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NSSN 783: TUC votes for National Saturday Demo – now #NameTheDate!

 

The Holiday Inn Hotel in Brighton was filled to overflowing at the NSSN TUC Congress Rally and Lobby on Sunday 13th September.

The rally heard from union leaders, rank and file union reps and activists and TUC Congress delegates. Speakers included: Daniel Kebede NEU General Secretary, Sarah Woolley BFAWU General Secretary, Steve Wright FBU General Secretary, Ian Lawrence NAPO General Secretary, Dave Semple PCS National President (pc), Matt Reid Unite Convenor Birmingham binworkers, Matt Webb President of Brighton & Hove District Trades Council, Rob Williams NSSN Chair and Hannah Ponting Socialist Students. There was also an open discussion with a number of contributions from the floor and outside the conference centre.

The rally gave its full support and solidarity to all workers in dispute and taking action, and in particular the PCS, NEU and UCU who are moving to national strike ballots on a number of issues, including pay.

The rally attendees marched to the conference centre to lobby delegates to support key motions that set out the demands and action that workers need to put pressure on the Burnham Labour government as he moves to his first Budget on 28th October:-

  • Motion 34 from the PCS: ‘Public sector pay’ included the call for the reopening of ‘talks on public sector pay for 2026/27’, and as part of the strategy to fight for this, ‘a national Saturday demonstration this autumn for investment in public services, against austerity and for pro-worker policies’ and ‘urges all public sector unions to join a united campaign on pay, and, if needed, to plan for coordinated industrial action to secure real gains for workers.’
  • Composite Motion 2 from the NASUWT and POA: ‘Strengthening and protecting hard won employment rights for all workers’ included the call for a ‘campaign for the immediate removal of the 50 per cent ballot threshold and oppose any linkage between the removal of the threshold and the implementation of e-balloting’ and the restoration of the right to strike for the POA’s prison officer members.

These motions were passed overwhelmingly, if not unanimously at Congress. But the PCS’s Motion 34 was passed with a ‘statement of explanation’ from the TUC General Council, stating that they will make a decision on whether it goes ahead.

As NSSN Chair Rob Williams warned in the NSSN Rally, a motion calling for a national Saturday demonstration was passed at last year’s TUC Congress but ignored by the TUC General Council. Therefore, it is vital that union reps, members and activists demand that their respective unions demand that the motion be enacted at the TUC General Council on 21st October and organise the demonstration to set out what workers need and build the pressure on Burnham.

We appeal to union members to take the NSSN Action Programme, which was passed at this year’s NSSN Annual Conference, into their union branches and committees, shop stewards committees and trades councils, and raise on picket lines, protests and demonstrations. This set of demands must be put forward on Burnham’s government. We can’t afford to take the pressure off.

The NSSN conference NSSN proposed an ‘Action Programme’, to be taken out to the wider trade union movement to take on the cost-of-living crisis (download here). That Action Programme is carried below:

NSSN Conference 2026 Action Programme to defend workers from the cost of living squeeze: ‘We’re not paying for the bosses’ crisis’

  • Above inflation pay rises for workers – automatic rises in pay as inflation increase. In the public sector, for these to be fully funded by central government.
  • Scrap all age exemptions on pay, including the national minimum wage. For the immediate implementation of the TUC demand of a £15-an-hour minimum wage for all as a step towards a real living wage, without exemptions.
  • Stop the profiteering: nationalise the energy & water companies.
  • Freeze rents and energy & utility bills.
  • Demand that councils refuse to implement cuts, and instead pass no-cuts needs budgets.
  • Oppose disability benefit cuts and attacks on pensions and campaign for a fully resourced, supportive social security system to meet needs of working class people.
  • Demand that the TUC enact Congress 2025 policy by calling an Autumn national demo against Labour austerity. If not, for a trade union ‘coalition of the willing’ to step in to organise such a demonstration.
  • Support the NSSN lobby of the TUC Congress in Brighton from 1pm on Sunday 13th September, in the Holiday Inn Hotel.
  • Strike together: co-ordinate the fight on national public sector pay – unite workers across the public and private sectors.
  • Repeal all the Tory anti-union laws – immediate scrapping of the undemocratic 50% strike ballot threshold.
  • Restore the right to strike to the POA.
  • Workers unity to face down Reform and the far-right: for the unions to implement 2018 TUC Congress policy ‘to launch a campaign of Jobs and homes not racism’.
  • Launch the discussion for a Workers Charter, and how we can fight for it, against the attack on our living standards.

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The Battle of Cable Street – 90th Anniversary | East London, Sunday 4 October 2026 – Meet outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall, march begins 13.00 (tube: Whitechapel)

Unite the union is participating in the major events this Autumn to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. All over the country in 1936, Mosley’s British Union of Fascists were chased off the streets by a strong working class who knew that the politics of hate and division offers no solutions read more on the Unite website

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

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 then Labour Council, shamefully on the watch of a Labour government.

We demand that the new council honour this agreement.

Senior figures in Birmingham bin talks confirm Unite deal (5 June) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has welcomed the statements by former Acas chair Lord Brendan Barber and Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker. Both statements from two senior figures in the room over the months of negotiations with Unite and the leader of the council, are clear and unambiguous. The negotiations between Barber, Parker, former leader of Birmingham council John Cotton and Unite general secretary Sharon Graham began in December 2025 and the deal was concluded in March 2026. As Lord Barber has said, Unelected officers and commissioners of the council attempting to cause delay is unacceptable.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “As Lord Barber and Mayor Parker have both said, the deal to end this dispute has been negotiated and agreed. The continued attempts by unelected council officers and commissioners to block, delay and throw into doubt this deal is unacceptable and will simply not work. We look forward to the elected members of the council agreeing the process for the implementation of the deal, so the usual ballot of members can take place. Workers and residents have put up with enough of the constant dither and delay. This is a good deal for workers and residents and it needs to be swiftly finalised.” Read more

   

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RMT     

RMT National Dispute Fund  

No DOO protest on East West Rail (21 Sept) – RAIL union RMT held a demonstration outside Marylebone Station, London today against driver-only operation (DOO) on East West Rail services planned to be run by Chiltern Railways which has just come back under public ownership. RMT members are currently being balloted for strike action after the company refused to provide guarantees over the safety critical role of the second person on board. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the driver-only operation proposed on East-West represented a significant risk to safety and the current Train Manager roles at Chiltern read more

No driver-only operation on East West Rail protest (15 Sept)

Bus workers at Go Cornwall vote for strike action (16 Sept) – BUS union RMT has won a ballot for strike action over trade union recognition at Go Cornwall. RMT members voted for strike action and action short of as Go Cornwall continue to refuse to recognise their union. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that Go Cornwall should now accept the result of the TUC Disputes Committee verdict back in January to recognise RMT read more

Strike action suspended on East Midlands Railways (11 Sept) – RAIL union RMT has suspended planned strike action for next Wednesday and Thursday September 16/17 following some substantial movement from management regarding faulty Class 810 fleet trains. However, action short of strike action by relevant EMR members due to commence on Sunday September 20, 2026 remains in place if any unsolicited brake applications occur to stop the train. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey congratulated members for their continued determination to make sure the Class 810 fleet is only used in safe conditions read more

RMT welcomes government growth targets for rail freight (8 Sept) – RAIL union RMT has welcomed new rail freight targets to help move more goods by rail, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth. However, the union has pointed out the huge challenges facing a dwindling workforce in the privately run rail freight sector. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the number of jobs had halved since privatisation, and more resources were required to enable a major modal shift from road to rail read more

Strike suspended at TransPennine Express (27 Aug) – Planned strike action tomorrow (Friday August 28) by outsourced cleaners and catering workers at TransPennine Express (TPE) has been suspended following an improved pay offer. Catering workers at Rail Gourmet and cleaners at Bidvest Noonan have already taken action which has forced both companies to increase the pay uplift offer to 3.6 per cent backdated to April. The union has suspended the action while further consultations take place with reps. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that it was clear that this improved offer would not have come about without these members standing firm read more

Merseyrail cleaners to take action (6 Aug) – Cleaners on Merseyrail employed by outsourcing firm Churchill Services will take 24-hour strike action against low pay from Friday (tomorrow) to Saturday (August 8). There will be a picket line outside Rail House, located on Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool, L1 1JF from 07.30 hours. The union believes that Churchill can improve the current low pay offer as the company reported a post-tax profit of £15.3 million for the 2025 financial year, and distributed dividends of approximately £13.5 million. Moreover, the company’s highest paid director, who is also a significant shareholder, received remuneration of £603,000. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the company clearly had the capacity to fund the relatively small additional cost required to maintain the current pay differential sought by members read more

Further strike action at Avanti West Coast (29 July) – Rail union RMT has announced further strike action by Avanti West Coast members at Manchester Piccadilly station on Saturday August 1 over the unfair dismissal of a colleague. Despite taking industrial action against sacking which was based on anonymous allegations, the company has decided to ignore the workforce and uphold the sacking at an appeal hearing. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that it was extremely disappointing to sack a worker who had clearly been the victim of a toxic workplace culture which encouraged anonymous and unsubstantiated complaints read more

RMT suspends Merseyrail strike action (17 July) – RMT has suspended three days of strike action on Merseyrail planned for July 18 to 20 after the company made an improved offer. This offer will now be considered within union structures and with RMT representatives. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey congratulated Merseyrail members for their resolve to win an improved offer and this will now be discussed among the membership read more

CAF Rail strike to hit Transport for Wales maintenance as pay dispute escalates (10 July) – RMT members employed by CAF Rail on the Transport for Wales contract will take strike action on Sunday and Monday evening after the company refused to improve its pay offer and retaliated against workers for taking lawful industrial action. The strikes will run between 17:59 and 05:30 on Sunday 12 July into Monday 13 July, and again between 17:59 and 05:30 on Monday 13 July into Tuesday 14 July. The industrial action is part of an ongoing dispute over pay and follows CAF Rail’s decision to ban members from undertaking overtime after they exercised their legal right to withdraw their labour read more

TSSA

TSSA hails return of Chiltern Railways to public ownership (18 Sept) – TSSA has welcomed the return of Chiltern Railways to public ownership as of Sunday, with the union describing it as ‘another important and welcome step towards a unified, publicly run railway’. Chiltern, connecting London Marylebone with communities in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and as far as the West Midlands, becomes the sixth train operator to transfer into public ownership under a rolling government programme read more

TSSA calls for rail freight nationalisation (8 Sept) – Rail union TSSA has welcomed a pledge from government to speed up the growth of rail freight – but has called on Ministers to go much further by bringing freight and rolling stock companies into public hands. Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, in a statement to Parliament said the government wants rail freight to increase by 40 per cent in net tonne kilometres by 2040. The target is in addition to the longer-term policy of a 75 per cent increase by 2050 read more

Forthcoming strike action at West Midlands Trains (6 July) – Rail union TSSA has said strikes planned for later this week at West Midlands Trains (WMT) over rest day working payments are set to go ahead and will have a significant impact. The walkouts are a result of WMT and the Department for Transport repeatedly failing to fulfil their assurance that an improved rest day working agreement – giving TSSA members parity with other unions – would be secured. This is the second round of strikes in the dispute after similar action was taken in May this year. TSSA balloted over 100 members across these roles for the relevant industrial action read more

Unite     

Dough! Bread shortages as Bristol Hovis delivery drivers strike (22 Sept) – There are set to be bread shortages in supermarkets and retail outlets throughout the South West and reaching into the West Midlands as approximately 60 Hovis distribution drivers are set to strike indefinitely in a pay dispute. The workers are based at the Avonmouth, Bristol site, which supplies shops in the region with Hovis products including bread and other bakery items such as burger buns and muffins. Thousands of loaves of bread are made at the site each hour. Staff have been offered a three per cent pay rise, which is a real terms pay cut, with the current RPI standing at 3.4 per cent. However, workers at the Belfast depot have also been offered additional benefits on top of this, including a commission of two pence per product for all items sold and a holiday premium rate of an additional 50 per cent of the contracted basic hourly rate for those who work over five designated holidays including Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The Bristol workers are seeking the same enhancements. Unite members at Hovis will walk out in a continuous strike from this Thursday (24 September). Strikes will lead to shops in the South West and as far as the West Midlands being left without Hovis products read more

Cheshire uranium UNRENCO strike threat ends as workers accept improved pay deal (21 Sept) – Potential strike action by more than 200 URENCO uranium enrichment workers in Cheshire will not go ahead following an improved pay offer by the company. The workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, previously voted in favour of industrial action over a below RPI inflation pay deal of 4.1 per cent. Annual pay negotiations with URENCO have always been based on the RPI rate of inflation for the previous September, which was 4.5 per cent in 2025. Following negotiations with Unite, URENCO offered a pay rise of 4.5 per cent backdated to January that was accepted by an overwhelming majority of the workers…The five-year deal guarantees the workers annual RPI inflation linked pay rises until 2030. If RPI falls below 1.5 per cent or rises above 4.5 per cent, the application of the increase will be subject to further pay negotiations. The dispute has been resolved without any industrial action taking place read more

Institute of Cancer Research workers celebrate historic pay win (21 Sept) – Staff accept new offer after nearly 3 months of strike action. Unite members at the Institute of Cancer Research are returning to work today on a wave of celebration after they secured a historic pay settlement. Workers across the Institute had taken nearly three months of continuous strike action in their fight for better pay and conditions. The lowest paid workers are now set to see a pay increase of up to 52 per cent. Other staff will receive varying pay increases, all above the rate of inflation, after years of poor pay that had seen some staff barely above the London Living Wage. In addition, plans to downgrade the workplace pension scheme have been scrapped and the much-missed staff canteen is to be reinstated…The hundreds of staff at the ICR who perform roles in scientific research, laboratory support, and site management had been offered just 3.75 per cent at the start of the strike. After tireless campaigning by members, supported by Unite’s organising team alongside Unite for a Workers’ Economy, they have been moved onto incremental pay scales with an average increase of 17.2 per cent over two years representing a cash value of over £8000 read more

Scarborough Alexander Dennis bus maker strikes over after improved pay deal secured (21 Sept) – Strikes by 400 Scarborough Alexander Dennis workers have ended after an improved pay deal was secured, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Following intensive negotiations, the workers voted to accept a 4.5 per cent pay increase back paid to January 2026. They will also receive a 3.5 per cent increase to their pay in January 2027…Strikes that began in June has now ended, with staff returning to work as normal read more

