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NSSN 768: NSSN celebrates May Day & Workers Memorial Day on centenary of 1926 General Strike

NSSN sends solidarity greetings to all our supporters and affiliates in one of the most important weeks of the year in the workers movement.

On Tuesday 28th April, there will be events to mark International Workers Memorial Day on the theme ‘Remember the dead, fight for the living’ – a reminder about the essential role that unions play in health and safety at work.

And over next weekend, in meetings, rallies and demonstrations, workers will celebrate May Day – International Workers Day.

And this year, it will have even more significance as this year is 100 years since the 1926 General Strike, when millions of workers went on strike together for 9 days in solidarity with the miners.

The NSSN will stand together with all those taking part in these events. The NSSN will mark them by committing ourselves even more to build solidarity and support to the many strikes and disputes taking place now against the spiralling cost of living squeeze.  

  • To find International Workers Memorial Day events, go to this page on the TUC website and follow #IWMD2026 #IWMD26 on social media – Unite event at the Building Workers Statue, Tower Hill, London from 10:30am on Tuesday 28th April
  • RMT: Action Against Assaults – On April 28th, RMT is holding a National Day of Action – we’re taking a stand against assaults on transport workers.

Download the flyer, display it, and send us your photo. Let’s make this visible everywhere – details of protests and events

  • Violence against transport workers ‘out of control’ – says TSSA – Marking Workers’ Memorial Day (Tuesday 28 April), rail union TSSA has published stark new figures exposing the scale of violence faced by staff across Britain’s railways – warning the situation is now “out of control.” Read more

General Strike Centenary with Unite the Union – Barnsley Saturday May 2 from 5 pm to 11:30 pm  Facebook event

Unite the union is working with Durham Miners Association and the National Union of Mineworkers to mark the centenary of the 1926 General Strike.

This is a time to celebrate our history, and to use those lessons to fight for a better future.

The workplaces of 2026 might look very different to today, but the words of miners’ leader A. J. Cook are as important for workers now as they were in our great-grandparents’ time:

“Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day!”

We are bringing together trade unionists, historians, musicians, artists and authors to make this a truly memorable celebration of working-class pride.

Add the date to your calendar, and for news and updates as the day takes shape, register your interest at:

https://actionnetwork.org/…/general-strike-centenary…

Tickets for the evening’s gig at Vault 27 can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1983796257007?

Here’s what’s planned for Saturday 2 May:

10.00 to 12.30 – Barnsley Civic – breakfast and talks by leading historians of 1926

13.00 to 14.30 – March with brass bands from town centre to National Union of Mineworkers building

14.30 to 16.30 – Rally and speakers at NUM building, and performance by Commoners Choir

17.00 til late – Evening gig at Vault 27, with Ferocious Dog, The Wakes, The Primevals, Katrina Tia Charles, and more.

(From NIPSA website): Sell-Out Play Marks 100 Years Since the 1926 General Strike (22 Apr) – NIPSA has announced that a powerful and critically acclaimed stage play commemorating the centenary of the 1926 General Strike will come to Derry/Londonderry and Belfast this summer, following a sold‑out tour across England. The Cramlington Train Wreckers is a gripping true story of injustice, solidarity and community, inspired by extraordinary real events from one of the most turbulent moments in labour history. In May 1926, during the General Strike, a train derailment involving the Flying Scotsman led to eight miners from Cramlington being arrested and handed a total of 48 years’ imprisonment, despite no loss of life and only one minor injury. Widely viewed as a political punishment, the sentences sparked outrage, and sustained trade‑union pressure eventually secured the men’s release. They returned home as heroes. Bringing these events to the stage, The Cramlington Train Wreckers has been praised for its warmth, humour and emotional power, placing working‑class voices and collective resistance at the heart of the story. Following sell‑out performances at multiple theatres across England, the production now comes here, sponsored by NIPSA, Unison, Unite, the Fire Brigades Union and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

The play will be performed at:-

  • The Playhouse, Derry/Londonderry – Wednesday 8 July, 7.30pm
  • The Waterfront Hall, Belfast – Thursday 9 July, 2:30pm & 7:30pm

Carmel Gates, General Secretary of NIPSA, said: “The Cramlington Train Wreckers is a moving and uplifting piece of theatre, rooted in working‑class experience and solidarity. We’re proud to help bring this important production to audiences here as the centenary of the General Strike is marked.”

The play is written by Ed Waugh, whose work is well known to local audiences. His acclaimed one‑man show Carrying David received five‑star reviews at the Lyric Theatre, while Dirty Dusting previously sold out the Grand Opera House.

Ed Waugh commented: “This is a story about ordinary people standing together and refusing to accept injustice. A century on, its themes remain as relevant as ever.”

The production stars Micky Cochrane, recently named Northeast Performer of the Year for his role in the play. Ed Waugh will visit Derry/Londonderry and Belfast in June for talks and events ahead of the performances.

Details will be announced via www.cramlingtontrainwreckers.co.uk.

Tickets are on sale now from The Playhouse and The Waterfront Hall  read more

Support the Birmingham bin workers – over a year of indefinite strike action

BREAKING NEWS!! Council statement on improved offer for Birmingham bin workers vindicates year long struggle, Unite (27 Apr)

The Birmingham council statement today by leader John Cotton – in relation to an improved offer based on the “ballpark” deal agreed at the conciliation service Acas and blocked by government commissioners – is a vindication of the bin workers’ struggle for a decent deal following their job evaluation regrading. This move shows the power of workers and how that can be realised when they are backed by their union. It is an absolute abhorrence that this deal has been blocked not just once but twice by unelected unaccountable commissioners and officers at Birmingham City Council, who enjoy eye watering pay packets and no consequence for their actions. The commissioner model is a licence for a few unelected individuals to print money and play games. The reason the offer has not yet been completed and gone to our members is because at the eleventh hour the government backed commissioners attempted to stop it, which has led to today’s statement of intent by the leader of the council. Negotiations took place over the last few months to get the original Acas deal back on track, between: Sharon Graham general secretary of Unite, John Cotton leader of the council, Richard Parker mayor of West Midlands, facilitated by Lord Brendan Barber. The roles played by mayor Parker and Lord Barber should be recognised as they very quickly saw that the deal was both reasonable and doable. But ultimately it was the resolve of striking workers and their union that has got this ballpark deal back on the table. The full details of the deal will remain confidential awaiting  the detailed offer from the council and it will have to be voted on by the bin workers…Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “As I have said on many occasions, the workers come first and we will always do everything in our power to ensure that our members are treated with dignity and respect. The move made today by the leader of the council is a vindication of the bin workers’ struggle for a decent deal…” read more

The Unite Birmingham bin workers have taken over a full year of indefinite strike action against the brutal £8,000 slashing of their wages by the Labour Council, shamefully on the watch of a Labour government.

In an unprecedented tremendous development, agency workers employed by Job & Talent began strike action on 1 December over bullying and harassment.

Disgracefully, the Council has used vicious strike-breaking measures. But there has been mass support for the binworkers, including on three Mega Pickets, hosted by Strike Map.

But instead of looking to resolve the dispute, this Labour Council has shamefully applied to the courts for and been granted an injunction against Unite, resulting in a massive fine of £265,000.

In addition, they have also been granted a ‘persons unknown’ legal injunction to stop solidarity protests, which threaten fines and even imprisonment. But no legal action will stop the trade union movement supporting the binworkers and their union, Unite.

This dispute can be won – victory to Unite and the binworkers.

Bin strike fine ‘pathetic attempt to intimidate workers’, Unite (17 Mar) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has vowed that it will not allow Birmingham bin workers “to pay the price for the council’s failings” after the union was fined by the courts for picketing. The bin workers have been striking since January 2025 after the council decided to cut their pay by up to £8,000 (between a quarter and a fifth of their earnings). Last week marked the first anniversary of the strike becoming all-out industrial action. The council has not been in negotiations over ending the dispute since May last year, after they reengaged on a “ballpark deal” agreed with council chief executive Joanne Roney and brokered by the conciliation service Acas. Unite remains ready to return to negotiations based on the “ballpark deal”, but the council has refused and it continues to waste millions trying unsuccessfully to break the strike read more

Unite vote to cut Labour affiliation by 40 per cent on the anniversary of the Birmingham bin strike (11 Mar) – Unite has made it clear that the actions of Labour against the Birmingham bin workers will not continue to be tolerated. As well as an escalation of the strike in Birmingham, Unite has voted to cut its Labour affiliation by £580,000. This move is unprecedented and shows the anger of Unite members. Read more

Music single released backing Birmingham bin strikers one year on (6 Mar) – A music single has been released backing the Birmingham bin strikers, marking a year since the all-out strike began in March 2025. Power To The Bin Strikers (Unite For Workers Rights) has been recorded by Birmingham’s Banner Theatre in partnership with Unite and raises funds for the Unite members who have been taking industrial action for over a year. Political theatre troupe Banner Theatre have reworked the 1960 hit My Old Man’s A Dustman by Lonnie Donegan into a contemporary protest song. A satirical anthem, it hits out at politicians and council proposals to reduce workers’ pay by up to £8,000 per year – the issue at the centre of the dispute. Birmingham bin worker Danny Taylor, who has been on strike since the dispute began in January 2025, said: “Myself and the other bin workers are delighted with the song and want to thank Banner Theatre for their support. It is a recognisable folk song reworked to portray the striking bin workers targeted by a Labour council. We hope the general public will like it as much as we do.” The single is out today (6 March) on all platforms including iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, Amazon Music, Youtube Music, Deezer, Tidal and Qobuz. It is performed by Dave Rogers and Mike Bethall from Banner Theatre and the music video features footage of the industrial action, including from the Unite picket lines and demonstrations around the bin strike. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite thanks Banner Theatre for writing and recording the song. The song will help to remind the general public why our members are on strike.” Bin workers are striking because Birmingham city council has fired and rehired both senior loaders (former WRCOs) and drivers onto contracts that reduce pay by up to £8,000. Earlier this month, they voted to extend their industrial action mandate past local elections in May and into September read more

Unions must demand Starmer scraps 50% strike ballot threshold now!

Starmer’s Labour government’s Employment Rights Act received royal ascent on 18 December. The NSSN welcomes any improvements in the rights of workers and trade unions. But in the Government’s press briefings, there is nothing about the undemocratic 50% threshold in industrial action ballots, brought in by Cameron in 2016.

This raises yet further unacceptable delays, despite being an election promise by Starmer before being elected with a massive 160+ seat majority in the 2024 general election. It should have been scrapped on day one of the new Labour government. Workers have voted for action by huge majorities, only to fall foul of this outrageous attack on democratic union rights. Unions must now demand that the 50% is scrapped immediately.

We also support the call of the POA union for the restoration of the right to strike for prison officers.

The NSSN demands the repeal of all the Tory anti-union legislation, going back to Thatcher. We will continue this fight.

We will continue to support workers taking action to resist the cost of living squeeze, while at the same time continuing to demand that the TUC calls a national weekend demonstration against Starmer’s austerity offensive. This action was passed at last September’s TUC Congress and is now TUC policy. The TUC and the unions must now name the date! 

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.

Savage UC severe conditions criteria (SCC) cuts have begun (6 Apr) read more on the Benefits and Work website

Another legal challenge to UC migration council tax hikes (2 Apr) read more on the Benefits and Work website

PIP and work linked in appalling Timms review public consultation (19 Mar) read more on DPAC website

Workers unity against the far-right – on 28th March, the NSSN proudly marched on the Together Alliance demonstration in Central London along with hundreds of thousands against the poisonous division of Reform and the threat of 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 employers. We call on the TUC to implement the policy passed at its 2018 Congress, to launch a campaign of ‘Jobs and homes NOT racism.’

For details of protests, check your local trades council and go to the website of Together Alliance

   

Union News     

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RMT     

RMT National Dispute Fund      

Sign this petition to Tricia Williams, Managing Director, Northern Trains

Northern Trains: End the dispute with Carlisle and bring outsourced rail workers in-house

Compressed Working Strike Action Bulletin  (19 Apr) – Please download and distribute the attached bulletins which explains the reason Tube drivers are striking read more

RMT accuse TfL of U-turn in negotiations ahead of tube strike (18 Apr) – RMT has accused TfL bosses of reneging on promises to negotiate in good faith, making tube driver strike action next week inevitable. During the dispute over a fake four day week imposition, TfL wrote to the union, offering to negotiate on all elements of the proposals. However, this week they informed RMT that their proposals to condense the working week into 4 days against the expressed wishes of most drivers in two separate referendums, will now be imposed. As a result strike action will take place as scheduled and further action is planned for the coming months read more

Video: Four Day Week Update – RMT Regional Organiser Jared Wood explains where we are with the Compressed Working Week dispute in this video

RMT members in Royal Fleet Auxiliary to go on strike (15 Apr) – Maritime union RMT, will take strike action at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) tomorrow (Thursday 16 April) after the employer failed to table a new offer. Despite repeated attempts by the union to reach a negotiated settlement, no improved offer has been made by RFA management. During the 24 hour strike action, members will continue to ensure the safety of vessels is maintained at all times, including the management of moorings and gangways. Seafarers can routinely work up to 12 hours a day and there remains no clear or transparent formula setting out how pay is calculated against those hours read more   Write to your MP today to intervene over this national disgrace

RMT pledge action against assaults in a national campaign day (14 Apr) – Transport union RMT, will hold a national day of action to tackle the growing threat of assaults across the rail, bus, metro and ferry sectors on April 28. The union is stepping up its Action Against Assaults campaign in a bid to improve the day to day working lives of members, to create a safer environment for passengers and to ensure employers and the governments in the UK to take their responsibilities seriously. RMT wants to see an end to lone working and staffing levels, increased funding and presence of the British Transport Police and to put pressure on politicians in Scotland and Wales ahead of devolved elections. The union is seeking commitments from Scottish political parties for a bespoke offence of assaulting a transport worker to become law in the next Scottish Parliament. Activities such as leafleting of rail stations, ports and bus depots will take place across the country on Tuesday April 28, which coincides with International Workers Memorial Day read more

Windrush line strike over pay (25 Feb) – Strike action on the Windrush Line will take place this Thursday after Cleshar CS Ltd failed to table a new pay offer despite repeated talks with the union. Signalling, telecoms, and track maintenance workers have been offered just a 1.5 per cent pay rise, well below RPI inflation, and the company has refused to offer any improvement. Keeping basic pay low is incentivising excessive overtime across the workforce leading to increased fatigue, union activists have said. In safety-critical roles, that creates unacceptable risks and puts passenger safety potentially in jeopardy. The employer is recklessly using this tactic of relying heavily on overtime instead of addressing the pay aspirations of members and dealing with understaffing. Members are also raising serious concerns about underpayment of overtime and annual leave, alongside cuts to sick pay and paternity pay compared to arrangements under the previous contractor. Strike action will take place on Thursday 26 February, Thursday 26 March and Thursday 23 April 2026, with each stoppage lasting 24 hours. These workers carry out safety-critical duties and without their work, the Windrush line cannot operate safely. Cleshar CS Ltd made a profit of £991,915 in its most recent financial year read more

Piccadilly line fleet strike action (19 Feb) – RMT members at Northfields fleet maintenance depot servicing Piccadilly line trains are taking four days of strike action this week following a breakdown in industrial relations. Instead of engaging with staff, management has responded by extending maintenance schedules to dangerous levels. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that this was putting the public in potential danger by running trains way beyond current maintenance cycles read more

Unite     

Thousands of construction engineers receive pay rises worth around £2,000 (24 Apr) – Threat of industrial action resulted in deal increasing from 3.6% to 4.5%. Thousands of engineering construction workers will receive a pay rise of 4.5 per cent from May, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The deal, which includes a range of other benefits, was narrowly accepted in a vote by 3,000 workers, who operate under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI). The workers, who carry out essential repair and maintenance at oil refineries, power stations and pharmaceutical and petro-chemical plants, will see their wages increase by around £2,000 on average…The workers initially rejected an offer of 3.6 per cent that was imposed in February. The offer was increased to 4.5 per cent after Unite began the process of initiating industrial action proceedings for NAECI workers at sites across the UK, including EDF Torness, Sizewell B, Grangemouth, Drax, Stanlow ESSAR and GSK Montrose read more

Spycops inquiry must examine undercover police blacklisting collusion (23 Apr) – Unite, the UK’s leading union has backed calls for the Mittings Inquiry into Undercover Policing to take witnesses affected by collusion between Spycops and blacklisters. In particular an open letter signed by Unite, other unions and blacklisted trade unionists is calling for Dave Smith (a core participant in the inquiry) who is a leading expert on the Consulting Association construction blacklisting scandal, to be called to give evidence read more

