The NSSN sends solidarity to unions and their members in further and higher education who are balloting for strike action. This could lead to mass action by education staff. UCU’s ballots alone consist of 65,000 members at 137 HE institutions and 10,000 staff at 65 colleges.
We will carry updates of these ballots and action and all other disputes taking place, which can be found in our weekly bulletin. Many of these strikes are winning victories for workers.
- UCU: UK wide university strike ballot opens (14 Oct)
- UCU to launch England wide college strike ballot over pay, workloads and national bargaining (3 Oct)
- Unite ballots thousands of HE staff over pay (21 Oct)
- Unison: University staff to begin strike vote on below-inflation pay offer (20 Oct)
- EIS ULA Opens National Statutory Ballot for Strike Action Over Pitiful Pay Offer (20 Oct)
- EIS to move Ahead with Statutory Industrial Action Ballot Over Workload (8 Oct)
NSSN lobbies TUC General Council to #NameTheDate for a national demo against Starmer’s cuts
The NSSN lobbied the TUC General Council this morning for them to enact the policy passed at TUC Congress last month to call a national demonstration. See video and photos on NSSN on X/Twitter @NSSN_AntiCuts
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 was part of this campaign.
As NSSN Chair Rob Williams said in the NSSN Rally at TUC Congress: 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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Contact us: email – [email protected].
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 miscalculation on equal pay liability exposes mismanagement and incompetence at council (15 Oct) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has described the news that Birmingham council has settled its equal pay claims for a fraction of the amount it has claimed it was liable for as “exposing the ongoing mismanagement and incompetence at the heart of the council”. This week the council announced that it has settled its equal pay claims, with local reports revealing the initial cost was in the region of £250 million, which is far less than the estimated cost of between £650 million – £760 million, that leader John Cotton claimed to be the council’s liability in June 2023. It was due to the expected equal pay liabilities that the council effectively declared its insolvency in September 2023 and it has since been engaged in £300 million of cuts, with workers and residents both paying the price. However, the news that the equal pay liabilities were far lower, means there was no reason for the council to apply for a section 114 (insolvency) notice and no requirement for the government to appoint commissioners to oversee the council’s functions. The council’s insolvency and its decision to slash the pay of its refuse workers by up to a quarter (£8,000) was a direct response to the council’s effective insolvency. The fact the liabilities were barely a third of what was predicted demonstrates that the 10-month long refuse dispute could have been avoided read more
Birmingham bin worker blacklisting scandal rocks council (14 Oct) read more
Birmingham bin agency staff refusing to cross picket lines due to ‘toxic workplace culture’ (8 Oct) read more
- Sign petition to support binworkers
- Send a message of support to Unite and the binworkers
- Donate to the strike fund – Unite WM/7186 Branch, account: 20308397, sort code: 608301. Title donation: BCC Strike Donation
- Send a postcard to tell Birmingham Council’s leader to ‘Stop attacking your workers’ at https://supportbinworkers.unitetheunion.postbug.app/
Support the Unite Sheffield Bin Strike
New strike tactics at Sheffield waste depot aim to cause increased disruption (16 Oct) – Workers at Veolia will now return to work periodically to disrupt employer’s use of agency strike breakers. Striking workers taking part in a year-long dispute in Sheffield are set to cause greater disruption for their employer as new dates for action have been announced. Members of Unite working for Veolia at the Lumley Street depot have been on strike for over a year in their fight for union recognition. In a new tactic designed to disrupt Veolia’s use of agency staff in strike-breaking roles, workers will now periodically return to work before then heading back to the picket line. Workers will now walk out from 10-16 November, 24-30 November, 8-14 December, 22-28 December, 5-11 January, 19-25 January, 2-8 February, 16-22 February and 2-8 March 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 32:
- Monday 20th: Joint picket at Gloucester Royal Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00. Reps have a meeting with management and ACAS at 11:00.
- Tuesday 21st: No picket. Meeting at Sandford Education Centre Room 3 at Cheltenham General Hospital from 08:30 to 11:30.
- Wednesday 22nd: Joint picket at Gloucester Royal Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
- Thursday 23rd: Joint picket at Cheltenham General Hospital from 07:30 to 12:00.
