC Disabled Workers Conference and Trades Councils Conference.
- We fully support the demand in the motions: “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.”
- We welcome that this is now official TUC policy and call on our union NEC to demand that the TUC name the date for such a demonstration.
- We believe that Saturday 22nd November – just before the Budget on 26th November – would be an ideal day for this demonstration to demand no to austerity, make the rich pay!
Watch the videos of the NSSN rally speakers: Steve Gillan POA General Secretary, Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Mick Whelan ASLEF General Secretary, Ian Lawrence NAPO General Secretary, Steve Wright FBU General Secretary, Danny Taylor Unite striking binworker from Birmingham & Joel Mayfield Unite striking binworker from Sheffield, Paula Peters DPAC, Matt Webb Brighton & Hove Trades Union Council and Rob Williams NSSN Chair.
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- Thanks to one of our affiliated unions NAPO for allowing us to again have a stall at their AGM which takes place in Eastbourne from this Thursday.
Support the striking Birmingham binworkers!
The workers have been on indefinite strike since March 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 Labour government. Solidarity is even more essential as the council effectively threatens to fire and rehire the workers. In her speech, Sharon exposed Starmer’s government for not just maintaining Tory ‘fire and rehire’ but actually making changes to its original proposals to open the door to all councils to use this brutal method of cutting the wages of local authority workers.
There is huge support for the binworkers, both in Birmingham and throughout the trade union movement.
Birmingham bin worker blacklisting scandal rocks council (14 Oct) – Manager caught on camera telling agency workers council chiefs will ban them from jobs if they refuse to cross picket lines. Birmingham council has been rocked by a blacklisting scandal after a manager was caught on camera telling agency staff that council chiefs had told him workers will be banned from permanent roles if they refuse to cross picket lines. A growing number of agency staff are refusing to cross the picket lines of striking Birmingham bin workers due to unsustainable workloads and the toxic and bullying workplace culture at the council’s refuse department. In the recording at the Atlas depot last Thursday, Job and Talent manager Mark Asson says: “Now I’ve spoken to Chris (Smiles), I’ve spoken to Rob Edmondson, and I think, you know categorically the council are not going to employ anybody that they don’t want to employ. “So those people that do decide to join the picket line, then the council have confirmed to us that they are not going to get a permanent job.” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Blacklisting workers for union activities is despicable. Those who do it are breaking the law and must be held to account read more
Birmingham bin agency staff refusing to cross picket lines due to ‘toxic workplace culture’ (8 Oct) – A growing number of agency staff are refusing to cross the picket lines of striking Birmingham bin workers due to the toxic workplace culture at the council’s refuse department. Around 15 agency workers, employed by Job & Talent on behalf of the council, today refused to cross the picket line at various depots. Unite believes this number will continue to grow due to agency staff being threatened by managers with disciplinary action and losing their jobs, to pressure them into meeting unsustainable workloads. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is no surprise that more and more agency workers are refusing to cross the picket lines due to the toxic culture within the waste department. This is the same council that thinks it is acceptable to fire and rehire bin workers, imposing pay cuts of up to £8,000. Unite supports all Birmingham bin workers – whether they are employed by the council or an agency. The strikes will not stop until a fair deal is reached.” Workloads are unsustainable because there are no recycling or garden waste collections, meaning that all refuse ends up in a single bin, which is often extremely heavy and overflowing. An agency worker, who is remaining anonymous to avoid repercussions from his employer Job & Talent, said: “I have been an agency worker on the bins for nine years and have never been considered for a full-time job. “Me and my colleagues in the last two months have been bullied and victimised and constantly put under pressure to complete our rounds and undertake extra work or face the threat of a disciplinary or the sack. The morale amongst the agency staff is at an all-time low due to the constant bullying from the agency and the managers.” Birmingham bin workers have been on strike since January over effective fire and rehire cuts of up to £8,000 and recently voted to continue industrial action until March next year. Cash strapped Birmingham council is paying millions extra to operate partial refuse collections during the strikes even though it would cost a fraction of the amount spent to resolve the dispute and resume a full waste and recycling serviceread 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
Unite intensifies strike action at Veolia in battle for members pay and conditions (18 Sept) – New ballot approves continuation of indefinite strike action at Sheffield waste company. The fight for workers’ rights, pay and conditions is continuing in Sheffield as workers employed by Veolia on the city council’s refuse contract have overwhelmingly voted to continue their year-long strike in their fight for recognition, pay and conditions. Unite members at the Lumley Street waste depot have voted by 90 per cent to continue their strike action which began in August 2024. Workers are furious that Veolia has continued to deny their basic democratic right to have their union recognised. Additionally, workers are demanding improved pay and conditions – something that has been neglected in recent years. This includes harmonisation of contractual conditions, so that workers doing the same job are not on inferior contracts to workmates, improvements to sick pay and ensuring that pay for 2026 takes inflation fully into account…Unite has submitted a pay claim but Veolia has refused to negotiate 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, which is now over 200 days long.
The results of the NHS phlebotomists in Gloucestershire Hospitals industrial action ballot returned a 100% YES vote, with a turnout of 100%.
Picketing and plan of action for week 31:
- Monday 13th: Joint picket at Gloucester Royal Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
- Tuesday 14th: Joint picket at Cheltenham General Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
- Wednesday 15th: No picket. Meeting at the Redwood Education Centre at Gloucester Royal Hospital.
- Thursday 16th: Joint picket at Cheltenham General Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
- Friday 17th: Relaxed picket at both sites.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
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.
- Tower Hamlets Unity Demo: keep UKIP out of Whitechapel – Saturday 25th October, 12noon opposite Whitechapel tube station
SpyCops – join the protest this Friday
On Friday 17 October at 9am, the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance will hold a protest outside the Inquiry at the International Dispute Resolution Centre, St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 7BQ read more on COPS website
Spycops inquiry condemned as “fundamentally flawed” in statement by blacklisted workers – The SpyCops public inquiry that restarts evidence hearings this week is described as “fundamentally flawed” by the Blacklist Support Group (BSG). The comments appear in an opening statement for the inquiry’s Tranche 3 hearings. The statement opens with a section stating:
“Undercover police officers infiltrated and spied on trade unions. SDS reported on union meetings, union activists, union campaigns, and industrial disputes. For decades, police and security service records were used to blacklist trade union and leftwing political activists from employment. Through official and unofficial routes, the police intelligence was disseminated to government departments, major private sector employers and the unlawful blacklisting bodies; the Economic League and the Consulting Association”. The statement goes onto catalogue 10 years of missed opportunities and broken promises in relation to blacklisting, including highlighting how intelligence gathered by undercover police is used to provide state organised vetting for employers known as ‘List X companies’. One section of the statement reads: “The failure to fully investigate blacklisting is either a remarkable lack of curiosity, or an intentional self-imposed restriction of the Inquiry’s terms of reference. Either way it is against the public interest and is a failure to fulfil the Inquiry’s terms of reference as laid out by Parliament”.
BSG’s opening statement is published on the inquiry’s website as part of the submission by Imran Khan KC, who also represents Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE, Suresh Grover and the Monitoring Group. Full statement in link below – BSG section starts at page 35.
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/blacklistSG/
blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog
Solidarity with the People of Turkey Annual Conference: ‘Has Turkey waved goodbye to democracy?’ – Saturday 25th October 10.30am-3pm NEU Office, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD
Union News
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RMT
RMT to ballot Eurostar staff for strike action (13 Oct) – Rail union RMT, will ballot Eurostar members for strike action in a row over safety and conditions at work. The ballot comes as staff face worsening working conditions with unreliable trains, poor service recovery and operational safety concerns piling pressure on the workforce. Eurostar posted revenues of €2 billion (£1.7bn) in 2024. However staff say that money is not being invested in improving fleet reliability or ensuring safe and secure conditions at stations read more
RMT welcomes Greater Anglia into public ownership (11 Oct) – Rail union RMT, has welcomed Greater Anglia returning to public ownership this Sunday and hailed a breakthrough agreement with the company that brings previously outsourced staff back in-house. RMT said a deal on insourcing workers was done through negotiations with the company prior to it being bought back into public ownership and provides a blueprint for Great British Railways (GBR) to embrace going forward. Prior to the general election, Labour said they would undertake the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation read more
RMT welcomes Mayor’s call to pause visa changes affecting rail workers (9 Oct) – Transport union RMT today welcomed the intervention by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in calling for an urgent pause to damaging government changes to the Skilled Worker visa scheme which threaten the jobs of hundreds of mainline rail and Tube workers in the capital. The Mayor has urged Ministers to introduce transitional protections for existing workers already in post and to delay implementation of the reforms until the Migration Advisory Committee completes its review of shortage occupations. The move follows campaigning by RMT, which has been pressing City Hall to act in defence of Transport for London workers facing the loss of their jobs and right to remain in the UK due to the government’s removal of key roles, including Rail Travel Assistant, from the Skilled Worker visa list. In Mayor Question Time today, Sadiq Khan confirmed he has called for protections for workers already in role before the reforms were announced read more
RMT demo against unfair work visa changes – Event date: Wednesday, 15th of October ’25 – Following the demonstration outside the Home Office last month, we are now taking our campaign directly to Parliament and holding a demonstration on Wednesday 15th October at 1pm outside Parliament at Old Palace Yard, SW1P 3JY. The Union will be continuing to demand full protections for our members who are impacted by these unjust changes.
Eddie Dempsey RMT General Secretary read more
Carlisle support services strike continues for second day on Northern contract (8 Oct) – RMT members working for Carlisle Support Services on the Northern Trains’ revenue and gateline contract are taking their second day of strike action today. The strike follows widespread reports of bullying and harassment by managers, including attempts to pressure staff into breaking the strike, denying extra hours to union members, and forcing redeployments at short notice to remote locations read more
RMT calls for halt on £700m Tube cleaning contract tender (3 Oct) – RMT calls for halt on £700m Tube cleaning contract tender after legal advice reveals Mayor may have been misled. Tube union, RMT has written to the Mayor of London and members of the TfL Board demanding the immediate suspension of the procurement process for the pan-TfL cleaning contract. The call comes after the union obtained legal advice from Michael Ford KC, which raises serious concerns about the advice given to the Mayor by senior TfL executives. In the letter, RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey wrote: “I am concerned that the Mayor may have been misled as to his options in relation to the future of the pan TfL cleaning contract.” RMT had been in formal discussions with TfL over a possible insourcing of the cleaning contract, following the Mayor’s instruction in October 2024. However, the process was delayed by TfL and only began in June 2025 which is four months late. Only two meetings were held before RMT was told in August that the review would not continue read more
Manchester synagogue attack statement (2 Oct)
RMT backs Labour commitment to offshore jobs (1 Oct) – RMT today welcomed Labour’s commitment to legislate for more and better jobs in the offshore supply chain. Labour Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Party delegates meeting in Liverpool that the government planned to introduce a new Fair Work Charter that would close loopholes and ensure fair wages and trade union rights in the offshore sector. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the union had been campaigning for many years to expose this void in legislation which had actively encouraged exploitative practices in supply chains and made it uncompetitive for local seafarers to gain employment read more
Pay update: 3 year deal offered (29 Sept) – RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2025 – LONDON UNDERGROUND. Talks have taken place with LUL this morning and management clarified the following points during the meeting:
- A base pay increase of 3.4% for 2025
- There was no movement on our demand for LUL to deliver the 2023 commitment to negotiate the extension of Priv travel. LUL is still in discussions with the Rail Staff Travel Committee. LUL management also confirmed they had not set aside a budget for the delivery of this commitment.
- Management have not addressed the issue of reviewing Spot Salaries to our satisfaction.
- In regard to business rules and our demand that every single member receives the full negotiated pay rise. Management stated “no one is to be disadvantaged”, but without clarity about our demand that everyone gets the negotiated pay award.
- Management confirmed they are not considering our demand for an underpin to be included.
- The new offer is a three year offer with a 3.4% increase in year one (as above) and a flat RPI increase with no other improvements in years two and three.
Your National Executive Committee will now discuss this matter and a Reps meeting is likely to be called. Please speak to your Rep to provide your views and feedback ahead of this meeting read more
RMT explains tube strike to BBC News (6 Sept) – RMT Regional Organiser Jared Wood has appeared on BBC London News to discuss our dispute read more
RMT to ballot Wightlink workers for strike action over jobs and safety (26 Sept) – Maritime union RMT, is balloting members at cross-Solent ferry operator Wightlink after the company tabled “efficiency” plans that threaten 160 jobs and undermine safety on board. The company wants to cut Deck Officer and Port Operator grades, close overnight onboard retail, and reduce crewing levels across vessels. RMT says these plans will strip out safety-critical roles, downgrade services, and pile pressure on loyal staff who have kept ferries running. Although management has now offered limited reassurances, the union says the scattergun nature of the changes still represents a serious attack on jobs and conditions. Ballot papers will be issued from Wednesday 1 October, with the vote closing on Tuesday 14 October. Members will be asked to back strike action and action short of strike read more
Strike ballot at First South West after poor pay offer (20 Sept) – Bus workers at First South West in Somerset and Cornwall will be balloted for strike action after the company refused to improve a penny-pinching pay offer. The company has made an offer which would see bus workers hourly pay rise by just 58p an hour. The offer includes no improvements to working conditions and has already been rejected by union members in a previous round of talks. RMT wants to see bus workers move closer to their modest goal of £15 an hour, in line with what other bus companies are paying across the South West. But First South West has so far refused to improve its offer. First South West is part of FirstGroup, whose bus division made £96 million in profit last year, with the group overall reporting profits of £223 million and increasing dividends to shareholders read more
Tube cleaners threaten strike action over wages and sick pay (4 Sept) – RMT has declared a formal dispute with outsourcing giant ABM after the company failed to improve on its derisory offer to cleaners working on the London Underground cleaning contract. Despite repeated calls for a fair pay settlement, ABM management have refused to go beyond the statutory London Living Wage uplift and have made no offer whatsoever on sick pay, leaving cleaners with no protection when they fall ill. Unless the company comes back to the table with a serious offer, RMT will move to ballot its members across the Underground cleaning contract for strike action. The potential strike comes against the backdrop of Mayor Sadiq Khan previously calling on TfL to assess its ability to bring cleaning services back in-house, improve sick pay and urging the government to fully implement Labour’s “New Deal for Working People,” which pledges the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation 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
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
ASLEF
Train drivers strike in protest at witch hunt as company marks 25 years (25 Sept) – Train drivers who are members of ASLEF will strike on Friday 26th September in protest as the company celebrates 25 years in business. The open access operator, which is owned by FirstGroup – the rail and bus giant which also owns Avanti West Coast, Great Western, Lumo and London Tramlink – has unfairly sacked a driver with a completely clean safety record, who has done nothing wrong, in what has been described as a ‘witch hunt by management’. The action will force the company to slash services on the East Coast main line between London and the north read more
Train drivers to strike on CrossCountry (9 Sept) – Train drivers at CrossCountry will walk out on strike on Friday 3rd October and refuse to work non-contractual overtime from Sunday 21st September over the company’s persistent refusal to adhere to negotiated agreements read more
Rally for striking Hull Trains drivers (29 Aug) – from ASLEF Facebook page: Our solidarity rally started this morning with ASLEF Hull Trains Lead Officer Nigel Roebuck addressing those gathered to show solidarity. we also heard from David Pike, TUC North East, Yorkshire & Humber Regional Secretary, GMB officer Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Wooley, FBU President Ian Murray who also informed us that the FBU have donated £2,000 to the strike fund and NEU Executive Member Hannah Scott.
ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan closed the rally
“‘Thank you for coming today to show your support for a driver who has been sacked for doing nothing wrong. He is the victim of a witch hunt. He has a completely clean safety of the line record. The company are liars and have lied throughout this dispute. They think we will go away. Today shows that we are right and they are wrong”.
Thank you for your show of solidarity today don’t forget you can Support our members by telling Hull Trains to stop their attacks on union members via the following link https://actionnetwork.org/letters/write-to-hull-trains
#HullTrainsStrike
TSSA
TSSA Statement on Manchester Synagogue Attack (3 Oct)
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
Unite
Lindsey Oil refinery rally to stop jobs exodus as a result of failed government net zero plans (13 Oct) – Hundreds of workers, their families and members of the local community, will gather outside Lindsey Oil refinery in Immingham on Wednesday to demand that the government keeps its promise to preserve jobs and production at the site.
When: 11:00hrs Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Where: East Road, Immingham, DN40 3LW read more
Manchester Bee Network bus strikes suspended as workers vote on new pay deal (10 Oct) – Industrial action due to take place from today (10 October) by almost 2,000 bus drivers working for Manchester’s Bee Network has been called off. The drivers, members of Unite were due to walk out today, tomorrow (11 October) and Monday (13 October) in a dispute about pay. However, this has been called off after the companies they work for, Metroline and Stagecoach, came back with a new pay offer…Metroline and Stagecoach are both part of Manchester’s integrated Bee Network transport system. Pending the outcome of the ballot, further strikes by the drivers on 18, 23 and 24 October could still go ahead read more
Birkenhead, Chorley and Preston bus strikes off after inflation busting pay victory (3 Oct) – Strikes by around 500 bus drivers in Birkenhead, Chorley and Preston have been called off after the workers secured a huge pay victory. Birkenhead drivers will see their pay increase by 10.2 per cent over two years – increasing from £14.94 an hour to £16.50. Preston and Chorley workers will receive a 6.4 per cent increase over one year, with wages increasing from £15.50 to £16.50. All strike action has now been called off after the workers voted in favour of accepting the deals read more
First Manchester strikes called off after ‘exceptional’ pay deal won (3 Oct) – Strikes by drivers working for First Bus in Greater Manchester have been called off after Unite members voted to accept a much-improved pay deal worth 20 per cent. The two-year deal will see members who were on £15 per hour for all days worked go up to £16 immediately backdated to 1 April 2025. Then from October, this will rise again to £16.50 followed by further increments in Jan 2026 to £17 Monday to Friday, £18 Saturday and £19 Sunday. They will then receive a further increase in April 2026 to £18 for working Monday to Friday, £19 for Saturday and £20 for Sunday working. This is a 20 per cent pay rise on working weekdays within six months and goes a long way to addressing the fact that these workers were the lowest paid drivers in the region read more
Builders’ Budget bonanza will see profit-per-apartment top €70,000 (10 Oct) – Viability” euphemism for “super-profitability” as builder tax breaks cost workers over half billion Euro. Trade union Unite, which represents construction workers throughout Ireland, today (Friday) said that the goodie-bag of VAT cuts and corporation tax sweeteners for big builders unveiled in Tuesday’s Budget will see profits-per-apartment top €70,000 read more
Thousands of easyJet workers secure bumper pay deal (9 Oct) – Thousands of Unite members at low-cost airline easyJet have secured an ‘excellent’ two-year pay deal following negotiations between the union and the company. Workers will get a two-year four-month deal linked to retail price index inflationary measure (RPI). From November 1 workers will receive a pay rise ranging from five per cent to 21.58 per cent on basic salary to reward their length of service. The second year will see the employees’ basic salary rise again by RPI (forecasted 3.7 per cent at the time of negotiation) plus one per cent. The compounded increase on basic salary over the length of this pay deal is expected to range from 9.93 per cent for those with 0 to 2 years’ service to a huge 27.29 per cent for those who reach 30 years’ service. Variable elements of pay will keep up with the cost of living through increases linked to RPI. Staff who will get the pay rise include cabin crew, cabin managers and cabin crew trainers read more
Bournemouth Airport strike called off as workers given improved offer (9 Oct) – Strikes at Bournemouth Airport have been called off, after workers accepted an improved offer from the employer. Around 80 members of Unite, who work in different areas of the airport including baggage handling, check-in, flight dispatching and plane fuelling were due to walk out in a dispute about pay this month. However, strikes – which would have been highly disruptive – will not go ahead as workers have voted to accept a better, two-year pay deal. In year one, they will receive a 4.5 per cent salary uplift, plus a £1 per hour enhancement for workers classed as front of house staff, such as security and check in, for hours worked between 03:00 and 06:00 backdated to 1 April. In year two they will receive a pay rise of inflation plus 0.5 per cent, or 3.1 per cent, based on whichever is the greater based on the inflation rate on January 2026. This will be paid on 1 April 2026 read more
Sheffield Wednesday workers take action at multimillionaire owner’s failure to pay wages (9 Oct) – Non-football staff joining Unite to challenge ‘disgusting behaviour’ of owner Dejphon Chansiri. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has mobilised against Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri for his repeated failure to pay the club’s non-football staff their full wages. Membership of Unite has rocketed at the club in recent weeks due to ongoing issues over unpaid wages read more
Unite launches recognition campaign as Milk & More derecognises unions in escalating row (9 Oct) – New owners linked to Nijjar Group accused of silencing workers’ voices. Unite, the UK and Ireland’s leading trade union, has launched a new recognition campaign at a leading food and drink company after a sudden deterioration of industrial relations. Milk & More, one of the UK’s biggest doorstep delivery services, has drawn widespread criticism after formally moving to derecognise Unite and fellow union Usdaw, cutting off formal representation for its workforce and ending decades of collective bargaining. Milk & More trades as MoreCo Group Limited, which is now owned by the same individuals who control the Nijjar Group Freshway Holdings Limited — a web of connected companies known for aggressive cost-cutting and a lack of transparency over labour relations read more
Gatwick taxi drivers protest at Uber swerving licensing laws and crippling trade (8 Oct) – Protest launches major Unite campaign targeting Gatwick and Uber for undercutting local drivers. Gatwick taxi drivers will stage a protest at the airport tomorrow over Uber’s swerving of licensing laws that is crippling local trade, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today read more
Strikes loom at Leonardo as workers vote to walk out over pay (8 Oct) – Unite urging employer to return to negotiating table with improved offer. Workers are set to walk out in strike action over pay at world-leading defence and aerospace manufacturer Leonardo after the company refused to improve its pay offer. Nearly 3,000 members of the Unite union are demanding the company returns to the negotiating table and makes an improved pay offer. They voted overwhelmingly for strike action which will take place later this autumn unless Leonardo meets their demands… Workers at sites in Yeovil, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Luton and Basildon were balloted for industrial action after rejecting a pay offer of 3.2 per cent (a real terms pay cut) from the employer. All four sites returned ballots overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action read more
UK Govt must protect domestic steel following new tariff threat, Unite (8 Oct) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, which represents thousands of steel workers, is calling for radical action to protect the steel industry following the latest threat of tariffs on UK steel, from the European Union read more
Budget 2026: Employers take up residence in Government Buildings (7 Oct) – Workers pay for business tax breaks as government fails to index tax bands. Housing crisis will not be solved by patchwork of subsidies and tax giveaways. Responding to Budget 2026, trade union Unite warned today that many workers will be running to stand still following the government’s decision to focus on tax breaks for builders and burger chains rather than inflation-proofing income tax bands at a time when workers are facing an ongoing cost-of-living crisis read more
Health and social care workers in Northern Ireland in strike ballot (7 Oct) – Unite to ballot members following failure of department of health to deliver pay parity and safe staffing. Unite is to ballot over 4,500 workers in Northern Ireland’s health and social care system, for industrial action. This follows the failure of the department of health to deliver on pay parity and safe staffing. The union has members among professional and technical staff, including porters, as well as among paramedics in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service read more
Leicester Citybus strikes averted as drivers get bumper pay deal (7 Oct) – Strikes by almost 200 drivers working for Leicester Citybus have been averted after they secured a vastly improved pay deal. The drivers, members of Unite – the leading union representing workers in passenger transport – had initially been offered a 3.5 per cent one-year deal by their employer. However, after beginning the legal dispute process, they have now voted to accept a much better pay rise. Workers will get a 4.3 per cent increase over year one, backdated to April 1, there will then be several further increases and in total workers will receive 10.45 per cent over a 16-month period… As well as the improved pay offer, drivers at Leicester Citybus will see a significant improvement to the current sick pay scheme criteria read more
Disruption to London police as workers ballot for strikes on pay (7 Oct) – There is set to be major disruption to Metropolitan Police services on Fireworks Night – one of the busiest days of the year for the UK’s biggest force. Over 140 Unite members are currently being balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay, with the plan to walk out on 5 November. Unite members involved in the dispute work for Met CC as call centre staff who take calls when the general public report crimes, and also within the Met’s fleet services as technicians and office staff servicing and dispatching vehicles such as police cars and motorbikes read more
Norwich Eaton Park Café becomes first hospitality venue in city to unionise (7 Oct) – Norwich’s popular Eaton Park Café has become the first ever hospitality venue in the city to sign an agreement recognising its workers’ chosen union. The voluntary recognition agreement was signed by Unite, the UK’s leading union, and Eaton Park Café last week. It sets out negotiating structures for issues such as pay, terms and conditions and dispute procedures read more
Imperial College pay strikes to hit first week of teaching and graduation day (6 Oct) – Teaching and support staff angry at insulting pay offer from UK’s top university with total income of £1.3 billion. Imperial College teaching and non-teaching staff will strike over pay from tomorrow, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Strikes will also take place during Imperial College’s autumn graduation day this Wednesday, which thousands of students will be attending. Around 1,200 workers, including members of Unite and staff belonging to other recognised unions, are striking over a two per cent pay increase imposed by Imperial. It is a substantial real terms pay cut given that the latest RPI inflation stands at 4.6 per cent read more
Wirral council Biffa bin workers in Unite secure 5% pay win (3 Oct) – Around 200 Biffa bin workers employed on behalf of Wirral council are celebrating a pay uplift of 4.99 per cent secured by Unite, the UK’s leading union. Following intensive negotiations between Unite and Biffa, the workers voted in favour of the deal, which was reached without the need for industrial action read more
Strikes escalate at Sellafield over continued silence from the employers (3 Oct) – Workers demanding site-specific allowances for specialist skills. Unite, the UK’s leading union, that represents over 1,500 construction workers at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, has confirmed that its members are taking further strike action over the refusal to accept proposals for additional Sellafield-specific allowances. Further industrial action will begin on 4 October and continue until 13 October. Previous action this autumn has resulted in severe disruption at the site across disciplines including electricians, joiners, pipe-fitters, riggers, welders, groundworkers. Other nuclear projects such as Hinkley Point C offer pay premiums that Sellafield employers have refused to match. In addition to the strike action, a continuous overtime ban comes into place on 14 October that will see workers refuse to conduct additional work outside their recognised hours – something that is currently common practice due to under-staffing read more
Collins Aerospace workers vote to accept 10 per cent pay deal and end pay dispute (2 Oct) – Five-day strike action is called off after workers vote to accept 28-month pay deal. Unite has confirmed that its members in the workforce of Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel have voted to accept a significantly improved pay offer and end their pay dispute. The improved offer was made by management in negotiations on the eve of a planned five-day strike action and followed a one-day strike last week. Workers will receive 10 per cent in three stages over 28 months – a first payment of 5 per cent backdated to the beginning of March 2025, a second payment of 4.2 per cent paid at the beginning of March 2026 and 0.8 per cent paid from the beginning of December 2026. The deal provides a fully consolidated 10.3 per cent over the 28-month period read more
Unite: Tesco making huge profits as workers and families struggle (2 Oct) – Responding to Tesco’s half-year results, released today (2 October), Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “As millions of workers struggle to put food on the table, Tesco is raking in huge amounts of cash and paying out whopping dividends to shareholders…” read more
More strike dates called in pay dispute at James Walker in Cockermouth (2 Oct) – Industrial action by 250 Unite members at James Walker and Co in Cockermouth, Cumbria will escalate in an ongoing pay dispute. Workers will now walk out 15 to 17 October and 22 to 24 October after the firm did not budge on its below-inflation offer of 3 per cent despite repeated attempts at negotiation by Unite. James Walker and Co is a privately owned global industrial business, which supplies high-performance fluid sealing products to virtually every industry sector. The group made £12m in profit last year while this site alone made a £1.2m profit read more
Bristol bus drivers at First West of England win improved pay offer (1 Oct) – Strikes by 600 bus drivers at First West of England over the next two weeks have been called off after the workers accepted a new pay deal. They will receive an increase from £16 an hour to £16.50 backdated to 1 April. This goes up to £17 an hour backdated to 28 September then workers will have another rise to £17.40 an hour from 1 April 2025. This works out as an 8.6 per cent pay increase over two years. A major source of contention throughout the pay dispute was First West of England not committing to paying drivers backpay. To address this, workers at the City Line will get £250 non-consolidated backpay and their rest day working has gone up by 50p to £1.51 per hour. Drivers at the City Line had previously walked out from 19 to 22 September, causing mass disruption to inner city services in Bristol read more
Sussex bus strikes in Brighton and Crawley off as workers win new pay award (1 Oct) – Planned industrial action now cancelled after company improves offer. Wider concerns over management practices to be challenged. Planned strikes by over a thousand bus workers have been cancelled after workers voted to accept a new pay deal. Brighton Bus Company, which runs services both in Brighton and in Crawley, put forward a new and improved offer after Unite members had voted for strike action that was due to take place on 6 and 13 October. Workers will now receive an overall pay offer of 5.2 per cent. Additionally, the Copthorne depot who were on a lower hourly rate and did not receive sick pay have accepted a 7 per cent pay rise including the backdated element with sick pay payable at 67 per cent of their rate of pay read more
Facilities staff at London mental health centre escalate strike action over pay (29 Sept) – Workers in Newham take to picket line again over pay as workplace relations breakdown. Dozens of staff that keep a London mental health facility in a fit and proper state are striking again this month over a failure by their employer to pay decent wages. Unite members at the Newham Centre for Mental Health are striking from today (29 September) until 12 October 2025 due to their anger over pay and conditions. Workers are employed by a private sector outsourcing company, Grosvenor Facilities Management (GFM) despite working in an NHS hospital. They are not paid on NHS pay-scales and earn less than colleagues directly employed by the NHS doing the same facilities roles such as chefs, domestic assistants, porters and maintenance. They have already taken industrial action earlier this autumn and GFM is refusing to negotiate over a reasonable pay deal. The central demand is that staff are paid the same as their NHS equivalent, a proper sick pay policy is introduced and that the company recognises Unite for collective bargaining. These issues were first raised with GFM in December 2024. After two initial meetings, GFM ceased responding to Unite in March 2025. Due to this silence, Unite members determined to improve their pay and conditions and voted unanimously for strike action read more
How You Can Support the Newham strike:-
- Donate to the strike fund: https://gofund.me/5a1a59672
- Model Motion: Solidarity with outsourced NHS workers at Newham Centre for Mental Health – Outsourced workers at Newham Centre for Mental Health are on strike demanding NHS equivalent pay, terms and conditions and union recognition. The domestics, chefs, porters, reception and maintenance workers are some of the lowest paid in London’s NHS. Their employer GFM provides “facilities management” services as part of a 30 year Private Finance Initiative contract worth over £213 million. While GFM and their PFI associates extract multi million pound profits from the NHS, the workers who actually run and maintain the hospital are paid poverty wages and denied basic rights like occupational sick pay and unsocial hours payments. GFM’s denial of occupational sick pay not only disadvantages individual workers but undermines hospital safety by driving sick and infectious workers into work. We resolve to support the GFM workers by making a donation of £___ to their strike fund. We demand the NHS is returned to full public ownership with outsourced workers brought back in-house on NHS pay, terms and conditions.We will send a solidarity message to the striking workers and publicise the GFM workers campaign to our members.