Strikes restart at Stansted Airport as ABM workers reject pay offer (23 Apr) – Industrial action by Unite members who look after passengers with disabilities at London Stansted Airport will go ahead next month, after they rejected a new pay offer. Around 100 workers at ABM will now walk out from 3 May to 6 May, coinciding with the first May bank holiday weekend, after rejecting a substandard pay offer from their employer. ABM staff, who do a crucial job escorting passengers on and off flights and through the airport say the offer failed to tackle low pay. Many of the workers are paid below the London Living Wage of £14.80. Yet ABM is a highly profitable global company, reporting in March that it made $2.2 billion in revenue, an increase of 6.1 per cent on the previous year read more

Leeds cab drivers rally over cross-border hiring destroying livelihoods and putting passengers at risk (23 Apr) – Proposal to combine all taxi licensing authorities in West Yorkshire into one ‘would make things worse’. Leeds cab drivers will rally on Sunday over the cross-border hiring loophole that is destroying taxi livelihoods and putting passengers at risk read more

Unite leader warns NHS in danger of becoming emergency only service (22 Apr) – Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has warned that the NHS is “in danger of becoming an emergency only service”. Speaking at Unite’s Stop the NHS Cuts Rally held today (Wednesday 22 April), in Westminster Sharon Graham said: “The NHS is in danger of becoming an emergency only service. We know people are not accessing the NHS, even though they’re in severe pain, because they don’t think they are going to get an appointment in time. “It’s only those that can pay that are getting treated that is a disgrace.” The rally was held in response to workers from all parts of the UK reporting growing cuts to NHS services, including redundancies, ward closures, recruitment freezes, down banding and outsourcing. Unite reps from across the country are now regularly reporting that a combination of the cuts and a worsening staffing crisis is regularly putting patients at risk read more

Jobs at risk as Co-op announces Glasgow coffin factory closure (22 Apr) – Unite says Co-op must change course and invest in new Glasgow factory. Unite the union has reacted with anger to the Co-op Funeralcare announcing the closure of its coffin manufacturing factory based in Shieldhall. Around 74 workers based at the Co-op’s only coffin manufacturing facility at Bogmoor Place now face redundancy with all operations being transferred to a new site in Merseyside. The proposed closure is expected to conclude by the end of November if the decision by the Co-op is not reversed. The factory plays a key role in supporting employment in a socio-economically deprived area of Glasgow read more

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS pathology privatisation concerns mount as outsourcing scandal grows (22 Apr) – Strikes increase as answers demanded over outsourcer Siemen’s funding of chief executive trip to Munich conference and £1.3m reimbursement for failure to service MRI machines. Strikes at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will increase, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The industrial action, which began in January, involves both pathology and clinical engineering staff based at Queen’s Hospital in Romford over outsourcing and pay protection…The workers will strike outside of Queen’s Hospital from 27 April to 1 May after having taken eight days of strike action in March and February. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

Over 500 Cambridge University staff strike over pay (20 Apr) – Unite members demand ‘Cambridge weighting’ supplement to match Oxford, as staff wages fall behind soaring cost of living. More than 500 Cambridge University workers will strike over pay from tomorrow, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers, including library, museum, estates management, finance, student services and IT staff amongst others, are demanding the introduction of ‘Cambridge weighting’. This is a pensionable local pay supplement for all staff to address the exceptionally high cost of living in the city. The workers are also seeking a full pay review to tackle severe compression at lower grades which has resulted in a lack of fair wage progression. Cambridge University has imposed a 1.4 per cent pay increase for 2025/2026, which is a significant real terms pay cut…In 2024, the University of Oxford introduced a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,500 per year. In August 2025, Oxford increased the payment by 15 per cent to £1,730 and extended it to all non-clinical staff. Cambridge staff receive no equivalent, apart from a 2.5 per cent interim payment, which does not address the cost of living for those on a low salary. This interim payment can be removed at any time, due to no firm commitments to retain it permanently. Cambridge, like Oxford, is one of the most expensive cities in the UK – with rental costs 30 per cent above the national average – and Cambridge University can more than afford to introduce weighting. The university had net assets of £8.26 billion at July 2025 and its endowment fund manages assets in excess of £4.5 billion and generated a net return of 9.1 per cent in 2024. The workers will strike on 21 and 22 April, followed by further action on 30 April and 1 May. Picket lines will run from 08:30 to 12:30 at various locations across the university read more

  • Strike rally – 12noon Friday 1st May, King’s Parade, Cambridge

Luton Arriva bus engineers strike over serious sexual harassment and assault issues (20 Apr) – Unite shop steward fired after he demanded issues be taken seriously. Arriva bus engineers in Luton will strike in April and May over the company’s despicable response to matters of incredibly serious sexual harassment and assault within the workplace. The workers are also striking in defence of a Unite shop steward fired on supposedly unrelated matters after he refused to allow the company to ignore the sexual harassment and assault issue. They believe he was suspended and then dismissed in retaliation for holding the company to account. The individual at the centre of the allegations, who was in a managerial role, is no longer employed after the police were called. The workers, however, are angry that Arriva previously dismissed the allegations as “banter” and “horseplay” and completely failed to offer adequate support to those impacted. Multiple workers, including young apprentices, reported being subjected to unwanted touching, squeezing and striking, including kicking and striking in sensitive areas. They also reported being exposed to simulated sexual acts and gestures as well as offensive and sexually explicit remarks about close family members. In addition, repeated intimidation, mocking and humiliation of staff was also reported. The workers will strike from 27 April to 1 May, from 11 May to 15 May and 25 May to 29 May. Strike action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved. Strikes will severely impact Arriva’s bus operations in Luton and the surrounding area read more

1,100 Unite members set to strike at five Scottish universities (20 Apr) – Latest 24-hour action due to successive real terms pay cuts. Over 1,100 Unite members at five Scottish universities are set to take part in the latest round of 24-hour strike action on Friday (24 April) in an escalating dispute over an imposed real-terms pay cut. The strike action at Glasgow, Strathclyde, Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh Napier and Heriot Watt universities follows successive poor pay awards and years of industrial unrest in the higher education sector.  On 10 April, members at Glasgow, Strathclyde and Napier universities took 24-hour action as part of the same pay dispute. The dispute is based on UK universities imposing a 1.4 per cent pay offer for 2025/26 on the Scottish university workforce. With RPI inflation currently running at 3.6 per cent – and significant increases in inflation expected due to the war in Iran – this represents a massive real terms pay cut. Pay talks involving the joint trade unions and the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) impacting 138 higher education institutions across the UK have already taken place for 2026/27 with a further meeting scheduled for 13 May. The joint trade unions in higher education are demanding an increase of at least RPI plus three per cent or £3,000, whichever is the greater to be paid in full in August 2026. Unions are also demanding a minimum hourly rate of pay of £15. Over a decade and a half of below inflation pay rises has led to higher education wages falling by around 30 per cent in real terms since 2010. The union’s members work primarily in non-academic roles within the higher education institutions including estates and security staff alongside cleaners, technicians, libraries and administrative roles.

Hundreds of Filton aerospace workers could strike at GKN over pay (16 Apr) – Unite members being balloted over below inflation pay offer while CEO makes millions. Workers at world-leading aerospace supplier GKN Aerospace are set to take strike action over pay as they are balloted following below-inflation pay offers from the company. GKN is a supplier of airframe and engine structures, electrical wiring and landing gear, with a presence on 90 per cent of today’s aircraft. Around 700 workers at the Filton site in Gloucestershire make wings for the Airbus A320. For years workers at GKN have seen their pay slip behind that of other nearby aerospace firms like Airbus and Rolls Royce that has seen many employees leave in search of better pay.  GKN has offered just a 3.3 per cent increase.

Unite members have exhausted all avenues of negotiation and are now balloting as a last resort. The ballot for industrial action opens today (16 April) and closes on 7 May. If the ballot is positive for industrial action dates could take place across the spring and summer read more

JLR Solihull DHL logistics workers to take indefinite strike action over pay (16 Apr) – DHL JLR HGV drivers also voted for strike action with dates to be announced if talks fail. Around 300 DHL logistics workers based at JLR in Solihull will begin indefinite strike action over pay in early May, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. More than 300 DHL HGV drivers working on the JLR contract in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Solihull and Widnes have also voted in favour of strike action, with dates yet to be announced. The logistics workers and HGV drivers, involved in delivering parts and cars to and from JLR’s West Midlands and North West operations, are angry at an unacceptable three per cent pay offer for 2026…DHL’s offer is a real terms wage cut with the RPI rate of inflation standing at 3.6 per cent. DHL recently announced operating profits of 6.1 billion euros for 2025. DHL JLR Solihull workers will begin indefinite strike action at 00:01 hours on 7 May. DHL JLR drivers have agreed to meet with the company for further talks under the auspices of the conciliation service Acas. If an acceptable offer is not put forward, strike action will be scheduled read more

London bus turmoil as TfL workers vote to strike over rota changes (16 Apr) – London bus services will see disruption this month as over 150 Unite members at Transport for London will strike over roster changes. Workers, who are bus station and network traffic controllers, will walk out from 23 to 25 April, to coincide with RMT workers taking action on the London Underground. The dispute is around changes to rosters with increased weekend working and further travel to sites across London that teams haven’t previously covered. Unite members say this will leave them fatigued and also put them at risk of disciplinary action as they are unlikely to be able to travel to every site in time read more

National Ambulance Service: Unite members vote overwhelmingly for action (10 Apr) – Union slams six-year wait for implementation of review recommendations. Management must stop foot-dragging on outstanding issues. Trade union Unite, which represents members working for the National Ambulance Service (NAS), said today (Friday) that members have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action, up to and including strike action, due to management’s ongoing failure to implement the 2020 ‘Roles and Responsibilities Review’ read more

Fresh East London bus disruption as Bow bus garage strikes escalate (10 Apr) – There will be further disruption to bus services going across east to central London beginning from next week, as over 300 drivers at the East London Bus & Coach Company have escalated industrial action. The dispute concerns bus driver fatigue. Drivers at the East London Bus & Coach Company (part of Stagecoach) are driving long distances without adequate breaks, have had increased weekend working and are not given sufficient time between shifts to recuperate. Meanwhile, meal breaks are not being scheduled at the depot with many workers taking these on the side of the road instead of in an adequate rest area. This situation is leaving drivers concerned about their own health and safety as well as that of passengers and pedestrians. Drivers at Bow bus garage have reported having ‘near misses’ while driving due to the fact they are driving while fatigued…Strikes will take place on 17 and 24 April and 15 May. Industrial action last month caused cancellations of bus services as well as delays. Industrial action will impact services that operate from Bow bus garage and go to central London and Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. These are the 8, N8, 25, N25, 45, 205 and N205 read more

Doncaster bus drivers to increase strike action (8 Apr) – There will be further disruption to bus services in Doncaster, as First South Yorkshire workers have escalated industrial action over pay. The drivers, members of Unite, have turned down a pay offer from their employer as this does not give them pay parity with those doing the same job at First in Sheffield, just over 20 miles away. Further strike action will now take place on 14 and 17 April, alongside the already-announced dates of 22 and 24 April. Previous industrial action on 28 and 30 March and yesterday (7 April) caused major disruption to bus services in and out of Doncaster city centre and the surrounding areas, with many cancelled or running a limited service read more

1,000 workers set to strike at Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier universities (7 Apr) – 24-hour action to take place on 10 April over real terms pay cut. 1,000 Unite members at Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier universities are set for 24-hour strike action on Friday (10 April) over an imposed real-terms pay cut. The strike action at the three universities follows successive poor pay awards and years of industrial unrest in the higher education sector. UK universities imposed a 1.4 per cent pay offer for 2025/26 on the Scottish university workforce. With RPI inflation currently running at 3.6 per cent – and significant increases in inflation expected due to the war in Iran – this represents a massive real terms pay cut. Pay talks are already underway for 2026/27 with the joint trade unions in higher education demanding an increase of at least RPI plus three per cent or £3,000, whichever is the greater to be paid in full in August 2026. Unions are also demanding a minimum hourly rate of pay of £15. Over a decade and a half of below inflation pay rises has led to higher education wages falling by around 30 per cent in real terms since 2010. The union’s members work primarily in non-academic roles within the higher education institutions including estates and security staff alongside cleaners, technicians, libraries and administrative roles.

UK bottle crisis looms as workers at Encirc Elton announce further strikes (1 Apr) – Industrial action at glass manufacturing and logistics firm Encirc over health and safety concerns has escalated. Over 100 Unite members at Encirc’s Elton site had already walked out after the company announced plans to reduce headcount by almost 30 people. Workers at Encirc said losing this number of staff will lead to issues around health and safety. Redundancies have now taken place, but workers believe the health, safety and wellbeing concerns of fewer members of staff have not been adequately considered by Encirc. Unite members have said they leave shifts physically fatigued and mentally drained and they fear this could lead to accidents at work. As well as the planned strikes from 3 to 7 April, workers at Encirc will also walk out on their night shifts from 16 to 28 April, then from 9 to 15 May read more

Unite rally at Village Hotel as workers enter fourth month of strike action (27 Mar) – Long-running dispute over poverty pay and working conditions. Workers at the Village Hotel Glasgow are holding a rally tomorrow (Saturday 28 March) to coincide with strike action entering its fourth month in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. Village Hotel workers including staff in the Pub & Grill and the franchised Starbucks have been on all-out strike action since 28 November 2025 fighting for the real living wage for all workers, union recognition, and safe working conditions including taxi fares for late and unsociable hours worked read more

Jones Engineering in Belgium: MEPs support Unite campaign against union-busting (26 Mar) – Unions and parliamentarians raise ‘social dumping’ concerns. Jones warned not to export shoddy labour practices. Belgian trade unionists and MEPs joined Unite this week in Charleroi to send a clear message to Irish company Jones Engineering: Union-busting will not be tolerated. As part of the General Labour Federation of Belgium – FGTB’s day of action against social dumping, a protest was held at the Google site in Farciennes, just east of Charleroi, where Jones Engineering is a sub-contractor read more

Disruption to student buses as workers at Universitybus, University of Hertfordshire ballot for strikes (25 Mar) – There is set to be disruption to bus services to and from the University of Hertfordshire, as almost 200 workers including drivers at Universitybus Limited are balloting for industrial action. The dispute centres around union victimisation. In November, Unite’s lead representative at the Hatfield depot, who had worked for the firm for over 15 years, was unfairly suspended, pending disciplinary investigation. Workers at Universitybus, which trades as Uno, want the rep reinstated and believe they were targeted for trade union activity. This is illegal under UK employment law. Meanwhile, there is a dispute with the company on behalf of members regarding the inconsistent and unfair way the company deal with disciplinary procedures, with junior staff believing they are treated more harshly by management than more senior workers…The ballot is ongoing and closes on 14 April. Strikes could coincide with the busy exams period in late spring read more

Unite responds to this year’s local council pay offer (25 Mar) – Unite has today (25 March) responded with dismay to this year’s local government pay offer. The offer of 3.3 per cent from 1 April has been presented as “full and final” by the national employers without any meaningful negotiation with Unite or its sister unions. Unite believes this offer represents a real terms pay cut and does not address historic problems with low pay for the local authorities sector…Unite is set to meet with its members in the coming weeks to obtain their views and discuss next steps read more

Unite hits out at union busting management at iconic Manchester hotel (24 Mar) – Unite, the leading union representing hospitality workers, has criticised the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel for engaging in union busting tactics after staff began to organise for better conditions. Workers at the Kimpton Clocktower, as well as its restaurant The Refuge, made the decision a few months ago to join Unite and move towards formal union recognition after enduring poor conditions including chronic understaffing leading to fatigue and burnout, issues with sick pay and having less than 11 hours (the legal minimum) between shifts. However, after filing a collective grievance one Unite representative was suspended then later dismissed on unfair charges, while another has been suspended and is awaiting a disciplinary hearing. Unite believes the two members of staff were targeted for undertaking trade union activities, which is illegal in UK employment law. Workers who have joined the union have also been on the receiving end of derogatory comments from management. However, more members of staff are joining Unite daily read more

Bilfinger offshore workers in strike ballot over jobs, pay, and conditions (16 Mar) – thaca operated Alba FSU and FPF1 assets set for disruption. Unite workers employed by Bilfinger are being balloted over strike action on North Sea assets operated by Ithaca Energy in a dispute over jobs, pay, and conditions. Around 20 workers are involved in a dispute over the refusal by Ithaca Energy to extend a retention bonus worth up to £14,500 to Bilfinger workers on the Alba Floating Storage Unit (FSU) and its floating production facility (FPF)1. Ithaca Energy have excluded the Bilfinger employees who include scaffolders, engineers, deck, and rope access workers from the bonus scheme without any explanation to Unite. Unite has since learned that workers of other companies on the Ithaca Energy assets are in receipt of the bonus payment. The Ithaca Energy-operated Alba field operates the assets for storing heavy crude before transfer to tankers. The ballot will open on 18 March and run until 8 April read more