‘Last orders’ for Diageo as strike action announced by Unite (17 Sept) – Cameronbridge distillery production to be brought to ‘standstill’. Strike action by over 100 members of Unite is set to hit Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery in an escalating dispute over jobs. Strike action will start with all workers taking strike action on 28 September, and, thereafter, specific groups of workers will be taking industrial action until 05.59 on 15 October. Successive days of action by distillation and process controllers, distillery and machine operators, technicians, quality control analysts, process chemists and engineers will be held each day throughout the three week period. Unite believes the targeted industrial action will bring production to a standstill at Cameronbridge. The distillery is Europe’s largest grain distillery employing around 200 people. The dispute is based on Diageo’s plans to slash hundreds of jobs across its operations in Scotland with dozens of roles under review at Cameronbridge, as part of global restructuring proposals read more

Strike action set to hit Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery, over job cuts (10 Sept)

Public sector pay: Time running out for Irish government to make inflation-beating pay offer (17 Sept) – Government told to stop dithering as Unite National Dispute Committee meets. Following an overwhelming mandate for industrial action, Unite’s National Dispute Committee, comprising elected shop stewards across the public sector, met today (Thursday) to finalise plans for strike action on 14 October. The action is being coordinated by the ICTU Public Services Committee and will result in widespread disruption as workers throughout the public sector down tools in pursuit of inflation-beating pay increases. With inflation currently running at 3.7 per cent, workers are facing an escalating cost-of-living crisis. In August, Unite’s cost-of-living tracker survey of public sector members found that a growing number have fallen behind on essential payments or been forced to borrow simply to meet household costs read more

Glasgow Airport workers pay takes off with new pay deal (16 Sept) – Two-year increase for ABM staff averts strike action. Workers who assist passengers with restricted mobility at Glasgow Airport have backed a two-year pay deal, resulting in industrial action being averted. Over 100 Unite members employed by ABM at Glasgow airport have secured a 7.5 per cent increase this year backdated to April with the same increase being applied to the night shift rate. The threat of industrial action led to the company increasing its offer from six per cent. The workers will now receive £13.77 an hour, 32 pence above the Scottish Living Wage level (£13.45). Next year, the same increase of 32 pence above the living wage level will be applied to all pay rates. Unite members had previously backed strike action in an industrial action ballot which concluded at the end of August. The workers include customer service agents, ambilift drivers and allocators read more

TechnipFMC workers secure new pay deal after strike threat (15 Sept) – Boost to jobs, pay and conditions at Dunfermline based firm. Unite can confirm that approximately 120 workers employed by TechnipFMC have accepted an enhanced pay offer after the threat of strike action. Strike action which was set to take place on Monday for seven days was suspended after the company tabled a last minute offer. The workers overwhelmingly backed the new offer which will deliver a three per cent pay increase alongside a one-off £700 payment, and a day’s extra holiday this year read more

West Yorkshire Lockwood Haulage workers win improved pay (15 Sept) – Continuous strike action by Unite members at Lockwood Haulage Ltd based in Knottingley and South Kirby, West Yorkshire, has ended after 10 days as they received an improved pay offer. The 40 workers walked out earlier this month after rejecting a one per cent increase, applied across all grades and allowances, backdated to 1 March 2025. They have now returned to work after winning an improved pay deal of 2.5 per cent backdated to 1 March 2025. A previous plan to replace annual pay increases with an attendance-linked bonus has also been scrapped read more

Department of economy must investigate use of agency workers at Pilgrims during strike (14 Sept) – Employment agency, Staffline Group plc, advertised for immediate start positions at Pilgrims after Unite wrote to raise need for compliance with agency regulations. Unite has formally complained to the department of economy’s employment agency inspectorate over Pilgrim Europe’s illegal use of agency workers during the strike at the company’s Enniskillen factory. The union has demanded the inspectorate to immediately investigate the number of agency workers being used by Pilgrims and whether they are performing duties undertaken by employees participating in industrial action. Workers are entering their sixth week of strike action for a fair pay increase and an end to a two-tier system of paid breaks. The strike has severely impacted production at the site which produces a range of Pilgrims products, including Fridge Raiders, Richmond and Denny sausages and Mr Brains Pork faggots. Under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations (NI) 2005 Act, it is a criminal offence for employment agencies to supply labour to employers specifically for the purposes of covering work normally covered by employees who are taking part in lawful industrial action.

Unite wrote to Staffline Group to formally advise the agency of its responsibilities on 28 July and has now written to raise concerns with the inspectorate…Unite previously wrote to the Health and Safety Executive NI asking them to investigate concerns about Pilgrims production during the dispute on 28 August 2026 read more

Unite responds to government plans to nationalise Speciality Steel UK (14 Sept) – Following the announcement of the government’s plans to prepare for the nationalisation of Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), formerly Liberty Steel, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a critical move. The government is listening to Unite and is acting to protect vital jobs. Now we need to get on and nationalise the company.” Read more

Unite calls on Plaid to honour election promises and end health visitor dispute in Wales (14 Sept) – Open letter to First Minister published ahead of workers’ demo at the Senedd. Striking health visitors in Wales have written an open letter to Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth calling on the Plaid government to honour its pre-election promises and bring the long-running dispute to an end. Unite members at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University health board (CTMUHB) have been on continuous strike since February over their employer’s refusal to recognise their skills and experience and pay them at the correct pay band. This intransigence is currently costing them £9000 per year in lost pay. Before the Welsh Senedd elections in May, Plaid Cymru supported the health visitors campaign and promised to end the dispute if they formed a government. Now in power, Plaid has yet to make good on its commitment and continues to pass the buck back and forth with CTMUHB. Now, in an open letter published in Welsh media, health visitors are calling on Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth to honour his promises and bring the dispute to an end and ensure the workers are paid the correct salary…Striking health visitors will be making their anger towards their employer and frustration with the Welsh government heard on Wednesday as they march on the Senedd read more

Wilson James strike at Gatwick airport suspended over new offer (14 Sept) – Planned strikes by 220 Unite members working for Wilson James at London Gatwick Airport have been suspended, after the employer put forward a new pay offer. Workers who deal with assisting passengers on and off flights were due to walk out from 17 to 21 September, followed by further action on 23 to 26 September. However, these strikes have now been called off to allow Wilson James workers to vote on a new pay offer following negotiations between Unite and the company read more

Gatwick flight delays as Wilson James workers strike over pay (9 Sept)

Unite secures Commonwealth War Graves Commission workers 8.4 per cent pay rise (14 Sept) – Lowest paid war grave workers now on minimum of £15 per hour. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured a pay rise of 8.4 per cent for the lowest paid Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) workers – taking their hourly wage to £15 per hour. Workers in pay bands A to C will receive pay rises of between 3.5 per cent and 8.4 per cent on basic pay. The deal, which will be back paid to July, also includes a £450 non-consolidated payment for all workers, plus an extra half a day of annual leave and travel allowance improvements. CWGC gardeners, senior gardeners, office staff, deputy regional managers and stone masons will benefit from the deal read more

Alstom Derby battery electric train fleet contract secured after Unite campaign (11 Sept) – Contract will secure 350 Alstom Derby jobs and 6,000 jobs across the supply chain. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has welcomed the news that 29 Adessia Stream trains will be built at Alstom’s factory in Derby. The announcement follows Unite’s ‘Fill the Gap – Save Alstom Derby’ campaign, which started in 2023. The campaign called for urgent action to secure a pipeline of work for Alstom workers and ensure the next generation of trains and carriages could continue to be built at Litchurch Lane read more

Bedford Movianto NHS warehouse strikes off after ‘excellent’ pay deal secured (10 Sept) – Workers supplying medical equipment to hospitals and pharmacies across Southern England celebrate much-improved deal. Strikes by nearly 120 Bedford workers at Movianto, a specialist medical warehousing company, have been called off after a much-improved pay deal was secured. The deal, negotiated by Unite, the UK’s leading union, includes a four per cent pay rise backdated to April and further one per cent from October. Movianto had initially offered the workers 3.5 per cent read more

Tesco ’empty shelves’ strike threat ends after Unite secures inflation-busting pay rise for over 3,000 workers (10 Sept) – Distribution workers in Belfast, Didcot, Doncaster and Thurrock celebrate 4.5 per cent wage increase. More than 3,000 Tesco warehouse workers and HGV drivers have ended their strike threat following an improved pay offer from the company. Unite, the UK’s leading union, secured the 4.5 per cent pay rise after the workers began balloting for strike action. The deal was secured without the need for industrial action…Around 700 Didcot workers, 400 Belfast workers, 600 Doncaster workers and 1,400 Thurrock workers will benefit from the pay rise, after voting to accept the deal read more

Neo Next workers at Flotta oil terminal secure pay rise after strike threat (10 Sept) – Above inflation pay deal ensures lowest-paid better-off. Unite can confirm that workers on the Flotta oil terminal have secured a new pay deal after the threat of strike action. Approximately 20 offshore workers employed by Neo Next + Energy E&P UK Ltd in Orkney backed an enhanced pay deal after they had previously voted for strike action. The workers include production technicians and control room operators. A revised pay offer was tabled by the company following the strike mandate. This resulted in the overall package including the site allowance being increased to approximately five per cent for the vast majority of workers. The lowest paid will receive a proportionately higher increase with all workers getting an above inflation rise. The Flotta terminal is located on the island of Flotta in the Orkney Islands. Crude oil is imported to the terminal from offshore installations through a subsea pipeline read more

Strikes escalate at Lancashire hospitals over holiday pay dispute (10 Sept) – Biomedical staff at Blackburn and Burnley hospitals taking further action. Scientists at two teaching hospitals in Lancashire are escalating their strike action over the NHS trust’s continued refusal to pay the holiday pay they are entitled to. Management at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust have a long history of poor employee relations and this is continuing despite an employment tribunal finding against them. The employer lost at tribunal over this issue several years ago for one employee, but it has refused to settle it for the rest of the employees who are now owed thousands of pounds. This is despite senior management stating that they would always be open to negotiations following previous strikes over safe staffing levels. Management at the hospital have disputed the union’s claims but now have refused Unite’s offer to enter into a binding arbitration meeting that would see staff return to work and the strikes called off…Affected employees work in the biomedical sciences department dealing with urgent and routine blood tests as well as wider diagnostic work for patients. Strike action already underway will see significant delays to tests and procedures across the trust as workers take to the picket line from 7-11 September, 14-18 September, 21-25 September and 28 September-2 October read more

Legal 500 publication to be hit by strikes (10 Sept) – Workers at Legalease print company in London to take industrial action over low pay. Dozens of low-paid editorial, research and publishing staff at leading law publication firm Legalease are to take strike action this month to win a fairer pay offer. Workers at Legalease produce the acclaimed industry bible, The Legal 500, which lists top firms, lawyers and barristers across the world. Yet workers are struggling on low salaries while needing to live and work in London…The workers have already rejected a 3.4 per cent pay offer and a revised £1200 uplift and will be taking strike action after no further improvement was forthcoming. Workers will be on the picket line from 14 to 25 September with the possibility of more strikes if Legalease don’t improve their low offer. Legalease has a history of poor workplace relations, with two members of staff fired due to trade union activities when Unite first sought recognition two years ago read more

Cumbria bus turmoil as Stagecoach drivers ballot for strikes (9 Sept) – There is set to be disruption to bus services across Cumbria as over 350 bus drivers are being balloted for industrial action over pay. Drivers working for Stagecoach North West and are members of Unite, are voting on whether to strike after rejecting an unsatisfactory pay offer from the company. The pay deal does not address the fact that they are paid less than drivers in other areas of the North West, despite having the same cost of living pressures. Bus drivers in Cumbria are paid £15.20 per hour for all hours worked, which is less than other depots covered under Stagecoach North West. Meanwhile, drivers in Preston and Chorley are currently on £17.10 rising to £17.80 in May 2027 while those in Lancaster and Morecambe currently earn £16.25 per hour Monday to Friday with an extra £1 per hour on Saturdays and Sundays…The ballot opens on 15 September and closes on 29 September. The drivers work at the Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal and Workington depots read more

Hot bus win: Air conditioning to be fitted to all London bus cabs following Unite campaign (9 Sept) – Unite, the leading union representing passenger transport workers, has today (09 September) announced it has secured agreement for major improvements to working conditions for London’s bus drivers. Following Unite’s campaigning work around hot weather working, Transport for London (TfL) and the capital’s bus operators have now committed to fitting all London bus driver cabs with air conditioning by May 2027. At present, most London buses have cheaper and largely ineffective air cooling systems which take air from outside and circulate it around and can only lower temperatures by two or three degrees during heatwaves. This summer, London experienced a record-breaking 40 days where the weather exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. Unite members working as bus drivers spoke out about the impact this had on their health, suffering problems including heatstroke, dehydration and fatigue as the temperatures inside their cabs rose to highs of 50 degrees. With some having to stop in service as they couldn’t physically continue. The plans were agreed by the extreme weather taskforce, where Unite has been negotiating alongside TfL, London’s bus operators and the Greater London Authority since earlier this summer… Cabs will now also be fitted with UV protective film to reduce the risk of skin cancer read more

Unite cooks up new pay deal for Tunnock’s factory workers (8 Sept) – Basic pay lifted by 9.6 per cent over 21 months. Unite can confirm over 300 workers at the Tunnock’s factory in Uddingston have accepted an improved pay offer removing the threat of potential strike action. The pay deal over 21 months will lift basic pay from £13 per hour up to £13.61 from July 1 2026, and then it will rise to £14.25 from April 1 2027. This represents a 9.6 per cent increase in pay read more

Ulster University redundancy plans offers no assurance to workforce, Unite (8 Sept) – Unite has responded to the Ulster University’s publication of its voluntary redundancy scheme. The union said the plan fails to provide any analysis of how cutting 450 (equivalent to 15 per cent of the workforce) would affect the quality of education, the sustainability of its four campuses or the impact on already hard-pressed workers. The university has also failed to provide any assurances that compulsory redundancies will not follow if insufficient volunteers are accepted on the voluntary scheme read more