- Donations to strike fund can be made by bank transfer to the ELFT Unite branch LE7113/L. Contact [email protected] for details
West London bus strikes to escalate as workers walk out (25 Sept) – Drivers, engineers and storemen to walk out over below inflation offer. Over 350 workers employed by London Transit bus company in West London are to take further strike action after rejecting the company’s latest pay offer. Workers have already walked out for two days earlier this autumn and are now heading to the picket line on Friday 26 September and Monday 29 September. Drivers, engineers and storemen based at the Westbourne Park depot are furious at the below inflation pay offer they have received from their employer, First Bus read more
BAE Systems professional staff in Lancashire balloted over strike action (24 Sept) – Unite members furious over real-terms pay cut. Worse deal than offered to shop floor workers. Thousands of aerospace engineers at the world-leading defence company BAE Systems could take strike action this autumn over pay. Over 5000 members of the Unite union based at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire are in dispute, and specific groups will be balloted after rejecting the latest pay offer from the company. They were offered just 3.6 per cent, which is below the rate of inflation and represents a real terms pay cut. It is also below a pay offer made and accepted by BAE Systems shop floor colleagues, who received 4.5 per cent and an additional day of annual leave…Highly skilled workers are furious at this and will now be balloted on strike action. The ballot will open on 1 October and close on 22 October. If workers vote for industrial action strikes could begin later this autumn read more
Strikes to hit Birmingham textiles company (24 Sept) – Workers at Johnson Workwear to walk out over real-terms pay cut. Over 50 Birmingham workers at leading workwear supplier, Johnsons, are taking strike action over the company’s latest pay offer. Members of the Unite union, Britain’s leading trade union, are furious at being offered just 2.8 per cent and overwhelmingly rejected this real terms pay cut. With inflation currently at 4.6 per cent, this offer would worsen the cost-of-living crisis where housing, food and utility prices are rising faster than wages. Johnson are the leading supplier of work wear and protective wear in the UK and provide luxury linen services to hotels, restaurants and the hospitality industry, are a hugely profitable company. Its latest accounts show profits of over £63 million. Strikes are taking place on 26 September, 3 October, 10 October and 17 October 2025. There is also a ban on all overtime that came into place on 18 September. Staff on the factory floor currently earn just £12.38 per hour, just 17 per cent an hour above the national minimum wage read more
A9 set for travel disruption as road maintenance workers back industrial action (19 Sept) – Union highlights Inverness based Bear Scotland low pay levels. Unite the union can confirm that major roads including the A9 trunk road from Perth to Inverness are set for travel disruption after maintenance workers overwhelmingly backed industrial action. The dispute centres on low pay for dozens of Bear Scotland workers based in Inverness who are key to the maintenance and safety of major roads in central Scotland and the highlands including the A9, particularly during the imminent bad weather during autumn and winter. Bear Scotland employees have rejected a pay offer which takes the lowest hourly pay band up from £12 an hour to £12.75. The pay offer to other key grades rises by only one pound per hour including the highest grade from £13.25 to £14.25. Unite says that similar maintenance workers at other local companies are paying up to £16.00 per hour read more
Strike ballot at ABP meats in Craigavon (18 Sept) – Workers to be balloted after management fails to agree meat packers cost of living pay claim. Unite has notified Anglo Beef Processors UK (ABP) of a forthcoming strike ballot at the company’s Craigavon plant. The ballot will open on Thursday 25 September and closes on Tuesday 13 October. Unite represents more than 150 meat packers, trimmers, distribution, kill line and boning workers on the site. Unite is seeking a cost-of-living pay increase for its members who are paid a piece rate. Management have offered 3.2 per cent to the workforce with a one-off cash payment of £100 – a real-terms pay cut. This offer was overwhelmingly rejected by workers read more
Ambulance outsourcing dispute: Unite to ballot for industrial action (14 Sept) – Unite, which represents members working for the National Ambulance Service (NAS), today (Sunday) announced that it will be balloting members nationwide for industrial action following the unilateral decision to outsource inter-hospital ambulance transfers in the Greater Dublin area to a private operator. Earlier this week it emerged that NAS management had initiated a tendering process without consulting the relevant unions. This follows recent proposals, rejected by unions, to reduce minimum paramedic crewing levels in emergency ambulances read more
Tarmac strike in Derbyshire suspended as workers vote on new pay offer (11 Sept) – A strike next week at Tarmac’s Alfreton Blocks Plant in Derbyshire has been suspended after the company put forward an improved pay offer. Over 30 Unite members at the plant, who include maintenance workers, quality technicians and fitters who make aerated concrete blocks for construction projects and pack them on the production line, were set to walk out on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 September then Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 September. They had overwhelmingly voted to reject a pay offer of four per cent, which workers do not believe goes far enough to address years of low pay. However, next week’s strike action has been suspended to allow workers to vote on the new deal…Depending on the outcome of this ballot, the following week’s industrial action could still go ahead read more
Gatwick immigration services workers ballot for strike action over poverty pay (10 Sept) – OCS workers face abuse, physically gruelling shifts assisting UK Border Force staff. Gatwick immigration services workers are being balloted for strike action over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The OCS workers, who earn little more than the minimum wage, are demanding a pay rise that reflects the demanding nature of the job and the rising cost of living. The workers provide support to the UK Border Force at the airport’s immigration gates. During gruelling 12-hour shifts, they are not allowed to sit down, face regular abuse from arriving passengers and only receive a half hour paid break…The ballot for industrial action will run until 22 September. Strikes would cause disruption to immigration services at Gatwick read more
Home counties bus chaos as Arriva workers walk out (5 Sept) – Staff at garages in Beds, Bucks and Herts to strike over pay. Over 800 bus drivers, engineers, cleaners and shunters across the South-East of England are taking strike action over derisory pay offers. Members of the Unite union, Britain’s leading transport union, are walking out after their employer, Arriva, failed to make a decent pay offer. They are now set to strike for 16 days across September and October. The dispute covers workers across Arriva the Shires and Arriva Kent Thameside across five depots. These are Luton, Milton Keynes, (both the Arriva The Shires) and Stevenage, Ware and Hemel Hempstead (Arriva Kent Thameside). At the Shires, around 50 routes a day operate out of Milton Keynes and Luton while Kent Thameside operates approximately 30 routes a day out of Hemel Hempstead, Ware and Stevenage…Strikes are to take place on the following dates: Tuesday 23 September – Friday 26 September, Wednesday 1 October – Saturday 4 October, Thursday 9 October – Sunday 12 October, Tuesday 14 October – Friday 17 October read more
Unite announces SQA industrial action ballot as pay dispute escalates (5 Sept) – Pay increase five months overdue to hundreds of workers. Unite can confirm today (Friday 5 September) that around 400 members at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) are being balloted on industrial action in an escalating dispute over pay. The pay dispute centres on the SQA’s pay offer of three per cent for 2025 just as the broader cost of inflation hit 4.8 per cent in July. Unite is highlighting that any pay increase for the workforce is now five months overdue as it was expected to take effect on 1 April. The union held a consultative ballot of its membership on the pay offer which indicated 97 per cent wanted to be balloted on industrial action if no movement was made by the SQA on the pay offer…The ballot on industrial action opens on Friday 5 September and closes on Thursday 25 September read more
Altrad offshore contractors to be balloted on strike action (2 Sept) – Oil platforms Magnus and Thistle Alpha owned by EnQuest. Unite the union can confirm an industrial action ballot for Altrad offshore contractors working on the Magnus and Thistle Alpha platforms operated by EnQuest opens today (3 September). The pay dispute is based on Altrad Employment Services Limited reneging on a four per cent wage increase which is due to around 50 workers on the platforms effective from 1 January under the offshore Energy Services Agreement (ESA) read more
Unite accuses the SSPCA of worker ‘neglect’ over real terms pay cut (2 Sept) – Trade union cites years of ‘low pay’ while new executive earns bumper wage
Unite the union can confirm that around 140 members employed by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) are being balloted over strike action in a dispute over pay. SSPCA workers have emphatically rejected a two year pay offer which amounts to a significant real terms pay cut. In 2025, the offer on average amounts to around 1.6 per cent with some members having their pay frozen. A one-off payment has been tabled worth around two per cent. In 2026, only a two per cent offer has been tabled. The broader cost of inflation has just hit 4.8 per cent in July… The SSPCA has two main workplaces those being its headquarters in Dunfermline and at Cardonald, Glasgow. The ballot opens today (Wednesday 3 September) and closes on 17 September read more
National Grid and Scottish Power shortages of critical transformer oil due to strikes (27 Aug) – Ellesmere Port Electrical Oil Services workers striking over pay. Energy companies including the National Grid and Scottish Power have shortages of critical transformer oil due to pay strikes by Electrical Oil Services workers in Ellesmere Port. Electrical Oil Services, which supplies oil to lubricate, cool and insulate power company transformers, has informed its clients that stock is very low due to ongoing industrial action. Due to the crucial role the striking plant operators perform, stocks began to run out after just a few days of strike action that began last week and which is still underway… The workers took strike action from 18 August to the morning of 25 August, due to an inadequate pay offer. Further strikes began yesterday (26 August) and will last until 1 September. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Pathology staff across London to strike over pay and grading (26 Aug) – Major disruption at multiple hospitals as blood tests to cease. A&E services severely impacted. Pathology staff at laboratories across London are to take strike action over pay and grading it was announced today, severely impacting operations at seven London hospitals. Over 800 Unite members employed by Health Services Laboratory (and sister company The Doctors’ Laboratory) are taking three days of strike action on 3, 4 and 5 September. Staff at the HSL laboratories who conduct blood, skin, and tissue tests for two London healthcare trusts are furious over the lack of transparency in their grading. This means staff are often doing the work of more senior colleagues without being properly paid or doing the same job as other colleagues and being paid different rates. The privatised service, despite being a supplier to the NHS, does not adhere to NHS pay scales and staff earn less money than if they were directly employed by the NHS read more
Turners tanker drivers balloted on strike action in pay dispute (25 Aug) – Grangemouth based drivers deliver fuel for major aviation companies. Unite can confirm that Grangemouth based logistic drivers working for Turners (Soham) Limited are being balloted on strike action in an escalating pay dispute. The logistic drivers work on two contracts which provide fuel services for a number of major aviation companies. Turners has offered a miserly one per cent just as the broader cost of inflation hit 4.8 per cent in July. In its latest after tax profits, Turners recorded £51m for the year ending 2023. The union believes fuel supplies to major aviation companies including Jet 2, easyJet and Emirates operating at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle airports will be directly impacted if the drivers take industrial action following a successful ballot result 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
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
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
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
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
CWU
CWU LIVE – Royal Mail Pensions Deep Dive (9 Oct) – This week we look at one of the biggest benefits of your employment – your pension. Despite all the changes over the years, the CWU made sure postal workers continue to receive a pension that truly rewards their service. Andy Furey and pensions expert Lionel Sampson break it all down and share the new tools we created to help you understand your Royal Mail Group pension watch video
DHL workers voting on “significant” wage offer (8 Oct) – DHL workers are being recommended to vote for a “significant” wage rise offer. Communication Workers Union (CWU) members at the logistics giant are being encouraged to accept an improved deal negotiated by the CWU, after workers accepted the union’s recommendation to reject the initial offer. For warehouse operatives and van drivers, the new offer is a £1000 annual wage increase – a 33% rise from their previous offer of £750. Meanwhile, drivers on a 37- and 37.5-hour week will be offered an £1100 increase, with those on a 45-hour week gaining £1200 – an offer increased by 23.3% and 10.7% respectively. The offer is a substantial increase from previous offers by the company, and much higher in comparison to the standard DHL award, which stood at 2.5% in 2025. It will also be backdated from 1st April 2025, the sum of which will be included in pay at the earliest chance, should the deal be accepted by members read more
“Why are union-busters sponsoring Labour events”, Labour members ask (1 Oct) – Labour conference delegates condemned TikTok’s “disgusting” behaviour towards its workers in front of ministers, as protests took place outside of a party sponsored by the “union-busting” company. During the morning of conference, delegate Ollie Probert-Hill received repeated applause for attacking TikTok’s sponsorship of a Labour Students social event read more
Support the Tik Tok workers – CWU UTAW branch (UTAW_uk on X/Twitter)
✊ Join us to demand fair redundancy packages for over 300 workers✊
Last week TikTok announced a mass redundancy putting over 300 of its London employees at risk. TikTok employees have known these cuts were coming and were a week away from voting on union recognition. TikTok has timed this to hurt our movement and avoid scrutiny and transparency on a sham redundancy.