Northern Ireland pubs could run dry in Drinks Inc pay dispute (13 Mar) – Strike at Northern Ireland’s largest drinks distributor will halt all deliveries to bars, restaurants and off licenses. Unite is opening a strike ballot of its members working in for Drinks Inc (Musgrave Distribution Ltd). The strike ballot opens Tuesday, 17 March and closes Tuesday, 31 March with industrial action possible by mid-April. The pay dispute has erupted over the interpretation of a three-year pay deal which included an inflation escalator clause for the third year [2026]. Unite highlights that cumulative inflation has risen above the threshold which means that the pay deal for the third year has to be revisited. Management is disputing this read more

Dale Farm farmers warned of risks from milk outsourcing plans (12 Mar) – Any move to de-recognise Unite will result in strike ballot of drivers at outsourced companies. Unite has warned Dale Farm of potential industrial action should plans to outsource milk collection threaten union rights. Unite represents around 60 farm collection tanker drivers at the company. Dale Farm management intends to expand outsourcing of milk collection from 40 per cent to 75 per cent. Wauchope is to take on collection at Omagh with Pennybridge-based collection going to Milk Trans and Woodside. Unite warns any move to derecognise the union by the new operators will be met with a strike ballot read more

Health visitors crank up pressure on Cwm Taf health board with eight more weeks of strikes (11 Mar) – Children in South Wales will have development checks cancelled or delayed as a health board refuses to pay health visitors the correct salary. Health visitors at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board have announced they are taking a further eight weeks of strike action over pay. The industrial action will see essential, mandatory appointments go unfulfilled due to the stubbornness of their employer who is refusing to pay them the correct salary based on their qualifications which is costing them between £8000 to £9000 per year…Following yesterday’s march to the Senedd in Cardiff where health visitors loudly made their anger plain, they will now take further industrial action that will last until at least 15 May read more

Unite to ballot Nelipak workers for strikes in real living wage dispute (9 Mar) – Dismissal of workforce rep during pay negotiations will be fought for Unite by all means available. Unite is balloting its members at Nelipak, a manufacturer of sterile barrier systems for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, based in Derry/L’Derry, in a dispute over pay. The low-paid workforce voted overwhelmingly to reject Nelipak’s inadequate pay offer. They are demanding the company become an accredited Living Wage employer, with workers being paid at least £13.45 an hour. During the current pay dispute one of Unite’s workforce reps was dismissed and this has further damaged industrial relations at the site. The ballot opens on Monday 16 March and closes on Thursday 2 April. If workers vote for industrial action, strikes could begin in the middle of next month read more

Bassetlaw NHS union-busting during ICU dispute put patients in danger (23 Feb) – Union-busting tactics by Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS trust put intensive care patients in danger, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Intensive care nurses at Bassetlaw hospital have been taking industrial action over fire and rehire contract changes that will force them to rotate between Bassetlaw and Doncaster Royal Infirmary. The nurses – who fear the transfers are one more step towards Bassetlaw hospital losing its ICU permanently through ‘decommissioning by stealth’ – have taken action short of strike through a ban on working on any ward or unit other than Bassetlaw ICU. In response, the trust banned the nurses from work and is denying them pay. The nurses continued to attend and make themselves available to work, complying fully with their contracts. However, they were denied access to clinical areas and had to spend 12-hour shifts sat alone in a canteen. Under the direct leadership of acting chief executive Zara Jones, the trust banned nurses from working, despite them not taking strike action. Bassetlaw ITU was then staffed by nurses sent from Doncaster. This caused safety issues at both hospitals. On January 8, a critical care doctor from Doncaster Infirmary, who Unite is not naming, contacted Unite and informed the union that they had been told to discharge a patient early. The doctor said this was against medical advice and was done in order to reduce the number of patients on the intensive care unit read more

St Enoch VUE cinema workers resume strike action in long-running dispute (17 Feb) – Unite presents VUE with ‘World’s Worst Cinema’ award in run-up to Oscars. VUE cinema workers resume strike action today (Tuesday 17 February) in a long-running dispute over better jobs, pay and conditions at the St Enoch’s centre in Glasgow. Dozens of Unite hospitality members have been taking strike action since December as part of a campaign to secure the real living wage for workers aged 18 and over, union recognition, and safe subsidised transport home for workers at the end of late night shifts. Unite which represents the vast majority of the customer assistant and team leaders at the VUE St Enoch’s site will present management with a ‘World’s Worst Cinema’ award over the unfair and unequal way its workers are being treated as they resume strike action… Unite can also confirm that its membership at Village Hotels in Govan will continue their strike action after a fresh powerful mandate from the workers. Dozens of Village Hotel workers gave Unite a new mandate for industrial action with 96.5 per cent emphatically supporting strike action. Industrial action has been ongoing since late November in a similar dispute over jobs, pay and conditions read more

Local government craftworkers to ballot for strikes over pay (16 Feb) – Over a thousand local authority craft workers on the red book agreement will be balloted for strike action after receiving an unsatisfactory pay offer. The dispute comes after the Local Government Association, who handle local council workers’ pay, put forward a full and final below RPI offer of 3.2 per cent for 2025 without any negotiations. It also decided to remove apprentices from the national agreement and put a new entrant on the same pay scale as a craft operative, which is a qualified position. The LGA is also seeking to impose NJC job evaluation, which Unite is concerned could be used unfairly, will result in cuts in pay and dilute the level of service delivered to the public…Unite has made several attempts to negotiate with the LGA, which is refusing to honour the disputes process by constantly rejecting offers to come to the table including the union’s suggestion that Unite sits on a number of competency groups for craft workers; and would bring this knowledge and support to these discussions. The red book agreement covers local authority craftworkers who are primarily involved in housing maintenance work, such as plumbing and heating engineering. Workers at the following councils will be balloted initially over the issues: Durham, Leeds, Stoke, Dudley, Southwark, Newham and Bristol. Ballots will open from 19 February and close on 26 March. It is possible that more councils will follow. As red book craft workers are responsible for the upkeep of local authority housing, strike action will cause significant disruption to key services involved in maintaining people’s homes read more

Unite outrage at NHS pay imposition (12 Feb) – Forcing PRB pay “deal” on staff will further deteriorate trust in Labour government. Unite, one of the UK’s leading trade unions in the healthcare sector, has denounced the latest pay “deal” imposed by government. Today’s announcement of 3.3 per cent comes after months of scoping out what pay talks might look like and publicly stating that the government’s preference was for a multi-year deal. With the RPI rate of inflation standing at 4.2 per cent, the pay increase amounts to substantial real terms pay cut. At a time when unions were calling for a restorative pay award to counteract years of below inflation increases, which has devalued roles and resulted in workers leaving the NHS in their thousands. Instead, in an act of political cowardice and financial betrayal of NHS workers, they have decided to revert to the discredited Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendation. Unite has a long-standing opposition to the PRB process and for the first time ever all but one of the other health unions joined Unite in entirely boycotting the process. Unite, and other major unions, are demanding an immediate return of direct negotiations over pay and conditions read more

Imperial College strikes resume over wealthy university’s dodgy pay deal (10 Feb) – Hugely wealthy university used faulty pay calculations to implement real terms wage cuts. Pay strikes by Imperial College London workers will resume, Unite, the UK’s leading union, has announced. Around 1,200 workers, including more than 250 Unite members, have already taken part in 10 days of strikes between October and the end of November over the imposition of a two per cent pay rise. Not only is this a significant real-terms pay cut, with RPI inflation currently standing at 4.2 per cent, but it was calculated by the university using faulty benchmarking data… The workers will walk out again on 12, 16 and 24 February. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

Yorkshire Airedale NHS microbiology pay strikes escalate (9 Feb) – Strikes by Airedale NHS microbiology workers responsible for carrying out diagnostic tests will escalate, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has failed to address the fact that the workers are on the pay band below what they should be for the work they carry out. The trust has also agreed to undertake extra work for another trust that the microbiology workers will have to carry out, increasing the number of call outs during nights and weekends. As a result, out of hours rotas have been changed without consultation or regard to current workloads…The workers previously took strike action from 18 to 25 December. Fresh strikes will take place from 9 February to 11 February and from 18 February to 20 February, resulting in testing delays for Airedale general hospitals and local GP services. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

Sports events under threat as snooker and tennis ball cloth workers take further strike action (2 Feb) – Workers at WSP textiles take further strikes. Snooker baize and tennis ball felt supplies at risk. Sporting tournaments like Wimbledon and the Snooker World Championships could be at risk as workers at the Gloucestershire factory which makes the balls and baize fabrics take further strike action. Workers at WSP textiles are striking due to the company refusing to make a fair pay offer. Unite members at WSP are furious at the 2.35 per cent pay offer that the company has put forward given the current cost of living crisis. Most earn little more than the minimum wage and haven’t had an above-inflation pay rise in years…Previous strikes dates have already seen the factories grind to a halt and given the lack of anew offer from WSP, workers have been left with little choice but to escalate industrial action. They began a new set of strikes today 2-7 February and 11-13 read more

CWU

CWU/RMG Agreement 2026 – FAQs read more

VMO2 members set to vote on inflation-busting wage rises (4 Mar) – CWU members at VMO2 are voting on a deal that will see the company’s lowest paid workers achieve a significant wage rise. After negotiations which started at the beginning of the new year and finished on 19th February, the union’s national negotiation team have agreed a final offer with the company read more

BT Group members to vote on pay deal starting Thursday (3 Mar) – BT workers in the CWU are being urged to “have your say” on an inflation-busting pay deal. Union members at BT are to be sent a consultative ballot on whether to accept or reject a pay offer for the coming financial year. The offer, which was reached after an intense bout of recent negotiations, is against the backdrop of a fall in the rate of inflation, with CPI inflation being reduced to 3% in January, and being forecast to drop over the coming months. The ballot will open this Thursday (5th March) and will close on Wednesday 18th March read more

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]     

Royal Mail decision must be repeated for civil service pensions (22 Apr) – The government must urgently follow the decision announced in the House of Commons today to terminate Capita’s contract with the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme by taking the same action on civil service pensions. The termination of the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme contract follows failures to meet key transition milestones and serious concerns about delivery, issues that are also evident in Capita’s handling of civil service pensions. For months, PCS has raised concerns about ongoing failures in administration, with thousands of retired and soon-to-retire civil servants experiencing delays and errors in their pension payments, leaving many in financial distress. PCS is calling for the government to act decisively by ending Capita’s involvement in civil service pensions and bringing the service back in-house to ensure accountability and proper service for members read more

Better HMRC campaign (22 Apr) – The PCS Revenue & Customs group executive committee (GEC) has launched the Better HMRC campaign. As part of the Better HMRC campaign, PCS is asking members in the Revenue & Customs group to contact HMRC permanent secretary, JP Marks, to show your support for the campaign and to call for serious action on its six pillars. In 2025, more than 2,500 members in Revenue & Customs took part in a GEC-led survey. The results highlighted significant concerns across HMRC, including pay, workload, culture and wellbeing. While these concerns were raised formally with the employer and shared at the highest level, the R&C GEC remains concerned that progress has been limited and key issues remain unresolved read more

Overwhelming support for further strike action at Palace of Westminster (13 Mar) – Members returned a 98% yes vote for strike action in the ballot that closed on 12 March. PCS members employed as security staff at the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) have been balloted to ask if they are willing to take strike action in their dispute over the loss of annual leave, changes to rotas and break patterns, the stagnation of pay and a widening ethnicity pay gap. The members have already taken strike action – in September, November and December 2025 – alongside action short of a strike consisting of an overtime ban and work to rule. The ballot that closed at noon on Thursday 12 noon was a re-ballot to extend the strike mandate. Of those who voted, 98% voted YES for industrial action and 99% for action short of a strike. PCS will continue meeting with the employer in an attempt to end the dispute, and the willingness of members to take further strike action will strengthen our position in those negotiations read more

Ofgem staff to be balloted to renew strike mandate (3 Mar) – Members working for Ofgem are involved in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and industrial relations. Nearly 1000 PCS members employed by the energy regulator Ofgem in Glasgow, London and Cardiff are to be balloted for further strike action. The ballot opens on 4 March and closes at noon on 10 April 2026. PCS has been in dispute with Ofgem since March 2025 and took well-supported strike action last year in August, September and October. The strike action led to significant progress on key issues such as office attendance, but there has been a lack of progress on a number of other issues, which has led to the decision to reballot. Ofgem members are still awaiting a satisfactory pay offer, proper assurances on jobs including a commitment to no redundancies or compulsory relocations, and better agreements on how the decisions about these are made read more

PCS members at MHCLG ballot for strike action (27 Feb) – The members are in dispute over office closures, mandatory office attendance and changes to recruitment opportunities. PCS members at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will be balloted for industrial action from 2 March to 15 April in a dispute centred on three key issues: office closures, the imposition of a mandatory 60% office attendance policy, and changes to recruitment opportunities. The department’s plans affect 367 staff across six regional offices. By 2 March 2026, four of those offices will have closed, with three already shut leaving employees facing uncertainty, significantly longer commutes and restricted career progression read more

MOPAC members to strike for three more days (19 Feb) – The members at the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime are continuing their dispute over pay. PCS members working for the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) were initially offered a pay increase of only 1.5%. After pressure from PCS, the employer moved to 2% which is still below inflation, represents a real-terms pay cut, and falls short of the branch’s 4.1% pay claim. It is also one of the lowest pay rises across the public sector in London. Members took four days of strike action in January, but despite meeting with us twice since then the employer has made no meaningful offers. This has left members with no option than to turn to further strike action. The members will walk out on Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 February…Use our e-action to ask your MP to write to Sadiq Khan to ask him to resolve the dispute read more

Write to your MP to oppose DfE office closures (18 Feb) – Six offices of the Department for Education are earmarked for closure, impacting over 350 staff. The DfE plans to close offices in Croydon, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and Watford. At the same time it is refusing to consider proposals for increased homeworking or hybrid flexibility measures that could help avoid compulsory redundancies and reduce the impact on staff. Many of the affected buildings are government offices that will remain open for other departments, meaning that withdrawing DfE staff will not necessarily generate savings for the public purse. Use our e-action to ask your MP to write to the minister about the office closures. PCS members are taking part in a consultative ballot over the office closure plans, the potential job cuts and the current arbitrary office attendance rules. The ballot closes on 11 March read more

Get the PCS Samba Band to your protests and demonstrations – go to their Facebook page and on X/Twitter @PCS_Samba_Band

Prospect

Prospect Defence Sector establishes Sexual Harassment Working Group (22 Apr) – Prospect’s Defence Sector has established a dedicated Sexual Harassment Working Group to reinforce preventative measures, raise workplace standards and ensure consistent support for members across the sector read more

AWE members turn out for strike action over shambolic restructure (12 Mar) – Prospect members working at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) went on strike today, Thursday 12 March, over a shambolic and botched restructure programme, where the senior management have failed to consult properly with staff. There was a strong and highly visible union presence at several of the entrance gates at the main AWE site at Aldermaston and there was also a vibrant picket line at the Burghfield site read more

FDA

FDA condemns dismissal of Sir Olly Robbins over Mandelson vetting (23 Apr) – The FDA has condemned the Prime Minister’s dismissal of Sir Olly Robbins, former FCDO Permanent Secretary, over the vetting of Lord Mandelson for his appointment as Ambassador to the United States read more

GMB  

Housebuilding targets will ‘crumble’ without brick support (24 Apr) – Labour’s housebuilding targets will ‘crumble to dust’ if brick factories aren’t given energy relief, GMB Union has warned. Brick builders across the UK are currently sat idle, with stockpiles rising, because the cost of production is prohibitively expensive. Perversely, mortar is including in the Government’s ‘supercharger’ scheme to help energy intensive businesses – but bricks themselves aren’t read more

Nestle job cuts ‘will rip heart from communities’ (23 Apr) – Hundreds of job cuts across Nestle UK will ‘rip the heart from communities’, GMB has said. The food manufacturing giant has today [Thursday] announced more than 450 jobs will be slashed across the country. The majority of jobs – among staff and managers – will go in York and Gatwick, but factories across the UK could be affected. Nestle UK make a number of iconic brands, including Kit Kat, Milky Bar, Aero and Felix cat food read more

Denby Pottery Job Losses, GMB responds (23 Apr) – GMB Union, representing workers at Derbyshire based Denby Pottery, has today responded to the news that company administrators intend to proceed with redundancies at the company read more