Hundreds of low-paid London NHS workers to strike (8 Sept) – Nearly 300 staff at Guys and St Thomas’s to walk out over low pay and workplace issues. Hundreds of the lowest paid workers at Guys and St Thomas’s Trust are to strike this week over low pay that is forcing them into poverty. NHS band two workers in central London earn just £15.89 per hour and perform some of the toughest roles within the hospital – such as cleaners, porters, stores operatives and food service assistants – yet are treated appallingly by the trust management. Alongside poverty pay levels staff have a number of long running complaints that trust management have failed to address. This includes racist and bullying behaviour by facilities management, issues over bank contracts and hours, a failure to provide adequate welfare facilities like showers or changing facilities and the failure to provide adequate safety equipment to security staff. Despite endless negotiations and false promises from the trust, staff are now exhausted by the process and feel that they have no other but to take industrial action…Workers at GSTT will head to the picket line on the 9-11 September with more strike dates planned throughout the autumn if NHS management don’t come back to the negotiating table with real solutions read more

Public sector craftworkers in Ireland serve strike notice in pay equity fight (4 Sept) – Workers seeking restoration of pre-crash analogue agreement. Unite said today (4 September) that it has served three weeks’ notice of industrial action on the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). Unite is part of a coordinated campaign by the Public Sector Craft Group of Unions (PSCGOU) in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to secure restoration of the analogue agreement. The agreement, which ensured pay parity between craftworkers in the public sector and comparators in the private sector, was suspended following the 2008 financial crash. A recent ballot by PSCGOU affiliates, including Unite, returned a 95 per cent aggregate vote in favour of industrial action. The nature and timing of the action will be determined by the PSCGOU National Strike Committee. The industrial action could begin as soon as 28 September read more

Workers at Leicester aerospace company SPS Technologies Ltd to walk out indefinitely over pay (3 Sept) – Around 200 Unite members at Leicester-based aerospace firm SPS Technologies Ltd will take continuous strike action in a dispute over pay. Workers at the firm have turned down a two-year pay offer of four per cent this year and four per cent next year as they don’t believe this goes far enough to address years of low pay offers. This is the third year in a row workers at SPS Technologies have had to ballot for industrial action to improve pay offers. SPS Technologies’ recent finances show an annual turnover exceeding £54 million. It is a subsidiary of Precision Castparts Corp (PCC), part of Berkshire Hathaway which was headed up by US billionaire Warren Buffet – one of the world’s richest people – until the end of last year. The pay offer to SPS Technologies workers is less than what has been offered to other PCC workers in the East Midlands. Meanwhile, SPS Technologies is also trying to impose changes to workers’ conditions by removing the use of emergency holidays and changing the absence policy in relation to staff who work a nine day fortnight…They will strike from tomorrow (4 September). SPS Technologies has recently started a new order of making parts for Airbus and industrial action will dramatically impact the delivery of this read more

NHS lorry drivers supplying hospitals ballot for strikes over pay (3 Sept) – GXO employed drivers based in Derbyshire, Somerset, Kent, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Suffolk and Newcastle demand better wages. Lorry drivers delivering NHS supplies nationwide are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Nearly 200 drivers employed by GXO in Alfreton in Derbyshire, Bridgwater in Somerset, Normanton in West Yorkshire, Maidstone in Kent, Rugby in Warwickshire, Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk and Washington in Newcastle are being balloted. They have rejected a four per cent offer from GXO, which runs the NHS supply chain contract for Supply Chain Coordination Limited (SCCL). SCCL is wholly owned by NHS England. GXO claims SCCL has said the pay offer cannot be increased as it is more than was offered to NHS workers. However, GXO workers have inferior terms and conditions compared to NHS contracts, including a much lower pension…The ballot for industrial action closes on 17 September, with potential strikes causing disruption to NHS supply chains read more

Workers in strike ballot with North Sea operator Apache (2 Sept) – Dispute over below inflation pay offers and threats to withhold backpay. Unite, the UK’s largest offshore union, is balloting approximately 160 offshore workers employed by North Sea operator Apache on strike action. The company has made an offer which is a real terms pay cut for many workers, ranging from a pay freeze to below inflation increases. The workers involved in the dispute include electrical, instrument, mechanical and production technicians alongside telecoms technicians and radio operators.  The strike action ballot covers workers on seven Apache assets associated with the Forties and Beryl oil fields. Apache has also set arbitrary deadlines for reaching an agreement over back pay and indicated that the payment may be withheld if these are not met. This could leave members thousands of pounds out of pocket. The ballot opens tomorrow (3 September) and closes on 1 October. Strike action could begin by mid-October read more

South London & Maudsley NHS estates workers strike suspended (1 Sept) – Strikes by South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust estates staff have been suspended following an improved offer. The workers, including joiners, electricians, plumbers and painter and decorators, will now be balloted on the new deal. Strike action scheduled to take place between 1 and 7 September has now been called off. Further industrial action could take place if the offer is rejected read more

GAC dock workers in Eastham to strike over pay (28 Aug) – More than a dozen dock workers at GAC at the QEII dock in Eastham are to take strike action next week after a poor pay offer from their employer. The highly skilled dock operatives currently earn approximately £30,000 per year and have been offered a pay increase as low as two per cent for some workers. This real-terms pay cut was unanimously rejected by workers who then voted for industrial action. Workers are also angry over on-call arrangements. Unite has calculated that a single day of strike action will cost the company more than the value of the pay claim, as ships will have to anchor outside the dock at significant cost. These ships cannot go to alternative docks either, so there is no commercial sense to GAC’s intransigence…Workers at GAC will be taking industrial action on 1, 3 14 and 16 September 2026. Picket lines will be from 07:00 until 12:00 on these days at the dockside in Eastham read more

Finance workers at Oxford University Press to strike over offshoring (27 Aug) – Over 30 Unite members at Oxford University Press (OUP) will take strike action next month, after their employer announced plans to move nearly 50 roles to India. The decision to offshore the finance operations department to EXL Services, who will provide services from India, means it is impossible for staff to TUPE transfer with the work. This follows a proposal to make 113 redundancies in the UK last November, with most affecting its education and English language teaching divisions. Meanwhile, OUP recently acquired Swiss publisher Karger and made 76 redundancies, a move described as a “massacre”. In recent years OUP has also faced accusations of labour violations in its New York office, with employees going on strike in June 2024 to contest a series of unfair labour practices while negotiating a union contract read more

Great Yarmouth strikes suspended following last minute negotiations (27 Aug) – Planned strikes due to take place today this week by Great Yarmouth refuse workers have been suspended following last minute negotiations with the employer read more

Kimpton Clocktower workers to strike during Manchester Pride (24 Aug) – Workers at Kimpton Clocktower will walk out on the Saturday of this year’s Manchester Pride, in a long-running dispute over union busting. Unite members at the hotel and its bar venue The Refuge will take 24 hours of strike action on 29 August – historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer. The Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the parade route, which takes place on 29 August. For several years, the venue has been a very popular location for people attending the parade and it runs several Pride events read more

Honeywell chemicals County Durham and Lancashire workers in strike vote over pension lies (21 Aug) – Strikes would cause shortages of vital chemicals for BP, Shell, theysenkrupp and DG Fuels. Nearly 320 chemicals workers employed by Honeywell at sites in Billingham and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham and Clitheroe in Lancashire are being balloted for strikes over pensions. Unite, the UK’s leading union, said the workers are furious at huge reductions in their pension schemes after their former employer Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies was acquired by US conglomerate Honeywell in July. During the acquisition, the workers were told Honeywell’s pension provision was ‘broadly comparable’. In fact, many workers will see employer pension contributions drop by nine per cent. In addition, death in service cover at Honeywell is significantly lower than it was under Johnson Matthey… The workers are being balloted for strike until 2 September read more

Clyde marine pilots balloted on strike action (19 Aug) – Clydeport dispute over failure to bring pay into line with industry standards. Clydeport marine pilots based on the River Clyde are being balloted on industrial action as part of a pay dispute. Around a dozen pilots (who are members of Unite) involved in the dispute are based at the King George V dock in Glasgow and at Greenock Ocean terminal. The pilots who move vessels around the Clyde are angry at the company’s refusal to honour a benchmarking exercise which would bring their pay into line with other pilots in the industry which was part of pay negotiations two years ago. The ballot on strike action opens today (19 August) and closes on 27 August read more

Tower Hamlets health visitors ballot for strike action for NHS parity (12 Aug) – Dangerous reductions in staffing levels scrapped after worker action but Tower Hamlets GP Care Group refusing guarantees to fully align with NHS pay structures. Nearly 120 East London health visitors and support staff are balloting for strike action over a service restructuring after their employer failed to give guarantees it would fully align for NHS Agenda for Change structures. The workers have already forced Tower Hamlets GP Care Group (THGPCG) to scrap plans that included dangerous reductions in staffing levels for the borough’s zero to five years old health visiting services, which covers nearly 20,000 patients. During consultations with Unite, however, THGPCG has failed to give commitments that all staff contracts will fully align with NHS Agenda for Change pay, terms and conditions…The workers are being balloted for industrial action until 2 September read more

Isle of Wight RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Centre workers vote to strike amid redundancy terms dispute (3 Aug) – Workers at the Isle of Wight’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Inshore Lifeboat Centre workers will take industrial action as the charity is still failing to offer improvements to a redundancy package for Unite members, despite weeks of negotiations. Last month, the RNLI stated it would close the Inshore Lifeboat Centre by 2028, which would cause job losses and have a huge impact on the local community and local marine industry, and would only build lifeboats in Poole, Dorset, instead. Talks between conciliatory body ACAS and the RNLI broke down, after the RNLI said it would not offer any enhancement on the redundancy payments due to the ‘generous’ relocation allowance it has offered to staff. However, for most workers at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre, relocating to Poole, a more expensive area, from the island isn’t feasible for their finances or their families. The union is calling on the RNLI to negotiate a fair package for these workers that will be made redundant after the organisation promised them a ‘job for life’. The workforce in East Cowes do a highly skilled role supplying and maintaining lifeboats for over half of the 238 stations run by the RNLI across the UK…Workers at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre will strike on 11, 19 and 25 August. There will be a series of planned actions, including workers going to East Cowes to ask businesses and travellers at the ferry port to support Unite’s petition  read more

National Standards Authority: Workers set for industrial action following redundancy threat (30 July) – NSAI accused of undermining public sector industrial relations. Workers at the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action over proposed job losses. The move by Unite members in the Medical Devices Division follows the NSAI’s decision to seek government sanction to impose compulsory redundancies contrary to established practice in the public sector. The NSAI is also proposing to impose staff reassignments without agreement. The industrial action will start on Tuesday 4 August and will initially involve Product Reviewers withdrawing from billable work linked to conformity assessments, while Auditors will only be available to conduct audits for their daily contracted hours inclusive of travel time read more

Hundreds of Gatwick planes to be grounded if Menzies Aviation refuellers strike (24 July) – Gatwick refuelling tanker drivers and operators employed by Menzies Aviation on the Shell contract are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said. The workers refuel planes for Wizz Air, Ryanair, Air China, China Southern, Malta Air, Turkish Airlines, Air Baltic, SkyAlps and Air Peace. The airlines transport between 7,000 and 8,000 Gatwick passengers per day. They have rejected a 3.5 per cent offer from Menzies Aviation, which brought in record global revenues of $3 billion in 2025. Meanwhile, Shell reported profits of $6.92 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The workers are asking for 4.5 per cent pay rise as well as for their overtime rate to brought into parity with other Menzies Aviation Gatwick workers. Currently the refuellers earn time and a third, compared to time and a half for all other Menzies Aviation staff at Gatwick…Menzies Aviation has also damaged industrial relations by putting forward the same offer repeatedly and using aggressive tactics to try and get workers to accept it. The ballot for strike action closes on 11 August and any potential industrial action will begin shortly afte read more

Balcas workers set for week-long strike action from tomorrow (23 July) – Unite warns seven-day strike at Balcas will impact timber supplies across Northern Ireland. Approximately 150 Unite members employed at Balcas will take a week of strike action in an escalating industrial dispute at the Enniskillen sawmill. The strike will commence from 05:00 tomorrow (Friday 24 July) and continue for seven days. Over the last month the low-paid workforce has taken three one-day strikes in pursuit of an improved pay increase. The strike follows rejection of an inadequate and below-inflation offer of a mere 50 pence extra in each of the next two years. Unite is warning that the planned week-long strike action will severely impact production at Northern Ireland’s largest sawmill. Many workers at Balcas are paid little more than the minimum wage, and most have to work excessive overtime to bring in enough money to live read more

Sign this petition: Tell East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) – Hands off Mark Dunne! Stop trade union victimisation! Mark Dunne, ELFT’s most senior trade union representative, is facing redundancy. This redundancy and other processes related to it, have been handled with unprecedented hostility indicating a clear act of trade union victimisation

Sign this petition: Provide 24/7 toilet facilities for East Ham Central Park bus drivers – The hardworking bus drivers on Transport for London (TfL) routes 115 and 58 at East Ham Central Park are currently facing a serious health and hygiene issue due to the lack of accessible toilet facilities. This oversight not only affects their personal wellbeing but also has potential negative implications for the service they provide to the public

ESB engineers begin ban on out of hours work (15 July) – Over 20 members of Unite in ESB’s Engineering and Major Projects business unit, will begin a ban on non-emergency work outside of normal hours. The decision follows a unanimous ballot for industrial action in pursuit of fair overtime pay. The engineers have responsibility for the frontline commissioning and maintenance of critical high voltage infrastructure, essential to the safe and reliable operation of the electricity network. Many of the engineers are on lower base pay than workers they work alongside and who are all entitled to premium overtime rates. The industrial action will have a significant impact on the delivery of maintenance work programmes during a particularly busy period. The industrial action will be continuous from 17:00 today (Wednesday 15 July) read more

AQA workers vote to strike in dispute over pay (6 July) – There is set to be strike action by over 100 workers at exam board AQA in an ongoing dispute over pay. Staff have rejected a pay offer from AQA, as they say this doesn’t go far enough to address years of real terms pay cuts. They are calling for pay restoration as their pay is now worth over 10 per cent less than it was in 2021. While AQA has a huge cash reserve of £164 million, the situation has left staff struggling to cope with the increased cost of living. Half of workers say their level of debt has increased over the last year and over 10 per cent said they regularly use or are considering using food banks to make ends meet…AQA has offices in Guildford, London, Harrogate, Manchester and Milton Keynes. Workers involved in the dispute do various jobs, including in communications and marketing, data analysis and typesetting. Unite members at AQA will strike on 16 and 17 July. They will also be visiting Parliament on 17 July to lobby MPs on the issue of low pay at AQA read more