- Friday 24th: 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
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 writes to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on rail pay and productivity (20 Oct) – Rail union RMT, has warned the government against using flawed productivity measures and wage restraint for railway workers. The union has said that linking any pay offer above CPI to so-called “productivity savings” from staff is a dangerous approach that risks repeating the mistakes of austerity and undermining the railway’s long-term future. RMT is challenging claims that staff costs are to blame for falling productivity. The union says official figures ignore major structural problems in the industry, such as the ongoing costs of outsourcing, leasing charges, and private debt, while focusing narrowly on labour inputs to push a political agenda read more
RMT declares dispute with Network Rail over falling real wages despite rising productivity (16 Oct) – Rail union RMT, has gone into dispute with Network Rail over pay, after years of falling real-terms wages despite major productivity improvements delivered by staff across the railway. Since 2021, cumulative RPI inflation has risen by around 27%, while Network Rail pay awards over the same period total just 17%. That means staff are, on average, 10% worse off in real terms than they were four years ago. Depending on grade, individual losses amount to between £3,500 and £9,600 compared with inflation read more
RMT responds to Government offshore jobs plan (19 Oct) – RMT welcomes government commitment read more
RMT marks 25th anniversary of Hatfield rail disaster (17 Oct) – Rail union RMT has today marked the 25th anniversary of the Hatfield rail disaster, which claimed four lives and left more than 70 people injured on 17 October 2000. The crash, caused by a broken rail, became a defining moment for the industry and highlighted the dangers of cutting corners on safety and maintenance. It also exposed the failings of a fragmented, profit-driven system of rail infrastructure management. RMT said it was vital that the lessons of Hatfield continue to guide decision-making across the railway today, especially at a time when the industry is again under pressure to cut costs read more
RMT calls off strike ballot at Wightlink after company withdraws redundancy threats (14 Oct) – Maritime union RMT, has cancelled its industrial action ballot at Wightlink after the company made several concessions. Wightlink management decided to withdraw its restructuring proposals and has removed the threat of redundancy. The company has made a clear commitment to withdraw the original proposals and continue discussions on workforce development, including upskilling and improvements to working practices, with no compromise on safety standards read more
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
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
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
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 remembers Hatfield rail crash 25 years on (16 Oct) – Rail and transport union TSSA is remembering the victims of the Hatfield rail crash a quarter of a century after the disaster in which an express train derailed as it was travelling at over 100mph along the East Coast Main Line. Four people were killed and 70 injured on the 17th of October 2000 when a London Kings Cross to Leeds service passed over a defective section of rail which then fractured. In all there were 170 passengers and 12 staff onboard read more
TSSA launch ‘Clear the Air’ on London Underground campaign (15 Oct) – Rail union TSSA has begun a new major new campaign calling for cleaner air on the London Underground – appealing for increased investment including air filtration, ventilation and air quality monitoring. TSSA is raising awareness of low air quality and high levels of steel particulate matter on the Tube network which are breathed in by both our members and the public each day. The Underground is a public space, but because it is a workplace it is governed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) air quality regulations. TSSA wants the HSE to harmonise their clean air regulations with the more robust Institute of Occupational Medicine standards read more
TSSA ballots TransPennine Express for industrial action (14 Oct) – Rail union TSSA is to ballot members working at TransPennine Express (TPE) as Operations Managers for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over on call payments. The action follows the company’s refusal to offer an acceptable on-call, overtime and compensatory time off in lieu (TOIL) package to staff. It relates to staff in the roles of Driver Managers, Operational Development Managers and Driver Operations Managers. The dispute also covers TPE’s proposal to change the on-call process and standards. A ballot of several dozen members within this group of workers will run from 21st of October to the 11th of November and follows the unanimous vote of the relevant TSSA members to reject the offer made by TPE read more
Unite
Strikes to hit BAE factories in pay row (22 Oct) – Workers in Lancashire to walk out at defence manufacturer this winter. Strikes will hit defence giant BAE Systems this winter as workers at two sites in Lancashire will take action due to a low pay offer. Members of the Unite trade union, the UK’s leading union in the defence and aerospace sector, are taking strike action at BAE’s Warton and Samlesbury plants after rejecting the company’s pay offer. They were offered just 3.6 per cent, which is below the rate of inflation, and represents a real-terms pay cut…Unite members in four sections including manufacturing and quality control will now take their first phase of strike action from 5-25 November. This will cripple production and bring both sites to a standstill…In addition to strike action all members of Unite at BAE Warton and Samlesbury sites will cease working overtime, no longer travel off-site, cease any additional training and withdraw from any voluntary roles read more
Unite ballots thousands of HE staff over pay (21 Oct) – Staff at 47 higher education institutions to be balloted by Unite for strike action. Thousands of staff across the UK’s higher education institutions are being balloted for strike action after being offered an appalling real-terms pay cut by their employers. Members of the Unite, along with members of EIS, UCU and Unison, are being asked to take industrial action following a 1.4 per cent pay offer for 2025/26 from UCEA, the employer’s body. This is significantly below inflation and therefore represents a real-terms pay cut. To add insult to injury the real terms pay cut was imposed by universities on 1 August…The ballot opened on 20 October and runs until 1 December. If successful, industrial action could take place throughout the first half of 2026 read more
London Grosvenor Casinos workers ballot for strikes over Christmas party season (21 Oct) – The chips are down for Grosvenor Casinos this upcoming festive party season as almost 140 workers are being balloted over strike action. Licenced gaming staff are looking to take industrial action from the end of November until the New Year, disrupting their employer’s profitable holiday period, after rejecting the company’s offer of a below-inflation 2.5 per cent pay rise. The affected workers do jobs such as running the poker rooms and roulette tables – these are historically difficult roles to fill as they require specialist skills, rigorous training and a legal requirement for staff to hold a licence to work in the industry. The workers operate from the three biggest Grosvenor Casinos in the UK, all based in London. These are Rialto in Leicester Square, the Victoria on Edgware Road and the Gloucester, Gloucester Road. Grosvenor Casinos is a chain of over 50 casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK, owned by the highly profitable Rank Group which saw its profits surge 38 per cent to £63.7m in the year to 30 June 2025. During this period, Grosvenor revenues rose 14 per cent, with average weekly takings hitting £7.3m read more