Bin strike avoided in Dartford as members pocket ten per cent pay rise (22 Apr) – GMB members set for strike action voted overwhelmingly to accept third new pay offer. Refuse workers in Dartford have voted to accept a pay rise which concludes their dispute and ends the threat of strike action. The members are employed by FCC Environment and have accepted on a vote of 94 per cent this new, improved pay offer. The agreement delivers a series of percentage pay increases over the next two years, providing certainty and stability for workers while moving rates further away from the minimum wage and closer to industry standards. Taken together, the package represents an increase of around 10 per cent across the period read more

Brighton Pavilion to be rocked by second day of strike action (14 Apr) – Buildings and collections may face closure as staff walk out over terms and conditions proposal. GMB members within the Brighton Pavilion and Museums Trust will tomorrow take their second day of strike action against a proposal to remove them from National Joint Council (NJC) contracts. The members were outsourced from Brighton & Hove City Council in 2020 but retained their local government contracts, including access to pay, annual leave and other contractual rights. Trust management have this year instructed staff to sign new contracts which will pull them out from the NJC terms package and leave them vulnerable to contractual changes. This second day of action follows a successful strike day on Saturday 4 April read more

Thurrock Council caretakers protest over ‘disrespectful’ downgrading plans (9 Apr) – Thurrock Council caretakers are today [Thursday 9 April] staging a protest over a proposal by the council to downgrade their roles. The workers, who are represented by GMB Union, are furious about the council’s plans to downgrade around 50 caretaker roles by one band, which could result in average salary reductions of around £2,000. The caretakers involved clean and maintain properties across the council’s housing estate, including removing graffiti, clearing litter, and ensuring fire, health, and safety measures are in place. The council is under intense financial pressure after a series of failed solar farm investments, with estimated debts of £1.4 billon read more

Strike ballot opens at Crane Building Services and Utilities (8 Apr) – More than a hundred workers at Hitchin-based Crane Building Services and Utilities (BS&U) will today [8 April] begin voting in a formal industrial action ballot in an ongoing dispute over pay. The ballot, which is organised by GMB Union and closes on Wednesday 22 April, will determine whether members take strike action after months of pay negotiations failed to secure a fair offer. Workers have raised serious concerns that the company is refusing to recognise the skill involved in their roles and maintain appropriate pay differentials, with the latest offer rejected by 81 per cent of members. Angry workers have accused Crane BS&U of ‘flushing their core values down the drain.’ Any strike action would effectively shut down the company’s operations in Hitchin read more

GMB responds to council workers (24 Mar) – GMB Union has responded to the pay offer of 3.3 per cent for more than one million council employees and school support staff read more

Cadent gas workers announce strike days (24 Mar) – GMB members at Cadent Gas will walk out for six days as a dispute over excessive weekend working intensifies. Dozens of staff in the North West will strike on the following dates:-

Saturday 4 April, Sunday 5 April, Monday 6 April, Friday 10 April, Friday 17 April, Friday 24 April. Frontline staff say they are regularly required to work more than half of all weekends, leaving little opportunity for proper family time, rest days or holidays. Despite repeated warnings from workers Cadent management, who do not work weekends, continue to insist the current rota is ‘reasonable’. Workers are calling for a modest improvement: reducing their weekend commitments by just one weekend a year read more

Shell Bacton Gas Terminal workers vote to renew strike action (20 Mar) – Altrad employees at the Shell Bacton Gas Terminal in Norfolk have voted overwhelmingly to continue their pay-related strike action, which entered its sixth month today [20 March]. GMB Union, which is representing the members, recorded 100 per cent vote in favour on a 96 per cent turnout. Altrad employees are currently paid around £1.20 per hour less than workers doing the same jobs at neighbouring terminals. The vote to continue strike action comes after the workers rejected a pay offer from Altrad, which would have seen them enjoy two weeks of pay parity before being paid on average 71p less an hour than their colleagues from April read more

Almost 1,500 cash protection officers ready to strike (19 Mar) – Almost 1,500 cash handlers working for G4S and Loomis are ready to strike over pay. In separate consultative ballots across both companies, more than 90 per cent said they were ready to walk out after bosses announced pay freezes. Almost 95 per cent also rejected the offer, which represents a massive real terms pay cut in the face of rising inflation. GMB Members working for G4S Cash and Loomis deliver millions of pounds each week across the country to banks and businesses – a dangerous job which leaves them open to attack. If the workers went on strike, ATMs might be left without cash, while airports may run out of foreign currency read more

‘Defiant’ hospital workers plan further protests over pay and sick pay (18 Mar) – Outsourced Lewisham Hospital workers determined to win adequate sick pay and the London Living Wage, says GMB. As part of an ongoing campaign, GMB members at Lewisham Hospital will stage two demonstrations tomorrow [Thursday 19 March]. Domestic, portering and catering staff who have been outsourced to transnational company ISS will protest outside the hospital main entrance at 12noon and then again at 2pm. They are demanding the London Living Wage as well as an adequate sick pay scheme in a GMB campaign, which has already seen them hold three lunchtime demos read more

Net-A-Porter workers in strike vote (6 Mar) – More than 100 workers at the luxury retailer’s Charlton warehouse will vote on whether to walk out over the broken promise. Net-A-Porter – which sells high end goods including a £9,000 bag, £14,000 dress and a £158,000 necklace – promised to pay the London Living Wage in 2021 but has now offered workers significantly less. Under current proposals the lowest paid staff will receive £14.41 per hour. Meanwhile the designer store just completed a redundancy process in which many workers who volunteered to leave were refused because they were considered ‘too valuable’ to the business read more

Docker strike hits petroleum giant (6 Mar) – GMB union has today announced that workers at Immingham based petroleum contractor Briggs Marine will take strike action next week. The industrial action will begin on Monday 9 March with nearly fifty workers expected to take part. The dispute comes after company bosses were accused of dismissing employees outside of due process, with the union labelling the process ‘a disgrace.’ Workers at the Briggs Marine site at Immingham Docks operate one of the UK’s largest petroleum product terminals, handling imports and exports of vital fuels from across the world read more

Cumbria packing workers in strike vote (4 Mar) – Workers at a Cumbrian packaging firm will now be balloted for industrial action after conciliation talks through ACAS failed to make progress on pay. More than 100 production workers at Futamura, in Wigton, have rejected the company’s 1.2 per cent offer, insisting it falls far short of an inflation‑linked rise. Members say the offer amounts to a real‑terms pay cut. Two further proposals made by the company were also rejected, as they required workers to self‑fund any increase through severe cuts to sick pay, alongside discussion of potential ‘affordable redundancies.’ GMB represents production workers, alongside wider teams of office staff, team leaders, engineers and electricians employed at the site read more

Strike at Shard and Everton stadium steel firm (12 Feb) – More than 100 workers are set to strike at the UK’s largest structural steel contractor. Staff at Severfield Plc’s site in Bolton, will walk out after being offered a 0 per cent ‘pay rise’ by bosses. More than 90% of GMB members, working as welders, platers and machine operators, voted in favour of strike action at the company’s Lostock site. The company, which has provided the steel work for iconic projects like the Shard and the new Everton stadium, says it suffered a loss and won’t provide a pay rise. GMB members have been conducting an overtime ban this week, and will start with one full day of strike action on Monday 16 February, followed by two full days of strike action on Monday 23 February and Tuesday 24 February read more

Strike vote at Bridgend insulation firm (12 Feb) – Workers at a Bridgend insulation firm have begun voting on strike action. More than 100 workers at Rockwool Limited will take part in the ballot after bosses cut pay and forced staff to work on bank holidays. The ballot closes on 2 March 2026 read more

Merton school support staff balloted for strike action (9 Feb) – Staff are losing around a thousand pounds every year and are sick of waiting. GMB members working as school support staff within London Borough of Merton will be balloted for strike action over a long-standing pay discrepancy. TAs and school support staff within LB Merton receive London Weighting at the Outer London rate, while their teacher colleagues in the same schools receive the higher Inner London rate – a difference of £1400 per year on average. Despite members having submitted a petition of more than 500 signatures last year, discussions with the Labour local authority to find a resolution to this problem have now broken down. The ballot will open on 27 February with any action to take place in the run up to the upcoming local elections in May, in which Labour Councillors will be up for re-election read more

Hula-Hoops and Pom Bears workers vote to strike (6 Feb) – Workers making Hula Hoops, McCoy’s, Pom‑Bears and Discos have voted to strike. Dozens of staff at KP Snacks’ site in Billingham, Country Durham, voted to walk out in a dispute over additional duties imposed without extra pay or proper consultation. Bosses have cut process workers in crisps and snacks to a single break per shift. Workers have also raised concerns that operational changes have compromised safety, including leaving heat exchangers running during breaks without proper supervision. GMB Union will now meet with members to discuss strike dates – any industrial action could disrupt the supply of popular snack brands, including Hula Hoops, McCoy’s, Pom‑Bears and Discos read more

Hundreds of Barnsley Hospital workers ready to strike (5 Feb) – Hundreds of workers at Barnsley NHS Trust have said they are ready to strike after bosses threatened them with fire and rehire. More than 600 workers took part in a consultative ballot – with 97 per cent voting in favour to taking strike action, on a turnout of more than 76 per cent. The trust wants to impose new contracts upon thousands of staff, including nurses, technicians and clerical workers, removing their right to a paid twenty-minute shift break. GMB has now lodged a formal dispute with the trust and will meet with reps to discuss next steps – including a full strike ballot – if the trust does not back down read more

Airedale hospital workers hand in 7,000 petition ahead of strike (16 Jan) – Striking Airedale Hospital workers will today [Friday, 16 January 2026] hand in 7,000 strong petition to bosses, days before they walk out for a week. More than 200 essential staff, including porters, domestic staff, catering teams, and security personnel, will strike from 20 January to 26 January, demanding NHS pensions for NHS work. Today GMB members will hand-deliver a petition with more than 7,000 signatures to Airedale NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive, Foluke Ajayi. The affected staff were outsourced to AGH Solutions (AGHS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, in 2018. Since then, they have secured significant improvements to bring their terms and conditions closer to NHS standards. However, pension inequality remains unresolved 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   

Home secretary must drop cruel plans to restrict rights of essential migrant workers, says UNISON (23 Apr) – Changing the rules on settlement is morally wrong and will deepen the staffing crisis in social care. Hundreds of care workers are turning up the pressure on the home secretary by urging her to scrap plans that will punish migrants and worsen the sector’s staffing crisis, says UNISON today (Thursday). The social care workforce is reliant on hundreds of thousands of employees from overseas, but proposed visa changes will slow down recruitment and force many to think about leaving, says the union. UNISON is calling for the plans to be scrapped so millions of vulnerable people who rely on care won’t be left without vital help and staff are valued properly. The issue is being highlighted in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham Ladywood constituency today with extensive leafleting, urging the community to raise their concerns directly with the home secretary. Care workers and other UNISON members will be going door to door to distribute 20,000 flyers calling for residents to write to their MP. Dozens of health and care workers who have migrated to the UK to fill essential jobs will also take part in a day of action organised by the union tomorrow (Friday) read more

NHS pay structure overhaul can’t come soon enough (22 Apr) – Talks must be backed with real money on the table. Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that NHS pay structure reform talks will start later this month, UNISON head of health and chair of the joint health unions Helga Pile said: “Unions have been calling for talks to fix pay for months. Getting these in place is a step forward, albeit a year and a half after they were promised. NHS workers have been deeply disappointed by this year’s 3.3% pay award, which has already been overtaken by inflation. But there’s now the prospect it could be improved through addressing longstanding problems with the pay structure. There’s a lot riding on these talks. Real money on the table from government will be key. Ministers must show they value the staff who’ll be critical to getting the NHS back on track.” Read more

University of Gloucestershire workers to walk out in pay dispute (16 Apr) – “Universities can’t hide behind national bargaining when staff are struggling. They should be using their voice to push for a fair deal”. Support staff at the University of Gloucestershire will take strike action today (Thursday) after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer of just 1.4%, says UNISON. Library assistants, administrators, IT workers and other support staff are taking action because the proposed increase fails to reflect the rising cost of living and follows years of pay deals that have lagged behind inflation, says the union read more

University of Bristol staff begin three-day strike over pay (14 Apr) – “A pay rise of 1.4% is nowhere near enough when rents, food and energy bills continue to soar” read more

Further strike at Leeds Conservatoire this week (25 Mar) – Support staff at a leading music education institute in Leeds are set to walk out on Friday (27 March) in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. Workers at Leeds Conservatoire, including performance assistants and studio technicians, staged a two-day walkout last month unhappy at what they say are broken promises over pay and holidays. Following a restructure three years ago, many employees were transferred out of direct employment by the conservatoire to provider Luminate Education Group. UNISON says this resulted in some staff receiving lower pay and fewer holidays. Those remaining on Leeds Conservatoire contracts were told their pay would match that of staff transferred to Luminate. However, they’ve received worse pay offers and have less annual leave read more

School support workers vote overwhelmingly to strike in support of victimised trade union rep (20 Mar) – UNISON members at Ash Field Academy, a SEND school in Evington, Leicester, have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action to demand the reinstatement of their elected representative. In a formal industrial action ballot which closed on 18th March, 87% of voting members supported strike action over the suspension of their workplace steward, Tom Barker – who has been suspended since October 2025 – and the attack this represents on their trade union rights. The turnout easily cleared the legal 50% participation threshold. For more than four months, UNISON’s Leicester City branch has been campaigning for Tom’s reinstatement. Discovery Schools Academy Trust (“DSAT”), the multi-academy trust which runs the school, claims that they are still investigating his case – though they have changed the allegations they claim to be investigating since the initial suspension. More than 400 trade unionists, including the UNISON’s new General Secretary Andrea Egan and prominent MP Zarah Sultana, have signed an open letter demanding Tom’s reinstatement read more

KCL: Strike action: 25 & 26 March 2026 – This year’s pay offer of just 1.4% is the lowest offer of all public sector areas. We balloted our members on this offer, and 89% of participating members voted to strike. We are now calling for further strike action for the pay deal KCL workers deserve read more

NHS pay rise improvement talks are vital, say unions (17 Mar) – Staff crisis will continue to grow without restructure progress. The government must improve on its inadequate 3.3% pay rise for NHS staff by putting significant extra funding into long-delayed pay restructure talks or the workforce crisis will continue to grow, health unions say today (Tuesday). In a joint letter to health secretary Wes Streeting, they warn the pay award fails to keep pace with the cost of living, won’t repair years of lost pay and doesn’t address lower rises for those on Agenda for Change contracts than other groups. Staff are angry and feel deeply let down after years of falling wages and relentless pressure, say the 14 unions representing more than a million health workers. They point out that by relying on the discredited NHS Pay Review Body process rather than negotiating directly with unions, ministers have wasted an opportunity to deal with headline pay awards and much-needed reform of the pay structure at the same time through comprehensive talks. The 2026/27 headline rise will be imposed in a fortnight (on 1 April), with negotiations to follow on structural fixes, which would mean additional rises for some staff if a deal is reached. But unions say those talks were promised more than 18 months ago and the ongoing delay has wrecked trust read more

Sign this petition: To: Northern Care Alliance – Our Skills Don’t Pay The Bills!

Critical Care NHS workers striking after Greater Manchester’s Northern Care Alliance cuts pay. NHS staff working at Salford Royal, Royal Oldham and Fairfield Hospital, Bury are in dispute with Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust after the trust decided to cut their pay when they undertake overtime to cover staff shortages. The Trust fails to pay overtime in line with their terms and conditions of employment, NHS Agenda for Change. NCA have engaged an alternative private employer, ’NHS Professionals’, to cover shifts which means staff that assist the Trust in covering staff shortages are now seeing a significant drop in pay as well as being able to avoid employer pension contributions. NHS Professionals last year posted pre tax profits of a staggering £11.4M. Critical Care units across the Trust which cover Salford, Oldham, Rochdale and Bury are heavily reliant on covering shifts to meet safe staffing requirements or critically ill patients.  The specialist nature of the care required in critical care means most shifts are picked up by staff already working on the unit. UNISON members are calling on the Trust to be given the right to choose whether to work the shift as Overtime or NHSP Bank rates. This choice would allow staff to be paid the correct pay for the crucial duties they are undertaking and no less for additional work they carry out whilst also being able to contribute to their pension. The worrying reliance on a private entity in the NHS is forcing UNISON members into financial hardship. A UNISON member said “I’m a highly trained and skilled clinical professional and I literally keep people alive. NCA has reduced my pay by £10 an hour for our extra hours rates that we rely on and I’m now struggling to make ends meet at home”. After over a year of trying to resolve this issue with the Trust UNISON members have now voted 98% in favour of strike action support striking workers

Defend Ameen Hadi and Salford City UNISON against the Far Right sign petition – ‘We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with trade unionist and lifelong anti racist campaigner Ameen Hadi. He has been placed under investigation by Salford City Council, following a malicious allegation, driven by far right YouTubers and Fascist Tommy Robinson, after a TOGETHER unity rally in Manchester on International Women’s Day’

Reinstate Connor UNISON Newham libraries rep! Connor is a UNISON Steward at Newham Council, East London. He works in libraries, and was suspended from work on 18 Feb 2026 following his participation in the ‘Save Newham Libraries’ public campaign. Save Newham Libraries is a community campaign setup to stop the Council slashing the libraries budget by 50%, with closures, staff cuts, and service reductions for residents threatened Sign this open letter

Mining museum bosses’ refusal to come clean over finances is prolonging strikes (19 Feb) – Managers’ failure to come clean over finances at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield is prolonging a long-running pay dispute. The union says it has repeatedly asked for clarity on the museum’s financial position in an effort to find a solution that suits all parties. Staff, who’ve been on strike since mid-August, submitted six questions to the museum last month, following a pledge from bosses that these would be answered. However, no response has been provided and UNISON says it hasn’t received any correspondence from the museum since then. The refusal to answer questions after encouraging workers to submit them is another bizarre move from chief executive Lynn Dunning. Dunning has previously called the police to a picket line, spent tens of thousands of pounds on private security and attempted to include a clause in a pay offer which would’ve seen staff disciplined when they returned to work read more

Branches or individual members can donate using the details below:-

Cheque payment – Please make cheques payable to ‘UNISON Wakefield’, mark payment as ‘MINING STRIKE on reverse of cheque and send to: Wakefield District UNSION, 18 Gills Yard, Wakefield WF1 3BZ.

