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NSSN 777: Burnham takes over at No.10 – Sign up to the NSSN Action Programme to defend workers from cost of living crisis

  • NSSN lobby of the TUC Congress in Brighton from 1pm on Sunday 13th September, in the Holiday Inn Hotel – register here

Andy Burnham is the new Labour Prime Minister. Starmer paid the price for two years of government, when despite a massive 170+ seat majority in Parliament, many workers are asking: “What’s changed?”

The NSSN Conference on 27th June debated the strategy and programme needed to defend workers from the cost of living crisis, and unanimously passed an action programme (below) which we appeal to union members to take 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.

Unions have been discussing where next on public sector pay. The NEU announced the result of its online snap poll which “found strong support for action on pay and funding.”

  • 97 per cent believe it is unacceptable that their school will have to find the money to make up the shortfall in government funding for the pay rise.
  • The vast majority of those polled (89 per cent) said they would be prepared to take strike action to ensure any pay award is fully funded.
  • Three quarters (76 per cent) said they would be prepared to take strike action to win an improved pay offer this year.

(The survey was conducted between 11-17 July).

“Informed by the findings of this poll, the National Education Union’s executive has this week reaffirmed plans to proceed to a formal ballot of members in the autumn term on pay and funding.”

Local authority unions Unison, GMB and Unite have rejected the pay offer with Unison and Unite starting industrial action ballots on pay.

The NSSN sends solidarity to all workers and their union involved in dispute, and we stand with public sector unions in their fight on pay.

We also encourage everyone to attend and build the NSSN Lobby & Rally at TUC Congress in Brighton on Sunday 13th September – 1pm at the Holiday Inn Hotel, where we will be mobilising behind our Action Programme.

Watch videos from NSSN conference, including the platform speakers here.

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.

Download and distribute our NSSN Workplace Report - ‘We’re Struggling Down Here’    

Affiliate your union branch/trades council to NSSN (£50).    

Renew/donate online (HSBC: 40-06-41, 90143790)    

Cheque (NSSN, 16 Warren Rd, London E10 5QA).    

Affiliation letter     

Contact us: email – [email protected].

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

Details of the proposed deal read more

   

Union News     

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RMT     

RMT National Dispute Fund      

RMT strike action over safety at East Midlands Railway (21 July) – RMT members working at East Midlands Railway (EMR) plan to take strike action on Saturday, August 1, and the following two Saturdays over growing safety concerns that the company has failed to address. RMT has been in dispute with EMR since April following the roll out of the 810 fleet which has been operating with a significant number of faults. Yet EMR has been sending trains into service that are likely to fail and require a full reset which leaves the train with no active safety systems including loss of communication between train drivers, dispatchers, and trackside which has occurred at least three times in the last week alone. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that RMT reps at EMR had been extremely patient and tried to engage with management to no avail 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

RMT confirms further strike action in Carlisle Support Services pay dispute (18 June) – RMT members employed by Carlisle Support Services, working on the Northern rail contract will continue their long-running dispute over pay by taking 48 hours strike action from Saturday. The action follows Carlisle Support Services’ continued refusal to negotiate a proper pay settlement through collective bargaining, despite increasing demands being placed on frontline staff including gate line operatives and revenue officers…Carlisle Support Services has recently claimed that it has “honoured our agreement to implement an annual pay uplift in line with the Living Wage increase”. RMT has rejected that claim, making clear that the increase is not the result of any negotiated agreement with the union but stems from the company’s commitment as an accredited Living Wage employer read more

RMT members at Heavy Haul Rail to take 48-hour strike action (16 June) – Rail union RMT, will take strike action at Heavy Haul Rail Ltd on Thursday 25 June for 48 hours, after the company refused to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of a major restructuring programme. Despite ongoing discussions and some mitigation measures being secured through negotiations, the employer continues to refuse to provide assurances that jobs will be protected. The dispute centres on proposals affecting Control, Rosters, TOPS, Train Planning, Administration and Management grades, with the company seeking to restructure operations, merge roles, revise job descriptions, and relocate some roles around 200 miles away for no operational or cost benefit. The major rail freight and bulk haulage operator, which supports critical infrastructure projects as well as Network Rail renewal and maintenance work, has rejected the union’s demand for a no compulsory redundancy agreement read more