Cardiff council facing epidemic of workplace sexual harassment (20 Oct) – A culture of sexual harassment has been exposed at Cardiff council, with a Unite poll finding incidents are endemic. The poll of workers, which uniquely was sent to both men and women, found over one in five – 22 per cent – had been the victims of sexual assault while at work, travelling to work or at a work-related occurrence such as a conference. They had been assaulted by either a colleague, a manager or a third party such as a Cardiff council service user. It also found 35 per cent of workers had been inappropriately touched without their consent, 34 per cent had been the recipient of unwanted flirting, gesturing or sexual remarks and 27 per cent had been shown porn at work. This is the first time that Unite has conducted a workplace survey of both men and women regarding sexual harassment at a workplace and was a result of information it had received from members that this was an active problem for both sexes. Meanwhile six per cent of respondents had been the victim of sexual coercion at Cardiff Council. This is when a person pressures, tricks, threatens, or manipulates someone into engaging in sexual activity without genuine consent. Out of those who have had incidents at work, 45 per cent had this happen more than twice while 36 per cent had experienced it at least once. Workers at Cardiff council say when they do report incidents, they are not taken seriously by management. Over two thirds, 69 per cent, of respondents said the issue was not addressed or tackled by management read more
Sainsbury’s accused of hypocrisy: Failing menopausal workers while cynically promoting menopause products (20 Oct) – Sainsbury’s has been criticised by Unite, the UK’s leading union, for its continual failure to implement a menopause policy for staff while simultaneously promoting a new line of menopause products. Last month, the supermarket became the first UK grocer to launch an own-brand skincare range carrying the MTick symbol. This is a sign created by the organisation GenM to signpost products that can help relieve at least one of the 48 menopause symptoms. However, workers at Sainsbury’s have been pushing for a firm menopause policy to be introduced for several years to no avail, saying at present the firm only offers a set of guidelines which are open to interpretation by managers. This has left women workers at Sainsbury’s who are going through the menopause having to take unpaid time off for medical appointments or coming into work while suffering impairing symptoms as they fear triggering a disciplinary for absence if they are off sick too much. One woman was even dismissed after suffering from menopause-related brain fog and forgetfulness that affected her work, later winning compensation from Sainsbury’s. This is all despite the fact that in October 2023 Sainsbury’s made a commitment to GenM to create a menopause policy for its workers, something which was well-publicised at the time read more
Gatwick immigration services workers strike off after Unite secures 6% pay deal (20 Oct) – Strikes by Gatwick immigration services workers have been called off following an improved pay deal. The OCS workers, who provide support to the UK Border Force at the airport’s immigration gates, voted to accept a six per cent pay deal backdated to April 2025. OCS’ original offer was just two per cent…Industrial action scheduled to take place earlier this month was suspended to allow further negotiations. A further strike was set for 27 October, which has now also been called off. In 2024, Unite secured an average pay rise of 8.3 per cent for more than 4,600 workers employed by 11 different companies at Gatwick read more
Unite response to Government clean energy jobs announcement (17 Oct) read more
First Cymru strikes postponed after new pay offer (17 Oct) – Planned strikes at bus company First Cymru across south and west Wales have been partially suspended following a new offer from the employer. Strikes were due to begin on 22 October and were in three, weekly, waves of action. The first week of strike action (22-25 October) has been called off to allow a ballot to take place on the new and amended offer from First Cymru. Remaining action (30 Oct – 2 Nov and 5-8 Nov) is still planned to take place should the offer be rejected read more
ABP: Craigavon workers to commence all-out strike (17 Oct) – Over 150 workers to down tools in pursuit of decent pay. Workers at Anglo Beef Processors UK (ABP) Craigavon plant, where Unite represents over 150 meat packers, trimmers, distribution, kill line and boning workers, have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action. Unite is seeking a fair pay increase for its members who are paid a piece rate. Management’s offer of three per cent with a one-off cash payment of £100 and three per cent from April 2026, would amount to a real terms pay cut. The strike will see shortages in beef and lamb on the shelves of many supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Aldi… Management at the site have been provided notice of planned all out strike action by workers which will commence from 00.01am on Monday 27 October read more
Manchester travel disruption as bus and tram network workers strike (17 Oct) – Transport for Greater Manchester workers angry at real terms pay cut. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) workers will begin strike action over pay tomorrow, Unite, the UK’s leading union, has announced. The more than 200 workers, who undertake a variety of roles including ticketing, passenger assistance and information services for the bus and tram network, have rejected a 3.2 per cent pay offer. The offer is a real terms pay cut as the current rate of RPI inflation stands at 4.6 per cent…The dispute is also over issues around stand by, call out and four day working week policies. The workers will strike on 18, 20, 23, 24 and 25 October, with disruption caused across the bus and tram network. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more
Unite secures significant pay victory at HSL following strike action (17 Oct) – HSL and Doctors’ Laboratory staff to get improvements in grading systems, sick pay and training. Staff at a large biomedical sciences company with laboratories across the country are celebrating a significant pay win after a dispute with their employer. Nearly a thousand staff took part in industrial action in September due to anger over their pay and grading system. With support from Unite, workers have now win significant improvements. Staff will receive an average pay rise of 15.4 per cent over two years and the introduction of a banding system guaranteeing pay progression based on tenure and bringing all employees in line with NHS agenda for change contracts. They will also get a significant improvement in their sick pay, the introduction of special leave, two additional days of annual leave, a new and fair selection process for training to be overseen by Unite reps, and the confirmation that staff moving from NHS contracts to work for HSL will keep their pensions within the legal entity and receive £2500 compensation read more
Unite warns Nestle it will “fight for every job” as company announces cuts (16 Oct) – 16,000 jobs to be lost worldwide – company refusing to say where axe will fall
The Unite trade union has today (16 October) slammed Nestle’s announcement of worldwide job losses and has promised to fight for every job at sites across the UK.
The Swiss-based food and drink company announced that it would be cutting thousands of jobs across its worldwide operations including 12,000 administrative staff and a further 4,000 in manufacturing and supply.