BACS transfers –

Account Name: UNISON WAKEFIELD M.D 13351 BRANCH

Account number: 20320236

Sort Code: 608301

Please mark your payment as ‘MINING STRIKE’ read more

Sign this petition calling for the resignation of the board of trustees and chief executive Lynn Dunning

Hospital staff in Leeds to walk out for further strikes next week (12 Feb) – Low-paid NHS staff working in operating theatres across Leeds will be on strike next week in their ongoing pay dispute. Theatre assistants, who are on the lowest grade in the NHS, will walk out for five days on Monday (16 February). They want to be regraded and paid properly for the extra duties they say they’re now carrying out, and compensated for the extra work they’ve already done. They’re required to carry out crucial clinical work, such as establishing sterile environments, collecting samples and assisting with complex machinery. Staff, who work at three sites run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, went on strike for five days earlier this month, as well as for 48 hours in December. UNISON says the trust’s refusal to pay staff fairly is out of line with other hospital trusts across the region, and around the country. Since 2021, over 100 NHS trusts and health boards in England and Wales have agreed deals on regrading and back pay worth £250m for over 65,000 healthcare support workers. This includes a deal at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which was overseen by the current interim chief executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Brendan Brown read more

NHS pay award will leave staff angry, says UNISON (12 Feb) – Below-inflation rise means staff are expected to deliver more for less. Commenting on the 3.3% wage rise announced today (Thursday) for most NHS staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2026/27, UNISON head of health Helga Pile said: “Hard-pressed NHS staff will be downright angry at another below-inflation pay award…” read more

Andrea Egan speaks at rally against university cuts in Southend: The job cuts in Southend are symptomatic of a “growing financial crisis across universities” (6 Feb) – General secretary Andrea Egan (pictured above) joined the crowds of union members at the University of Essex yesterday at a protest against job cuts and the closure of the university’s Southend campus. UNISON is one of three unions fighting back against the university’s plans to cut 400 jobs and close the Southend campus over the summer. It represents the cleaners, student support workers and other non-academic staff affected by the cuts and is in a formal dispute with the university read more

Stop the Council Cuts – Sign the petition: Save our Services – Nottingham City Unison    

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

NIPSA

NIPSA Annual Report 2025 ‘For Working Class Unity and a Socialist Economy’ is now available to download here

NIPSA Demands Immediate Payment of Overdue Civil Service Pay Awards (23 Apr) – Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA), which represents over 80% of the Northern Ireland Civil Service workforce, is demanding urgent political action to deliver overdue pay awards for civil servants who are being pushed to breaking point by the continuing cost of living crisis. With inflation now at 3.3%, the cost of fuel, energy, food and other essentials continues to rise, placing further pressure on workers whose pay has already failed to keep pace with living costs. Despite this, more than 25,000 civil servants across Northern Ireland have still not received the pay uplift due from 1 April 2026, leaving thousands of households falling further behind each month read more

   

Royal College of Nursing     

Overwhelmed community mental health nurses raise alarm over staffing and caseloads (27 Apr) – Nursing staff say their workload feels “unmanageable and unsafe” on a daily basis read more

RCN opens donations to strike fund in response to public desire to support striking staff – We’ve launched a donation page for people to financially help nursing staff on strike read more 

RCM

RCM to ballot Barnsley members on industrial action over ‘fire and rehire’ threat (24 Apr) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has announced its intention to move to a formal industrial action ballot of members at Barnsley NHS Foundation Trust, following escalating concerns over the use of “fire and rehire” following changes to breaks. The decision comes after months of engagement with the trust regarding proposed changes to staff breaks, which would see midwives and maternity support workers working an additional seven hours a month due to longer unpaid breaks. RCM members in Barnsley have made clear that these proposals are neither safe nor workable. Staff report they are already unable to take their existing breaks due to clinical pressures, raising serious concerns about the impact on both staff wellbeing and the safety of care provided to women and families. Despite constructive efforts by trade unions to reach a compromise, including a negotiated proposal with mitigations, RCM members overwhelmingly rejected the deal in consultation. The trust has now moved to a formal dismissal and re-engagement process, placing hundreds of staff at risk, including more than 100 working in maternity services. A consultative ballot of RCM members showed strong support for escalation, with a clear majority backing a move to formal industrial action. The RCM says the use of “fire and rehire” in the NHS is unacceptable and risks damaging trust, morale and ultimately patient care read more

From headlines to the House of Lords: RCM ramps up pressure on Government over graduate job crisis (23 Apr) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has driven the issue of newly qualified midwives (NQMs) job crisis to the heart of national political debate, following a high-profile discussion in the House of Lords this week. The debate saw the Government claim there is no staffing shortfall in midwifery, but rather a “misalignment” between available roles and demand from newly qualified midwives. But the RCM has powerfully challenged this claim – and has now taken a ‘Graduate Guarantee’ blueprint straight to Parliament. The College has shared its ‘genuine Graduate Guarantee’ with almost 100 MPs and members of the House of Lords, ensuring policymakers can’t ignore both the scale of the problem and the clear route to fixing it read more

CSP

CSP raises concerns over drop in NHSE equal recruitment (23 Apr) – NHSE Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) data shows a decade low in the recruitment of Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates from NHS shortlists read more

Stop antisemitism urges CSP (20 Apr) – The CSP has expressed anger at the arson attack in a Harrow synagogue over the weekend, and pledged solidarity with the Jewish community read more

SOR

‘Challenging discrimination is a professional duty’ – SoR publishes open letter for student radiographers and learners (22 Apr) – As HCPC publishes resources to support workers who experience discrimination, SoR has updated its message to radiographers in training read more

BMA

Half of hospital trusts employing non-doctors on doctor rotas (25 Apr) – Almost half of hospital trusts have been asking non-doctors to fill in on medical rotas, according to FoI (Freedom of Information) requests lodged by the BMA read more

Doctors in Northern Ireland to vote on strike action (21 Apr) – Doctors in Northern Ireland will vote on whether to take strike action in response to an unacceptable offer on pay, in a ballot opening next month read more

GPs vote to reject contract changes (1 Apr) – GPC England considers next steps after referendum result reveals overwhelming opposition to Government proposed contract changes read more

Secondary care doctors prepare for strike ballot (31 Mar) – Consultants and SAS doctors in England respond to ‘inadequate’ pay award read more

GPs vote to reject contract changes (26 Mar) – GPC England considers next steps after ballot result reveals overwhelming opposition to Government proposed contract changes. GPs across England have roundly rejected contract changes set to be imposed from next month, with the BMA calling on the Government to return to negotiations. More than 16,000 GPs and GP registrars voted to oppose the planned changes to the GMS and PMS GP practice contracts for 2026-27, following the outcome of a ballot released today [26 March]. The ballot, which was launched last month following the abrupt release of contract reform proposals by the Government, saw 98.9 per cent of those participating vote against the changes, with the vote having a turnout of 55 per cent. Under the terms of the contract, which is set to be imposed from 1 April, the BMA has warned that GPs would effectively be required to ‘more with less’ by having to provide a range of enhanced services read more

New resident doctor strike dates announced (25 Mar) – Resident doctors in England are set to strike from next month following the BMA’s rejection of an offer on jobs and pay put forward by the Government. Resident doctors in England are set to strike from next month following the BMA’s rejection of an offer on jobs and pay put forward by the Government. The association’s resident doctors committee voted to reject the offer yesterday [24 March], accusing the Government of ‘moving the goalposts’ on the pay element of the deal. The offer had included commitments to reforming the structure of pay scale nodal points and pay uplifts for doctors successful completing their ARCP (annual review of competence progression). However, RDC negotiators said that, at the last moment, the Government had opted to reduce the value of the original investment on the pay element of the offer and stretch this over a period of three years. In response, the RDC has today [25 March] confirmed that doctors will stage a six-day walkout from 7 April until 13 April. This announcement comes as the DDRB (Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration) 2026/27 pay recommendations have proposed a 3.5 per cent increase for all doctors, below the RPI (retail price index) measure of inflation which stands at 3.6 per cent read more

Government offers doctors in England below-inflation pay award (25 Mar) – The Government has announced a pay award of 3.5 per cent for doctors in England, below RPI inflation levels, following a recommendation from the doctors’ and dentists’ pay review body (DDRB). The BMA says this will be a ‘crushing blow’ to doctors in England and will ‘dash any hope’ that the Government is prepared to properly recognise a profession that is ‘burning out’ read more

NEU

NEU members at Llantwit Major High School are today taking their third day of strike action (23 Apr) – NEU Cymru members at Llantwit Major High School strike over consequences of attack on members terms and conditions. NEU members at Llantwit Major High School are today taking their third day of strike action. Members voted overwhelming to take this action after the school and governors confirmed a decision to cut our members Planning Preparation and Assessment time to the absolute minimum allowed under current rules. Our members are clear that by taking this action, longstanding behavioural issues at the school will get worse as sufficient PPA time is essential for dealing with these issues. While meetings have taken place between the unions, the employer and ACAS as yet it has not been possible to reach agreement so therefore the NEU is taking strike action to highlight the situation and the seriousness with which our members take this issue. Some of the communications around this issue from the school have not helped the situation and have made resolution more difficult. We call on the employer to get back around the table with the unions and find a resolution to this issue read more

YouGov/NEU parents poll shows 89% support Free School Meals for All in primary school (23 Apr) – A poll of 2,106 parents of primary-aged children in England, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the National Education Union, found that:-

  • Cost of living pressures persist for parents in England. Around one third (31 per cent) have had to cut the quantity or variety of their food shop since the start of the school year. 
  • An overwhelming 89 per cent of parents support Free School Meals (FSM) for all children attending primary school. 
  • A majority (57 per cent) say that extending FSM to all primary school children would have a positive impact on their family finances, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact families. 
  • 56 per cent of parents not on Universal Credit (UC), who the government’s latest reforms extending FSM will not reach, say FSM for all would have a positive impact on their family finances, while 44 per cent said the same about their mental wellbeing

From September 2026 every child from families on UC will get FSM, extending hot school dinners to more than half a million additional children. However, as this polling demonstrates, means-testing will always leave children and families behind. The National Education Union continues to call for FSM for all children attending primary schools – as has been the case in London since 2023 and Wales since September 2024. In the rest of England, FSM are universal from Reception through Year 2. From Year 3 on, this stops and hundreds of thousands of children miss out on this school essential read more

NFER/Sutton Trust on spending cuts (23 Apr) – Commenting on a survey conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research on behalf of the Sutton Trust which shows the ‘painful’ cuts facing schools, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “This is the uncomfortable reality that the government simply will not face up to. Schools are running on empty and are having to make cuts to essentials simply to survive. The fact is that this has been going on for years. Far from there being ‘efficiency’ savings to be made, frontline services which are visible to parents are already being cut. The government is failing families. It is indefensible that government continues to underfund schools. It is impossible for schools to meet the government’s ambitions on SEND support. Rachel Reeves has cut more from schools than any Chancellor since George Osborne – delivering the worst funding settlement schools have seen in a decade. The government stubbornly believes that a 6.5 per cent pay rise over three years can be afforded from existing budgets. This is nonsense, and no one on the ground is buying it. Schools are being asked to do more with less. Rising inflation matched with underfunding is a recipe for disaster. As this survey shows, starving schools of proper funding can only lead to cuts, cuts and more cuts.” Read more

Results of NEU indicative ballots on pay, funding and workload (17 Apr) – Two indicative ballots of NEU members have now closed. Teacher and support staff members working in state schools in England were consulted online in separate ballots between 28 February and 17 April 2026. Teacher and leader members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted to reject the government’s proposed unfunded pay offer of 6.5 per cent over three years. Teachers, leaders and support staff in England all indicated their willingness to take strike action not only over pay, but also funding and workload…The national executive will meet next month to determine the next stepsread more

Support the strikes:-

NASUWT   

New data underlines scale of academy spending scandal (24 Apr) – Data released today on academy school finances and spending underlines the urgent need for stronger regulation and transparency to ensure public money is focused at the frontline and is being spent responsibly, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, is arguing. The publication of the Academies Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024 shows a 39% increase in one year in the number of multi academy trusts (MATs) paying salaries of over £150,000 a year to senior staff and a 13% annual increase in the amount spent on consultancy. At the same time, the accounts show a 17% increase in compulsory redundancies on the previous year and an increase in the number of trusts in revenue deficit. £18.5m was provided by the government in additional financial support to 53 MATs – 32 of whom received money to support deficit recovery. NASUWT is calling for salary caps on academy leaders in relation to pupil numbers, a cap on consultancy spending, an end to the use of profiteering supply and employment agencies and for education procurement to come back under public management. The Union also wants to see academy trusts obligated to publish itemised spending every year read more

Schools are being pushed into another year of damaging cuts (23 Apr) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union is warning that schools are being driven into another cycle of damaging cuts after new research published today by the Sutton Trust highlighted the continued erosion of staffing, SEND provision and curriculum opportunities in schools in England. The findings reinforce the picture set out in the NASUWT’s Where Has All The Money Gone? report and reveal a school system still struggling with the consequences of a decade and a half of real‑terms funding cuts, rising costs and unfunded pressures on schools. Despite claims of increased investment by ministers, schools continue to report reductions in teaching posts, teaching assistants, support staff, subject choices and specialist support for pupils with SEND. Many school leaders also continue to divert Pupil Premium funding away from disadvantaged pupils simply to keep their schools running read more

Teachers’ Union rep refused entry to Vale of Glamorgan redundancy meeting (21 Apr) – Commenting on the Vale of Glamorgan’s decision to prevent NASUWT National Executive Member Sharron Daly from attending a routine redundancy consultancy meeting today, Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “Today our NASUWT Cymru National Executive Member Sharron Daly tried to attend a redundancy consultation meeting with Vale of Glamorgan Council regarding forthcoming redundancies at Llantwit Major School. She attended in good faith as NASUWT’s chosen representative, in her role supporting teachers at the school. Unfortunately the Vale of Glamorgan Council prevented her admission to the meeting. NASUWT Cymru is entitled to choose the representative it sends to meetings with stakeholders. For the Vale of Glamorgan to suggest otherwise is misleading. Their failure to admit Sharron to today’s redundancy consultation meeting is obstruction of a basic democratic process – a trade union cannot advocate for its members without access to necessary meetings.” Read more

Teachers could strike unless urgent improvements are made to education (3 Apr) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union have passed a motion at their 2026 Annual Conference to allow a ballot for national strike action if their calls for change are not met by the government. Teachers report a, “vicious cycle of decline” in education funding and teachers’ working conditions, leading to overstretched schools, overworked staff, and a recruitment and retention crisis that sees half of all teachers leave the profession within ten years of qualifying read more

Job cuts threat prompts strike action at Nottingham and Lincolnshire schools (23 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary Academy in Nottingham and Our Lady of Good Counsel Primary School in Sleaford are due to begin two days of strike action tomorrow (24th March) over proposed job cuts which they believe would seriously affect the quality of education and support provided to pupils. The Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs both schools, is planning to reduce the number of teaching jobs across the Trust. The proposed staffing cuts equate to 2.5 members of staff at Our Lady of Good Counsel and 1.03 at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. This is on top of planned cuts to teaching assistant posts and some voluntary staff redundancies. The Trust has cited financial pressures as the reason for proposing these staffing cuts, however financial data shows that in August 2025 the Trust had reserves of £5.69 million. Strike action is planned for the 24th and 25th March. NASUWT will be picketing outside the school on each strike day between approximately 8am and 9am read more