💪 WE’RE DEMANDING A FAIR REDUNDANCY PACKAGE OR REDPLOYMENT FOR ALL
💪 WE’RE STANDING AGAINST TIKTOK’S UNION BUSTING
💪 WE’RE CALLING TIKTOK OUT FOR ITS RECKLESS ATTITUDE TO ONLINE SAFETY
Read more about TikTok’s union busting redundancies here
VM02 Capita workers condemn “heartless and destructive” offshoring redundancies (2 Sept) – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said that the strength of feeling among VM02 Capita workers is “unprecedented”, after the firm has announced “heartless and destructive” redundancies. Workers in Payment Management on the Capita contract on VM02 were told of new redundancies on 18th August, with management’s justification being operational changes and consistent financial losses. It is expected that the 150 jobs will be offshored to South Africa, which has already seen a steady stream of VM02 jobs over the years. The union has attacked the timing of the redundancies as unacceptable, with the redundancies being announced just 12 days after a separate redundancy consultation, affecting more than 200 workers, was completed. This means that the same workers who had been told they had retained their roles are immediately facing a fresh bout of uncertainty read more
CWU members in Santander need your support. They have faced outsourcing, offshoring and technology is being used to negatively impact our members futures. They are now fighting back with a joint campaign with Advance Union. All CWU members, family members, friends and the wider public can help us by signing and sharing this petition.
Every signature counts – https://cwu.eaction.org.uk/cwuadvancepetition
PCS
You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:
- Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490
- Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]
Tate Gallery staff to vote on strike action (13 Oct) – The dispute centres around the Tate’s failure to offer staff an above-inflation pay award. PCS members at the four Tate gallery sites will be balloted for strike action in a ballot that opens on Tuesday 14 October. Over 130 PCS members working at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives, who are some of the lowest paid workers, have already indicated in a consultative ballot that they were prepared to take strike action over pay. The Tate initially offered only a 2% pay increase for 2025/26. This has now been increased to 3% but is still lower than the Civil Service Pay Remit and does not address the issues of low pay at the institution. Staff have already undergone a restructure this year (the second since 2020) which saw redundancies across the whole organisation, as well as the closure of staff canteens at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, which included subsidised meals for staff, and the withdrawal of access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme for new starters, replacing it with a plan offering significantly weaker terms. The postal ballot for strike action closes on 11 November at noon read more
Disabled people face soaring extra costs, says Scope (13 Oct) – New research shows disabled households need over £1,000 more each month than non-disabled households to achieve the same standard of living; and the gap is rising year on year read more
PCS members in DWP vote yes to support industrial action (10 Oct) – Members said they were prepared to take potential strike action over pay in the consultative ballot that closed today. PCS members working in DWP, the largest civil service department, have indicated that they are willing to support potential industrial action over pay in a consultative ballot that closed today (10). 80.5% of members voted yes on a turnout of 52.3%. The DWP have refused to submit a business case to the treasury to allow them to increase their spending on pay above the level set by the Civil Service Pay Remit. Members are angry about chronic low pay and wage compression in the department which will see staff in the lowest three grades all sitting at the national living wage from 1 April 2026 after years of underfunding. A survey of PCS members working in the DWP has revealed that many are unable to pay household bills, are turning to credit cards to get through the month and are struggling with debt. Almost 14% of respondents reported using foodbanks for extra support. The survey results also show that up to 20% of respondents claim in-work benefits read more
DWP members in Lincoln say yes to strike action and no to their office closing (10 Oct) – PCS DWP members in Lincoln have voted overwhelmingly to strike in support of keeping their office open. By voting for strike action – 86% in favour on a 61% turnout – members have been absolutely clear with the DWP that they are not prepared to accept the closure of their office without a fight. The closure of DWP Lincoln Service Centre will inevitably lead to large numbers of staff being made redundant. This will have a serious impact on their community and a devastating effect on the individuals affected by this heartless decision. It will also leave the DWP with an even greater deficit of experienced staff to deliver critical government services to some of the most vulnerable people in society read more
Met Police members vote to strike over pay (9 Oct) – 93% of PCS members voted to strike over the Met Police’s refusal to pay them a London allowance that is paid to police officers. PCS members working for the Metropolitan Police Service have voted to take strike action over a two-tier system that treats the 30,000 police officers more favourably than our members, its 11,000 police staff. In 2024-2025 the Met paid its police officers a consolidated £1250 London living allowance but has refused to pay it to police staff PCS members, who unlike police officers, do not receive free travel and who mainly live in London and its suburbs. The PCS Met Police executive committee will meet to decide next steps which may include uniting with Prospect and Unite members, also being balloted over the failure to pay their members the £1250 London cost of living allowance. It would like to extend thanks to all the PCS members and staff who helped with the ballot read more
PCS statement following latest attack on place of worship (6 Oct)
Statement on the attack on Manchester synagogue (2 Oct)
ONS members vote to renew industrial action mandate (30 Sept) – PCS members in the Office for National Statistics have again voted for industrial action in their dispute over a forced return to workplaces. In a ballot that closed on Monday (29 September), 69% of Office for National Statistics (ONS) members voted to take strike action, while 92% voted to take action short of a strike (ASOS), on a 65.5% turnout. Since May 2024, over 1100 PCS members working for the ONS in various locations (Newport in South Wales, Titchfield in Hampshire, London, Darlington, Manchester and Edinburgh) have been taking action short of a strike by refusing to comply with the new attendance policy, which requires them to spend at least 40% of their time in the office. This action has had no tangible impact on the ONS’s outputs, proving PCS’s argument that there was no need for a more restrictive attendance policy. To increase the pressure on the employer, members have also been working-to-rule since August 2024, refusing to work overtime, out of hours or out of grade. This dispute is symptomatic of wider failings in the organisation, which have attracted criticism from a parliamentary inquiry and the independent Devereaux Review, and are believed to have hastened the departure of the longstanding permanent secretary, Sir Ian Diamond. It is hoped that his recently appointed successor will demonstrate a greater commitment to resolving our dispute read more
Huge support for MyCSP Megapicket (29 Sept) – The MyCSP strikers in Liverpool marked the start of their 13th week of action with a Megapicket, supported by general secretaries and MPs. Supporters from across the union movement came along to support the picketers outside the MyCSP office in Liverpool today read more
Ofgem staff strike over pay inequality – take action now (29 Sept) – PCS members at the UK’s energy market regulator are taking strike action in response to a deepening crisis over pay inequality and they need your support. Despite the critical role they play in overseeing energy companies and protecting consumers, Ofgem workers are paid significantly less than their counterparts in government departments. In some cases, the gap is as wide as 20%. Even more concerning, the lowest-paid employees at Ofgem fall within the bottom 20% of earners nationally. This disparity is not just a matter of fairness it’s a threat to the integrity of energy regulation. Ofgem is struggling to retain experienced staff, and when skilled workers leave, the regulator loses the expertise it needs to hold powerful energy companies to account. That affects everyone. Without strong oversight, energy firms face less scrutiny, and ordinary people paying electricity and gas bills are left exposed to unfair practices and rising costs. PCS members at Ofgem have voted to strike, demanding a fair pay settlement that reflects the importance of their work. Their action is not just about wages it’s about ensuring that Ofgem can continue to function effectively in the public interest. The energy market is complex and volatile, and it requires regulators with deep knowledge and experience. Undervaluing these workers undermines the entire system. The union is calling on supporters to take part in our e-action campaign aimed at building political pressure. By emailing your MP, you can help urge the secretary of state for energy security and net zero to intervene and ensure Ofgem reaches a fair agreement with PCS. Every message sent adds weight to the campaign and helps amplify the voices of striking workers. Political pressure works. Government departments set the tone for public sector pay, and ministers have the power to influence decisions that affect workers across the civil service. By raising this issue with your MP, you’re not just supporting Ofgem staff you’re standing up for accountability, fairness, and the public good. The e-action takes just two minutes to complete, and it could make a real difference. PCS is encouraging all supporters, trade unionists, and concerned citizens to take part and share the campaign widely. Whether through social media, workplace conversations, or community networks, spreading the word helps build momentum and solidarity read more
- show your support on social media with the hashtags #LightsOut #OfgemStrike #PriceCapStrike
- donate to the strike fund: https://www.pcs.org.uk/donate
IOPC members show faith in ongoing negotiations (26 Sept) – Recent ballot results show that confidence is high that PCS reps will negotiate a satisfactory settlement in the ongoing dispute. PCS members at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have sent a clear message of confidence in their reps by choosing not to extend the industrial action mandate in a ballot that closed on 22 September. This decision reflects growing trust in the ongoing negotiations, which have already delivered meaningful improvements to working conditions. However the high “yes” vote (89% on a 40% turnout) does mean members are watching carefully that management follow through on commitments made read more
Ballot launched of Border Force Maritime members (19 Sept) – A ballot is underway of PCS members working on patrol boats in the English Channel in a dispute over terms, conditions and frozen allowances. More than 120 Border Force Maritime workers are angry at waiting more than six years for the result of a payment review into allowances for their specialist roles. The ballot on potential strike action runs until 17 October. Our members’ duties include searching for vessels at sea and identifying craft engaged in smuggling or small boats crossings. Although management has given assurances about backdating these allowances to 1 April 2025, it may be months before extra payments are received. Border Force management has failed to fully recognise the demands of our members, who are frustrated by the wait for a fresh formal offer read more
PCS Launches Strike Ballot at the British Library (15 Sept) – PCS is balloting members at the British Library (London branch) for strike action from today until noon on 13 October over the organisation’s failure to offer an above-inflation pay award for a second consecutive year. The trade dispute has arisen after repeated attempts by PCS to secure an above-inflation pay award. Indeed, the union pre-empted pay talks as early as 28 March to no avail read more
Support the MHCLG strikers taking action in London (12 Sept) – PCS members at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government continue their industrial campaign with targeted action at the department’s London office on Tuesday (16). Our members hope Steve Reed, the new secretary of state, swiftly enters into negotiations to end the dispute over office closures, attendance polices and recruitment strategy. Earlier this month, our MHCLG members supported strike action with busy picket lines in Birmingham, Darlington, Edinburgh, Hemel Hempstead, London, Leeds and Manchester. And workers in Hemel walked out again on Wednesday. The action has now switched to targeted action which sees over 170 staff walk out until 25 September. Support the picket line in London on Tuesday (16) outside MHCLG London’s office in 2 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF from 8-10:30am. Send messages of support to [email protected] read more
Second 24-hour strike for security staff in the Houses of Parliament (9 Sept) – The members will walk out on Wednesday 10 September for the second time in two weeks. Over 300 PCS members who work at the Palace of Westminster are taking their second 24 hours of strike action from 7am on 10 September to 7am on 11 September. The members are also taking part in an overtime ban and a work-to-rule. The members are angry about their employer’s removal of six days’ annual leave from contracts, pay stagnation, worsening conditions and a widening ethnicity pay gap. They are also disappointed that the employer wrongly claims that they agreed to reduce their annual leave entitlement and refuses to take this grave concern seriously read more
MPs show support for parliamentary security strikers (5 Sept)
Palestine Solidarity Campaign stands with PCS members in Westminster (4 Sept)
Revenue & Customs Pay 2025 (2 Sept) – PCS rejects the pay offer from Revenue and Customs as it falls way short of the union’s pay claim. Revenue & Customs have written to both PCS and ARC unions to confirm that the HMRC pay offer will be implemented in September salaries. PCS has already rejected the offer (equivalent to 3.25% of the pay bill with a further 0.5% for targeting specific issues including low pay), as way below the demands in our national pay claim. The offer also sees members on terms and conditions transferred on moves into R&C having their pay ranges frozen, except for where increases are required due to National Living Wage increases. Over 2,700 members attended branch meetings to discuss the offer with 58% of members either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the offer, compared to only 15% who were either satisfied or very satisfied. PCS will continue to campaign for the pay rises that members deserve following decades of pay restraint under successive governments. Branches across R&C will be holding members’ meetings with speakers from the union’s national executive committee to hear about discussions the union has held with the Cabinet Office on civil service pay and reward strategy as well as to discuss next steps in the campaign read more
Benton Park View strike rally attracts support from across the movement (9 June) – The strike rally at Benton Park View in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne drew support from across the labour and trade union movement. The rally on Friday marked over 5 months of strike action by employer services members on the site in defence of PCS reps Joel, Gordon and Rachel, dismissed by HMRC for trade union activity. Acting branch secretary Angie Foggett thanked members for their selfless support for the 3 reps. Joel and Gordon gave emotional accounts of the impact of the dismissals on their lives and those of their families… PCS HMRC Group will now meet to discuss the next steps in the campaign read more. Take action, show your support and send solidarity messages to the reps and branch, email HMRC group secretary Steve Swainston: [email protected] read more. Members can also support the campaign by donating to the fighting fund. Donations can be made to the PCS account with the reference ‘BPV Strikes’ –
- Account name: PCS Fighting Fund
- Levy account number: 20331490
- Sort code: 60-83-01
Get the PCS Samba Band to your protests and demonstrations – go to their Facebook page and on X/Twitter @PCS_Samba_Band
Prospect
Unions launch ‘What A Waste’ campaign to stop job cuts in nuclear decommissioning (13 Oct) – A campaign calling on the government to support workers in nuclear decommissioning has been launched by Prospect, GMB and Unite, who are the joint unions at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority read more