Unite represents over a thousand members at Nestle sites in York, Halifax, Dalston and Tutbury as well as additional staff at Buxton Water (owned by Nestle) read more
Flight disruption at Manchester Airport as Aer Lingus workers will strike (16 Oct) – There will be disruption to Aer Lingus flights at Manchester Airport from later this month as 130 cabin crew workers have voted to strike. The members of Unite have rejected a pay rise of nine per cent this year and three per cent next year. While they recognise this seems like a high number, the reality is that base salaries are so low workers have struggled to afford basics such as housing and bills. Many have also taken on second jobs or worked large amounts of overtime to try and make up for the shortfall in pay, leaving them at risk of stress and burnout. Aer Lingus is a major airline operating out of Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2, with several flights each day to destinations including Orlando, New York and Barbados. The Irish flag carrier, it is highly profitable and last year recorded an operating profit of €205m, while three top executives including its chief executive and chief financial officer earned the bulk of almost €2.8m in core director remuneration paid by Aer Lingus last year…Crew based in Manchester have far lower flying allowances than their colleagues based in Dublin. Aer Lingus has offered its Manchester workers an increase of $15 in the US overnight allowance to $130, however this does not go far enough to address the imbalance. After 90 per cent of workers involved in the dispute voted to take industrial action they will walk out from 30 October to 2 November read more
Turners tanker drivers to halt fuel deliveries to major Scottish airports (16 Oct) – Unite can confirm that Grangemouth based tanker drivers working for Turners (Soham) Limited are set to strike in a pay dispute impacting major airlines operating at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. Strike action commences at 02:45 tomorrow (17 October) continuing each day up to 23:59 on 21 October when the action will conclude. The announcement follows no breakthrough in talks involving Unite and Turners through the auspices of the conciliation service Acas. The company has refused to improve upon its ‘miserly’ one per cent pay offer for 2025 and offered marginal improvements on working conditions and allowances. Turners further proposed a pay offer in the following year based on the CPI inflation rate in January 2026. The two-year offer was overwhelmingly rejected by Unite’s membership read more
British Veterinary Union calls for more action to address issues in sector (15 Oct) – BVU welcomes CMA report but more needs to be done on transparency, regulation and legislation. The British Veterinary Union in Unite (BVU) has today welcomed the majority of the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) provisional remedies but has warned that more action is needed to address the issues present in the UK veterinary sector. There is particular concern over areas including transparency, regulation, and medicines legislation read more
Manchester Bee Network bus strikes over as workers win excellent pay deal (14 Oct) – Strikes this month by bus drivers working for Manchester’s integrated Bee Network transport system have been called off after they accepted a vastly improved pay deal. Almost 2,000 Unite members working for Stagecoach and Metroline, on the Bee Network, were due to walk out on 18, 23 and 24 October in a dispute over pay. Strikes have now been called off after Unite members have voted to accept a much-improved pay offer of 12 per cent over two years, The first pay rise of 5.9 per cent will be fully backdated to April 2025 and workers will receive another pay rise of 5.9 per cent this coming April on all rates of pay including weekend and sick pay read more
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 – Despatch From the CWU Equalities Event (18 Oct) – CWU Head of Equality, Education and Development Kate Hudson hosts this week’s show, coming to you direct from the CWU Equalities Event in Bournemouth. We hear from delegates and inspiring guest speakers, including representatives from the Police Spies Out of Lives campaign, Suresh Grover of The Monitoring Group, and the mother of Ricky Reel, a teenager tragically murdered in a racist attack. Tune in now to discover how your union is driving change – within the CWU and beyond watch video
Retired Members: we demand a New Deal for Pensioners (16 Oct) – Retired CWU members have called for a “new deal for pensioners” to fight the “excessive abuse” older people experience at the hands of politicians. The demand for the union and their allies to launch a campaign was made by over 80 delegates at a conference held in Birmingham to discuss strategy and issues yesterday (15th October) read more
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
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]
Why you should vote Yes for strike action at the Tate (20 Oct) – Members have been subject to years of cuts, downgraded pensions, and below-inflation pay offers which have left workers struggling. Our ballot for strike action over pay opened on 14 October and closes on 11 November read more
Met Police members to strike on 5 November (20 Oct) – PCS members are taking action over their employer’s refusal to pay them a London cost-of-living payment. Our members working as civilian police staff in the Met Police will take strike action on 5 November as part of their dispute over the Met’s refusal to pay them a £1250 consolidated allowance to meet the cost of living in London, that was paid to police officers. Unlike police officers, our members do not receive free travel and are paid less for the same shifts. In many cases, our members and police officers are working side by side doing the same jobs. And the cost of living in London remains the same for police officers and staff alike. Met Police members are also in dispute with management over a mandated return to offices and in January, members took industrial action by refusing to comply with the imposed policy, while continuing to work from home. The Met responded by threatening to dock pay for every day members didn’t attend the office when management demanded it. PCS reps continue to support members with disabilities and caring responsibilities who have been negatively affected by the employer’s decisions read more
Border Force Maritime members vote for strike action (17 Oct) – Border Force workers who patrol UK waters including the English Channel have voted for strike action in a dispute over frozen allowances as well as terms and conditions. PCS members working on patrol boats, whose duties include searching for and identifying vessels at sea engaged in smuggling or small boats crossings, have voted yes for strike action by 96% to 4% against on a turnout of 80%. The more than 120 Border Force Maritime workers who were balloted are angered at having to wait more than six years for the result of a payment review into allowances for their specialist roles. Border Force management has repeatedly failed to meet its own deadlines to present final proposals to the union. The latest date management promised to present proposals to staff – on the week beginning 6 October – came and went with no progress. Management has given assurances about backdating these allowances to 1 April 2025, but PCS believes it may be months before these extra payments are received because proposals have not been forthcoming read more