Strike action by council workers over pay and conditions to escalate (3 July) – Strike action by over a thousand local government craftworkers is escalating, amid a dispute around pay and attacks on conditions. The Unite members undertake council housing repair and maintenance work and are employed at Bristol, Southwark, Stoke-on-Trent, Newham, Leeds and Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils. The strike action is of a targeted nature and more local authorities could join the dispute in the future. Workers involved in the dispute have rejected the 2025 local government pay offer to Red Book workers (local government craftworkers) from the national employers of a 3.2 per cent increase, which they do not believe goes far enough to address over a decade of below inflation pay rises and pay freezes. This was imposed without any negotiations. Craftworkers will now walk out on Monday (6 July) and Wednesday (8 July)…Unite has now launched an action calling on supporters to email prominent members of the LGA negotiation team to meet with Unite and its sister unions in order to resolve the dispute read more

Further strike action at GKN in Bristol to cause chaos for customers (25 June) – Airbus orders to go unfulfilled as major supplier hit by further industrial action over pay. Major aerospace supply contracts will go unfulfilled as workers at GKN are set to take further strike action this summer over pay. Workers at the Filton site make parts and are the biggest supplier to Airbus who currently have a huge order book for civilian aircraft. With supplies from GKN endangered, orders will cease to be fulfilled leaving major airlines without expected new planes. 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 900 Unite members at the Filton site in Gloucestershire make wings for the Airbus A320. For years workers at GKN have seen their pay fall behind that of other nearby aerospace firms like Airbus and Rolls Royce. Many employees leave in search of better pay. GKN initially offered just a three per cent increase over one year, which was rejected by workers and later improved to just 3.3 per cent. This was also overwhelmingly rejected by the workforce demonstrating the strength of feeling that the offer falls far short of what is required…Unite members have already taken significant strike action and are now ramping up strikes with specific workers and grades across the engineering and maintenance departments that will bring the factory to a standstill. New strikes will take place on 29, 30 June and 1 July as well as on 6, 7 and 8 July. In addition, a blanket overtime ban has also been put in place read more

CWU

CWU secures compensation for victimised Royal Mail workers (17 Sept) – Postal workers found to have been unfairly dismissed during the 2022-23 national strikes are set to receive “very significant” compensation after successful union negotiations. Local branches have been informed that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) leadership and Royal Mail Group (RMG) management have concluded discussions which will see the reinstatement of workers and a financial package for most of the approximately 130 CWU members suspended or dismissed for their involvement in the 2022-23 Royal Mail strikes. As part of the collective agreement which concluded the strike in 2023, it was agreed that both the union and Royal Mail management would launch an investigation into the suspensions would took place, overseen by Lord Falconer. As a result of the Falconer Review, most of these workers were reinstated, and a significant financial remedy agreed upon in principle. This result is now expected to pave the way for a reset in industrial relations between the union and management. In a joint statement, CWU general secretary Dave Ward and deputy general secretary Martin Walsh said: “In 2022, the CWU secured the biggest reinstatement of sacked representatives and trade union members in recent trade union history read more

BT’s plans to relocate more than 600 jobs (10 Sept)

PM calls on Royal Mail to set out sustainable future (9 Sept)

Industrial action ballot a possibility if Capita TVL “refuses to budge” over poor pay offer (7 Sept) – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) have invited Capita to enter urgent negotiations after nearly 100% of TV Licensing (TVL) workers have rejected a poor pay offer. CWU Assistant Secretary Andy Furey has wrote to Capita senior management inviting them to engage in urgent negotiations to reconsider their current pay offer, after it has been unanimously rejected by union members. The union represents workers on the lucrative contract, which was awarded to Capita in July 2022 for £456 million and has recently been extended to 2030. Field members, who regularly run the risk of receiving abuse and even physical harm while on the job, rejected a 3.5% pay offer. Meanwhile, workers in Bristol and Darwen – the lowest paid workers on the TVL contract already – turned down a mere 44p real-terms pay rise to bring their salaries up to £13.16 an hour. Their offer was still beneath the real living wage of £13.45 an hour, while Field members reported struggling with the rising cost of doing the travelling which is necessary to the job. All in all, 97% of workers voted to reject the deal on a turnout of 69%. The union has also arranged a meeting with senior TVL reps to discuss the next steps 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]     

Ofwat members to ballot for strike action (21 Sept) – Over a year after the government announced the replacement of water regulator Ofwat by a new ‘super regulator’, PCS members in Ofwat are balloting for strike action as they continue to wait for answers on key demands… Despite setting up a trade union engagement forum with Defra, there has been no substantive progress. At a meeting on 17 September, members overwhelmingly endorsed the branch’s recommendation to move to a ballot for industrial action. Unless Ofwat and Defra provide PCS members with reasonable assurances in the coming days, the ballot for strike action and action short of a strike will open on 28 September and close on 19 October read more

PCS launches national campaign and trade dispute across the civil service and related areas (18 Sept) – The NEC has agreed a programme of campaigning and industrial action ballot preparations if the employer does not respond positively to the union’s demands. On 17 September, PCS issued a national trade dispute letter to Cat Little, civil service chief operating officer and permanent secretary to the Cabinet Office, setting out the guarantees and assurances required to resolve the dispute. The union has also written to all employers within the scope of the campaign, asking them to confirm whether they are prepared to meet the demands relevant to their organisations. Employers have been given until 5pm on 2 October 2026 to respond. If satisfactory assurances are not received, the national executive committee (NEC) has agreed that PCS will proceed towards a statutory ballot for industrial action… The NEC has agreed that, if the employer’s response is unsatisfactory, a statutory ballot for strike action and action short of strike will be conducted between 20 October and 1 December 2026. Following the ballot, the NEC will meet to consider the results and determine next steps read more

Ask your MP to support PCS members at the V&A (16 Sept) – Members are taking strike action over management’s failure to provide an acceptable pay offer or deal with serious health and safety concerns. PCS members at Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum are taking strike action after directors failed to make a reasonable pay offer and refused to become a London Living Wage Accredited employer. Management has also refused to make vital health and safety concessions, including allowing front of house staff at V&A Storehouse to carry and drink from sealable water bottles while working, providing adequate seating for staff and developing heatwave mitigation measures. PCS members at three V&A sites (East Storehouse, East Museum and Young V&A) took strike action alongside sister union Prospect on 4 and 5 September, and members at the V&A Museum in South Kensington will strike on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September. Please use our e-action to email your MP and ask them to support the members by signing Early Day Motion 746, Industrial action at V&A Museum, and by writing to the director of the V&A and the minister responsible to ask them to intervene urgently to resolve the dispute read more

Please sign our online petition to pressure Hunt and Lisa Nandy (secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport) into meeting our members’ demands

Civil Service Pension Scheme scandal laid bare in Westminster Hall debate (16 Sept) – Civil servants, pensioners and bereaved families are paying the price for the continuing failures of Capita’s administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. In a packed Westminster Hall debate secured by Ian Byrne MP yesterday (15), MPs from across parties laid bare the devastating impact on civil servants and their families in constituencies across the country read more

PCS joins Insource Now! Campaign (15 Sept) – The campaign calls for the government to deliver its promise of the biggest wave of insourcing of public services for a generation. The Insource Now! campaign was launched by UNISON and RMT earlier this month in response to continued outsourcing across public services. The unions are calling for government departments and public bodies to work with trade unions to develop a ‘people’s plan’ for insourcing, identifying contracts that can be brought back into public ownership as they expire or when break clauses arise read more

MHCLG members set for targeted action (14 Sept) – PCS members at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) working on emergency response and funding for projects across the country are due to take strike action starting on 24 September. This is part of a long-running dispute over office closures, office attendance policies and recruitment location policies. Staff in the finance directorate at MHCLG are striking for 13 days from 24 September to 6 October, while their colleagues in the resilience, emergencies and recovery directorate are taking 8 days of targeted strike action from 1 to 8 October. Our members began action short of strike in July 2025, followed by strike action in September 2025. They renewed their industrial action mandate in a fresh ballot which closed on 15 April 2026 and began taking action short of strike again in May 2026 read more

Thanks for supporting MOD caretakers (14 Sept) – The Ministry of Defence’s consultation into its plans to abolish caretaker posts across the UK has now ended and we would like to thank all those who have contributed and supported the PCS campaign. The MOD plans to abolish 125 caretaker posts across the Army Reserve and University Officers’ Training Corps estate, a move which also puts them and their families at risk of homelessness. Dozens of caretakers contacted us about how the plans affect them and we have used their testimony in our submission to the department. PCS continues to support and help members affected by these proposals read more

Fresh FCDO strike dates announced (11 Sept) – PCS members at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently in dispute over job cuts and restructuring will take part in two further walkouts later this month. Workers are set to strike for half a day from 1pm on 24 September and a full day on 28 September as they face lots of uncertainty and a lack of assurances over compulsory redundancies. This coincides with Labour party conference and specifically foreign secretary Ed Milliband’s scheduled speech, to maintain momentum, demonstrate members’ continued resolve and increase pressure on the employer to engage seriously with PCS’s concerns on the workforce restructure read more.

Please show your support by sending a message of support to [email protected], donating to the strike fund and visiting a picket line

Picket lines from 1pm on 24 September and 8am-10am on 28 September:-

  • FCDO, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH – All four entrances to the building will have picket lines
  • FCDO, Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA

PCS signs joint statement on escalation of racist violence (9 Sept) – The statement, written by Amnesty International UK, raises the alarm on the increased violence and calls on the UK government to act urgently. Last weekend saw a sharp escalation in racist violence and intimidation, including disturbing scenes in Dover, efforts to block a bus carrying asylum seekers from reaching a Portsmouth processing centre, and an arson attack on a Glasgow building wrongly believed to be intended for asylum seekers and migrants read more

We are also energy consumers, Ofgem rally hears (26 Aug) – PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote and National President Bev Laidlaw were among the speakers at an online strike rally and digital picket for striking Ofgem members. PCS members at Ofgem today close off their latest round of strike action, after walking out on Monday (24) and Tuesday (25). Their strike today also coincides with the employer’s energy price cap announcement, which limits how much energy suppliers can charge households for gas and electricity. They are taking action over pay, job security, working conditions and industrial relations read more

PCS suspends NCA strike following ACAS talks (20 Aug) – PCS’s National Disputes Committee has agreed to suspend tomorrow’s strike by PCS members employed by OCS at the National Crime Agency, to allow security supervisors, security officers and CCTV operators time to consider an offer from their employer. Our members, who are facing redundancy or having to apply for new roles on inferior terms with no guarantee of employment, because of closure of the NCA facility at Spring Gardens, Vauxhall in London were out in number on the picket line on their first day of strike action on Monday read more

National Galleries of Scotland members to strike during Edinburgh Fringe (6 Aug) – The PCS members will take four days of strike action in a dispute over detrimental changes to working practices. PCS members at National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) will take four days of strike action during the Edinburgh Fringe in a dispute over changes to an agreed staffing model for members working as Gallery Attendants, and failure to consult on the changes. Management have imposed detrimental changes impacting on both staff wellbeing and the quality of the visitor experience. These changes can make it harder for staff to take breaks, present difficulties in honouring reasonable adjustments for staff with disabilities, and potential challenges for reps accessing facilities time in affected roles. There is also the potential for room and exhibition closures due to short staffing. In addition to the four days of strike action, members will also take action short of a strike including a refusal to wear NGS uniforms and working to rule…Messages of solidarity can be sent to the branch by emailing Anthony O’Hanlon at [email protected]  read more

PCS members in Sodexo on strike again (17 July) – PCS members working in Sodexo started their second wave of strike action today (17) against cuts to hours and jobs. PCS members working for Sodexo, who previously took two weeks of strike action to oppose cuts to hours, redundancies and changes to job roles and responsibilities, have now received letters from the employer notifying them that the individual consultation has concluded and Sodexo is planning to impose the changes. PCS does not yet have trade union recognition with Sodexo, but supported members through the individual consultation process, met with Sodexo management and continue to seek to engage with them in finding a resolution to the dispute. Despite repeated requests for information from Sodexo to explain their proposals and justification for the cuts, Sodexo has not provided it, making it difficult for PCS to offer detailed alternatives at this stage. PCS members work as receptionists, cleaners, porters and kitchen staff, providing essential services in Erskine House, the UK Government Hub building, and Carne House Belfast. They are paid on or around the national minimum wage and are committed to fighting the cuts by Sodexo, a multinational outsourcing company which reported profits in the region of £679 million. Today’s successful picket marked the first day of the second wave of strike action. There will be a picket line at Erskine House, Chichester Street, Belfast every day from 8am to noon, from Monday 27 July to Friday 31 July 2026. Please visit and support our members on the picket line and reps from the Revenue and Customs branch, donate to the strike fund, marking it Sodexo or send solidarity messages to [email protected]  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 reaches access agreement with Meta (21 Sept) – Meta has reached its first UK trade union access agreement after being approached by Prospect, allowing the union to speak to employees directly about union membership. Under the access agreement, Prospect, which represents over 160,000 UK workers including tech workers, will have access to Meta’s 5,000 staff in the UK. Under the agreement Prospect will be able to talk to staff about the benefits of trade union membership and the work of the union, with a view to recruiting more members. Prospect already has members at Meta, but this is the first time the union has formally reached an agreement with the employer read more

V&A staff set to strike on 25 and 26 September (18 Sept) – Prospect members at the V&A in South Kensington are to take strike action on the 25 and 26 of September in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The strike action is being coordinated with PCS members who are also striking on those days in a parallel dispute. Director of the V&A Tristram Hunt has continued to refuse to take part in any arbitration talks, and V&A has failed to come back with any revised offer read more

Strike to go ahead as Norwich Airport fails to come up with sufficiently improved offer (27 Aug) – Air traffic control staff working at Norwich Airport will press ahead with strike action on Friday (28 August) after Norwich Airport failed to come up with a sufficiently improved offer during negotiations. Prospect put the offer to members who rejected it comprehensively read more

Royal Museums Greenwich workers take strike action on day of the solar eclipse (13 Aug) – Royal Museums Greenwich workers were on the picket lines for two days of strike action this week, with members taking a stand at entrances across the organisation, including at the Royal Observatory 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   

PM must tackle outsourcing ‘scourge’, say unions (1 Sept) – Campaign launched by UNISON and the RMT aims to deliver promised ‘wave’ of insourcing read more

Tower Hamlets Union: East End Homes – Stop the Pensions Theft – EEH Pension Strike

No to Fire & Rehire

Strike Update:-

UNISON members working for EEH impacted by a plan by the Board and executive management to wreck their pension futures are taking strike action over July and August 2026. Disgracefully, the CEO, Daniel Killian has written to impacted staff to inform them that if they don’t consent to the detrimental contract change then EEH is prepared to use dismiss and re-engage (also known as fire and rehire) to impose it.