Prospect responds to National Trust’s announcement of 500 job cuts (8 Oct) – Steve Thomas, Deputy General Secretary of Propsect, said: “It is regrettable that National Trust has ended up in the situation where it has to make these cuts but it is welcome that after consultation it has reduced its savings target by £2m saving 76 jobs. Disappointingly, after a busy summer welcoming tourists and the British public to Britain’s historic venues many of our members are still facing compulsory redundancy…” read more
Babcock agreement: “Better results for members is the ultimate goal” (8 Oct) – Prospect Negotiations Officer Leon Walton explains the significance of the agreement in principle with Babcock that will see the union and the company engage on specific issues at a corporate, group-wide level read more
Prospect and Babcock agree new group level discussions (8 Oct) – Prospect and Babcock International Group have agreed in principle to discuss certain issues at a national and corporate level, rather than at branch level, as they are currently read more
Prospect statement on Manchester synagogue attack (3 Oct)
Prospect condemns Met Police behaviour, calls for focus on toxic culture (2 Oct) – Prospect has condemned toxic behaviours among Metropolitan Police officers, following the shocking evidence revealed by the BBC Panorama investigation read more
MOD recruitment freeze risks undermining wider defence mission (1 Oct) – A recruitment freeze announced at the Ministry of Defence today, only worsens the situation at a government department that is already facing staffing and skills shortages, says Prospect read more
FDA
Government has “no strategy” on long-term pay and reward issues, says Penman (8 Oct) – FDA and IfG hosted a joint fringe event at this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, discussing ‘Should public sector pay and pensions be reformed?’ FDA General Secretary Dave Penman told an Institute for Government event that the public sector is “blighted” by pay issues, and if the government and employers want to address this by looking to rebalance pay and pensions, there needs to be “strong political will and clear leadership” from ministers. But there is currently “no sense of what this government want to achieve”. Penman was speaking at the FDA and IfG’s joint fringe event at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on 30 September read more
GMB
Learning disability service workers begin strike vote (13 Oct) – Workers at a Leeds learning disability service have today [Monday] begun voting on strike action. More than 200 workers at Aspire will take part in the ballot after bosses imposed a new sick pay policy, which means staff receive no pay after just one month of illness. Workers have already cancelled essential surgery, while others fear they will be forced to work while ill – putting vulnerable service users in danger. The ballot closes on 27 October. Aspire, formerly part of Leeds City Council before being spun off into a Community Benefit Society in 2015, has refused to reconsider its position despite repeated efforts by the GMB Union to find a fair resolution read more
Knowsley faces tens of millions in equal pay claims (10 Oct) – Knowsley Council faces equal pay claims which could amount to tens of millions of pounds, GMB Union has warned. More than 1,000 workers employed by the local authority in female dominated roles may have been paid less than their male counterparts for years, despite carrying out work rated as of equal value. The claim focuses on Knowsley councils ‘task and finish’ system, which allows employees in male dominated jobs to leave work once tasks are completed. However, workers in female dominated equivalent roles are not permitted to do this and are required to remain until the end of their shift. The pay difference could be as much as £6 an hour in many cases, with claims potentially going back six years. GMB is calling on Knowsley Council to acknowledge the issue and reach a fair settlement with our members. This is the latest in GMB’s national equal pay campaign, which has already seen almost 30 claims across the UK and hundreds of millions of pounds won for women workers read more
Teesside wind workers will strike if talks fail (9 Oct) – More than 150 Teesside wind workers will strike if last ditch talks fail. Staff at Seah Wind are set to walk out on Wednesday [15 October] and every Wednesday for five further weeks. Bosses last night [Wednesday] agreed to talks with conciliatory service Acas on Tuesday [October 14]. GMB has warned if the talks break down, workers will walk out the following day and begin a continuous overtime ban. Seah staff rejected imposed shift allowances and a 3.1 per cent pay offer that’s both below inflation and industry standards. The company, which builds wind turbine monopiles in Middlesbrough, has received millions of pounds of Government money in subsidies to boost the production of green energy. Industrial action will inevitably impact upon the vital net zero energy agenda read more
EU steel tariffs ‘hammer blow’ (8 Oct) – GMB Union has responded to EU steel tariffs, announced today [Tuesday] read more
Teesside military paint workers vote to strike (8 Oct) – More than one hundred military paint workers have voted to strike in fury over ‘pittance’ pay. GMB members at PPG industries, in Shildon, voted to walk out after bosses hit them with a real terms pay cut. PPG produces defence level quality paint for companies, including Airbus and BAE, and GMB members make the military green paint used on army vehicles. The firm has official Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) status due to the dangerous chemicals the workforce use. The company already has an order back log and it’s anticipated that this action will result in significant production delays. Industrial action is now expected this autumn read more
Wolverhampton’s ‘license factory’ creaking at the seams (7 Oct) – GMB Union has today called on Wolverhampton City Council to act urgently to fix the council’s private hire licencing system. The warning comes as drivers have raised unprecedented delays in the council’s licensing system, with some drivers waiting as long as five months for simple license renewals. GMB has reported that drivers are out of pocket as unanswered emails and hour long waits on the phone leaves them unable to get updates on license applications. Once the badge or plate expires, drivers are unable to work until it is renewed. While six month emergency extensions are being issued in some cases, providing the driver meets a set criteria, this is unsustainable and adding to the uncertainty drivers are already experiencing in the sector. The news comes after it was revealed almost 90% of new licences issued by some of the biggest councils in the Midlands were issued by Wolverhampton. The union is now calling for new powers for the West Midlands Combined Authority to intervene when councils fail to meet fair licencing timelines read more
Jobs at Tower Hamlets primary school at risk due to ‘fire and rehire’ proposal
Schools (7 Oct) – Bonner Primary School’s plans will see 11 staff members lose their jobs, while remaining staff will be expected to do more work for the same pay
GMB Union has slammed proposals that will see 20 Midday Meals Supervisors at Bonner Primary School in Tower Hamlets put at risk of redundancy in a ‘fire and rehire’ style restructure. The proposals will see 11 Midday Meals Supervisors lose their jobs altogether, while 9 others will be rehired in new Playworker roles. The new Playworker roles will be on the same pay as Midday Meals Supervisors but with more responsibilities. Teaching Assistants will also be expected to take on additional work to cover the 11 job losses, covering playtime and dining hall activities. GMB has raised concerns about the job losses, worse terms and conditions for staff, and the impact on the health and safety of children. A petition opposing the plans has already gained over 300 signatures read more
Leeds learning disability service faces strike vote (2 Oct) – A Leeds learning disability service faces a strike vote after imposing changes to sick pay. Under the new policy, workers at Aspire will receive no pay after just one month of illness, leaving them to survive on state benefits. This move has already led some workers to cancel essential surgeries, fearing they won’t be able to afford recovery time. Others face the choice of working while ill, potentially putting the vulnerable individuals they care for at serious risk. Aspire, formerly part of Leeds City Council before being spun off into a Community Benefit Society in 2015, has refused to reconsider its position despite repeated efforts by the GMB Union to find a fair resolution. More than 200 GMB members will vote in the ballot, which opens on O13 October and runs for two weeks read more
Thames Water rescue must come with guarantees (2 Oct) – GMB union has responded to lender submitting a new rescue plan to prevent Thames Water rom collapsing read more
GMB ‘fully behind’ Belfast night bus (1 Oct) – GMB Union has given its backing to the Belfast night bus, but says changed to people’s working lives ‘must be done properly’ read more
End outsourcing that costs NHS at least £1.8 billion (30 Sept) – The UK must end the ‘scourge’ of outsourcing that is costing the NHS at least £1.8 billion a year, Labour conference heard today [Tuesday]. Labour must deliver on its promise of ‘the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation’, GMB regional president Farzana Jumma will say. More than 180 workers at Airedale Hospital, in Yorkshire, are on strike after they were outs. Subsidiaries are created by NHS Trusts who transfer existing staff under. An investigation by GMB has revealed NHS trusts pay at least £1.8 billion a year. The union sent Freedom of Information requests to more than 200 trusts, with responses showing they spent £1,831,105,580 per year on outsourced contracts. Just under half the trusts asked didn’t respond – meaning the true figure could be far higher read more
Airedale strike escalates with three new walkouts (18 Sept) – The Airedale Hospital strike is set to escalate as workers announce the dates of three new walkouts. More than 150 staff on site, including porters, domestics, catering and security staff will down tools on 1,2 and 3 October. The affected workers are employed by AGH Solutions (AGHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. Unlike their NHS colleagues, AGHS staff are denied access to standard NHS terms and conditions, including the pension scheme, sick pay, annual leave entitlements and enhanced rates for Sunday working. GMB members at the site also walked from 12 – 16 September read more
Newcastle wire rope workers stage further strike (17 Sept) – Almost 100 Newcastle rope workers are set to stage further strikes in a dispute over pay. Staff at Bridon International, in Wallsend, will stage three 24-hour strikes on 18 and 30 of September and 1 October. The dispute centres around a 2.5 per cent pay offer, a figure that represents a real-terms pay cut amid rising living costs and overwhelmingly rejected by staff. Workers are increasingly frustrated over the company’s refusal to return to the negotiating table read more
Europe’s largest quarry braced for strike action (9 Sept) – ‘Huge disruption’ as workers at Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry down tools later this month. GMB Union has today announced that members at Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire have voted to support strike action. The news comes after workers at the Tarmac operated site rejected a pay offer from company management. 90 per cent of votes supported industrial action, with one hundred workers at the quarry expected to join strike action later this month. Mountsorrel is Europe’s largest quarry, producing aggregate materials for construction, road and rail projects across the UK read more
Bacton Gas Terminal workers begin vote on strike action (4 Sept) – Altrad workers at the Shell Bacton Gas Terminal in Norfolk will today begin voting in an industrial action ballot. At the centre of the dispute is Altrad’s offer of a one-time 4 per cent pay uplift, which falls far short of the two-year deal of 11.3 per cent and 5.5 per cent proposed under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry. A recent indicative ballot saw members vote 100 per cent in favour of strike action and if a strike were to go ahead, it would bring work at the site to a halt. Altrad staff at an adjacent site saw their pay increase following another recent GMB dispute. Workers at the Bacton site – who do identical work, including scaffolding, painting, and thermal insulation – are now seeking the same resolution. The ballot closes on Thursday 18th September read more
Derbyshire manufacturer braced for strike action (28 Aug) – Workers refuse to accept a pay packet of pennies, says GMB. GMB Union has today announced that workers at Altrad Belle will begin a week of strike action from Monday 1 September 2025. The news comes after workers rejected a pay offer from company management and voted overwhelmingly to support industrial action. The company, one of the UK’s biggest manufacturers of light equipment for the construction sector, has been slammed for paying skilled workers little more than £12 an hour 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
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
Support Camden Unison school support staff members at Richard Cobden school, Camden on strike this morning and tomorrow and Thursday for fair pay and safe staffing levels Camden New Journal: School strike over cuts to support staff
NMC job cuts risk undermining services and staff morale, says UNISON (9 Oct) – Staff will want clarity about their futures. Commenting on proposals to cut 145 jobs at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) announced today (Thursday), UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “The scale of these redundancies is troubling. The NMC has faced significant internal challenges and staff had hoped for a period of stability and progress. Instead, they face further uncertainty. Employees continue to deliver a vital service to people required to register, but these cuts risk undermining service quality and staff morale…” read more
Council funding crisis hits the most vulnerable hardest, says UNISON (9 Oct) – Local authority finances remain in dire state with £4.1bn shortfall in England, Scotland and Wales. Councils in England, Scotland and Wales face a funding shortfall of more than £4bn next year, leaving society’s most vulnerable residents paying the price for years of underfunding, says UNISON research published today (Thursday). New figures compiled by the union, based on information directly from local authorities, show council finances remain in a dire state, despite a cash injection following Labour’s general election victory last year. UNISON’s annual council “funding gap” report estimates the shortfall, between what councils need to run services and what they receive, will amount to £4.1bn in 2026/27 read more
Statement on the Manchester synagogue attack (3 Oct)
NHS staff vote to strike in outsourcing row, says UNISON (25 Sept) – Government warned of widespread walkouts if ministers don’t clamp down on hospital trusts farming out support services. NHS staff vote to strike in outsourcing row, says UNISON. Health workers in Dorset have voted for strike action over plans that could see thousands of employees transferred out of the NHS, says UNISON today (Thursday). Just days ahead of the Labour Party Conference, the union warns there could be further walkouts by NHS staff up and down the country if the government doesn’t clamp down on hospital trusts farming out support services to subsidiary companies, known as SubCos. Low paid staff at three NHS trusts in Dorset have overwhelmingly backed industrial action. In the ballot that closed yesterday, 94% of workers, including porters, caterers and cleaners, backed strike action over their employers’ plans to move them from the NHS to a new company. The trusts – Dorset HealthCare University, Dorset County Hospital, and University Hospitals Dorset – want to move over 1,700 mainly low-paid support workers to a SubCoread more
County Durham and Darlington healthcare staff set to walk out in pay row, says UNISON (28 Aug) – Hundreds of healthcare assistants employed by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust have voted to strike in a fair pay dispute, says UNISON today (Thursday). Staff will walk out in the coming weeks unless there’s an improvement in the amount of back pay the trust is prepared to give them, says the union. The NHS workers have been regraded to a higher band of the NHS Agenda for Change salary scale to reflect increasingly complex tasks. But UNISON says they deserve adequate back pay to reflect the extra work they’ve been doing above their pay rate for many years. The trust awarded just seven months’ money but the union says this should be far higher. Despite months of negotiations with the employer to settle the dispute, a fair offer the health workers find acceptable has still not been put forward. In a ballot that closed yesterday, 99.4% of staff said they will walk out unless the employer comes back with a better deal to compensate them for the extra work they’ve done. This is the fifth trust in the north east to be in dispute with staff over wage banding. The other successful campaigns have been at Teesside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, while a dispute in Northumberland is still ongoing read more