Responding to British Library inaccuracy claims (16 Oct) – Since PCS announced its intention to ballot members at the British Library over the below-inflation pay award for 2025/26, the employer has repeatedly accused the union of making false statements. Most recently, for example, the British Library alleged that “the PCS statement contains inaccuracies, in particular the reference to a £5,000 bonus for senior leaders, which is not the case.” It’s not every day that an employer accuses PCS of lying. We are therefore including references to each of the points mentioned in our press release of Tuesday, 14 October read more
PCS to fight large-scale job losses at the FCDO (16 Oct) – PCS will strongly resist plans by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to slash its UK-based workforce by up to 30%, putting nearly 2,000 jobs at risk. Members’ meetings are being held after the FCDO gave notice that 1,885 jobs are at risk, saying it needs to lose 25-30% of the workforce to meet its spending review outcome. The news follows a restructure of the senior civil service (SCS); PCS believes redundancy notices have been issued in the SCS, which would breach agreed protocols. The FCDO insists the department needs to get smaller, which PCS opposes. We are concerned that a figure has been provided for job cuts to delegated grades before consulting unions on the workforce plan or a timescale for consultation. One factor in the cuts plan is the reduction in the aid budget. We are opposing this budget cut and have lobbied MPs to explain its impact on programmes in crisis-hit areas read more
15 Weeks on Strike — Still No Union Recognition from MyCSP (15 Oct) – PCS members are now in the 15th week of determined strike action, yet pensions administrator MyCSP continues to block union recognition, preventing PCS from taking part in critical TUPE transfer talks. From the start, MyCSP has avoided engagement. First, they blamed Capita. Then, despite two meetings with PCS, Duncan Watson — the key decision-maker — failed to attend either one. Instead, HR reps with no authority were sent, making progress impossible. MyCSP claimed most staff didn’t want PCS. They ran a staff poll — but PCS wasn’t allowed to speak to members beforehand. Even so, the poll showed the majority of staff support union recognition. Those in favour of union recognition were 41.9%, those opposed to union recognition: 28.6% and 29.5% did not participate. MyCSP has ignored this outcome. With less than 40 days left on the contract, PCS is asking for a simple, temporary recognition agreement — just enough to ensure we are at the table during TUPE talks. The only thing preventing this is management ego read more
British Library workers vote to strike (14 Oct) – PCS members working at the British Library in London have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action in a dispute over pay. PCS members at the British Library have voted 98.23% in favour of industrial action on a turnout of 75.17% in a ballot that closed yesterday (13). The dispute centres on the organisation’s failure to offer an above-inflation pay award for a second consecutive year. In a recent survey of British Library members, PCS found that most workers struggle each month to make ends meet. While the British Library initially proposed a pay award of 2%, with some receiving as little as 1.6%, it has since increased the offer to 2.4%. In a win for PCS, the British Library has now gone back on plans to offer £5,000 in annual bonuses to directors as part of a restructure. The decision was announced after PCS went public about the proposed restructure which would have seen the director team double, while offering workers a below-inflation pay award. Over 300 PCS are expected to walk out from Monday 27 October until Sunday 9 November. The strike dates coincide with the two-year anniversary of a cyber-attack where staff members’ personal data was leaked on to the dark web, as well as the opening of a major new exhibition, ‘Secret Maps’ 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
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
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
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
Clean Energy Jobs Plan: a welcome step but scale of the challenge demands more action and urgency (20 Oct) – The government has launched its Clean Energy Jobs Plan, estimating that 830,000 workers will be employed in the renewables sector by 2030, nearly doubling the size of the current workforce read more
GMB
Coventry minimum wage failure ‘staggering’ (17 Oct) – GMB Union, representing workers across Coventry City Council, has today responded to the news that the authority has appeared on a list of employers failing to pay some staff the National Minimum Wage (NWM). The NMW is the legally binding minimum pay floor for employers in the UK, currently set at £12.21 for adults over 21 read more
Toronto Wolfpack players finally paid (15 Oct) – Toronto Wolfpack players have been paid around £750,0000 in unpaid wages after a GMB campaign. The Canadian club folded in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic, leaving huge sums in unpaid wages. The Rugby League Players Association, a branch of the GMB Union which represents rugby league players in the UK, launched legal action to claim the money owed. They negotiated settlements for all players who were GMB members, almost all of which were subsequently breached. Now, after a five-year battle, a six-figure sum has been paid out to the players read more
Eurovision venue staff secure pension future (15 Oct) – Workers at ACC Liverpool – the venue which hosted both the Eurovision Song Contest and Labour Party Conference – have secured their pension rights after bosses dropped plans to exit the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Security, events, cleaning and catering staff, many of whom were TUPE-transferred from Liverpool City Council, faced losing access to the LGPS, one of the most secure pension schemes available to public sector workers. ACC Liverpool proposed buying staff out of the scheme with a monetary offer. The move was seen as a cost-saving measure, potentially saving the company millions of pounds. GMB Union insisted that all affected staff be consulted, not just union members. Despite pressure from management, the proposal was unanimously rejected. Had the changes gone ahead, workers would have been moved to a defined contribution (DC) pension scheme, offering far less favourable terms and leaving staff thousands of pounds worse off in retirement. Last Friday, ACC Liverpool confirmed it has stopped pursuing the proposal read more
Teesside wind workers to strike over ‘pitiful’ pay (14 Oct) – More than 150 Teesside workers at Seah Wind will walk out on Wednesday [15 October] and every Wednesday for six weeks after rejecting imposed shift allowances and a 3.1 per cent pay offer that’s both below inflation and industry standards. Workers will also begin a continuous overtime ban after talks with conciliatory service Acas broke down today [Tuesday]. 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 highlights the current gap between promises made by companies and the Government on well-paid jobs in renewables and the reality for many workers read more
GMB welcomes ‘historic’ Birmingham Equal Pay agreement (14 Oct) – GMB has today responded to the signing of a legal agreement to settle historic equal pay claims at Birmingham City Council. The news comes after GMB’s four year long fight to end pay discrimination against women workers at the Council read more
Mathew Taylor has ‘huge challenge’ as head of FWA (14 Oct) – GMB Union has responded to the appointment of Matthew Taylor as chair of the Fair Work agency, announced today [Tuesday] read more