Further strike action at Stockport school over continued threat to jobs (23 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Stockport are taking two further days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday as a result of the failure of the employer to engage meaningfully over planned job cuts. NASUWT teachers have already taken three days of strike action over the last two weeks over plans by the St Ralph Sherwin Multi-Academy Trust, which runs the school, to cut one full-time equivalent teaching post, reduce six hours from the admin assistant role and cut ten Kids Club administration hours. The Trust has not responded to NASUWT requests for further negotiations since before the start of strike action on 12th March. The Trust’s failure to engage with us has made further strike action necessary. The Trust has cited financial pressures as the reason for proposing staffing cuts, however the Union does not believe that these planned reductions in staffing will solve the significant financial issues being experienced by the Trust and believes that stronger financial management and accountability are needed. NASUWT will be picketing outside the school on each strike day between approximately 7.45am and 9am read more

Further strike action at Hexham school over continuing failure to address behaviour management (23 Mar) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Haydon Bridge High School in Hexham will be taking the first of 12 planned days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) over the continuing failure of school management to put in place an effective pupil behaviour management system. NASUWT teachers at Haydon Bridge took strike action in December over a lack of action to deal with poor pupil behaviour. Further action was suspended to allow school management to implement a new behaviour policy and measures to tackle disruptive behaviour. However, several months on and there has been no improvement, leaving NASUWT with no choice than to take further strike action. NASUWT teachers will take strike action on 24th, 25th, 26th and 31st March and 1st, 2nd, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, 29th and 30th April. NASUWT will be picketing outside the school tomorrow (Tuesday 24th) and on April 1st between approximately 8am and 8.45am. This action excludes year 10, 11 and 13 examination classes. NASUWT members will attend work and teach these lessons only read more

Fire and rehire threat prompts strike action at Westminster school (23 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Arnold House School in St John’s Wood are due to take strike action tomorrow (24th March) over attempts to make teachers choose between their pension and their pay. Teachers being threatened with fire and rehire if they do not agree to either withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and be enrolled in an inferior pension scheme, or to give up some of their pay through salary sacrifice in order to remain in the TPS. The school is already in phased withdrawal from the TPS, but existing members of the scheme had been assured by school management at the time that decision was taken that they could remain in the TPS. There was no suggestion at that time that they would have to sacrifice any of their pay in order to do so. NASUWT will be picketing outside the school between approximately 7.45am and 9am read more

Abergele teachers strike over culture of bullying and intimidation (6 Mar) – On Monday 9th March, teachers from NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan will take a day of strike action in protest of the continuous bullying and intimidation they face from the school’s leadership team. NASUWT Cymru has had concerns about the wellbeing of members at the school for a long time. Following a rushed restructure where management positions were removed but management work was not, teachers experienced increased workloads and problems with school systems and policies. When they raised concerns, they were penalised by senior leaders. The union has tried to work with leaders to resolve these issues but does not believe that the restructuring consultation was meaningful. Progress made at meetings does not seem to be translated to the workplace read more

Job changes prompt strike action by Kent teachers (4 Mar) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union working for Specialist Teaching and Learning Services (STLS) at Kent County Council began five days of strike action today over fundamental changes to their job roles which are undermining their ability to provide high-quality support for schools and pupils with disabilities and special needs. Teachers working for STLS work with schools to provide education support services for children and young people across Kent with disabilities or complex needs. Last September the council took control of STLS and made significant changes to job roles, effectively removing STLS teachers from working directly within schools. Strike action is planned for 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th and 12th March read more

Unsafe working environment prompts strike action at Rochdale schools (24 Feb) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at St Cuthbert’s RC High School in Rochdale began nine days of strike action over the failure of the trust leadership to provide adequate staffing and resources and to put in place systems to address violent and abusive behaviour from some pupils. The Union believes that St Teresa of Calcutta Academy Trust has failed to invest in and maintain the school, resulting in an unsafe and chaotic working environment for staff, which has resulted in volatile and violent behaviour, unsustainable levels of workload, high levels of staff absence, and working conditions that are impeding teachers’ ability to deliver for pupils. Teachers have been hit, shoved, grabbed, sworn at, threatened and slammed with doors. Pupils have smashed windows, overturned tables and kicked doors open. Teachers have had to receive hospital treatment for their injuries in some cases. Members believe that the school has been stripped of staff and resources since it became part of St Theresa of Calcutta Academy Trust and that this has contributed to the turmoil at the school. There has been an overall reduction of more than 20 members of staff which is driving up workloads for remaining staff and leaving important roles unfilled, further exacerbating challenges in managing pupil behaviour and meeting pupils’ needs. Funding for educational equipment and resources has dwindled to the point where members report that even basics such as books and pens are in short supply. Strike action is planned for 24th, 25th and 26th February, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th and 12th March. The NASUWT will be picketing outside the school on each strike day between 8am and 8.45am read more

Tewkesbury teachers taking further strike action over behaviour management (19 Feb) – Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire will take further strike action from next Monday (23rd February) over the continued failure of school management to address abusive and disruptive behaviour from a minority of students. Despite two meetings since strike action started on 4th February with representatives from the Cabot Learning Federation, which runs the school, no significant progress has been made towards addressing the concerns of teachers. Therefore the NASUWT has had no choice but to notify the employer of nine further days of strike action. Strike action is scheduled for 23rd, 24th and 25th February, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th March. NASUWT will be picketing outside the school between approximately 7am and 9.30am on each day of strike action read more

    

EIS   

Emergency Motion at STUC Highlights City of Glasgow College Health and Safety Risk (22 Apr) – An Emergency Motion at the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) annual meeting in Dundee will highlight the ongoing dispute over Health and Safety Risks in the Welding and Fabrication department at City of Glasgow College (CoGC). Welding lecturers at the college are currently undertaking strike action over this issue. The Emergency Motion will be heard this afternoon at STUC Congress in Dundee’s Caird Hall, and is being brought to Congress by the EIS read more

Agreement on Teacher Workload Dispute Reached – All Industrial Action Suspended (13 Mar) – The EIS has announced that it is suspending all planned industrial action over teacher workload, following an agreement being reached between the EIS, Scottish Government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). A draft agreement, approved earlier this week by both the EIS and Scottish Government, was also approved by COSLA leaders at a meeting earlier today. The draft agreement, as approved by all three sides, will now pass to the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) for formal approval and implementation. The agreement will deliver the promised 90-minute per week reduction in the maximum class contact time for teachers as a means to tackling excessive teacher workload and to provide more time for teachers to undertake important areas of activity such as the preparation and correction of pupil work read more

ENU Lecturers to take Fourth Day of Strike Action, with no Further Movement on Job Security (20 Feb) – Lecturing staff at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) are taking their fourth day of strike, demonstrating their determination to protect jobs and oppose any move by the university to seek compulsory redundancies. Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers Association (EIS ULA) will be picketing again today and next week, maintaining their presence at the university’s three campuses. The continuing strike action highlights the concern among staff regarding the potential impact of the planned cuts on their and their colleagues’ jobs as well as on academic provision for students read more

INTO

INTO Statement: INTO Warns of Systemic Failure as New Research Reveals Widespread Teacher Burnout (24 Apr) – INTO welcomes the recent research from Dublin City University and St Mary’s University College Belfast in Teacher Occupational Wellbeing, which confirms what INTO members have been consistently reporting, that teacher burnout has reached critical levels across our schools. When over 90% of teachers are experiencing moderate to high burnout, this is no longer a concern, but it is a systemic failure that requires urgent intervention read more

UCU     

UCU Stop the Cuts campaign  

Sign petition against the education cuts  

Chichester University creates two-tier workforce by shutting down pension access (23 Apr) – All new Chichester University workers are no longer allowed onto the industry standard pension schemes, and instead solely have access to an inferior scheme, leaving them much poorer in retirement. Without any meaningful consultation, from Wednesday 15 April, Chichester University stopped employing all new staff directly. Instead, it has created a company to employ them through, which prevents access to the industry standard Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). LGPS and TPS are defined benefit schemes; the new scheme is drastically inferior, providing no guaranteed income in retirement. UCU believes it will leave Chichester workers many thousands of pounds per year worse off once they retire. The union’s members will meet shortly to decide how to fight back against the changes, and it is unable to rule out a strike ballot and potential action read more

University of Essex strike, rally & call for vice-chancellor to resign (22 Apr) – Staff at the University of Essex will strike again tomorrow (Thursday 23 April), having already taken 16 days of action in a fight to save jobs, protect course provision and keep the university’s Southend campus open. UCU members will be on picket lines tomorrow morning from 8am. Staff, students and community members will also be demonstrating on Saturday 25 April Staff, students and local community members will hold a rally to save Southend campus meeting at 1pm at the top of Pier Hill and marching to Broadway. The strike and protest come after more than 400 staff overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence in the vice-chancellor and university’s senior leadership team. Over 96% of staff voted in favour of the motion, which was tabled last week by UCU, Unison and Unite. The motion calls for the resignation of vice-chancellor Frances Bowen and an apology from the senior management team, as well as the re-opening of the cuts consultation process, including the threatened closure of Southend campus. The dispute is over the wave of cuts management is forcing through. The university originally said it intended to axe 200 academic and 200 professional staff and close Southend campus before the start of the next academic year. It has now confirmed it has made over £10m in savings – more than half of its target – after staff worked together to reduce their hours and many made the tough decision to take voluntary redundancy. UCU is also pressing the university to confirm how many staff remain at risk, as numbers set out vary by more than 700 people. Last month, more than a dozen staff were incorrectly told their jobs were safe before management confirmed they were still at risk read more

Solent University staff to strike for 5 days in fight to save pension (22 Apr) – Southampton Solent University staff will begin five days of strike action next week after management began forcing them out of their pension scheme by threatening them with the sack. The full strike dates are:-

  • Week one: Thursday 30 April
  • Week two: Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6, Thursday 7 and Friday 8 May

Staff will be on picket lines from 8am to 12pm every strike day at the Spark Building and Michael Andrews Building (both at East Park Terrace, Southampton, SO14 0YN).

The strike comes after management emailed 357 academic staff who are on the Teacher’s Pension Scheme (TPS) during the Easter break (Tuesday 31 March) to tell them it wants to employ them through a subsidiary company from Wednesday 1 July. This means they would be forced out of the scheme, leaving them poorer in retirement. The university says it needs to slash pension benefits to achieve financial savings, but its own analysis shows that the proposed cuts are less than a quarter of the outstanding deficit for the current financial year. However, the challenges faced by Southampton Solent University are not caused by the industry standard pension benefits, but by management failure to grow the university, despite it receivingTEF Gold in 2023, the highest rating in the UK’s Teaching Excellence Framework, and toppingthe Hampshire rankings of the National Student Survey last year. Last December, management forced all 286 professional support staff onto the inferior pension scheme by threatening to cease their employment “immediately” and without compensation if they refused to transfer over. UCU estimates the pension cut would reduce pension benefits by a third, leaving Southampton Solent University’s academic staff up to £10,000 worse off per year in retirement read more

Statement on Ulster University job cuts (16 Apr) – The shocking announcement to cut 450 jobs at Ulster University is unprecedented and represents a direct threat to the quality of education, respect for staff, desires and ambitions of students and the long-term future of our institution. Staff already work under sustained pressure, with rising workloads and impossible demands. Imposing redundancies on this scale is deeply alarming and unsustainable. Removing hundreds of staff will fundamentally damage the student experience and weaken academic provision. Our members deserve full transparency, genuine consultation, in line with legal obligations, as well as the opportunity to challenge the assumptions underpinning these decisions. Any process that falls short of this will be robustly contested and our members will not be afraid to take action to challenge these decisions. We are also clear: compulsory redundancies will be strongly resisted. This is not just about jobs; it is about protecting the integrity of higher education in Northern Ireland. Ulster University plays a critical civic role, and decisions of this magnitude if forced through would have far-reaching detrimental consequences for students, local communities, and the wider regional economy read more

Sheffield University censured by UK academic community as it continues attacking staff (15 Apr) – The University and College Union (UCU) today announced the formal censure of the University of Sheffield by the UK academic community. The union’s move comes in response to Sheffield management’s unnecessary and damaging series of ‘restructures’, their cynical punishment of striking staff, and a refusal to meaningfully negotiate with union representatives read more

Marking boycott looms at Goldsmiths over £20m of cuts to staff (14 Apr) – Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London, have overwhelmingly voted for industrial action in a fight to protect jobs, UCU announced today. In a ballot that closed on Friday 10 April, 92% of UCU members who voted backed taking industrial action, including a potential marking and assessment boycott, on a turnout of 63%. Following the ballot result, at a branch meeting this week, UCU members voted to launch a marking and assessment boycott as soon as legally possible, meaning it could potentially begin later this month. The boycott would see staff stop all summative marking and associated assessment activities and would effectively block students from progressing and graduating until the dispute is settled. The dispute is over plans by the university to make £22m worth of cuts by the end of the next academic year (2026/27). £20m of the cuts would come from staffing, including mass compulsory redundancies. According to its latest accounts, the university spends around £83m on staffing, so the cuts represent almost 25% of its staffing costs, and if split proportionately across the workforce would mean around a quarter of the 1,230 staff facing the axe read more

Ten-day strike at Aberdeen university starts today (13 Apr) – Members of the University and College Union at Aberdeen university begin the first of ten days strike action today in a dispute over job cuts and the threat of compulsory redundancies. The strike comes after staff at the university also walked out for four days last month.  Staff are striking today, tomorrow and for another eight days through to May.  In total the university will have been disrupted for 14 days this term.  The dispute is over plans by managers to cut jobs.  The union says that management are also holding back on academic promotions and refusing to rule out using compulsory redundancies despite being repeatedly asked. In the vote authorising the strike members backed strike action by 83% with a 60% turnout.  Staff are also taking part in action short of strike including working to contract, not undertaking voluntary duties or covering for absent colleagues read more

Staff back further industrial action at Edinburgh University (1 Apr) – Staff at the University of Edinburgh have backed strike action in the coming year in a ballot over £140million cuts, up to 1,800 job losses, hidden redundancies and meaningful consultation with trade unions. In the ballot of UCU Scotland members at the university, 88% voted to back strike action with a turnout of 55%.  94% of those voting also voted to back action short of strike which could include working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues and the possibility of a marking and assessment boycott read more

8 days of strikes to hit London Met this month over jobs cull (26 Mar) – Staff at London Metropolitan University will begin eight days of strike action on Wednesday 15 April over plans to sack up to 120 staff, including more than one in five academics. Staff will strike on:-

  • week 1: Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 April
  • week 2: Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 April
  • week 3: Monday 27, Tuesday 28 and Thursday 29 April
  • Staff will also work to rule from Monday 6 April for up to six months if the dispute remains unresolved. The action comes after a 90% yes vote in a ballot that beat the 50% turnout threshold.