Barnsley hospital workers step up campaign for fair pay (28 Aug) – A group of rehabilitation support workers based at Kendray Hospital in Barnsley are demanding to be paid properly for the increasingly complex work they do. The staff, who provide care to patients in the community and are employed by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust, have held a series of protests outside Kendray Hospital, and launched a petition to gain support for their campaign. The union says the workers are carrying out duties – such as performing observations and clinical care tasks – that should be paid at a higher rate read more
Mining museum to spend almost £50k to prolong dispute over 20p pay rise (26 Aug) – An ongoing strike at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield could be settled for a fraction of the cost managers are spending to block a fair pay rise, says UNISON today (Tuesday). The union estimates that by the end of a four-week walkout, bosses will have paid up to five times more than the modest increase low-paid workers want. More than 40 members of staff began their industrial action last week in a dispute over pay, with the strike scheduled to run until at least Sunday 14 September. They include guides who are veterans of the year-long miners’ strike four decades ago. But the museum is choosing to rack up tens of thousands of pounds to bring in private security and make alternative visitor arrangements, when it could resolve the dispute for far less, UNISON says 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
NIPSA Seeks Answers on Missing Pay Award Funding (13 Oct) – Following confirmation from the Interim Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar, that the Department of Health faces a £614.7 million funding gap for 2025–26, NIPSA sought further clarification on why funding has not been made available to implement the 3.6% pay award recommended for all HSC staff. Despite an additional £200 million being allocated to Health this year, the Department has advised that this increase is insufficient to meet escalating pressures across the Health and Social Care (HSC) system. These pressures include increased national insurance contributions, national living wage costs, high-cost drugs, inflation, and rising service demand. In response to NIPSA’s request for clarification, the Department restated that the 3.6% pay award remains “unaffordable” within the current financial limits. While the Minister has issued a Ministerial Direction instructing that the pay award be implemented in full, the Department confirmed that no additional funding has yet been approved by the Northern Ireland Executive to cover the cost read more
Branch Consultation on 2026/29 Pay Claim (29 Sept) – The branch consultation on the pay claim for 2026/29 has now concluded and members have overwhelmingly endorsed the claim. The Central Trade Union Side claim will now be submitted to the NICS management on behalf of members in the NICS and those ALBs that mirror NICS pay read more
Northern Ireland Health Service: Strike Action Planned (24 Sept) – NIPSA has condemned the latest decision on health service pay, warning that health workers in Northern Ireland are once again being left behind their colleagues across the UK. From 1 August 2025, health service staff in England and Wales received a 3.6% pay increase, backdated to April. In Scotland, health workers are even further ahead. Yet in Northern Ireland, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar have stated that there is no money in this year’s budget for a pay rise… Next Steps:-
- NIPSA met last week and unanimously agreed that urgent action is needed.
- NIPSA will join sister unions in seeking a mandate for industrial action
through a ballot of members.
- The form of action, up to and including strike action, will be determined by NIPSA’s members read more
NHS Pay in Northern Ireland: Parity Broken Again (22 Sept) – Once again, parity has been broken in relation to Agenda for Change (AfC) pay in Northern Ireland. Despite repeated assurances last year from both the Minister of Health and the Stormont Executive, we now find ourselves falling further behind. From 1 August 2025, pay in England and Wales increased by 3.6% (backdated to 1 April). In Scotland, staff are even further ahead. Here in Northern Ireland, we have been told directly by Minister Mike Nesbitt and the Department’s Permanent Secretary, Mike Farrar, that there is no money in this year’s budget for a pay rise. This is totally unacceptable – and NIPSA has made that abundantly clear. Health workers in Northern Ireland are now among the worst paid across the entire public and private sector. Shockingly, the NHS here is the only public sector employer paying below the Real Living Wage for its lowest-paid staff. Major retailers across Ireland pay more than our health service. For NHS staff to be lagging behind supermarkets is nothing short of a national disgrace. NIPSA’s Health Executive Panel met last week. The view was unanimous – pressure must be put on Government. If there is no progress or response by the end of September, NIPSA will move in line with our sister unions and seek a mandate for action through a ballot of our members. The form of this action will be determined by the Executive Committee. Industrial action is not a decision we ever take lightly – but when Government refuses to value NHS staff, it becomes necessary 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
Royal College of Nursing
‘We condemn all acts of violence’: RCN responds to Manchester synagogue attack (3 Oct)
NHS pay in England: ‘We need formal negotiations now’ (19 Sept) – Pay reform talks were promised, now they need to happen, health unions say in a joint letter to the Westminster government. The RCN has joined 13 other health unions in calling on the Westminster government to urgently begin promised direct talks on NHS pay reform and future pay awards. In a joint letter to health secretary Wes Streeting MP, unions representing staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts in the NHS in England urge the government to honour the commitment made last year to tackle the problems in the pay system that are harming staffing and morale. For the first time, the majority of unions have also confirmed they will not take part in the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) process. We will again refuse to submit evidence and have been severely critical of the PRB over recent years read more
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
RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more
RCM
Historic move sees RCM pull out of NHS Pay Review Body process (19 Sept) – In a historic move after two decades the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has announced that it is withdrawing from the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) process for 2026/27. The decision the trade union says ‘it hasn’t taken lightly’ but one they feel is ‘absolutely necessary’ given lack of progress on NHS pay reform for over a decade which has impacted its hardworking members significantly. The RCM says it believes that direct meaningful negotiations are now the only way forward to truly tackle NHS pay structure reform and headline pay for its members read more
‘Utterly unfair’ that RCM members in Northern Ireland are still without pay uplift (5 Sept) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Northern Ireland says it’s pressing the Northern Ireland Executive for progress on an overdue pay award for its members. The RCM has described the delay as ‘utterly unfair’ and ‘completely demoralising’ for hard working midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs). The Health and Social Care (HSC) Trade Unions in Northern Ireland of which the RCM is part of have issued a statement today also calling out the lack of progress and ‘broken commitments’ from the Northern Ireland Executive read more
CSP
CSP condemns Islamophobic arson attack (6 Oct)
CSP condemns murderous attack on Jewish community (2 Oct)
CSP withdraws from 2026/27 NHS pay review process (19 Sept) – The CSP has joined other unions in withdrawing from this year’s NHS pay review body (PRB) process for England, Wales and Northern Ireland read more
BMA
Resident doctors in Scotland plan strike in response to pay offer (10 Oct) – Resident doctors in Scotland could take strike action after the Scottish Government ‘shamefully reneged’ on a pay agreement, BMA Scotland announced today. The BMA Scottish resident doctors committee has voted to enter formal dispute with the Scottish Government and plans to ballot members on industrial action read more
Resident doctors in England back strike (6 Oct) – Job security fears prompt support for resorting to industrial action. The BMA has called on the Government to ‘step up’, as resident doctors vote to back strike action over unemployment and training place shortages. Foundation year one doctors in England have overwhelmingly backed the prospect of industrial action following the results of a ballot published today. The vote, which saw 97 per cent of doctors endorse the option of striking, means that resident doctors in England now have a separate mandate for industrial action alongside that secured in the fight over pay restoration. The ballot, which had a turnout of 65 per cent, comes following a recent survey of more than 4,000 resident doctors by the BMA which found that 34 per cent said they had no substantive employment or regular work from August this year read more
A new resident doctor contract in Wales, what’s on offer? (6 Oct) – Investment, a pay uplift, a reformed, bespoke resident doctor contract, study budget and leave reform and measures to tackle medical unemployment. Now that we’ve had formal approval, we can finally share the full details of the new contract package with you. This blog will set out a summary and you can read more on our webpage to help you to prepare to vote in an online referendum on the offer which will run from 24 November – 15 December. We’ll be hosting a series of events at your workplace and online for you to attend and ask questions read more
GPs in England vote to re-enter dispute with Government (18 Sept) – Patient safety concerns over ‘unlimited’ online consultation requests. GPs in England have voted to re-enter dispute with Government over concerns that unlimited online consultation requests could become a ‘critical patient safety issue’. Members of the BMA GPs committee for England voted in favour of re-entering the dispute owing to ‘a lot of confusion and anger’ about the regulatory changes, which are due to come into effect from 1 October read more
Senior doctors prepared to strike (4 Sept) – Indicative ballot reveals consultants and SAS doctors are willing to take industrial action in struggle to achieve pay restoration read more
GPs discuss next steps in funding dispute (3 Sept) – Roadshow in Scotland sees doctors gather to tackle issues facing the profession read more
NEU
Stop the agency rip off (14 Oct) – A groundbreaking new report from the National Education Union shows that teacher supply agencies are making huge profits from the exceptional sums of public money they receive from schools, while supply teachers themselves are being routinely paid below national pay scales and denied access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme read more
Manchester synagogue attack (2 Oct)
| Support the strikes :- Action Date Contact Belmont Park / Waltham Forest (Conditions of Service) 13-16 Oct Pablo Phillip [email protected] Capital City College-Angel / Islington (Conditions of Service) 11 Oct 15-17 Oct Pippa Dowsell [email protected] Harefield Infant & Junior Schools / Hillingdon (Amalgamation/Redundancies) 14-16 Oct Carol Jumpp-Graham [email protected] London East Alternative Provision / Tower Hamlets (Redundancies, Workload, Closure of Site) 14-17 Oct Natasha Chaudhury [email protected] South Malling CofE Primary & Nursery School / East Sussex (Restructure/Redundancies) 14-16 Oct Robert Henry [email protected] |
NEU Cymru members at Flint High School continue strike action over workplace bullying and failures to tackle pupil behaviour (24 Sept) – NEU members at Flint High School have today taken their second of three days of strike action this week. Members were on strike Tuesday 23 Wednesday 24 and will be on Thursday 25 September due to the employer’s continuing failure to deal with bullying behaviour from the Headteacher and the inability of the school’s leadership to tackle high levels of behavioural issues. NEU members offered to postpone the first day of action for this week, if the local authority agreed to a meeting with all members, so that they could hear directly the issues they are facing. The offer was rejected, with a counteroffer that they would meet with NEU officials and the workplace representative only. Members did not feel that this was a significant enough gesture to postpone action read more
Teacher and school leader pay (9 July) – Joint education union response to Secretary of State: “Responding to the Secretary of State’s consultation on the STRB report, ASCL, NAHT, NEU and Community have set out their united view on the need for the Government to provide the additional investment needed to fully fund September’s 4% teacher and school leader pay increase. Teachers and school leaders have seen huge real terms cuts to their pay since 2010. Their pay cuts have been much greater than those of other professions and as confirmed by the STRB this has hit the competitiveness of teacher and school leader pay hard. Excessive workload and poor wellbeing are driving teachers and leaders out of the profession, worsening the recruitment and retention crisis in education. The unions are also calling for a fair national pay structure and the removal of performance-related pay read more
NASUWT
Hard up teachers taking second jobs to make ends meet (7 Oct) – A new survey of teachers in Scotland reveals startling economic trends for the profession, with many teachers reporting decreased personal spending and an increase in financial worries compared to the same polling conducted last year read more
EIS
EIS President Urges SNP Delegates to Deliver SNP Teacher Workload Manifesto Promise (10 Oct) – The President of the EIS has used his speech at an SNP Conference Fringe event to warn the Scottish Government of the pressing need to deliver its 2021 Manifesto commitment to tackle teacher workload by reducing teachers’ maximum class contact time to 21 hours per week or it will face industrial action across all of Scotland’s schools read more
EIS Confirms Statutory Industrial Action Ballot Details, Ahead of SNP Conference (10 Oct) – The EIS has served formal notice of its intention to open a statutory ballot for industrial action over teacher workload. The EIS has formally notified all 32 Scottish local authorities, as the employers of teachers, of its intention to open the ballot next month. The move comes ahead of the opening of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Conference in Aberdeen, and serves as a warning to the current Scottish Government administration read more
EIS to move Ahead with Statutory Industrial Action Ballot Over Workload (8 Oct) – The EIS is to move ahead with a statutory industrial action ballot over teacher workload, following a unanimous decision taken yesterday by a special meeting of the EIS Executive Committee read more
Resolute EIS members continue with strike action as redundancy dispute at UWS remains unresolved (7 Oct) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers’ Association (EIS ULA) at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) are today taking their seventh day of strike action over the university’s intent to make a large number of academic and academic-related staff redundant, with an eighth day of strike action scheduled for tomorrow read more
Audit Scotland Report Reiterates Severe Pressures Facing Further Education (3 Oct) – The EIS has highlighted that the report Scotland’s Colleges 2025, published yesterday by Audit Scotland, confirms the severe pressures facing Further Education Colleges across Scotland. The EIS-Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) has repeatedly raised concerns over the level of funding allocated to colleges across Scotland read more