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
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
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
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
University staff to begin strike vote on below-inflation pay offer (20 Oct) – University staff are the backbone of campus life, keeping institutions running. Support staff at more than 100 universities across the UK will begin voting today (Monday) on potential strike action following a below-inflation pay offer from senior managers, says UNISON. The national industrial action ballot closes on Friday 28 November. More than 90% of members who took part in a UNISON consultation in the summer rejected the 1.4% pay offer for 2025/26 from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. For years university staff have seen their pay lose value while workloads have soared and job insecurity has increased as institutions cuts costs, says the union. The latest offer from employers amounts to a real-terms wage cut and falls well short of other pay awards in both the public and private sectors, UNISON adds. The union represents professional services staff at universities whose work keeps campuses running safely and effectively. They include administrators, technicians, librarians, student support teams and cleaners. Other unions representing university workers – UCU, Unite and EIS – are also holding ballots on the same offer read more
Government must end police officer ‘uplift’, say UNISON members (17 Oct) – The controversial scheme headed the debates at the national police, probation and CAFCASS conference read more
Equal pay victory for women at Birmingham City Council (14 Oct) – Agreement will settle historic pay claims. Hundreds of low-paid women working across Birmingham City Council services are to receive long-overdue payments, says UNISON today (Tuesday). UNISON, GMB and Birmingham City Council have signed an agreement to settle historic equal pay claims brought by the two unions on behalf of women employed by the council and Birmingham Children’s Trust. It means women delivering essential services to the city, in roles such as teaching assistants, catering staff and care workers, will receive significant amounts of money they are owed and deserve read more
Swansea health workers want strike ballot after deal pulled at 11th hour (1 Oct) – Healthcare support workers employed at Swansea Bay University Health Board are furious after being told a deal to correct years of underpayment was pulled at the last minute, says UNISON today (Wednesday). UNISON says staff are so angry they want a ballot for strike action. The predominantly female, low-paid workforce were due to receive compensation in their pay packets before Christmas to end a previous dispute. This payment was for carrying out daily clinical duties, normally associated with a higher pay band for years without appropriate pay. Based on an individual’s circumstances and length of employment, the compensation could be as high as £7,000 before tax and National Insurance deductions. Support workers had previously voted to strike over the issue following a two-year campaign for improved wages. That led to health board executives pledging to move staff onto a higher pay band and provide recognition payments and back pay by 31 December this year. But the health board has now torn up a local agreement that was reached ten months ago, says UNISON. The union’s campaigning on the issue, affecting thousands of workers across Wales, is due to result in a nation-wide agreement to be signed in the coming weeks, after Welsh Government postponed it several times read more
Support Camden Unison school support staff members at Richard Cobden school for fair pay and safe staffing levels Camden New Journal: School strike over cuts to support staff
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
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
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
International law must be used to protect nursing staff in conflict zones (15 Oct) – An RCN report highlights increasing incidents of violence against staff and health facilities, and accounts from nursing staff working in war zones read more
RCN signs joint union statement standing against anti-migrant and racist rhetoric (15 Oct) – We are united in our commitment to dignity, respect, and equality for all read more
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
Partial pay funding falls short for Northern Ireland midwives and MSWs, says RCM (17 Oct) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Northern Ireland has expressed extreme disappointment that while some funding has been allocated towards 2025/26 Agenda for Change pay, it represents only around half of what is needed to restore full pay parity for midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs). This follows ongoing concerns raised by the health and social care trade unions in Northern Ireland, including the RCM, over repeated broken commitments by the Executive and the Health Minister to maintain pay parity for Agenda for Change staff read more
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
CSP
Pay parity must be restored for HSC staff in Northern Ireland (17 Oct) – Health unions including the CSP are calling on the Northern Ireland health minister to restore pay parity with the rest of the UK as a matter of urgency read more
CSP joins unions in condemning anti-migrant rhetoric (15 Oct) – The CSP has joined forces with health unions to condemn the rise in anti-migrant rhetoric and reaffirm support for international colleagues working across the UK’s health and social care system. The joint statement signed by the CSP alongside the BMA, RCN, Unite, UNISON, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association and the Society of Radiographers, says: Our health and social care sector is built on the hard work and rich diversity of its workforce…” read more
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
Trade unions demand end to attacks on overseas workforce (15 Oct) – Employees from ‘international backgrounds, or perceived as ethnically distinct from the majority population, are facing a sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric’. Healthcare is at risk of being undermined as doctors and other healthcare staff face ‘a sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric’ the BMA has warned. The association has joined seven other trade unions in demanding an end to the ‘escalating use of hostile language’ against people from overseas living in the UK, in a joint statement published today. The statement, which has been backed by organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, the Society of Radiographers along with Unison, Unite and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, calls on politicians and the media to end the spread of misinformation which is resulting in the ‘blatant scapegoating of migrant communities’ read more
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
Young people not in in education, employment or training set to hit 1 million (21 Oct) – Commenting on analysis from the Resolution Foundation showing the number of young people aged between 16 -24 not in education, employment or training now standing at 940,000, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “It is unacceptable that so many people are being left behind at such a formative time in their lives. Unmet SEND need and absurd waiting times for mental health support are contributing to young people struggling to stay in school and to progress into further study and work. The Government needs to invest in an inclusive education system which enables all young people to thrive. It must also invest in diverse, accessible and enjoyable routes to meaningful work, and make sure every young person has all they need to succeed” read more