Read the leaflet for full information and how you can show solidarity with the strikers. Click EEH Pension Strike

Pupils miss out as support staff cover for teachers (21 Sept) – New UNISON report highlights that up to two thirds of teaching assistants cover classes for teachers in England read more

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust must listen to workers and ditch outsourcing plans, says UNISON (17 Sept) – Hundreds of staff at Musgrove Park Hospital and community hospitals across Somerset have been facing transfer from direct NHS employment to Simply Serve Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the trust. Workers will lobby Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s annual general meeting in Taunton today (Thursday) to demand it permanently abandons plans to outsource their jobs, says UNISON. Porters, housekeepers, maintenance workers, other NHS staff and union representatives will gather outside the trust’s AGM at Somerset County Cricket Club at 3pm. Hundreds of staff at Musgrove Park Hospital and community hospitals across Somerset had been facing transfer from direct NHS employment to Simply Serve Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the trust. The proposals were paused following pressure from workers and UNISON while the trust awaits further guidance from NHS England read more

School support staff deserve better, says UNISON (17 Sept)

Scrapping union recognition at University of Brighton will affect student experience, says UNISON (15 Sept) – University of Brighton makes unilateral decision to end 20 year recognition agreement with staff unions. The University of Brighton’s decision to scrap union recognition will put the quality of students’ university experience at risk, warns UNISON today (Tuesday). The university has told UNISON and the University and College Union it intends to terminate their recognition agreement. For 20 years, unions and the university have worked together on key issues including sick pay, maternity and parental leave, annual leave and flexible working. University staff held a protest at 1pm today at the University of Brighton’s City Campus on Grand Parade to oppose the decision read more

University of Essex staff to strike over job cuts (14 Sept) – Huge attack on jobs and services provokes walkout from professional services staff. Staff at the University of Essex will strike next week over plans to slash jobs and services, UNISON says today. It’s the first time admissions advisors, IT technicians, admin workers and other professional services staff have walked out over the proposals to cut 400 posts. They will strike for a day next Monday. The £24 million cuts, which have already forced the closure of Essex’s Southend campus, will hit the quality of students’ education and the support available to them, warns UNISON. Staff say they’ve been left with no choice but to strike after university leaders refused to properly engage with them or listen to suggestions to minimise job losses. The strike is timed to coincide with the university’s annual ‘court’ meeting on Monday, where the vice-chancellor attempts to highlight achievements over the past year read more

Plans to cut police staff at Humberside Police must be reconsidered (8 Sept) – Staff working in domestic-abuse teams, CCTV specialists and warrants officers are among those at risk read more

Islington Town Hall staff go on strike amid jobs row – Council workers ‘left with no alternative’ but to stage a walkout (21 Aug) – MP Jeremy Corbyn joins education and public health staff on the picket line after a proposed ‘reorganisation’ at the Town Hall. COUNCIL workers began industrial action yesterday (Thursday) – their union’s first strike at the Town Hall for almost 25 years. Education and public health staff on the picket line told the Tribune they had been left with “no alternative” but to walk out. The Labour-run council is proposing a “reorganisation” that would see all staff in specialist data-gathering teams working together in one department. Union bosses say the changes mean more work for the same pay and amount to a “lack of job security” for long-standing staff members who have been told to re-apply for their positions. There are also concerns that cuts are coming down the line with the council set to lose a huge chunk of funding over the coming years. Islington Unison rep Rachel Ivens, a data analyst in the education department at the Town Hall, said: “Effectively, what this restructuring means is just cuts, cuts and more cuts read more on Islington Tribune website

Strikes back on at four Greater Manchester hospitals after payment offer withdrawal, says UNISON (19 Aug) – Hundreds of NHS operating theatre staff at four hospitals in Greater Manchester will be back on strike for three days next week in a dispute about overtime payments, says UNISON today (Wednesday). More than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees, including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers, at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital in Bury, are walking out on Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 August. UNISON says an offer to resolve the dispute was initially tabled by NCA bosses but withdrawn before discussions could take place. The row centres on the trust’s use of an outside agency – NHS Professionals (NHSP) – to manage overtime. When covering staff shortages, staff are entitled to time-and-a-half pay. However, in some cases staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, with some missing out on more than £80 per shift, adds the union. Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines at all four sites in June read more. Send messages of support to [email protected]

Gloucestershire care workers announce strike action over transfer plans (7 Aug) – Reablement workers will take two weeks of strike action from Monday 17 August over plans to outsource their roles to a private company read more

NHS workers in Leeds to march on trust board in their campaign for fair pay (29 July) – The theatre assistants are currently on strike in their efforts to secure fair wages. Low-paid NHS workers in Leeds who play a key role in keeping patients safe during operations will lobby their health trust’s board as they step up their campaign for fair wages. Theatre assistants at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are currently paid at the lowest grade of their NHS pay scale. But the workers regularly carry out clinical tasks UNISON says should be paid at a higher rate. These include supporting clinical teams during operations, assisting with specialist surgical equipment and helping patients with recovery after surgery. The theatre assistants are currently on strike over fair pay and grading. It’s the latest in a series of walkouts, the first of which took place in December 2025 read more

Leeds Teaching Hospital – National appeal request (24 July) – The dispute has now reached a stage where maintaining an effective and visible presence on picket lines is essential. The branch request to launch an appeal will enable the purchase of flags, banners, placards, and other campaign merchandise to enhance the visibility and impact of the industrial action. These resources are vital in demonstrating solidarity, raising public awareness, and encouraging support for members taking action. Currently all resources that are being used belong to the region, it was initially envisaged that this would be a quick dispute but unfortunately this is not the case read more

Donation Appeal for members on strike at Ash Field Academy (9 July) – Members at Ash Field Academy are taking strike action in defence of their rep, Tom Barker who was suspended after members at the school voted to strike on a previous dispute. The employer has allowed an investigation to be elongated, failed to provide detailed allegations and sought to undermine the collective strength of the union.  The members did not choose this fight — it was forced upon them — and they are showing remarkable courage in standing up for what is right. There have been discontinuous strike since April 2026, with the next scheduled dates taking place 6th to 9th July 2026.

  • Donations can be made via BACS transfer to the following:-

Bank: Unity Trust

Account name: UNISON Leicester City Branch

Account Number: 20059879

Sort Code: 60−83−01

Reference: Ash Field Strike Funds

Sign petition to: Paul Stone, CEO, Discovery Schools Academy Trust

Stop union-busting: protect union reps! Reinstate Tom Barker!

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’

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 Statement – MLA Pay Rise (17 Sept) – Carmel Gates NIPSA General Secretary: NIPSA has criticised today’s announcement of a further increase in MLA salaries while there is still no agreed needs-based budget and public services face significant cuts. It is inexcusable that arrangements are being made for MLA pay in the next Assembly mandate when departments remain without a budget settlement and thousands of public sector workers are still waiting for their 2026 pay award. The proposal comes only months after MLAs received a 27% pay increase worth more than £14,000 a year. Meanwhile, health workers, education staff and civil servants continue to face uncertainty over funding, jobs, services and pay. NIPSA will continue to press for an agreed needs-based budget that delivers fair pay for the workers and protects public services read more

NIPSA Condemns DAERA Threat of Pay Deductions Against Veterinary Staff Engaged in Lawful Industrial Action (29 July) – NIPSA has condemned DAERA’s decision to threaten pay deductions against veterinary staff participating in lawful Action Short of Strike (ASOS), describing the move as an unnecessary escalation of the ongoing dispute. The union was responding to correspondence issued by the Department on 22 July 2026 indicating that staff participating in elements of the industrial action could face deductions of up to 25% of their daily pay read more

   

NEU

Teacher pay rise not at expense of support staff (17 Sept)

NEU secures from Government full funding for teacher pay offer (16 Sept)

Northern Ireland ballot results (2 Sept) – NEU teacher members have returned a strong yes vote to take part in industrial action in a dispute with the Department of Education following the failure to agree on the implementation action plan of the Independent Review of Teacher Workload read more

NEU snap poll confirms teachers are ready to take action on pay and funding (17 July) – In an online snap poll, conducted this week, teacher members of the National Education Union who work in maintained schools in England were asked their views of the government’s plan to only partially fund the pay offer of 3.5 per cent for 2026/27 and 3 per cent for 2027/28. NEU pressure to date has resulted in the government shifting ground, from an unfunded to partially funded pay offer, and to an offer of 6.5 per cent over two years rather than three. However, the government expects schools to find ‘efficiencies’ in their budgets to cover the remaining 1.1 per cent of the pay offer for 2026/27, which amounts to £460 million. Heads were informed of this on 1 July, leaving little time to plan budgets. A snap poll of NEU members, conducted this week, found strong support for action on pay and funding read more

Support the strikes:-

  Action  Date  Contact  Castle Education Schools (4 Schools) / South Gloucestershire (Workload and Working Conditions in CSET academies)
  21 September
  Elly Owen [email protected]    Cardinal Allen Catholic High School / Preston (Transfer of Employment, Failure to Consult) 21-22 September Ian Watkinson [email protected] Corpus Christi Catholic High School / Preston (Transfer of Employment, Failure to Consult) 21-22 September Ian Watkinson [email protected] High Street Primary / Vale of Glamorgan (Staff safety) 15-18
September
  Megan Quinn [email protected] Woodfield School / Brent
(Reduction to teaching assistant hours) 22-23 September
  Rhys Craven [email protected] Horncastle Education Trust Schools / Lincs (5 Schs) (Redundancies) 23-24 September Ken Rustidge [email protected]   Larmenier & Sacred Heart Primary/ Hammersmith & Fulham (Academisation) 21-23 September David Anderson [email protected]   Learning Partnership West / Bristol   (TURA, Contractual hours & breaks, pay scale & progression & safety) 21-25 September Tom Bolton [email protected] St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary / Liverpool (Transfer of Employer) 23-25 September Jack Roberts [email protected] Treehouse / Haringey (Workload, pay, TU recognition) 22-24 September Efe Kurtluoglu  [email protected] Woodfield School / Brent (Reduction to teaching assistant hours) 22-23 September Jennifer Cooper [email protected]

NASUWT

NI teachers to start industrial action over excessive workload (21 Sept) – Teachers in Northern Ireland will start a campaign of industrial action after the failure of negotiations to produce a satisfactory solution to long running concerns over excessive workload. NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Northern Ireland, has expressed profound disappointment following the conclusion of intensive negotiations on the implementation of the Independent Review of Teacher Workload recommendations, after management side failed to offer any meaningful period of calm in schools that would have given teachers and school leaders the time and space needed to plan for and implement agreed workload reductions. The Minister’s own Independent Review of Teacher Workload was unequivocal in its findings. It concluded that workload levels were unsustainable and were causing serious harm to teachers, the profession and the quality of education provided to young people across Northern Ireland. It sounded a clear alarm throughout the education system that urgent action was required read more

NASUWT welcomes signing of historic working time agreement (16 Sept) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union is delighted to announce the signing of the first Working Time Agreement in an independent school in Scotland at St Aloysius College in Glasgow. The Agreement, signed by NASUWT and sister teacher unions, uses and adapts the model familiar in state schools in Scotland, where local union representatives and school management negotiate and agree limits on some of the key drivers of workload in schools, such as the time committed to pupil reports and parents’ meetings read more

NASUWT responds to teachers’ pay reports (16 Sept)

NASUWT calls for new Employment Rights Bill (14 Sept) – At TUC Congress in Brighton, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has passed a motion calling for the strengthening of rights for all workers via a second Employment Rights Bill. The motion also calls for the immediate removal of both the 50% ballot threshold and any linkage between the removal of the threshold and the implementation of e-balloting. The motion follows repeated moves by the government to dilute and diminish the originally proposed Act read more

Teachers send united message as they vote for industrial action (2 Sept) – Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action, following the Department of Education’s sustained failure to deliver a credible implementation plan for the 27 recommendations of the Independent Review of Workload. 92.04% of members voted in support of strike action, with 98.63% voting in support of action short of strike action. Turnout was 54.89% read more

   

EIS   

Lecturers to Escalate Strike Action at Glasgow Caledonian University as ACAS Talks Fail to Reach a Resolution (17 Sept) – Members of the EIS ULA at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) will escalate their strike action, seeking to protect members from compulsory redundancy after ACAS talks failed to reach a suitable dispute resolution. Starting on Monday 21st September, staff will take 14 days of strike action over a four week period to protect jobs and the educational provision at GCU. The EIS, alongside other recognised trade unions at the university, suspended its industrial action on the lead up to the ACAS discussions in the hope of achieving a no compulsory redundancy guarantee for staff and to work with management on ways to avoid redundancies and look at future workforce planning. However, GCU management representatives refused to remove the threat of compulsory redundancies during the talks, leaving trade unions with no other choice but to move ahead with their planned industrial action. The dispute concerns university management’s proposals to continue cutting staff jobs and its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies, despite the University holding £95M of cash reserves. Four days of strike action have already been taken by EIS members across June, July and August in opposition to management’s redundancy plans. Over the coming weeks, the EIS ULA will take action alongside colleagues from the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison read more

EIS and STUC Jointly call on First Minister to Intervene in City of Glasgow College Dispute (28 Aug) – The EIS and STUC have written to First Minister John Swinney, urging the Scottish Government to intervene to help facilitate a resolution to the long-running Health and Safety Dispute at City of Glasgow College (CoGC). EIS members within the Welding and Fabrication Department at CoGC have been engaged in a programme of strike action since March, as they seek vital improvements to protections for staff and students undertaking hazardous welding activities in the college read more

INTO

Nearly 100% of INTO members back industrial action (18 Sept) – Primary teachers to begin work to rule on 5 October. Exactly 80 days after the expiry of the previous public service pay agreement, the INTO’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) has announced that its 48,000+ members in the Republic of Ireland will begin work to rule on Monday, 5 October. Members in the union’s 155 branches who voted have strongly endorsed a campaign of action – up to and including strike action – to secure a credible pay settlement for the second half of 2026 and beyond. The union said that the notable turnout of 57.5% of INTO members and the result – 99.5% of those who voted being in support of action – indicates how angry teachers are at the continued disregard shown to them by Government. The massive support for a yes vote far exceeds the 2/3 majority required to proceed with action read more

INTO Workload Negotiations Update (5 Sept) – We know that members are frustrated and anxious for clarity about the next steps in our industrial action, and we want to update you following intensive negotiations this week. We have been clear throughout: any agreement must deliver meaningful, enforceable and lasting reductions in workload for all our members. We will not settle for promises that do not deliver real change in schools. Members gave us a very strong mandate for industrial action, and we remain fully prepared and are ready to act on that mandate. In the last few days, however, negotiations have accelerated considerably. What is currently on the table, and agreed in principle with the Management Side, genuinely has the potential to be the most significant improvement to teachers’ workload arrangements in Northern Ireland since the Jordanstown Agreement. There remain some technical issues, including finalising documentation, which are being addressed as a matter of urgency.  We remain committed to constructive engagement and hope that these outstanding matters can be resolved quickly, thereby avoiding the need for industrial action. At this point, should an agreement not be secured, the last date that Industrial Action can start is the 28 September 2026 read more

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Ballot Result on Workload (1 Sept) – Outcome of the Ballot on the Lack of Progress in Implementing the Independent Review of Teacher Workload Recommendations. On 10 June 2026, INTO balloted members on Industrial Action based on the failure of the Department of Education to resolve issues around the implementation action plan in relation to the 27 recommendations of the Independent Review panel.