The dispute is over London Met’s plan to restructure every academic school, delete 295 jobs and to axe up to 120 staff through compulsory redundancy by the end of the academic year (Friday 31 July). The cuts primarily impact academics and UCU believes over a fifth would go under the plans read more

Strike vote at Sheffield Hallam over plan to axe pensions (26 Mar) – Staff at Sheffield Hallam will begin voting to take strike action from Tuesday 31 March in a fight to protect their pensions. The ballot will run until Tuesday 5 May read more

Ballot for strike action opens at Glasgow Caledonian University (25 Mar) – A ballot for industrial action opens today at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in a dispute over job cuts and the possible use of compulsory redundancies. UCU members at GCU are being balloted on whether they are willing to take strike action and action short of strike against job losses and the threat of compulsory redundancies. Action short of strike could include working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues. The ballot runs from today until Thursday 23 April. The ballot is being held in response to plans announced by university management to cut up to 100 posts through a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme in response to a predicted deficit of £10million. The university is not currently in deficit. The union says that it wants to work with management to save jobs and find alternative savings but called on senior management at the university to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies. A joint union rally at the university last week saw staff from across the institution and students join together to voice their opposition to the cuts and oppose compulsory redundancies. NUS Scotland also issued a statement of support with university staff across Scotland taking industrial action to oppose cuts and save jobs read more

Strikes escalate at University of Sheffield International College over pay freeze (24 Mar) – Staff are on strike today and Thursday at University of Sheffield International College (USIC) as action escalates in a fight against a pay freeze. UCU’s members have already been on picket lines for five days (Monday 16 February, and Tuesday 10, Thursday 12, Monday 16 and Wednesday 18 March) and will also strike on Monday 30 March, and Wednesday 1 April. A meeting took place yesterday with management representatives from USIC’s owner Study Group and UCU. The union made it clear that members are open to meaningful negotiation to resolve the dispute and end the strike action but no offer was made. An agreement was reached at the end of the meeting to bring in ACAS to try and break the stalemate. Staff are on picket lines each day of strike action [NOTE 1]. The strikes come as management told staff their cost of living pay increase, which had already been delayed by six months, would by 0% for the second year in a row. Despite freezing staff pay CEO Ian Chrichton took home over £600k in 2024, including a bonus of over £195k read more

Strike rally at Northumbria University over “pension theft” & pay freeze as management wastes millions on capital spend (24 Mar) – Northumbria University staff will rally on Wednesday 25 March as they protest management’s attempt to rob them of their pension. The rally takes place on the first of three strike days this week (Wednesday 25, Thursday 26 and Friday 27 March). Staff will be on picket lines from 9am Wednesday morning before the rally starts . They have already taken twelve days of action since February and will strike for five more in April if management refuses to enter meaningful negotiations to help resolve the dispute. The rally will begin at Newcastle Civic Centre at 12.30pm and attendees will march to Grey’s Monument. Speakers include UCU general secretary Jo Grady, president-elect Dyfrig Jones, as well as reps from Northumbria UCU, sister UCU branches also under attack and sister unions. The dispute is over management’s decision to force staff out of the post-92 university standard pension, the Teacher’s Pension Scheme, by freezing the pay of any staff member who tries to stay in it. The university has now told staff it needs to cut £25 million from university expenditure by the end of the year (December 2026) read more

More strikes loom at University of Essex among redundancy chaos (17 Mar) – University of Essex staff members have backed escalating strike action as they fight to save jobs, student provision and the Southend Campus. The vote comes after the university emailed dozens of staff to tell them their jobs were now safe, only for them to be emailed again three days later and told this was a mistake, and they are still in fact, at risk of redundancy. UCU is pressing the university to confirm how many staff are at risk, as numbers management has set out vary by more than 700 people. During a packed branch meeting last week, Essex UCU members voted to strike as early as next month if management refuses to commence serious negotiations aimed at resolving the dispute. The vote also paves the way for coordinated strike action with professional services staff in Unite and Unison once their ballots close and a potential marking and assessment boycott if the dispute remains unresolved by exam season. Staff returned to the picket line this week as part of 16 days of action throughout February and March. The university originally said it intended to axe 200 academic and 200 professional staff and close the Southend campus, all before the start of the next academic year. Management has now confirmed it has made over £10m of savings – more than half of its target – after staff worked together to reduce their hours and many made the tough decision to take voluntary redundancy read more

Windsor Forest Colleges staff begin two-day strike tomorrow over low pay (16 Mar) – Staff at Windsor Forest Colleges Group will down tools tomorrow and Wednesday after management refused to make a fair pay award. Four colleges across Berkshire and Surrey will be hit by the action: Slough and Langley College, Windsor College, Strode’s College, and the Berkshire College of Agriculture. Staff will be on picket lines each strike day. The strike comes after management refused to make an improved offer at a meeting with UCU on Thursday 5 March and the board of governors refused to meet with the union. Staff had already voted to reject an improved offer of just £500 after they had also rejected an offer of 1.7%. Even with the additional £500, all staff would be paid below the rate recommended by employer body the Association of Colleges (4%) read more

Durham University staff begin industrial action this week (26 Feb) – Staff at Durham University will begin working to rule tomorrow. The start of the action coincides with Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) ‘work your proper hours day’ and will highlight the unbearably high workloads management has forced onto staff after axing hundreds of their colleagues. Working to rule includes strictly adhering to mandated hours, refusing to undertake any voluntary activities, the withdrawing of ‘goodwill’ and refusing to cover for absent colleagues. It will continue for six months, unless management begins meaningful negotiations over unfair workloads, with the potential for a reballot and extended mandate read more

Staff back industrial action in vote at University of Stirling (17 Feb) – Staff at the University of Stirling have today (Tuesday 17 February 2026) backed industrial action in a dispute about job cuts and the failure of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. In the ballot of University and College Union (UCU) Scotland members at Stirling university, 80% backed strike action on a turnout of 66%.  88% of those voting additionally said they would be willing to take part in action short of strike which could include not covering for absent colleagues, working to contract or undertaking voluntary activities. Action short of strike could also include a marking an assessment boycott. UCU members in the branch will now decide what action they want to take read more

Heriot-Watt University staff back industrial action (16 Feb) – Workers at Heriot-Watt University have today (Monday 16 February 2026) backed industrial action in a dispute about job cuts and the failure of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. In the ballot of University and College Union (UCU) Scotland members at the university, 74% of those voting backed strike action on a turnout of 70%. 87% also said they would be willing to take part in action short of strike which can include working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, or undertaking voluntary activities. Following the results of the ballot, UCU members at the university will decide their next steps read more

Staff at New City College vote to strike over trade union victimisation (16 Feb) – Staff at Arbour Square and Tower Hamlets campuses of New City College in east London have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a dispute over the unfair dismissal of a long serving member of staff. An overwhelming 92% of those who voted backed strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 70%. The strike vote comes after Wojtek Dmochowski, a long-standing teacher and UCU branch rep, was unfairly dismissed just before Christmas (2025) after working at the college for over two decades. UCU is calling on the college to reinstate Wojtek and agree clear protocols for dealing with complaints or issues involving union representatives. A website and petition have been launched calling on the college to think again and reinstate Wojtek read more

Truro & Penwith College staff to strike over low pay & high workloads (11 Feb) – Staff at Truro and Penwith College will strike on Monday 23 February in an escalating dispute over low pay and poor working conditions. The union has already called three days of strike action since the start of the year (Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 January) after the college imposed a pay award of just 2%, only half that recommended by employer body the Association of Colleges. The college seems reluctant to engage in committing to agree to implement meaningful blocks of protected time to allow academic staff to properly plan, prepare and assess the work of their students. There was also a mass redundancy programme last year which has seen workloads rocket at a college that already has one of the highest weekly teaching allocations in the region read more

Strikes likely at Strathclyde University as staff vote for industrial action (9 Feb) – Staff at Strathclyde University have backed industrial action in a dispute about job cuts and the failure of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. In the ballot of UCU Scotland members at the university, 80% of those voting backed strike action on a turnout of 58%.  87% also said they would be willing to take part in action short of strike which can include working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, or undertaking voluntary activities. Action short of strike could also include a marking an assessment boycott. Following the ballot for industrial action, UCU members at the university will now decide the next steps read more

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

     

FBU   

Firefighters defeat “dangerous” cuts to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (14 Apr) – Firefighters in Oxfordshire have successfully forced the withdrawal of plans to cut the county’s fire and rescue service, following months of campaigning by the Fire Brigades Union. The proposals would have seen three fire stations close, six fire engines removed, and at least 42 firefighter jobs cut. The FBU warned that the plans would put public safety at risk. After a sustained campaign involving rallies, public meetings and a consultative ballot for industrial action, the proposals have now been dropped read more  Oxfordshire FBU Facebook page

FBU launches national ‘Cuts Kill’ campaign – Our fire and rescue service is stretched to breaking point. The demands on firefighters are rising fast, with climate change creating more extreme wildfires, flooding and severe weather. Yet the service responsible for protecting us is being asked to do more with less. For over a decade, deep cuts have hollowed out the service. Across the country, fire engines are arriving at emergencies without enough crew on board to respond and save lives. Some engines aren’t leaving the fire station at all because there simply aren’t enough firefighters to staff them. Response times are getting longer every year. And in an emergency, every second counts. Cuts kill. Firefighters and communities have raised the alarm repeatedly, but those warnings have been brushed aside while politicians made decisions that stripped vital resources from the frontline. After 14 years of cuts and austerity, it’s time to draw a line in the sand… Join the fight

This fight is for every job, every station and every community. Wherever they try to force through more cuts, we must stand together and push back. Write to your MP and call on them to sign the Early Day Motion demanding investment in the fire and rescue service

To find out more about the campaign go to: https://www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/cuts-kill

POA     

NEC minutes April 2026 read more

General Secretary update read more

National Chair update March 2026 read here  

Towards a 2nd Employment Rights Bill (17 Apr) – The Employment Rights Act, which received Royal Assent in 2025, was one of the headline policies of the incoming Labour government. Years in the making, the genesis of the act came from work done by former shadow cabinet member and employment lawyer, Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East. McDonald worked closely with trade unions, carefully building a programme of legislative change that unions would not only support but had been central to creating. However, by the time of the Labour conference of 2021, McDonald resigned, frustrated and angry at Keir Starmer’s refusal to commit to a £15 per hour National Minimum Wage read more

POA Circular 23/2026 Right to Strike campaign – postcard action (2 Apr) – POA Circular 23/2026 was promulgated on 23rd March 2026 as part of our ongoing Campaign to have our Right to Strike Reinstated and explained that the POA would be distributing pre-printed postcards to all our members. The postcards contain a message to the Prime Minister urging him to Reinstate our Right to Strike. These postcards are addressed to the Prime Minister and will play a vital part in demonstrating our strength and unity on this issue read more

Right to Strike campaign – further action (2 Apr)

Annual Conference motion 86/2025 Simpson House – Following the adoption of Annual Conference Motion 86/2025. “That (POA North Regional Office) Linden House is renamed Simpson House in memory of Joe Simpson previous Deputy General Secretary.” I am delighted to inform you that the renaming to Simpson House is now complete at Land Registry and Title Deeds read more

Prison officers union accuses politicians of nauseating hypocrisy over pay award (26 Mar) – The Leaders of the Prison Officer’s Union have slammed UK Government Ministers accusing them of nauseating hypocrisy following the announcement by The Prison Service Pay Review Body that Prison staff will receive a 3.5% pay increase for the coming year. The increase comes at a time when inflation is sitting at 3% and millions of workers are facing a cost of living crisis fuelled by global conflict, soaring energy prices and an increase in everyday essentials such as food, housing, clothing etc. Anger has been stoked by the fact that the 3.5% award for Prison Officers is significantly below the 5% MPs will receive over the same period read more

NAPO

Probation Pay Ballot Result – 2025-2026 (17 Apr) – The indicative ballot on the above pay offer closed at Noon today. 75.2% of Napo members have voted to accept the offer, with 24.8% of Napo members voting to reject it. The overall turnout was 84.01%. We have been informed that both UNISON and GMB/SCOOP members have also accepted this pay offer. HMPPS has been advised of these ballot results. They continue to indicate that any backpay owed will be paid to staff in May’s payroll run. Napo’s Probation Negotiating Committee will meet next week to review our position in respect of the current workloads dispute, including considering all available options open to us, and have further discussions on our pay claim agenda for 2026-2027. More news on these vital issues will follow when available. Meanwhile, we would like to thank all those Napo members who have engaged in such impressive numbers, by voting as well as organising and taking part in all-member or Branch meetings, with the ballots which have been held in relation to this pay offer read more

BFAWU     

Spring Foodworker 2025 read more

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

BALPA

Nautilus International

RFA officers vote for strike action (20 Feb) – Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) officers have delivered an emphatic ballot result, demonstrating immense strength of feeling over pay and conditions across the workforce. The statutory ballot achieved a 56% turnout, with members returning decisive majorities in favour of action:-

  • 88% voted YES to taking strike action 
  • 95% voted YES to taking industrial action short of strike 

Nautilus International said the result represents one of the largest and most significant RFA ballots ever conducted, both in scale and engagement. In this ballot, 32% more members were entitled to vote than in the previous RFA ballot, around 17% more officers actively participated, despite the challenges of returning postal ballots whilst at sea and on active operations. The union says this context is crucial to understanding the result and highlights the depth of concern across the service read more

NUJ   

Mediahuis Group Chapel says ‘yes’ to new conditions (24 Apr) – A four-month stalemate between the NUJ and Mediahuis has been broken after union members overwhelmingly voted in favour of new terms and conditions of employment read more

NUJ secures pay deal for ITN members (24 Apr) – The NUJ has reached an agreement with ITN on this year’s pay award, delivering a significant improvement for members read more

Lebanon: NUJ condemns targeted killing of journalist by Israeli airstrikes (24 Apr) – The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Union of Journalists of Lebanon (UJL) in condemning the killing of Amar Khalil who was targeted by Israeli airstrikes while reporting on the war in southern Lebanon on 22 April read more

NUJ supports calls for BBC to meet with Jack Murley (23 Apr) – The NUJ is supporting calls for the BBC to meet with former BBC Radio Cornwall presenter Jack Murley following the corporation’s apology for homophobic abuse he faced while working for the corporation between 2019 and 2023. The BBC issued an apology surrounding the claims during his time at the corporation in January this year read more

STV journalists to strike, affecting Scottish elections coverage (22 Apr) – Journalists and technical staff at STV have called a one-day strike on Friday 8 May in the latest stage of the long-running dispute at the Glasgow-based broadcaster. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Bectu, which represents technical staff, are set to walk out over management’s refusal to put forward any pay award for 2026 or to agree principles of any compensatory pay award for 2027. The 0% pay offer follows STV launching a new radio station at the cost of £500,000 in 2025 read more

FOI costs enforcement presents new SLAPPs threat (22 Apr) – The NUJ has warned that legally enforced recovery of Freedom of Information (FOI) costs could pose a serious threat to media freedom and open the door to SLAPP-style intimidation of journalists read more

NUJ sounds alarm on BBC plans to decimate jobs (15 Apr) – The NUJ has condemned the BBC’s plans to cut around 2,000 jobs, urging the broadcaster to meaningfully engage workers and trade unions and reconsider its proposals. In an all-staff meeting at 3pm today (15 April), BBC management said that between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs – about one in ten – could be cut across various departments. In February the corporation announced a further 10% cut to its total costs by the end of 2028-29 read more

Equity

Scottish unions back action on AI and fair work for freelancers (24 Apr) – Equity members secure support of Scottish trade union movement on two key motions at annual STUC Congress read more

Win! Equity secures new agreement for Stage Managers at Opera North (23 Apr) – First ever agreement with Leeds-based Opera North that covers Stage Management team read more

Win for Yoto audio artists (23 Apr) – Equity wins improved pay and stronger terms for union members working in the fast-growing children’s audio players market read more

Musicians Union

MU Belfast Meeting Highlights Impact of City Parking Costs on Musicians (23 Apr) – MU members met this week for an open discussion on working life in Belfast, highlighting how rising parking costs, limited access to venues and late-night working conditions are placing increasing pressure on musicians and undermining its UNESCO City of Music status read more

Sign the Petition for Fair Work in Scotland’s Creative Industries (2 Apr) – With Scotland’s elections fast approaching, we’re calling on musicians to help secure real change by signing the petition for Fair Work across the nation’s creative industries read more

USDAW

Usdaw members vote overwhelmingly for strike action at the Morrisons Bridgwater distribution centre (4 Mar) – Retail distribution trade union Usdaw has balloted 100 drivers and transport clerical staff at Eddie Stobart Limited, who operate a Morrisons contract at the Bridgwater distribution centre in Somerset. Members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, in a dispute over the 2025 pay award, with an 83% yes vote. The ballot closed on 2 March and the turnout was 83% read more

Tetrosyl recognition dispute (6 Feb) – Usdaw applies for a statutory agreement after the Rochdale based company fails to enter into talks. Usdaw is the trade union for staff working at car care products manufacturer Tetrosyl and Tetrosyl Express based in Rochdale. The union has been seeking talks with the company about a recognition agreement since late last year. Management has failed to engage, which has forced Usdaw to use the statutory process by applying to the Central Arbitration Committee read more

UVW   

100% YES! Concierges and cleaners at London luxury apartments vote unanimously for fresh strikes (23 Apr) – “We all have a right to a decent life and to feel financially secure…We remain positive, which is why we have voted to strike again. We are not letting our guard down” – Karin, cleaner and UVW member. Cleaners and concierges at West End Quay in central London have once again voted to take strike action, delivering a unanimous result in the third ballot in just over a year. The dispute, now in its 19th month, has become the longest-running in UVW’s history — and workers say they are determined to see it through. The 100% YES vote reflects growing frustration among staff, who say they are still waiting for the 2025 pay rise and a 2025 bonus that was never paid. Many feel they have been left with no choice but to escalate read more

V&A and Science Museum Guards on brink of strike action over pay and ‘sham’ sackings—one year after walkouts (25 Mar) – “After a long struggle, we managed to secure a trade union recognition deal, signed between UVW and our management. It is unfortunate that after last year’s campaign and the new recognition agreement, we have to again ballot for strike – and we may have to go on strike again -because management decided they were not going to respect the new agreements” – Evariste, UVW member and museum security guard. Outsourced security guards working at the Victoria and Albert and Science museums are set to ballot for strike action after their employer, Wilson James, refused to negotiate on a series of demands relating to pay and working conditions, as well as anger over the “sham” sacking of  a strike leader and two fellow union members. The ballot comes a year after major strikes in the institutions. The ballot organised by their union UVW comes amid growing frustration over contractor Wilson James’ refusal to negotiate a better deal, following years of low pay and poor conditions in the high-profile institutions they protect read more

Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office was targeted in a break-in! – in January 2025, 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

Workers at Build A Rocket Boy take action over data privacy violations from management (21 Apr) – Workers at games studio Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) have initiated legal proceedings against the company over concerns of data protection violations, after management installed invasive Teramind surveillance software onto their devices without their knowledge read more

Royal College of Art cleaners say abuse and sexual harassment allegations ignored for years (2 Apr) – Cleaners at the Royal College of Art (RCA) have launched a public campaign calling for protection from workplace abuse and sexual harassment, alleging that the institution has failed to act on serious complaints about a supervisor over several years. Through their union, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the cleaners are urging staff, students, and alumni to call on the RCA to remove the supervisor in question, commission an independent investigation into how complaints have been handled, and provide meaningful support to affected workers read more

SIPTU (Ireland)   

RTÉ workers to hold protective ballot to prevent further outsourcing (16 Apr) – More than 600 SIPTU members in RTÉ will vote in a protective ballot indicating their intent to take industrial action, up to and including strike action, if management at the broadcaster attempts to further outsource any of the station’s core programme productions or other roles read more

SIPTU serves notice of strike action on National Ambulance Service (13 Apr) – SIPTU has notified the National Ambulance Service (NAS) of its intention to conduct strike action next month as part of a long-standing dispute with the HSE regarding unimplemented recommendations from a 2020 independent report. Last week, approximately 2,000 SIPTU members in the NAS, from across the country, voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, up to and including strike action. The first date of action will be a 24-hour stoppage on 12th May, followed by a 48-hour stoppage beginning on 19th May and a 72-hour stoppage beginning on 26th May, with further strike action planned for June read more

SIPTU welcomes Fire Services investment plan but highlights gaps of ‘grave concern’ (13 Apr) – SIPTU has today (Monday 13th April) welcomed the Government’s new investment plan for the country’s full-time and retained fire services but highlighted serious gaps of grave concern. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage published a statement on Tuesday (7th April), announcing that the government would invest €328.5 million in fire and emergency services through the Fire Services Capital Programme (2026–2030) read more

SIPTU condemns Government failure to support workers (13 Apr) – SIPTU General Secretary, John King, has condemned the Government’s abandonment of low- and average-income households amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis driven by spiralling energy costs, with no targeted support measures read more

SIPTU members in Dublin Home Care provider vote for strike action (9 Mar) – SIPTU members working in Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over pay inequality read more

Nationwide Health Care Assistants’ strikes suspended (19 Feb) – SIPTU has suspended all planned Health Care Assistant (HCA) strikes in the Northwest, West and South regions following agreement with the HSE on key issues regarding underpayments, rostering and working conditions for these critical frontline staff. Strike action, which was due to commence over four days in counties Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Clare and Donegal, will not take place. The deal, reached with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission, resolves long-standing issues for SIPTU HCA members in the HSE Home Support Service, resulting from their employer violating national agreements on terms and conditions read more

  

Other news     

National Housing Demonstration – Saturday 18th April 1pm Central London read more

Centenary of the 1926 General Strike – Monday May 4, marks the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and an event appropriately called Centenary will be held at Glasshouse Gateshead to commemorate that momentous occasion, which was the biggest rupture in British society since the English civil wars of the 1640s. Centenary will comprise songs, comedy sketches, stand-up comedy and recitations.  

Producer Ed Waugh penned Carrying David, Wor Bella, Hadaway Harry and The Cramlington Train Wreckers which transfers to Newcastle Theatre Royal in July.  

Ed explained: “Centenary is an appropriate name for the show because it’s amazing to think we’ll be performing the show exactly 100 years to the day that the General Strike actually started. “While Centenary will commemorate the UK’s only General Strike it will also celebrate other working class struggles from the Napoleonic Wars to the present time using popular culture.”

The one-off show will be compered by Micky Cochrane, who is the current  Performer of the Year (North East Culture Awards) for his outstanding performances in the Cramlington Train Wreckers and Carrying David.

Ed continued: “Paul Weller and Tom Robinson have has given us personal permission to use their  songs. Likewise the tremendous Paul Simmonds of The Men They Couldn’t Hang and the estate of the late-great Alan Hull of Lindisfarne.” He added: “Not only will it be first-class entertainment, we think people will come away inspired, having learnt about real, working class, history.”

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists – adapted by Neil Gore from the book by Robert Tressell, directed by Louise Townsend details

Alan Hardman ‘Need not Greed’ – Alan Hardman’s razor-sharp political cartoons collected for the first time. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, Need Not Greed is a career-spanning collection of visual art by one of Britain’s greatest unsung political cartoonists. Alongside Alan Hardman’s essential work, the book also includes a contribution from former President of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, as well as a foreword by Jeremy Corbyn order a copy – £45 each   

Affiliate with STAMMA – at this year’s NSSN Conference, Gary Clark retired CWU Royal Mail rep and a member of the NSSN Steering Committee spoke about STAMMA. STAMMA’s Employment Support Service helps people who stammer as well as those who don’t around issues related to stammering in the workplace. Union branches and regions can affiliate with STAMMA to access a range of services and support at a reduced rate.    

  • £75 for branches and regions    
  • £125 for national unions with under 400,000 members    
  • £200 for national unions with 400,000+ members    

STAMMA website    

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

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

     

Oppose Trump and Netanyahu’s attack on Iran

For details of protests, see the Stop the War Coalition website 

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)     

Oppose Trump’s attack on Venezuela

We oppose Trump’s brutal imperialist assault on Venezuela. We send solidarity greetings to the Venezuelan people, and support the protests taking place.

Oppose blacklisting & union victimisation

Today; unions, blacklisted workers, parliamentarians and those targeted by undercover police have sent an Open Letter to Sir John Mitting, chair of the undercover policing inquiry, calling for a more thorough investigation into the role of the police in blacklisting (full text and signatories below & attached). The unprecedented measure comes in response to an inquiry ruling barring a blacklisted union activist, Dave Smith, from giving oral evidence to the inquiry. A Judicial Review against the ruling was submitted by Imran Khan KC in September (attached), but last week the JR was refused by the High Court Judge, Hon. Mrs Justice Lieven. The Open Letter describes the legal rulings as ‘perverse and against the public interest’ and has been signed by General Secretaries of two unions reported on by undercover political police; Sharon Graham of UNITE and Steve Wright of the Fire Brigades Union. 

Steve Gillan, current TUC President and Gen. Sec. of POA who also signed the letter, commented:

“This is not about one individual. There are nearly 7 million trade unionists in the UK. That’s 7 million members of the public who have a direct interest in the spycops inquiry fully investigating the role the police played in blacklisting union members. That means more than just police voices need to be fully heard”.

‘Alison’, who was deceived into a five year relationship with the undercover officer Mark Jenner, (who infiltrated the construction union UCATT) commented:

“These so-called ‘elite’ officers found time to deceive women like me into relationships AND destroy workers’ careers through blacklisting. The Inquiry must find time to fully investigate both. Dave Smith and blacklisted workers deserve the same chance that I had to challenge the warped police narrative, and to put their truth on record”.

Responding to the Open Letter, Dave Smith said:

“UK Security Vetting is making headlines because of its role in the Peter Mandelson scandal, but its involvement in the spycops and blacklisting scandals has gone almost completely unnoticed. Masses of evidence covered by Restriction Orders or hidden on the inquiry’s unnavigable website shows that the UK’s political police units reported on trade union and political activists for decades. Their intelligence was shared with major employers via unofficial industry blacklists and official state orchestrated ‘vetting’. This caused workers to lose their jobs and to lose their homes. A lot of working class families are very angry. This industrial scale breach of human rights has gone largely unreported in the press, and to its eternal shame under investigated by the very public inquiry set up to look into it”.

Open Letter to Sir John Mitting, Chair of the Undercover Policing Inquiry
We the undersigned, publicly call upon Sir John Mitting, the Chair of the undercover policing public inquiry, to call Dave Smith to appear as a witness at a future set of oral evidence hearings. Smith is a core participant in the inquiry, spied on by multiple undercover officers. The spycops compiled intelligence reports on his trade union and anti-racist activities that were then circulated to the security services. 

As the secretary of the Blacklist Support Group and co-author of the book, ‘Blacklisted: the secret war between big business and union activists’, Smith is acknowledged as the leading expert on the Consulting Association blacklisting scandal, and the police involvement in it. Smith has assisted two select committee investigations and his research has been cited in Parliament, in academia, the media and even by the police. 

Following a formal complaint by the Blacklist Support Group, Operation Reuben was set up as an internal police investigation into police collusion in blacklisting. Operation Reuben concluded that:

“Police, including Special Branches and the Security Services supplied information to the blacklist funded by the country’s major construction firms, The Consulting Association and other agencies.  This allegation is Proven.

Special Branches throughout the UK had direct contact with the Economic League, public authorities, private industry and trade unions” 

(Operation Reuben Para. 4.2 & 13.1.2)

It is in this context that investigating the downstream use of police intelligence for vetting or blacklisting members of the public became one of the stated aims of this inquiry. Yet the subject is barely mentioned in opening statements by state actors and only cursory questioning of police witnesses has taken place. There was not a single word on blacklisting or vetting in the Chair’s Interim Report published in 2023. 

Without calling on Dave Smith’s in-depth research into the mechanics of blacklisting, the lack of openness by state actors on the issue will go virtually uncontested, and any findings will be based on the failing memories of a small cohort of ex-police officers. The ruling by the chair of the public inquiry to deny Smith the opportunity to give oral evidence is perverse and against the public interest.

Signed by:

Sharon Graham – Gen. Sec. UNITE the Union (core participant)

Steve Wright – Gen. Sec. Fire Brigades Union (core participant)

Paul Nowak – Gen. Sec. Trade Union Congress 

Steve Gillan – Gen Sec. Prison Officers Association, current President Trade Union Congress

Matt Wrack – Gen. Sec. NASUWT, former GS FBU, former President TUC (reported on by undercover police) 

Gary Smith – Gen. Sec. GMB union 

Sir Paul Kenny – former Gen. Sec. GMB union, former President of TUC

Daniel Kebede – Gen. Sec. National Education Union

Jo Grady – Gen Sec. University & College Union 

Paul Mackney – former Gen. Sec. NATFHE (reported on by undercover police)

Fran Heathcote – Gen. Sec. Public & Commercial Services Union

Sarah Wooley – Gen Sec. Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union & President GFTU

Dave Calfe – Gen. Sec. ASLEF

Mick Whelan – former Gen.Sec. ASLEF 

Eddie Dempsey – Gen. Sec RMT union

Gawain Little – Gen Sec. General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU)

Darren O’Grady – Ass. Gen. Sec. National Education Union & blacklisted electrician

Steve Hedley – former AGS RMT union (blacklisted core participant)

Dr Emma Runswick – Deputy Chair British Medical Association 

John McDonnell MP (Labour)

Dave Nellist – former Labour MP (core participant) 

Baroness Jenny Jones (Green) – reported on by undercover police

Frank Smith – blacklisted bricklayer core participant 

Dan Gilman – blacklisted core participant 

Lisa Teuscher – blacklisted core participant

Steve Acheson – blacklisted electrician core participant 

Noelle & Monica Higgins – daughters of Brian Higgins (blacklisted core participant) 

Marilyn Jones – widow of John Jones (blacklisted core participant)

Helen Steel – blacklisted core participant

Dave Morris – blacklisted core participant  

Emily Apple – blacklisted core participant

Suresh Grover – core participant

Joe Batty – former TGWU rep 

Lois Austin – core participant 

Mark Metcalf – core participant

‘Alison’ – core participant 

‘Jenny’ – core participant

‘Jessica’ – core participant

‘Lindsey’ – core participant

‘Wendy’ -core participant 

‘Madeleine’ – core participant

‘Lindsey’ – core participant 

Kate Wilson – core participant 

Donna McLean – core participant 

Hannah Sell – core participant 

Lindsey German – core participant

Eleanor Fairbraida – core participant 

Zoe Young – core participant 

Alex Hodson – core participant

Dr Donal O’Driscoll – core participant & Undercover Research Group 

Merrick Cork – core participant

Tom Fowler – core participant 

Chris Brian – core participant 

Ben Leamy – core participant 

Michael Dooley – blacklisted bricklayer 

Frank Morris – blacklisted electrician

Colin Trousdale – blacklisted electrician

Tony Jones – blacklisted electrician

Kenny Irvine – blacklisted builder & Building Worker Group 

Kenny Newton – blacklisted electrician

Dr Jack Fawbert – blacklisted bricklayer 

George Fuller – blacklisted bricklayer

Terry Brough – blacklisted bricklayer 

Tony Sweeney – blacklisted joiner

Paul Filby – blacklisted joiner

Dr Graham Sharp – blacklisted carpenter

Bill Kaye – blacklisted carpenter worker

John Bryan – blacklisted bricklayer

Mark Thomas – blacklisted activist comedian

Paul Crimmins – blacklisted bricklayer

Tony Seaman – blacklisted scaffolder

Lee Fowler – blacklisted electrician

David Dix – blacklisted electrician

Martin Overy – blacklisted electrician

Pat McEwan – blacklisted steel erector

Stephen Bland – blacklisted electrician 

Martin Smith – blacklisted civil servant & Organising for a Change

Professor Keith Ewing – President of Institute of Employment Rights

Hilda Palmer – Families Against Corporate Killers 

Janet Newsome – Hazards Campaign 

Rory O’Neill – Hazards  

Mick Holder – London Hazards Centre (targeted by undercover police)

Sheila Coleman – Hillsborough Justice Campaign

John Dunn – Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign & blacklisted coal miner

Rob Williams – National Shop Stewards Network & blacklisted car worker

Henry Fowler – Strike Map  

Eveline Lubber – Undercover Research Group

Hannah Griffiths – The Human Rights Fund

Organisations

Blacklist Support Group – core participant

UNITE the Union – core participant

Fire Brigades Union – core participant

Trades Union Congress

General Federation of Trade Unions 

Police Spies Out of Lives

Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance 

The Monitoring Group

Undercover Research Group 

Hillsborough Justice Campaign

Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign 

National Shop Stewards Network

Institute of Employment Rights

Hazards Campaign 

London Hazards Centre

Strike Map

Organising for a Change

The Human Rights Fund

Notes for Editors

Open Letter to Sir John Mitting from Imran Khan & Partners website

https://www.ikandp.co.uk/post/open-letter-to-sir-john-mitting-chair-of-the-undercover-policing-inquiry

Blacklist Support Group statement to the undercover policing inquiry (with references) starts at para.125https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/T3P1-Opening-Statement-Imran-Khan-Partners.pdf

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.

https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/T3P1-Opening-Statement-Imran-Khan-Partners.pdf

Opening statement to the Undercover Policing Inquiry on behalf of:

Lois Austin, Richard Chessum, ‘Mary’, Dave Nellist, Hannah Sell, Youth against Racism in Europe read here

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     

Turkey: Türkmen Remanded in Custody – Mehmet Türkmen, the General President of BİRTEK-SEN, who was detained yesterday because of a speech he gave during the protest of Sırma Carpet workers who took action for their rights, has been remanded in custody read more on the website of Solidarity with the People of Turkey

Nigeria: A Call for Solidarity – Drop Trumped-Up Charges against Soweto and Dele Frank Now! On March 11, 2026, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and spokesperson of #EndBadGovernance Movement Lagos, and Dele Frank (Arole Fela) are expected to appear before a magistrate court in Yaba, Lagos for the commencement of a sham trial on the trumped-up charges preferred against them by the Lagos State Police Command over their participation in a peaceful protest read more, including model letter of protest. Send copies of letters of protest to the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) is [email protected]

  • Lobby of the Nigerian High Commission, 9 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BX, on Wednesday 11th March at 5:30pm

USA: NSSN stands with workers, their unions and communities against ICE

We send our solidarity to the family of nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti who was killed in Minneapolis on 24th January. His union American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has issued this statement.

We also send our support and solidarity to all those who took part in the mass strike and shutdown in Minneapolis last Friday and have protested there and across the USA.

NSSN Chair Rob Williams sent this message of support

USA: Support the Starbucks strike – read more on Starbucks Workers United website and follow @SBWorkersUnited on X/Twitter

   

   

Diary      

  • 2026 NSSN Conference will be on Saturday 27th June 11am-4.30pm
  • NSSN lobby of TUC Congress will be from 1pm on Sunday 13th September in Brighton

  

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