Education Policy Institute report argues for Free School Meals system rethink (17 Oct) – Commenting on an Education Policy Institute report which argues that the Free School Meals system needs a rethink, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “We know that measuring entitlement to free school meals does not accurately capture which children are growing up in poverty. Too many children fall through the cracks, as eligibility criteria have excluded many and registration processes create barriers to access. This has the knock-on effect of preventing schools from unlocking the funding they need to support their pupils…” read more
Sutton Trust report on access to SEND shows underfunding exacerbated inequalities (16 Oct) – Commenting on a new report which shows the ‘massive’ inequalities in access to the SEND system, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Education should be a great leveller, which enables all children to thrive. Instead, chronic underfunding, particularly of SEND provision, has exacerbated existing inequalities. It is especially unfair that children with SEND from low-income families face this double whammy of disadvantage…” read more
Report launched on the agency rip off of supply teachers (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
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
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NASUWT
No evidence base for new reading tests (16 Oct) – Commenting on the Secretary of State for Education’s announcement that the government will introduce new reading targets in schools, including a reading test for Year 8 pupils, Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “Unions have not been consulted on new proposals around reading targets and tests for pupils. With teachers’ workloads at an all-time high, it is concerning that the Secretary of State is prioritising the introduction of further bureaucracy in schools. The creation and administration of these tests will come at a cost. Why is there suddenly funding for new tests but not enough money to fully fund the teachers’ pay award, which keeps teachers in the profession? NASUWT would oppose attempts to re-introduce anything comparable to the high stakes Key Stage 3 SATs that the last Labour government rightly scrapped back in 2008. High stakes assessments can detract from teachers’ efforts to secure high quality learning experiences for pupils…” read more
EIS
EIS Suspends this week’s Strike Action at UWS After Constructive Talks (20 Oct) – The EIS has suspended two days of strike action planned to be taken by members of EIS ULA this week following constructive discussions with the senior management of the University, regarding the removal of the threat of compulsory redundancies. The talks, between EIS ULA representatives and UWS late last week, have resulted in the University confirming that it is now in a position to proceed with its Organisational Change Project without moving to compulsory redundancies. EIS ULA Branch Officials at UWS, who welcome the development, will meet this week to consider the details tabled by the University read more
EIS ULA Opens National Statutory Ballot for Strike Action Over Pitiful Pay Offer (20 Oct) – EIS ULA has opened a statutory ballot of its members for strike action over university employers failing to improve their full and final pay offer, which was tabled earlier this year. The EIS has opened this ballot after the results of their recent consultative ballot saw members overwhelmingly reject the full and final pay offer made by the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and vote in favour of taking strike action to pursue an improved pay uplift. UCU, UNISON and UNITE are also set to open statutory ballots on the joint national pay dispute with UCEA. The EIS ULA ballot will remain open for almost six weeks, closing on Friday 28th November 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 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
Solent University threatens P&O-style ‘Fire & Rehire’ with pension cuts (22 Oct) – UCU today announced that it has entered a formal trade dispute with Southampton Solent University over plans to force all its staff onto inferior pension schemes, paving the way for a strike ballot if management refuses to resolve the dispute. On Wednesday 24 September Solent vice-chancellor Professor James Knowles announced in a video call with staff that the university intends to move all staff to wholly owned subsidiary company, Solent University Services Limited (SUSL). This will force them out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and onto a second-rate defined contribution pension read more
Strike dates set at University of the Highlands and Islands in dispute over use of compulsory redundancies (21 Oct) – UCU members at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) will take four days of strike action beginning on Thursday 30 October. As well as 30 October, staff will also strike on Wednesday 5, Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 November 2025. UCU members will also take part in action short of strike which will involve staff taking actions including working to contract, not covering for colleagues or undertaking voluntary activities at the university. The strike follows a ballot where 71% of those who voted backed strike action on a turnout of 82%. The dispute is over management pressing ahead with plans to make 16 jobs at the university’s executive office redundant as part of efforts to save £2million. University senior managers are using compulsory redundancies to implement the job cuts; a move the union says is unacceptable. The union also questioned the impact cuts would have on the remaining staff who will be left with unmanageable workloads and said that these new cuts followed multiple cuts and jobs losses in recent years. The union said that the hollowing out of the university’s executive office isn’t sustainable long term with a functioning university read more
Post-16 white paper poor substitute for proper public funding (20 Oct) – Responding to the government’s post-16 white paper, UCU general secretary Jo Grady today said: ‘This white paper presented a massive opportunity to properly invest in our great universities, which contribute £265 billion to the economy. Labour has instead double downed on the disastrous tuition-fees funding model, which created the crisis the sector is currently facing read more
V-level rollout ‘pie in the sky’ without substantial investment in staff (20 Oct) – UCU said the rollout of V-levels will fail to get more young people into work and training unless the government substantially raises college staff pay. The union was responding to the government’s unveiling of the new vocational qualification read more
UK wide university strike ballot opens (14 Oct) – Over 65,000 UCU members at universities across the UK will be balloted to take strike action in a fight to protect jobs, wages and working conditions, the union announced today. The ballot will open on Monday 20 October and run until Friday 28 November. It will be aggregated across 137 institutions, meaning a successful result will pave the way for strike action at all 137 campuses in the new year. The ballot comes after UCU and its sister unions GMB, Unite, Unison and EIS rejected a derisory a 1.4% pay offer from employer body the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). UCU has also revealed university employers have tried to axe over 15,000 jobs 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 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