The postal ballot closed on 1 September 2026. The result of the postal ballot are as follows:-

  • Turnout – 46%
  • Industrial Action Short of Strike – 99%
  • Strike Action – 91%

Members have voted resoundingly for industrial action read more

Public service unions to prepare strike ballots as no basis for pay talks is established (3 July) – The INTO’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) will meet next week to discuss a decision taken by the ICTU Public Services Committee on 3 July. The Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) today confirmed that its 19 affiliated unions – including the INTO – will convene their national executive bodies to prepare for potential industrial action ballots, following the failure to establish a basis for talks on a new public service pay agreement read more

UCU     

UCU Stop the Cuts campaign  

Sign petition against the education cuts 

Dundee University staff begin five-week strike (21 Sept) – UCU members at the University of Dundee today begin a five-week strike in the almost two-year long dispute over cuts and compulsory redundancies. Staff at the university will strike each weekday from Monday 21 September until Friday 23 October over the first five weeks of the new academic year in a bid to prevent compulsory redundancies. They will also be taking part in action short of strike like not undertaking voluntary activities or covering for absent colleagues and which could also see a marking and assessment boycott at the university. The ballot authorising strike action was passed earlier in the summer when 79% backed strike action read more

Five-week strike at Edinburgh University at start of new academic term (17 Sept) – Members of UCU Scotland at Edinburgh University will strike for 25 days over five weeks from 28 September in a long running dispute over £140m cuts and 1,800 job losses. Staff at Edinburgh have already taken multiple days of strike action and participated in a marking and assessment boycott because of the refusal of management to rule out compulsory redundancies. The action later this month will start on the 28 September and continue through to 30 October. The dispute centres on £140m cuts announced by the principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, in early 2025 and an estimated 1,800 job losses. The scale of cuts are the largest cut in staff seen in Scottish higher education and is happening at one of the wealthiest institutions in the country and which, earlier this year, confirmed that there was no deficit. Hundreds of staff have already lost their jobs through hidden redundancies including by fixed term contacts not being renewed as would normally happen and hourly-paid staff having their hours reduced. Despite 18 months of campaigning and industrial pressure, including three ballots and strikes, the threat to jobs and student education remains while staff continue to face increased workloads because of ongoing restructures. UCU members voted to undertake the five-week strike earlier in the summer. Since then the union has been pressing senior management to make a serious proposal that could avoid the strike. The union has called for management to commit to no compulsory redundancies; to address hidden redundancies and workloads; engage in meaningful negotiation to avoid redundancies; and to reconsider the balance between staff and non-staff cuts read more

UCU welcomes pay and workload victory at Bournemouth and Poole College (17 Sept) – UCU has this week welcomed pay rises and better working conditions at Bournemouth and Poole College following formal acceptance of a new workload agreement by branch members at the college earlier in the month read more

UCU Glasgow branch demonstration over withdrawal of contract extensions for Graduate Teaching Assistants and Associate Tutors (16 Sept) – Cuts made as management launch new strategy and confirm no deficit. Postgraduate researchers (PGRs) at Glasgow University on Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Associate Tutor (AT) contracts in the College of Social Sciences face financial precarity after contract extensions cancelled and jobs cut from the teaching budget read more

UCU condemns University of Brighton derecognition plans (15 Sept) – UCU has today condemned plans by the University of Brighton to derecognise UCU on campus. The university told UCU’s Brighton branch yesterday, that from June next year it would terminate its current recognition agreement and all collective agreements, effectually ripping up contracts that have been negotiated over recent years. The union said this could mean full union derecognition and worsening terms and conditions for staff read more

Heriot-Watt University staff stage two-day strike (14 Sept) – Members of UCU at Heriot-Watt University will today take the first of two-day’s strike action over cuts and compulsory redundancies. Last month, members of the union voted to back strike action by 70% and the strike today and tomorrow is the first strike action to take place under the new 12-month mandate. The dispute centres on job losses at the university’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies and Scholar programme. There had previously been an agreement reached in June, which committed the university to no compulsory redundancies at the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies (LINCS) before Spring next year, but the union said that management are failing to honour that commitment and are actively progressing plans that could involve compulsory redundancies in both LINCS and in the long-running Scholar programme which delivers web-based learning to schools across Scotland. Staff there are facing compulsory redundancy despite more staff having applied for voluntary redundancy than the target set by management. Since the dispute began back in March, staff have been on strike for twelve days. This week’s strike means that, overall, almost three weeks of work has been disrupted. As well as strike action, staff have also been participating in action short of strike such as working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues and future action short of strike could also involve a marking and assessment boycott read more

University of Birmingham staff to consider strike ballot over redundancies that fall entirely on minority ethnic staff (11 Sept) – Staff at the University of Birmingham will meet next week to consider potential strike action in a battle against redundancies, UCU said today. The dispute is over plans by the university to make five translation and interpreting staff redundant, all of whom are from a migrant or minority ethnic background. In February, the university announced its Silver Race Equality Charter award, an Advance HE accreditation recognising ‘significant and sustained progress in advancing race equality’, which the vice-chancellor welcomed in a message to all staff read more

University of Exeter staff back industrial action in redundancy fight (9 Sept) – Staff at the University of Exeter have overwhelmingly backed a mandate for industrial action in a battle to save jobs, UCU announced today. In a ballot that closed today, 91% of UCU members voted in favour of potential further industrial action on a turnout of 74%. The branch will meet on Thursday 10 September to decide on next steps. The dispute is over proposed cuts, which put 500 research and teaching staff, including more than eight in 10 academics in the faculty of humanities, arts and social sciences, at risk of redundancy, originally threatening 200 compulsory job losses. A coordinated campaign involving petitions and a vote of no confidence has forced the university to pull compulsory redundancy plans and move towards agreements on talks on a renewed workload model and greater financial scrutiny. But members have voted to continue to hold management to account, particularly over ballooning workloads and sky-high executive pay. The union said that despite some wins, including ending the threat of compulsory job cuts, the fight will continue to protect the university from any further cuts or redundancies. The loss of valued colleagues through so-called voluntary redundancy and the knock-on impacts on staff workloads and student experience have been ignored by an out-of-touch senior management read more

University of Cumbria staff face ‘fire and rehire’ over pensions (7 Sept) – The University and College Union (UCU) has warned that University of Cumbria staff could face the threat of ‘fire and rehire’ as the university begins a process to remove workers from the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and move them into a significantly less secure pension arrangement. The university told affected staff in August that they had until Monday 7 September to sign a new contract which would end their membership of the LGPS and move them into a defined contribution pension scheme run by Scottish Widows. Staff who agree to move to the new scheme will receive £8,000 in ‘compensation’. Those who do not agree to the change face the prospect of having their existing contracts terminated and being offered new contracts on worse terms. The university is due to begin this process on Tuesday 8 September. UCU has strongly opposed the proposed changes, warning that staff who have spent years building up their pension through the LGPS should not be forced into a less secure retirement. The union has also raised concerns about the impact of the proposals on staff who have given long service to the university read more

University of Sheffield vice chancellor given vote of no confidence by staff (21 Aug) – The University and College Union (UCU) has today called on the vice chancellor of the University of Sheffield to resign after staff delivered an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the university’s executive board and council. Over 1,900 staff and PGRs at the university took part in the vote, with over 1,600 voting in favour of the motion. Members’ jobs continue to be at risk leaving staff constantly stressed, with high workloads, increased pressure due to job insecurity and in danger of burn out. Members are involved in an ongoing dispute over job cuts, restructures and management’s decision to withhold staff pay, not just during recent strike action, but once they returned to the workplace to pressure them to make up teaching lost to the strike. Management has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies and at risk letters have been sent out to staff in the department of East Asian Studies, with at least four more departments also set for cuts. More than 500 staff have lost their jobs at the university through ‘voluntary severance’ since this round of restructuring began in November 2024. The vote of no confidence follows the formal censure of the university by the academic community for its continued attack on staff read more

University of Nottingham staff to strike as Council decides future of jobs (21 Aug) – Staff at the University of Nottingham will strike on 30th September and 1st October, as the university’s governing Council meets to decide the final Future Nottingham Phase 2 (FN2) restructuring plans. The two-day strike will be followed by sustained strike action from 5th October to 11th December, alongside action short of strike. The action comes as both UCU and UNISON have passed votes of no confidence in University Council over its handling of FN2. Council is the university’s governing body – effectively its board of trustees. It has ultimate responsibility for the University’s finances and strategy and, crucially, for holding senior management to account. The unions argue that Council has failed to do so. Council rubber stamped the draft FN2 business case despite overwhelming opposition from Senate, the University’s principal academic body, and despite serious concerns about the evidence underpinning the university’s disastrous proposals that could result in compulsory redundancies and the loss of entire areas of teaching and research. UCU argues that there is now no financial justification for compulsory redundancies. Undergraduate recruitment has been strong, applications for voluntary redundancy have increased substantially, staff have submitted extensive alternative proposals capable of delivering further savings and the university itself is saying it now has a surplus. Yet the University has still not ruled out compulsory redundancies. UCU has deliberately called the first strike days to coincide with the Council meeting at which the final business case will be considered read more

University of Sussex staff vote to strike in redundancy fight (14 Aug) – Staff at the University of Sussex have overwhelmingly backed strike action in a battle to save jobs. In a ballot that closed yesterday 81% of UCU members voted in favour of strike action on a turnout of 70%. The vote is over management’s threat to cut 200 jobs in plans to save £35m a year. Sussex UCU has put forward proposals to protect jobs and student provision, including allowing staff to volunteer to move part-time and working to bring down the pay of senior management, alongside campaigning to lobby policymakers to invest in the future of higher education. Management is now considering the union’s feedback but has already agreed to extend timelines and to consult with staff over voluntarily moving to part time read more

Glasgow Caledonian University strike today over jobs (4 Aug) – Members of UCU at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) today are striking today over job cuts and the threat of possible compulsory redundancies. Today’s strike follows on from two days of well supported strike action earlier in the summer and follows a ballot where members supported strike action by 79% with a turnout of 69%. Members are also taking part in action short of strike by working to contract, not undertaking voluntary duties or covering for absent colleagues. Striking staff will be on picket lines at GCU as they attempt to save jobs at the university. The strike is over proposals, announced in March, by senior managers to cut up to 100 posts despite the university not being in deficit, holding healthy cash reserves and having a lean staff to student ratio compared to many other universities. While the university sector across Scotland is facing challenges the union said that GCU was in a very strong financial position read more

Graduation chaos at London South Bank as marking boycott & strikes hit exams (13 July) – Staff at London South Bank University (LSBU) began a marking and assessment boycott today and will strike during the crucial exam resit week, from Monday 20 to Friday 24 July. UCU members are taking the action in a fight against fire and rehire tactics being used by university bosses to bypass collective bargaining. The boycott, which will hit graduations, covers all marking and assessment, including online and in-person. It also covers assessment-related work such as exam invigilation and the administrative processing of marks. Likewise, the strike will impact students’ ability to resit exams. LSBU management plans to terminate the contracts of all academic members of staff and pit them against each other in a sham redundancy selection process. It then wants to rehire them onto two separate tracks, ‘teaching and research’ (‘T&R’) and ‘teaching and scholarship’ (T&S), and intends to increase working time without any corresponding pay rise. All new T&S staff would be employed through a sham company to deny them access to the industry standard Teachers’ Pension Scheme and leave them outside the national pay framework. UCU believes the cuts will seriously impact the university’s nursing and midwifery provision, which would have knock-on effects on nursing throughout London’s hospitals. LSBU educates one in four of the city’s nurses. UCU has called on university management to urgently get round the negotiating table and work to resolve the dispute so students can graduate. Last week, politicians wrote to university regulator the Office for Students over the unprecedented scale of the cuts and staff have also unanimously backed a motion of no confidence in the vice-chancellor read more

Lincoln Uni strike ballot looms as over 140 staff put at risk (3 July) – The University of Lincoln has put more than 140 staff at risk of redundancy and could axe them as soon as next month. The union said it will be forced to launch a strike ballot if management continues with the plans, which would see more than 34 staff go across the schools of humanities and heritage, engineering and physical sciences, social and political sciences, chemistry, geography, and design and architecture, as well as the Lincoln international business school. Management says the cuts are needed to match student demand, but they come after staff overwhelmingly backed a no confidence vote against the vice-chancellor and senior leadership team over their poor leadership of the university, including more than one in three staff leaving over recent redundancy rounds and damaging the quality of teaching and research read more