EIS Members at UWS Remain United Against Intransigent University Management as Strike Action Continues (2 Oct) – Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers Association (EIS ULA) at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) are on strike today with another day of strike action set for Friday 3rd October, in relation to their ongoing dispute with university management over planned redundancies. The continuation of strong strike action underscores the deep-seated concerns of staff regarding job security and the potential detrimental impact on the quality of education and research at UWS read more
EIS ULA Members at RGU and UWS set to strike tomorrow against job cuts (9 Sept) – Members of the EIS ULA at Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) will take co-ordinated strike action tomorrow, Thursday 11th September read more
INTO
Teachers deflated by Budget 2026 – funding uplift overshadowed by wider failures (8 Oct) – The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) joined an online briefing on the Department of Education and Youth’s budget for 2026 this afternoon. At today’s briefing, some details were made available but much more will have to be clarified by the Department of Education and Youth in the coming days and weeks read more
Budget 2026 boosts school funding but overcrowding continues (7 Oct) – INTO initial reaction to Budget 2026: The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has issued the following statement in response to today’s Budget 2026 speeches read more
UCU
UCU Stop the Cuts campaign
Sign petition against the education cuts
New analysis shows over 15,000 university job cuts as UCU launches UK wide strike ballot (10 Oct) – Universities have announced cuts equivalent to over 15,000 jobs in the last year. The alarming figure is from research carried out by the union and comes as UCU approaches a UK-wide strike ballot over the growing crisis in higher education. The new data reveals a worrying escalation since March, when UCU reported around 5,000 proposed job cuts read more
Union pay and conditions victory at Warrington and Vale Royal College (9 Oct) – The University and College Union today (Thursday 9 October) hailed improvements to staff pay and conditions at Warrington and Vale Royal College as a victory for its members. The deal will see staff at the college receive a 6.5% pay increase, backdated to August, along with guaranteed incremental pay increases of up to £1,000 a year. Changes to staff terms and conditions will see all teaching staff now able to reach the top of the college pay scale. Previously, the pay band for teaching staff was split into a ‘main’ and ‘upper’ scale, with those in the main band unable to access the upper band. The starting salary for all teachers and lecturers at the college will now be £29,227, up from £27,443, and will increase to £41,609 through annual increments. Previously many staff were capped at just £33,725. The new agreement will also see improvements to the way bank holidays are calculated for term time only staff, guaranteeing these staff the same bank holidays as colleagues employed on all-year contracts. The deal follows a ballot earlier this year, that saw an overwhelming 94% of members vote to take strike action, on a 75% turnout, and as college staff across England prepare to be balloted in response to an inadequate national pay offer read more
Tory pledge to slash university places by 100k ‘economically illiterate’, says UCU (8 Oct) – Responding to the Conservative Party’s proposal to cut university places by 100,000 UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “This is an economically illiterate policy; no country has ever grown by slashing university places. Nonsensical ideas such as this come as no surprise from the party that crashed the economy, and fortunately, have no hope of being enacted, as the Tories will not be winning an election anytime soon…” read more
Strikes likely at the University of the Highlands and Islands as staff back industrial action (7 Oct) – Staff at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) have today backed industrial action in a dispute over job cuts and the ongoing use of compulsory redundancies. In the ballot of UCU Scotland members at the university’s executive office, 71% of those who voted backed strike action on a turnout of 82%. 93% of members voting said that they would also be willing to take part in action short of strikes which could include working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, or not undertaking voluntary activities. Following the clear result, members of the UCU branch at the university will now decide their next steps in the dispute. The dispute follows the decision of management at the university to make 16 people redundant as part of efforts to save £2million read more
Dundee University staff back industrial action for the second time in longstanding dispute over job cuts (6 Oct) – Staff at Dundee University have today again backed industrial action in the longstanding dispute over job cuts, as the university continues with a financial and leadership crisis. In the ballot of UCU members at Dundee University, 72% of those who voted backed strike action on a turnout of 58%. 90% of members voting also said that they would be willing to take part in action short of strike which could include working to contract and not covering for any absent colleagues. The crisis is now in its eleventh month since, in November 2024, the now disgraced principal announced cuts of £30million and the possibility of compulsory redundancies. In response, UCU members voted conclusively to take industrial action to force management to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies. The need to re-ballot is a requirement of UK trade union law. The union said that today’s resounding result demonstrated the anger and disappointment with the lack of progress and failure of successive leaderships at the university to deliver a sustainable way forward that protects jobs and the university’s future read more
UCU to launch England wide college strike ballot over pay, workloads and national bargaining (3 Oct) – The University and College Union (UCU) today (Friday 3 October) confirmed it will ballot around 10,000 staff at 68 colleges [NOTE 1] across England in a fight for fair pay, manageable workloads and binding national bargaining. Ballots will open on Monday 13 October and run until Monday 17 November. The ballot comes after employer body, the Association of Colleges (AoC), recommended a pay award of just 4%. However, it also accepted that many colleges could not afford to raise pay by even that percentage and there is no obligation on employers to do so. UCU, alongside its sister unions NEU, GMB, UNISON and Unite is calling for a New Deal for FE, including a 10%/£3000 pay rise read more
UCU statement on Manchester synagogue attack (3 Oct)
Imperial staff to strike next week in pay and conditions row (2 Oct) – Staff at Imperial College London will take ten days of strike action over the next two months in a row over pay and conditions, the University and College Union announced today. The dispute centres on management’s refusal to increase its below inflation 2% pay award, an offer that members of all three recognised unions (UCU, Unison and Unite) voted to reject read more
UCU calls on Teesside University to rethink job cuts plans (2 Oct) – UCU has today called on Teesside University to think again over plans to cut jobs as part of a restructure of four departments, spread across the institution. Proposals announced this week say that the university intends to delete 39 Principal Lecturer posts across four different schools. Principal Lecturers are senior academics who whilst still carry out teaching are often focused more on research. Those currently in post will be forced to reapply for their jobs, take voluntary redundancy by the end of this month or face being made compulsorily redundant read more
Labour’s Plan for Change impossible without huge investment in FE salaries (30 Sept) – Responding to Keir Starmer’s conference speech, UCU has today called on Labour to confirm college teachers will get a pay rise so it can implement its Plan for Change read more
UCU general secretary Jo Grady to visit INTO Manchester picket on Tuesday as part of low pay dispute (29 Sept) – The University and College Union (UCU) today announced that Jo Grady will visit the INTO Manchester College picket line tomorrow as part of the dispute over low pay. UCU members at the private college for international students downed tools on Thursday 25 September and will do so again on Tuesday 30 September. Jo Grady will visit the picket line at the entrance to the college’s main building on Whitworth Street from 8.30am to 9.15am tomorrow and discuss the campaign with members. Despite the disruption and calls from the union to talk, the college has refused to budge from its pay offer of just a 2% rise, a significant real term cut against inflation. The strike comes after an overwhelming 97% of UCU members voted to take strike action in a ballot that saw a turnout of 83% read more
Edinburgh University facing more industrial action as union opens new strike ballot (24 Sept) – Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Edinburgh university are being re-balloted from today (24 September) to take industrial action as a dispute over £140 million cuts and up to 1,800 job losses approaches its eighth month. The dispute follows the announcement of cuts by the university principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, in February 2025 in an email to all staff. He announced that the university was looking to make £140 million cuts, and that cuts of that magnitude meant that “nothing is off the table” leaving open the possibility of compulsory redundancies. The ballot will run from today until Tuesday 28 October. UCU members at the university overwhelmingly backed industrial action in May this year with 84% of those voting backing strike action on a turnout of 60% and 93% backing action short of strike such as such as working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertaking voluntary duties. Staff took a day’s strike action in June this year, and the start of term two weeks ago was disrupted by five days of strikes as students returned to university. Trade union legislation, currently being reviewed by the UK government, requires trade unions to renew mandates for industrial action every six months read more
University of Bradford staff announce further strike dates job cuts row (18 Sept) – University of Bradford staff will down tools for 10 days in a fight to save jobs, UCU announced today. Staff will strike every weekday from Monday 22 September until Friday 3 October in their dispute over redundancies, disrupting the first two weeks of the new academic year read more
Strike ballot opens at University of Sheffield staff over job cuts (27 Aug) – Staff at the University of Sheffield are being asked to vote for strike action, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The ballot opened yesterday and will close on Tuesday 30 September. The dispute is over management’s plans to put staff in five academic areas at risk of redundancy, as well as continued risk of redundancy to professional services staff across 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
UCU fighting fund: the link is here and donations to the fund are spent on supporting members involved in important disputes.
FBU
FBU response to Manchester synagogue attack (2 Oct)
Buckinghamshire firefighters call for investment in the fire service instead of “dangerous” cuts (2 Oct) – Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is facing the loss of eight fire engines and two fire stations under new proposals put forward by the local fire authority. The Liberal Democrat–run authority is considering two options, both of which would see fire engines in the county reduced from 30 to 22. A fire authority meeting is scheduled for mid-November, where a public consultation could be approved. Buckinghamshire has already faced some of the worst cuts in the country, with the service losing over a third of its firefighters between 2010 – 2024. The Fire Brigades Union warns that any further cuts would seriously undermine public safety and says it is time to switch focus from managing decline to rebuilding and growing the service read more
Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire service announces plans to force through cuts despite agreed delay (5 Sept) – Chief fire officer Neil Odin has today sent a video message to Hampshire and Isle of Wight firefighters announcing that cuts to the service will go ahead, despite the fire authority voting to delay the decision on 29 August. Firefighters, councillors, members of the public and the fire authority have raised serious concerns that £1.6 million cut to the frontline in the region will put public safety at greater risk. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) has already lost one in four firefighters since 2010, and recent inspections reveal the service is struggling to meet its own emergency response standards. The latest HMICFRS report rated the service as inadequate in staffing and skills, requiring improvement in emergency response and resource management. In the video emailed to fire service staff, the chief also stated that a letter has been sent to government ministers today, calling for the government to commit to funding the service in the future – but not pushing to prevent this round of cuts. The FBU is urging the service to use the £23.9 million reserves it holds to plug the gap while it campaigns for more funding from central government 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
POA
NEC minutes October 2025 read more
General Secretary update read more
National Chair update Sept 2025 read here
UK prison crisis: it simply can no longer be ignored (2 Oct) – The POA has long warned, and has been on record stating, that the UK prison system is now in a state of permacrisis marking a significant failure of long-term policy, underinvestment, on short-term fixes that do little to solve structural issues read more
Employment rights Bill 2 (25 Sept) – As the Employment Rights Bill completes its parliamentary journey, all eyes are on the Tory and Liberal Democrat amendments made to the Bill in the House of Lords. Although these amendments have caused justifiable outrage amongst trade unionists, it is widely predicted that they will be rejected by the government wielding its majority in the House of Commons, and that the original terms of the Bill will be restored. Whilst we recognise the progress made in improving workers’ rights, the POA believes that a second Employment Bights Bill is needed, one that strengthens the rights of all workers… The Campaign for Trade Union Freedom and Strike Map have arranged a petition, supported by 12 Trade Unions (including the POA) to call for an ‘Employment Rights Bill 2. Please sign the petition by adding your name at https://bit.ly/DemandERB2 read more
BFAWU
Support the campaign to unionise Samworth Brothers – get organised, sign the petition read more
Nautilus International
Nautilus calls for UK government to defend international maritime law after vessels seized in international waters (9 Oct) – Nautilus is urging the UK government to act following the recent interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. The Flotilla is a civil society‑led international maritime initiative launched in mid‑2025, with the goal of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, and pushing for the creation of a humanitarian corridor. Before it was intercepted, it was made up of more than 40 civilian vessels, including a UK-flagged vessel, and roughly 500 activists from more than 40 countries including the UK read more
Dreadnought update: progress for Union on recovering disrupted seafarer medical service (1 Oct) – Nautilus International’s longstanding campaign to protect the Dreadnought seafarer health service has led to progress at the highest levels of government, with a commitment now in place to resolve access issues affecting members in Scotland and Northern Ireland — and to improve service delivery in England and Wales read more
NUJ
NUJ to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (13 Oct) – On Monday 3 November at 5.30pm, the NUJ will host an online speaker event to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) read more
Family home of investigative journalist vandalised (13 Oct) – Perpetrators of attack must be brought to justice. The NUJ has expressed its concern at the vandalism of a house in Kosovo belonging to the family of investigative journalist Vudi Xhymshiti read more
End the freelance pay delay (13 Oct) – Want to be paid on time? The deadline is approaching to let the government know read more
STV decision to cut jobs and programming ‘an act of cultural vandalism’ (10 Oct) – The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has described the proposed axing of STV North’s News at 6 programme and up to 30 job cuts in the newsroom as “an act of cultural vandalism for journalism in Scotland.” Read more
PA chapel statement on 2025 pay deal (10 Oct) – NUJ members at PA Media have secured an above-inflation pay deal, demonstrating “the power of union activism and collective bargaining.” Read more