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
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
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
Commenting on the latest inspection report at HMP Leeds a spokesperson for the prison officers’ association said: “The issues highlighted at HMP Leeds are a prime example of the crisis our members are having to cope with across the Prison Estate…” 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
UK must embrace cabotage to safeguard maritime jobs and seafaring skills (21 Oct) – With 105 nations worldwide – covering 85% of global coastlines – already enacting cabotage laws to protect their shipping industries, the UK’s lack of such measures stands out as a glaring omission read more
Nautilus backs ITF call for seafarer-centred decarbonisation (21 Oct) – Nautilus International has expressed its strong support after the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) called for governments and industry to use the next 12 months to rebuild trust and agree on a fair, practical, and seafarer-focused approach to decarbonising shipping. The ITF statement comes in the wake of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decision on 17 October to delay a vote on its Net-Zero Framework for one year. The framework had been expected to outline key measures for implementing the IMO’s 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy, including timelines and obligations for industry stakeholders. Responding to the postponement, ITF Seafarers’ Section coordinator Fabrizio Barcellona acknowledged the complexity of the decisions facing the sector, but warned that action must not stallread more
NUJ
Palestine: At least 224 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza (22 Oct) – Ahmed Abu Mutair dies during rocket strike, despite ceasefire. The death toll of media workers who have died during the war in Gaza has increased to 224 following the death of Ahmed Abu Mutair. He was killed whilst working as an engineer at production company Palestine Media Production (PMP) for the German public broadcaster ZDF after PMP’s premises were hit by an Israeli rocket strike in Deir AlBalah on 19 October read more
NUJ opposes plans to scrap public notices in local papers (22 Oct) – The NUJ has urged the UK government to retain requirements for alcohol licensing notices and changes to local governance to be printed in local newspapers read more
Afghanistan: Two media workers killed in cross-border fighting (17 Oct) – The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Afghan Independent Journalists’ Union (AIJU) in condemning the killing of two media workers in Afghanistan read more
Culture secretary commits to meeting with NUJ and MPs over Reach cuts (16 Oct) – Lisa Nandy, UK culture secretary, has agreed to meet the NUJ as well as other MPs to discuss mass redundancies at Reach and protecting quality journalism. During a parliamentary session in Westminster this morning, Grahame Morris, MP for Easington, raised the issue of proposed job cuts at Reach that have placed 600 journalists at risk, threatening 321 jobs read more
Sudan: Journalist killed by paramilitary group in El Fasher (15 Oct) – Editor and presenter Al Nour Suleiman has died following a drone strike on his home by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The NUJ adds its voice to that of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Sudanese Journalists’ Union (SJU), in condemning in the strongest possible terms this heinous killing and urging for a swift investigation to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice read more
Turkey: Turkish journalist and environmental activist Hakan Tosun dies after assault (15 Oct) – The NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists in calling for an investigation into the death of Turkish journalist Hakan Tosun following a street attack. On 13 October the documentary filmmaker and environmental activist died from his injuries following an assault in the street by two individuals two days earlier read more
NUJ signs joint letter opposing plans to grant anonymity to firearms officers (14 Oct) – The NUJ has signed a joint letter calling for the UK government to abandon plans to grant a presumption of anonymity to police firearms officers facing criminal proceedings. The letter was sent to Shabana Mahmood, UK home secretary, ahead of the second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Lords on Thursday 16 October read more
Broadcasting, Entertainment and Arts Unions send solidarity to Reach journalists (14 Oct) – The Broadcasting, Entertainment and Arts Unions has shared a statement of solidarity with journalists at Reach “recognising that AI can never be a substitute for journalism.” 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
Equity
Major London nightlife performers survey launched (21 Oct) – Equity warns we “risk losing a generation of gigging performers” unless changes are made read more
Five questions for Spotlight (21 Oct) – Equity members were outside Spotlight’s conference demanding answers on its purpose, its fees and its owners read more
Equity says “respect workers’ rights” over Manchester Pride payment delays (16 Oct) – Equity is urging performers waiting for payment from August’s Manchester Pride event to get in touch with the union for support and advice. Equity has written to Manchester Pride following several drag artists and performers raising concerns that they still haven’t been paid, with some reporting unprocessed payments as far back as June 2025 read more
Musicians Union
Help Protect UK Recording Studios – Sign the Petition for Fair Business Rates (20 Oct) – The MU backs calls for studios to be included in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure business rates relief scheme and urges members to sign the petition to support reclassification read more
Scotland Demands Better: Join the Anti-Poverty March in Edinburgh – Join over 5,000 people in Edinburgh for the Scotland Demands Better march and rally against poverty on Saturday 25 October 2025 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
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)
SIPTU (Ireland)
No cooperation with FAI management forum without union representation (16 Oct) – SIPTU members employed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have announced that they will not engage with a management forum, or other processes linked to the organisation’s so-called ‘transformation plan’, due to a failure to respect their right to trade union representation 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
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)
Palestine Cinema Days 2025 with Reel News: When I Saw You – This film festival, held in Palestine until the genocide made it impossible, is now held worldwide – with over 500 screenings this year – 7.30pm Monday November 3rd The Three Compasses, 99 Dalston Lane London E8 1NH more info
Oppose blacklisting & union victimisation
SpyCops
On Friday 17 October at 9am, the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance held a protest outside the Inquiry at the International Dispute Resolution Centre 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
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