Indefinite strike action to begin Monday 8 June over Goldsmiths lockout (29 May) – Staff will commence an indefinite strike on Monday 8 June at Goldsmiths, University of London. The union said the imposition of 100% pay deductions for participation in action short of strike is an effective lockout, and staff will refuse to work because management refuses to pay them. UCU began a marking boycott, as part of its action short of strike, on Monday 27 April, refusing to mark all work and assessments in a fight to protect jobs. Management responded by threatening to dock 100% of pay even if staff continue to complete all their other duties, including teaching, research and recruitment. The employer confirmed its intention to dock pay from Friday 22 May, ahead of a bank holiday weekend, and UCU has now responded by giving notice for indefinite strike action beginning Monday 8 June. Worryingly, university management has also reportedly issued an ultimatum to students, threatening to ban them from campus for protesting in solidarity with staff. Currently 269 professional services staff and academics are in scope of redundancy, more than one in five of the 1,230 strong workforce. Further academic staff cuts are also slated to start from September. This is the third round of redundancies at Goldsmiths in the last five years, and these cuts are going ahead despite close to £24m being saved in the two previous rounds read more

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

     

GMB  

More than 600,000 council workers lost (16 Sept) – More than 600,000 council workers have been lost in England and Wales since 2012, official figures show. According to the Office of National Statistics, fourteen years ago there were 1,886,584 people employed by local authorities. By 2026, the number had plunged to 1,282,853, a drop of more than 603,000 – more than 30 per cent of the total headcount. The East Midlands was the worst hit region, losing 66,000 jobs equating to more than 40 per cent of all workers. The figures emerge as GMB delegates discuss cuts to local authority budgets at TUC’s annual congress in Brighton this week read more

School support staff pensions raided for teachers’ wage rise (17 Sept)

Goose Fair tram disruption looms (16 Sept) – Nottingham’s tram workers have had enough of low pay and disrespect, says GMB. GMB Union has today announced that workers on Nottingham’s tram network have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. Strike action will coincide with Nottingham’s annual Goose Fair, due to take place later this month. Around 200 workers are expected to join strike action, across the network’s drivers, ticket office staff and maintenance teams. 88% of workers across the network backed strike action, with strike dates set to start from Saturday 26 September 2026 read more

Thurrock Council reverses caretaker downgrading plans after strike threat (16 Sept) – Thurrock Council has scrapped plans to downgrade caretaker roles after staff voted to take industrial action. Caretakers, who clean and maintain properties across the council’s housing estate, faced a downgrading of their roles which could have seen their salaries slashed by £2000 a year on average. The workers, who are members of the GMB Union, voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action over the plans and would have started their walk out on 29 September. GMB has now called off the strike read more

Thurrock Council caretakers vote for strike action (14 Sept)

500 million bricks lie unused as factory mothballed (14 Sept) – A whopping 500 million bricks, enough to build 50,000 homes, sit unused – as the UK’s largest brick maker mothballs a West Midlands plant, GMB reveals today [Monday]. The bricks, which are enough to build two Kidderminsters, are stacked up at depots across the country. Meanwhile Wienerberger has announced plans to close their Hartlebury plant in the West Midlands. Just two years ago, the Government promised 1.5 million new homes by the end of the decade, with current projections showing this target is likely to be missed by hundreds of thousands. Workers from the industry will today [Monday] address the Trade Union Congress in Brighton, warning that unless the Government comes good on its housebuilding promises, more jobs will be put at risk read more

Water debate must conclude time right for nationalisation (14 Sept) – A Parliamentary debate on the water industry today [Monday] must conclude the time is right for nationalisation, GMB Union has said read more

Almost 1 in 4 school staff work in asbestos buildings (14 Sept) – Almost a quarter of school staff work in buildings with asbestos, a shocking new survey has revealed. GMB Union polled more than 4,500 school support staff in September 2026, including teaching assistants, catering staff, caretakers and admin workers. More than a quarter (23 per cent) said they worked in schools which had problems with asbestos read more

Amazon and Apple furniture factory facing strike over pay (11 Sept) – GMB members at Herman Miller’s factory in Melksham, Wiltshire will be taking strike action over pay. The members will walk out on Thursday 24 September, having rejected three pay offers so far. The company makes office furniture (chairs, desks, lighting and office accessories) as well as home furnishings, with some pieces costing several thousand pounds. Furniture production will be affected, including to their high-profile customers including Amazon and Apple read more

GMB Launches Octopus recognition bid (10 Sept) – GMB Union has launched a formal recognition bid at Octopus Energy. The union has today [Thursday] written to the company’s founder Greg Jackson requesting ‘voluntary recognition for the purpose of collective bargaining’. GMB has hundreds of members across Octopus’s Manchester and Brighton sites and has called on the company to react constructively and ‘avoid the need to pursue statutory recognition through the Central Arbitration Committee’ (CAC). The CAC is the independent body which can force a company to recognise a union if sufficient numbers of the workforce are engaged. Octopus energy last year overtook British Gas as the UK’s largest domestic energy supplier but boss Mr Jackson has previously claimed unions are not needed at the company read more

Belfast Airbus workers to vote on strike (26 Aug) – GMB members will be balloted on strike action following a dispute over pay. Airbus employs nearly 1600 workers in Belfast. They produce the wings and the mid-fuselage for the A220 aircraft. The most recent pay offer from the company was rejected by over 90 per cent of members. The strike ballot opens on 2 September and closes on 30 September. Members of Unite the Union will also be balloted on strike action for the same reason read more

Thanet refuse collectors in industrial action vote (24 Aug) – More than 50 Thanet refuse collectors will begin an industrial action ballot over management failures. GMB members say they have had enough of bearing the brunt of the public’s frustrations and the councillors’ excuses over the state of refuse collection in the district. GMB has written to the council to raise a collective grievance over members concerns. The indicative industrial action ballot ends on 4 September and, if successful, the next stage could be a full strike ballot read more

North Somerset faces bin strike (21 Aug) – North Somerset faces bin chaos after more than 100 GMB members at North Somerset Environment Company (NSEC) voted for strike action. A majority of 95 per cent voted to walk out over a deal which would leave them paid up to £4 per hour less than other refuse collectors in the region. GMB will now meet with reps to decide on strike dates read more

Strike at UK’s only uranium enrichment plant (19 Aug) – GMB Union members at Urenco, in Cheshire, have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay. More than 80 per cent of GMB members, the largest union at the Capenhurst enrichment site, have voted to take strike action. The ballot opened on 21 July 2026 and closed today, following protracted pay negotiations that began at the end of 2025. Union members are demanding a pay rise of at least 4.5 per cent, in line with RPI in September 2025. They have received a pay settlement based on this figure for nearly a decade, but the company have only offered 4.1 per cent as a final offer read more

Almost 600 Coastguards sign vote of no confidence in MCA chief (13 Aug) – Almost 600 Coastguards have called for a vote of no confidence in the chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). GMB Union wrote to the MCA chair Lord Stevens in July to ‘formally express our lack of confidence in the leadership of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency under Chief Executive Virginia McVea’. Since then, 580 Coastguards across the UK have signed up to the no confidence vote. Lord Stevens has thus far not responded to GMB and the union has now written a further letter to ‘formally escalate the concerns previously raised’. Coastguards are calling for an expression of no confidence, and independent review into leadership culture, the chance to submit evidence to the review and a clear timetable for responding to concerns raised read more

Gardeners at Royal Parks begin vote on strike action (29 July) – Dozens of gardeners working at The Royal Parks are today voting in a strike ballot organised by their union, GMB, following a row over pay. The workers, who are employed by sub-contractor Idverde, look after some of London’s most prestigious parks including Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, Hyde Park, and Brompton Cemetery. The dispute arose after skilled gardeners and team leaders were offered a pay rise amounting to just 70p an hour. Such a small rise in pay will see a significant narrowing of the gap between these senior workers and those on London Living Wage (LLW), suggesting that Idverde is treating LLW as a ceiling rather than a floor. GMB members have already indicated their willingness to take strike action after voting in 85 per cent in favour in a consultative ballot. The ballot closes on Friday 14 August read more

Royal College of Nursing     

Nurse shortage far worse than first thought, RCN analysis shows (22 Sept) – Patients suffer as nursing is consistently deprioritised against other staff groups 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

Win for RCM Barnsley members! Trust drops proposed break changes and fire and rehire threat after long-running dispute (15 Sept) – RCM members in Barnsley have secured an important win following a long-running dispute over proposed changes to break arrangements which would have increased the number of hours worked a month. Following months of negotiations, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has dropped plans for a one-hour unpaid break and removed the threat of dismissal and re-engagement – also known as fire and rehire. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been put in place to support staff to take their breaks, with the Trust committing to monitoring how this works in practice. The RCM has now negotiated a final proposal of a 45-minute unpaid break for all staff working in maternity services, which a majority of members have voted to accept. It follows more than a year of discussions between the RCM and the Trust after proposals to change break arrangements were first announced in April 2025. RCM members had raised concerns about the changes, particularly because many were already struggling to take their existing 30-minute unpaid break due to pressures in maternity services. It was also raised that if the one-hour breaks went ahead, members would be working an additional seven hours a month. When the Trust later began a process which could have seen staff who had not agreed to the changes fired and rehired on new terms, the RCM pushed back. More than 80 members supported a collective grievance and, in a consultation earlier this year, the majority of those who responded said they would be prepared to be balloted for industrial action. The RCM continued negotiations with the trust, calling for the fire and rehire process to be stopped and for members’ concerns about being able to take their breaks to be addressed read more

RCM urges Health Secretary to restart NHS pay talks or risk losing more midwives (11 Sept) – The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is today calling on the Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to urgently resume stalled talks on reforming the NHS pay structure. The trade union says every month of delay is pushing more midwives and maternity support workers out of the profession, at a time when services can least afford to lose them. The RCM is one of 14 health unions, representing more than 1.2 million NHS staff, who together say reform has stalled following the rapid departure of two health secretaries in succession. In April, ministers imposed a 3.3% pay increase for staff on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scale, following a pay review body recommendation. That came with a promise to fix longstanding problems with an ageing pay structure and to backdate any improvements to April. Five months on, nothing has changed. The RCM says the gap between doctors’ pay and AfC pay has widened sharply in recent years, leaving midwives and MSWs feeling like second-class members of the same NHS team read more

RCM vows to keep safe staffing on the agenda after securing Commons vote (9 Sept) – The Royal College of Midwives has vowed to keep pushing for safe staffing to be at the heart of maternity reform, after MPs voted against proposals that would have put new maternity safe staffing requirements in law. The vote follows months of RCM campaigning to get maternity safe staffing higher up on the political agenda. Getting MPs to debate and vote on safe staffing in the House of Commons is an important step in the campaign, and one the RCM will build on as the legislation moves through Parliament read more

BMA

Consultants prepare to seek strike mandate (9 Sept) – Senior doctors in Scotland eye industrial action after government reneges on pay pledge. Consultants in Scotland have moved a step closer to strike action while warning that the Scottish Government is relying on a ‘sticking-plaster’ approach to keeping NHS services safe. The BMA Scottish consultants committee is preparing to ballot members on whether to walk out – if they vote in favour, it will be the first time Scottish doctors have gone on strike read more

Consultants demand talks following mandate to strike (7 July) – SAS doctors fall short of turnout threshold but vow to continue struggle for better remuneration read more

FBU   

FBU claims victory after Kent County Council reject all fire service cuts proposals (6 Aug) – The Fire Brigades Union has credited Kent firefighters and the local community for forcing the Fire Authority to back down on proposed cuts to the fire service. Following a mass campaign by Kent FBU, the union has delivered a vital win and saved fire stations from closure, kept fire engines available, and saved firefighters’ jobs. In a crunch Fire Authority meeting, the proposals were overwhelmingly rejected 17-2. Kent Fire and Rescue Service had originally proposed 63 firefighter posts be cut along with the removal of six fire engines and earmarked five fire stations for closure read more

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

POA     

General Secretary update read more

National Chair update Aug 2026 read here  

NEC minutes Aug 2026 read more

Resuming talks on NHS pay structure is essential to stop staff disillusion, say health unions (18 Sept) – Health Secretary Yvette Cooper must take care of ‘unfinished business’ and conclude Government talks to fix deep-seated problems with NHS pay structure, unions say today (Friday). Fourteen unions representing more than 1.2m health workers are urging her to make up for lost momentum following the departure of her predecessors Wes Streeting and James Murray in quick succession, causing progress to stall. In April this year, Ministers imposed a 3.3% pay increase for staff on the NHS’ Agenda for Change (AfC) salary scale following a Pay Review Body recommendation. But that came with a promise to tackle problems with the increasingly outdated wage structure and backdate any improvements in pay to April. That commitment came on the back of previous assurances from Labour dating back to when it first came to powerread more

Justice unions write to pm with call for Royal Commission amid fears of a “total breakdown of law and order” (17 Sept) – The Leaders of trade unions, Royal Colleges and staff associations representing workers in Prisons and the wider Criminal Justice System have written to the Prime Minister calling for a Royal Commission into the failing Criminal Justice System. In a Joint Statement they say: “That years of underinvestment, organisational failures and an obsession with outsourcing have left Prisons, Probation, Police and Courts in crisis, unable to perform the core functions of the state needed to reduce crime and keep the public safe.” Read more

Right to Strike Campaign – contact your MP (6 Aug) – POA Circular 33/2026 requested membership assistance, regarding contacting MPs about the Right to Strike. To date 71 Members of Parliament have responded to members’ letters, in both a positive and negative way. These responses have been posted on our social media and have been noted in the ‘corridors of power’ at Westminster read more

POA calls for trade union solidarity as Guernsey prison officers continue industrial action (29 July) – The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) has expressed its full support and solidarity with Prison Officers at Les Nicolles Prison in Guernsey who are currently undertaking industrial action in response to long-standing concerns over pay, staffing, recruitment, retention and increasing workplace pressures. The POA has become aware that retired Prison Officers are being actively recruited through a private agency to undertake temporary roles at Guernsey Prison during the ongoing dispute. The Union believes these appointments are intended to provide operational cover while Prison Officers are engaged in lawful industrial action. The POA is calling on retired Prison Officers not to apply for, accept or facilitate temporary appointments which would undermine the legitimate industrial action being taken by their colleagues read more