Gaza: NUJ urges safety of detained Global Sumud Flotilla journalists (3 Oct) – The National Union of Journalists has expressed its grave concern over the safety of journalists detained by Israeli authorities read more
NUJ issues formal ballot notices to Reach over mass redundancies (2 Oct) – The NUJ has submitted formal notices to ballot members for industrial action at The Mirror and Reach plc’s Scottish titles in a dispute over job losses, unreasonable workloads, and the use of artificial intelligence read more
NUJ responds to removal of journalists from Labour Party Conference (1 Oct) – The NUJ is concerned by a decision to revoke the passes of journalists attending the Labour Party Conference read more
Equity
Equity demands ‘urgent action’ on overseas work A1 certificate backlog (10 Oct) – Equity has today (10 October) written to HMRC calling for the seven-month backlog in issuing A1 certificates to be urgently addressed. A1 certificates are needed by all workers before they work abroad, with the document proving a person’s social security is paid in their home country while they work temporarily in Switzerland or an EU or EEA member state. Without this documentation Equity members have found their overseas work put at risk, or payments owed substantially delayed causing serious financial hardship read more
Mass Action Day galvanises choreographers and movement directors (30 Sept) – Choreographers and movement directors want your support read more
AI actress demonstrates fear over performance theft (30 Sept) – Equity says AI must be a tool to empower human creators, not replace them read more
Musicians Union
MU Condemns Manchester Synagogue Attack (2 Oct)
Government Proposes New Charges for Musical Instrument Certificates (2 Oct) – The MU warns proposed fees of up to £200 could place an unfair burden on musicians travelling with instruments containing endangered materials read more
Community
EU Steel Tariffs Announcement (7 Oct) – Responding to the EU’s announcement on tariffs this afternoon, Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said: “The new measures proposed by the EU represent an existential threat to our steel industry. Europe is by far the largest destination for UK steel exports, and losing access to this market would have a catastrophic impact on British jobs…” read more
USDAW
Central Co-op and Midcounties Co-op in merger discussions – Usdaw seeks assurances for staff (1 Oct) – Retail trade union Usdaw represents members working in both Central and Midcounties Co-operative societies. The union is seeking assurances for staff if the merger goes ahead read more
UVW
Pay scandal exposed at NHS trust: £30m in pay and benefits and £6m in pension contributions withheld from mainly migrant cleaners, caterers and porters (9 Oct) – A damning new report uncovers systemic racial inequality and financial injustice at the heart of St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group (GESH), as hundreds of low-paid NHS facilities workers prepare to strike read more
Migrant concierge & cleaners launch 10 day strike at luxury Paddington flats (22 Sept) – Concierge and cleaning staff at WEQ luxury apartments launch strike action today, running until 29th September, after management refused to award any pay rise in 2025 and following a serious breakdown in talks over inflation-proof pay, equal rights, and compassionate leave. The strike comes after eight hours of ACAS-mediated talks, where a pay deal had finally been secured. But in a last-minute move, management attempted to impose a sweeping contract, giving concierge and cleaners an ultimatum: keep their rights to collective bargaining or receive a 2025 pay rise — but not both… The full strike period will run from Friday 19th September to Monday 29th September, with action scheduled across multiple days and shifts 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
E5 Bakehouse workers win landmark union recognition (13 Oct) – Workers at E5 Bakehouse have won a landmark union recognition agreement with their employer – the first of its kind at one of London’s independent artisan bakeries. E5 Bakehouse runs an acclaimed sourdough bakery, café, and baking school with sites in Hackney, Poplar, and at the V&A East Storehouse, employing more than 100 staff. Known for its commitment to sustainability and local sourcing, E5 is part of a wave of London bakeries that rose to popularity alongside others including The Dusty Knuckle and Toad. It is now the first among them to formally recognise a union, setting a precedent for the wider baking and hospitality industry read more
UCL Cleaners – Stop the Cuts! – In August 2025, UCL and Sodexo announced plans to make dramatic cuts to cleaning services at UCL and across students’ halls of residence. UCL say that these redundancies are part of a modernisation and cost-cutting agenda. At the same time, the university is in a very strong financial position, with student numbers up from 38,000 in 2015/16 to 52,000 last year. These changes come after cleaners have reported long standing issues with overwork, unsafe conditions and precarious contracts read more. Strike protest Wednesday 1st October 12noon more info on IWGB Facebook page
IWW/TEFL
Malvern House teachers on why they’re striking (15 Sept) – Teachers at Malvern House London are set to strike at the end of the month (Sept 29-30). Below, they lay out their reasons for taking this step. The decision to strike hasn’t come easily. It follows years of dedication, compromise, and repeated efforts from teachers to improve conditions at Malvern House. But despite our commitment, our voices have gone largely unheard. Teachers at Malvern House London have long asked for fair treatment, recognition, and stability. Many began on zero-hour contracts, waiting months—or even years—for permanent positions. Now, even those so-called permanent contracts are starting to resemble the insecure, unpredictable terms we thought we’d left behind read more
Security Industry Federation
Write to Simon Alderson CEO First Response Group (FRG) – stop the racism, bullying and homophobia at First Response Group more info
Mandate (Ireland)
Survey shows nearly two-thirds of bar and retail workers have experienced verbal abuse in their workplaces (9 Oct) – Mandate Trade Union urges Minister for Retail, Alan Dillon, and Government to support Protection of Retail Workers Bill. A survey of Mandate Trade Union’s members in the bar and retail trades shows that nearly two-thirds of them have suffered verbal abuse in the course of their work. The results of the survey are being presented today by the union to the Minister for Retail, Alan Dillon, along with a request that the Government support the Protection of Retail Workers’ Bill read more
Government discriminates against young workers in today’s Budget (7 Oct) – This Government’s discrimination against young workers was reinforced in today’s Budget. While gifting a VAT rate cut bonanza to the hospitality sector and rightly increasing the Minimum Wage, Ministers Donohoe and Chambers refused to increase the sub-minimum wage rates for younger workers. This decision flies in the face of the fact that young workers are equally as affected by the rising cost of living as everyone else in Irish society. Mandate Trade Union is campaigning to end discrimination against young workers by abolishing the Sub-Minimum Wage, which is below the National Minimum Wage. The Sub-Minimum Wage directly discriminates against young workers as it provides for young workers to be legally paid significantly lower rates of pay than that the National Minimum Wage of solely based upon a Young Workers age read more
Mandate Backs Fórsa Strike for Equality in Schools (28 Aug) – Mandate stands in solidarity with the school secretaries and caretakers represented by Fórsa as they commence indefinite strike action today, Thursday, 28th August. This strike arises from the ongoing denial of access to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme for secretaries and caretakers—despite the fact that they work in the same schools, under the same management, and on the same payroll system as teachers and Special Needs Assistants. Their exclusion from this scheme, and from other basic employment entitlements, is unjust and indefensible read more
SIPTU (Ireland)
SIPTU welcomes implementation of 10% pay increase for the Early Years sector (3 Oct) – SIPTU representatives have welcomed the announcement by Minister Alan Dillon of the implementation date of the pay agreement benefiting over 30,000 Early Years professionals. The pay agreement, negotiated by SIPTU on behalf of thousands of members at the Early Years Services Joint Labour Committee, will come into effect from Monday 13th October read more
SIPTU to ballot ambulance members for industrial action in outsourcing dispute (13 Sept) – SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) are to ballot for industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute concerning attempts to outsource inter-hospital transfers in the Greater Dublin Area to the private sector read more
Dublin Fire Brigade to begin industrial action over safety concerns (1 Sept) – SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) have served notice of industrial action due to serious safety concerns over the introduction of a new call-out and dispatch system. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is attempting to impose this Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system onto DFB without consultation read more
Sign this petition: Take Action for Workers’ Rights!
Other news
Protest outside Senedd in Cardiiff – 4pm Tuesday 14th October
The government said there would be no more PIP disability benefit cuts until after a review. They said the review would be written with disabled people. This isn’t happening like they promised. Disabled people want to run our own, independent review. We will be asking the Welsh Government to do its part and support us (a lobby). We are handing in a letter with 700 signatures Click here for Easy Read
Trade union support for an independent PIP review
Dear Trade Union council, branch, organisation, or colleague,
I am writing about our campaign to tell the minister Stephen Timms that disabled people want an independent PIP review, with trade union involvement, and no more cuts. DIsabled People Against Cuts Cymru (DPAC Cymru) were thrilled to see motion 38, disabled workers oppose welfare reforms, and motion 39, oppose disability benefit cuts emergency, pass unanimously at TUC conference 2025 last week. Disabled people are still fighting this battle without respite. The disability minister Stephen Timms was forced to promise parliament that further changes to PIP would only come after a review co-produced with disabled people. Timms has not kept his promise in the slightest.
An open letter initiated by DPAC Cymru demanding an independent review into the PIP benefit, to be led by disabled people and our organisations, has now received signatures from more than 600 people including representatives of more than 25 organisations.
That letter also says that “any review of welfare reform must also, in a process led by disabled people, involve trade unions as democratic organisations representing 1.4 million disabled workers as well as representing the workers responsible for the day-to-day delivery of services that disabled people rely on.”
I hope that you might consider signing our open letter in support of that demand. Signatures are being collected until the end of September.
With the government acting this way, I have also enclosed for your consideration a PDF leaflet about an upcoming trades council conference in Wales that aims to discuss the crisis of working-class political representation, with the Labour Party invited to defend their record. (eventbrite link here)
DPAC Cymru’s coordinating team recently voted unanimously to support that conference and ask if we could send observers. That conference is endorsed by Cardiff Trades Union Council, Swansea Trades Union Council, Newport Trades Union Council, Caerphilly Trades Union Council, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Cardiff Council Unite branch, Cardiff Rail RMT branch, GMB Wales Ambulance Service branch, Cardiff General Unite branch, Unite Community Cardiff & Area, PCS ARMs branch, and Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru.
Thank you to trade union colleagues, in particular trades council delegates, for offering your support, solidarity, and advice through months of protests. You are always warmly invited to send representatives to talk to DPAC Cymru members about your campaigns, and we are always honoured by any opportunity to send a speaker to branches or conferences.
In solidarity, Kind regards, Ben Golightly – Co-coordinator, Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru (DPAC Cymru)
Email [email protected]
Phone 07410 303 652
SHAC Conference report: Tenant conference agrees move towards a national union – “Our voice is not heard”
There was broad agreement among tenants meeting in London on Saturday that ‘our voice is not heard’ and there was a need to work with unions and community bodies to form a national union of tenants. The conference was hosted by SHAC and involved a wide range of tenants including private sector, council and leaseholders read more on Unite Housing Workers branch website
Townsend Theatre Productions presents: WE ARE THE LIONS, MR MANAGER!
– the story of Jayaben Desai and the Grunwick Strike
Written by Neil Gore Directed by Louise Townsend
We Are The Lions Mr Manager!” is the story of the Great Grunwick Film Processing Factory Strike of 1976-8, and the inspirational strike-leader Jayaben Desai, one of many newly arrived Gujarati women workers from East Africa.
Grunwick wasn’t a strike about wages – it was about something much more important than that: it was about dignity. Dignity at work. And, for the small band of Asian women strikers, who braved the sun, rain, and snow month-in and month-out on the picket lines, from August 1976 to July 1978, rights in the workplace and pride at work were far more important than any amount of money
- Tour dates and tickets here. Tickets: £15 and £7.50 concessions
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
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
Affiliate with STAMMA – at this year’s NSSN Conference, Gary Clark retired CWU Royal Mail rep and a member of the NSSN Steering Committee spoke about STAMMA. STAMMA’s Employment Support Service helps people who stammer as well as those who don’t around issues related to stammering in the workplace. Union branches and regions can affiliate with STAMMA to access a range of services and support at a reduced rate.
- £75 for branches and regions
- £125 for national unions with under 400,000 members
- £200 for national unions with 400,000+ members
Sign this petition: To the Right Honourable Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister – Make toxic landfills safe – Support ‘Zane’s Law’! Find out more about this campaign here
From Strike Map – Our final instalment of the ‘Industrial Unionism’ series with Manifesto Press is here. Building on this success of our other pamphlets- which has sold over 2,000 copies, our next pamphlet in our series is the infamous ‘A Manual of Industrial Unionism’ by William Z Foster. Click the button here to pre-order your copy for you and your organisation
Stop the attack on Gaza
Many NSSN supporters have joined marches and protests against the escalation of violence in the Middle East, particularly the invasion and bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli government.
See Stop the War website for info on protests.
A number of unions have issued statements on the situation in the Middle East, including: the TUC, FBU, RMT, NEU, Unite, Unison, PCS, ASLEF, TSSA, UCU, EIS, USDAW, BFAWU, CWU, Equity, BMA, NUJ, MU, UVW, GMB, SOR, RCM, RCN, IWGB, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, INTO (Ireland), SIPTU (Ireland) and Mandate (Ireland)
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
Please support – MassArt in USA: rescind the suspension and drop all punishment for the exercising of free speech and protest! Union educator Peggy Wang was successfully brought back to work by supporters after a 3-month-long campaign against MassArt administration’s attempts to fire her for participating in a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest. But now, MassArt administration is suspending her without pay for 2 weeks, punishing her through retaliatory measures. We demand that MassArt immediately rescind the suspension and drop all punishment against her. Those in the MassArt community should have the right to free speech, assembly, and protest; pro-Palestinian protests should not be an exception! Send letter of protest
Support Nigeria Solidarity
From Rob Williams NSSN Chair:-
At an international conference this summer, 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.
Türkiye: No to union-busting at Digel read more
Diary
2025
October
22 NSSN lobby of the TUC General Council 9am TUC Congress House in London