NAPO

Press Release: 90.76% of Napo members back strike action as probation workloads crisis deepens (11 Aug) – Napo members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential industrial action over workloads, with 90.76% backing action and warning government that probation staff are at breaking point, putting public safety at risk. Thousands took part in the indicative ballot amid chronic staff shortages, excessive workloads, burnout and reliance on overtime to keep the service running. The result should come as a blow to government as it prepares to expand early release from prison and implement Sentencing Act changes, increasing the number of people managed in the community while probation is already struggling to cope read more

BFAWU     

Post Conference Foodworker 2026 read more

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

Nautilus International

“Red Duster” raised as seafarers honoured on Merchant Navy Day (3 Sept) – Nautilus has marked the UK’s annual Merchant Navy Day by joining commemorative events across the UK that raise the Red Ensign and honour those who have served at sea, past and present read more

4 September strike Boluda Towage Rotterdam – Employees of harbour towage service Boluda will stop work on Friday 4 September between 11.15 a.m. and 7.00 p.m. The members of the Nautilus International trade union, together with FNV Havens, are campaigning against the government’s austerity plans on social security read more

BALPA

British Airline Pilots’ Association comment on accident at Miami International Airport (8 Sept) – BALPA sends condolences to those affected by the accident involving 21 Air Flight CSB7598 at Miami International Airport on 6 September. Our thoughts are with the victims and those who lost loved ones in this tragic event read more

NUJ   

NUJ to mark Martin O’Hagan anniversary: 25 Years Demanding Justice (21 Sept) – Next Monday, 28 September, marks the 25th anniversary of the murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan read more

Scientific community backs workers at The Lancet going on strike (21 Sept) – More than 120 members of the scientific community around the world have signed an open letter expressing solidarity with workers at The Lancet as they prepare to take strike action read more

Workers to strike for first time in The Lancet’s 200-year history (17 Sept) – NUJ members working at The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, are set to go on strike next week following a long-running dispute over pay. The strike action will take place for one day on Tuesday 22 September outside The Lancet’s London office – the first time a walkout has been staged by staff in the publication’s 200-year history. Workers at The Lancet Group, comprising 29 monthly specialty titles as well as the weekly journal, are already holding action short of a strike this week and will do so again from 23 to 30 September read more

NUJ calls for rethink on closure of Galway Beo and Reach redundancies (17 Sept) – The National Union of Journalists has called for Reach to reconsider its proposal to close Galway Beo and has said the company needs to look again at its proposals to make approximately a dozen journalists redundant across Ireland read more

Reach’s relentless redundancies an “act of self-sabotage”, says NUJ (16 Sept) – The NUJ has condemned plans by Reach plc – the UK and Ireland’s largest commercial publisher – to slash hundreds of jobs read more

Tunisia: NUJ joins global calls for immediate release of journalist Mohamed El Yousfi (10 Sept) – The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) in calling for the immediate release of journalist Mohamed El Yousfi read more

Equity

Equity Scotland first! Five-day rehearsal weeks agreed with National Theatre of Scotland (21 Sept) – Liam Sinclair,  Executive Director/Joint CEO of National Theatre of Scotland, and Marlene Curran, Equity Scotland Official, sign the new agreement. Equity has secured the first commitment to a five-day rehearsal week in Scotland for performers and stage management, alongside other improvements for work-life balance agreed with the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) read more

Equity raises concerns over Welsh Gender Service pause (18 Sept) – Union seeks clarification about process and raises concerns of pause impact on working people waiting for treatment read more

‘Save the Arts’, Stormont told (9 Sept) – “The future of the arts in Northern Ireland could be so bright.” On Tuesday 8 September, over 100 creatives from across Northern Ireland came together to deliver a letter of No Confidence in Communities Minister Gordon Lyons at Stormont in a day of action organised by Equity. The colourful and noisy protest outside Northern Ireland’s Parliament buildings preceded mass meetings with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), after which dozens of creatives sat in the public gallery to hear Minister Lyons be grilled on the lack of an arts policy and underfunding of the arts read more

Musicians Union

Right to Work Changes and Deputies: MU Seeking Urgent Legal Clarification (18 Sept) – Concerns have been raised about how new Right to Work requirements could affect musicians who arrange deputies or substitutes to perform on their behalf. The MU is urgently investigating the implications and will provide further guidance as soon as possible read more

MU Reiterates Position on Freedom of Expression and Discrimination (16 Sept) – In light of recent cases in which artists have had performances cancelled after expressing personal political views, the MU has reiterated its position on freedom of expression, political speech and opposition to all forms of hate and discrimination read more

Join the MU at Birmingham’s Unity Rally (16 Sept) – On Sunday 4 October, the MU Midlands region will join more than 60 organisations, affiliated TUC trade unions, community groups and charities in Birmingham for a rally celebrating unity over division and hate. MU members are encouraged to join us on the day read more

Community

Voluntary recognition agreement signed with the NDCS (10 Sept) – We’re pleased to announce that the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) has signed a Voluntary Recognition Agreement with Community—an important step forward for staff engagement and workplace relations read more

UVW   

UVW seeks court injunction against Butlin’s over alleged union intimidation and blacklisting (17 Sept) – “Butlin’s management should be ashamed that they’re intimidating us into not exercising our fundamental right to join a union and organise together.” – Jamie, shift supervisor at Butlin’s Bognor Regis. UVW is seeking the first ever court injuction under blacklisting regulations against Butlin’s over concerns of union intimidation and blacklisting. This comes after 10 unionised security officers were subjected to investigations. These investigations follow collective grievances against a manager and during a live dispute over pay, working conditions and health and safety. UVW is seeking injunctive relief under Regulation 13 of the Blacklisting Regulations 2010 amid concerns that Butlin’s may have breached the Regulations by identifying and discriminating against workers because of their trade union activities. The dispute concerns security officers working at Butlin’s Bognor Regis resort. In the lead-up to industrial action, workers submitted two collective grievances concerning the conduct of a manager whose removal from managerial duties is one of the workers’ demands read more

The City of London belongs to the workers: cleaners take direct action and win (9 Sept) – Predominantly Latin American migrant cleaners for M & G, outsourced to Peartree Cleaning Services Ltd, rallied together to protest in direct action off Fenchurch Avenue in the City of London, demanding an end to disrespect, harassment, and overwork on Thursday, 28th of August.  For months, the cleaners, UVW members, reported suffering from a hostile workplace culture of bullying, harassment, intimidation, and overwork from management. One of the cleaners, Paulina, was shocked to find out she had been sacked by management as well. The cleaners tried every possible internal path to resolve the situation but felt compelled to act following the sacking of Paulina read more

IWGB

Final hearing in legal battle over GTA firings to begin this week (7 Sept) – Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto, will appear before Glasgow Employment Tribunal this week as the final hearing begins in its legal battle with the IWGB Union over the mass dismissal of 31 GTA VI workers in October last year. The IWGB alleges that the dismissals were unlawful both in the reasoning behind them and in the process used to carry them out. The union claims that Rockstar targeted workers because of their union involvement, compiled and used lists of their names for the purpose of discriminating against them – known as “blacklisting” – and then denied them basic procedural protections by refusing to follow a disciplinary process or provide right of appeal. Rockstar has said the employees were dismissed over messages posted in a private union Discord channel which it claims breached their confidentiality agreements. The union denies this and maintains that the dismissals were an attack on the workers’ union activity. The hearing will run from 10 September until 16 October, concluding just weeks before the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI on 19 November. The workers are seeking reinstatement or, failing that, compensation, as well as a finding from the tribunal that their dismissals were unfair. The hearing follows an interim ruling in which Rockstar attempted to have the blacklisting allegations removed from the union’s claim. The judge rejected the studio’s application, meaning Rockstar will now have to answer the blacklisting allegations in full at the final hearing read more

SIPTU (Ireland)   

Workplace Relations Commission funding cuts risk workers’ access to justice (18 Sept) – SIPTU representatives have warned that Government plans to reduce funding available to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) risk increasing delays and making it more difficult for workers to vindicate their employment rights. The proposed reduction forms part of a €466 million levy across Government Departments to meet spending pressures elsewhere, including in education read more

Unions launch ‘Turn Your Back on Genocide, Not Palestine’ action (17 Sept) – A coalition of trade unions, Palestinian solidarity groups and football supporters groups is calling on sports teams around the country to show their opposition to the sportswashing of genocide and solidarity with the Palestinian people by taking part in a short protest action at competitive games between 20th and 27th September read more

SIPTU backs RTÉ staff boycott of Israel fixtures and pledges support to other workers (11 Sept) – SIPTU representatives have welcomed reports that a refusal by RTÉ staff to play any role in the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches involving Ireland and Israel means that if the games go ahead, any RTÉ broadcast of them is likely to have no commentary, no panel or studio analysis read more

Trade unionists call for support for Affordable Ireland march on Saturday (17 Sept) – A coalition of trade unions has called on workers to support the Affordable Ireland march in Dublin this Saturday, demanding Government action on the cost-of-living and housing crises read more

SIPTU Local Authority and State Agency members to begin industrial action (16 Sept) – SIPTU members employed across the Local Authority and State Agency sectors will commence industrial action on 30th September in a dispute resulting from the failure of the Government to establish the basis for formal negotiations on a successor public service pay agreement. The Union has repeatedly sought meaningful engagement on arrangements to replace the current agreement and to address public service workers’ concerns regarding pay, living costs, recruitment, retention challenges and the future of public services. Despite these efforts, no satisfactory basis for formal talks has been established. From 30th September, SIPTU members across Local Authorities and State Agencies will commence industrial action, including work-to-rule action and the withdrawal of workplace goodwill arrangements. The action will involve members working strictly within their contractual obligations and withdrawing cooperation from a range of non-statutory initiatives and change programmes read more

SIPTU health workers to take industrial action in 30 hospitals on 30th September (10 Sept) – SIPTU Health Division members in 30 hospitals will take industrial action on 30th September as part of the Union’s campaign to force the Government to commence negotiations on a new public service pay agreement. This follows an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a ballot counted on 31st August in Liberty Hall, Dublin, and centres in Galway and Cork read more

  

Other news     

Lucas Plan 50th Anniversary Celebration – REGISTER HERE. AN IDEA WHOSE TIME MUST COME! A conference for trade union, left, green, peace, community activists and students and academics. Nov 21st 2026 at University Place, Manchester FREE – REGISTER NOW

Sign this petition: Protect the Residents of St James Estate in Southwark, South London – We, the undersigned, call on Southwark Council to take urgent action to protect residents of the St James Estate from eviction, excessive rent increases, and housing insecurity. More than 100 families, including many who were previously homeless or housing insecure, face eviction from a long-established community they have called home for up to 35 years, risking homelessness and placing further strain on overstretched housing services  St. James Tenants Association    Support us   read more on the website of Unite LE/1111 Housing Workers Branch

Motion passed by Unite RISC CYWNfP – Use or adapt for your union or political group

Timms Review: calls for Welsh govt. to back independent disability review – A powerful coalition of Welsh disability, carers’, and trade union organisations have today written to the Welsh Government asking ministers to lodge their “strongest possible grievance” with the UK Government over the Timms Review into the PIP disability benefit. The UK-wide review was announced in parliament late last year, with promises of “co-production” with disabled people, and a pledge of no further cuts until its conclusion. However, Welsh Disabled Peoples’ Organisations are adamant that co-production is not happening, with Welsh disabled people, they claim, treated with particular contempt. The intervention comes in the final week before the Senedd summer recess, after local authorities, including Swansea Council, admitted they have made “no provision” for impending disability cuts in their medium-term budgets. The groups have asked the new Welsh Government to deliver on its promise of providing practical assistance in achieving a “long standing demand” of “a genuine disability review, led independently and democratically by disabled people and our organisations, including our trade unions.”

  • The letter was coordinated by Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru (DPAC Cymru). Co-signatories include Disabled Peoples’ Organisations, unpaid Carers’ Organisations, and trade union organisations including the Social Workers Union, BFAWU, PCS Wales, TSSA Wales No 1. Branch, Unite Community Wales, the NSSN, and Welsh trades councils.
  • The letter to the Welsh Government, the full list of signatories, and a briefing, is available here: Non-Easy Read version  Easy Read version

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Or for anything else please email [email protected]

This May Day, Strike Map launched the Solidarity Fund. A simple to use permanent place, you can contribute to support striking workers 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 blacklisting & union victimisation

Statement from the Independent Blacklisting Collusion Inquiry legal team (31 July) read more

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: Mehmet Türkmen released but the fight for workers’ rights in Turkey continues – The release of Turkish trade union leader Mehmet Türkmen after 57 days in prison is a victory for workers, trade unionists, and all those who stood in solidarity against repression in Turkey. But his case has exposed something far deeper than the unjust imprisonment of one union organiser: it has shone an international spotlight on the deadly working conditions faced by textile workers in Gaziantep and the growing criminalisation of labour activism read more on the website of Solidarity with the People of Turkey

Germany: International solidarity against union busting – CWI member under attack for his defence of workers’ rights (19 June) – Cologne’s swimming pool operator, Köln-Bäder GmbH, a subsidiary of Cologne’s council’s municipal services provider, Stadtwerke-Köln GmbH, has filed a motion for the extraordinary termination of employment of works council member, Martin Löber. The reason given for this termination is alleged working-hour fraud. Experts from ver.di (the public sector union) who have reviewed the case have stated that this incident does not even warrant a discussion. Various claims made in the justification for the termination have been proven false, as evidence has already shown. There is a strong suspicion that the grounds for the termination have been fabricated. For Martin, the termination is yet another attempt by his employer to get rid of him. He has already been suspended twice during previous conflicts…Send letters of protest to Köln-Bäder GmbH at [email protected] with copies sent to [email protected]  read more

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]

Workers unity against the far-right

The far-right are again trying to whip up racist division by scapegoating refugees and migrants. The NSSN calls for the unions to play a leading role in opposing this offensive, which will only weaken our movement in the interests of the 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

   

   

Diary      

  

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