RMT drivers to strike as management continue to ignore demands or provide reasonable assurances (29 May) – 4-DAY WORKING WEEK & TRAINS FUNCTIONAL COUNCIL REPRESENTATION – LONDON UNDERGROUND. As you know, the strike action which had been scheduled for last week was suspended to allow further negotiations in obtaining clarity on what management’s position is on protecting those drivers who do not wish to accept new terms and conditions to enter into the compressed four-day week arrangements. Your Regional Organiser, accompanied by the functional negotiating team, have met twice with management where the employer summarised its position that has since been formally received in correspondence, and LUL has failed to adequately address the points raised by RMT read more

TSSA

TSSA – Andy Burnham will be judged by his actions as Prime Minister (20 July)

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.

  • Roster Clerks will be on strike on Thursday 9 July 2026 at 00:01hrs until Friday 10 July 2026 at 00:01hrs. 
  • Duty Train Crew Managers and Control grades will not book on for duty between the hours of 12:00 noon on Friday 10 July 2026, until 12:00 noon on Saturday 11 July 2026.  

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     

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

  • Protest outside the East London NHS Trust Foundation Trust Borad Meeting to support Mark Dunne – 12noon, Thursday 23rd July outside Trust HQ, Alie St E1 8DE (Robert Dolan House)

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

Irish Ambulance workers secure huge pay increase (17 July) – National Ambulance Service (NAS) workers in Unite and SIPTU have voted to accept a substantial improvement to pay to end an industrial dispute which saw a strike by workers in May. Emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and supervisors will see their pay increase by up to 23 per cent – depending on length of service. Members of Unite and SIPTU in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) workers voted overwhelmingly to accept the significant improvement recommended by the Labour Court and end the ongoing industrial dispute. The Labour Court’s involvement followed a 24-hour strike by NAS workers and the looming threat of an escalation in the dispute…The dispute was caused by the protracted failure of NAS bosses to deliver the pay recommendations of the McHugh/Crabtree report of 2020. As a result ambulance workers’ pay did not reflect upskilling, changed responsibilities and increased workload. Both unions recommended their members accept the Labour Court recommendation read more

Neo Next offshore workers secure pay rise after strike threat (17 July) – Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms involved in pay dispute. Offshore workers on the Elgin Franklin and North Alwyn platforms operated by Neo Next + Energy E&P UK LTD have secured a bumper pay deal after the threat of strike action. Around 50 offshore workers employed by Neo Next have backed an enhanced pay deal after a series of strikes were set to take place from 22 July. The one-year offer will lift the pay package by over £4,000 due to increases in basic pay and offshore allowance. Unite members through the threat of strike action have improved the Neo Next pay offer by approximately 75 per cent. The workers involved in the pay deal include control room, production and senior operators alongside operations and production technicians read more

Oxalis tanker drivers secure landmark pay award after threat of strike action (16 July) – Drivers in the South West secure 22 per cent pay increase. Fuel tanker drivers at Oxalis in Bristol have accepted a substantial pay increase following their threat of strike action earlier this month. Unite members at Oxalis Logistics are based at the Esso Main Terminal but deliver fuel to multiple sources across the South West. They have accepted a five-year pay deal that is worth up to 22 per cent (depending on shift patterns) but could be more depending on inflation. Drivers will immediately receive up to 11.5 per cent backdated to January 2026 and a further 3.5 per cent from January 2027. They will then receive either three per cent in year three and two per cent in year four and five or an RPI increase (which ever is the highest) read more

Unite comment on British Steel coming under government control (16 July) – Following the announcement by prime minister Keir Starmer on British Steel, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We welcome that fact that the government has listened to representations by Unite and other steel unions over the future of British Steel. It has long been clear that nationalisation was needed to protect, jobs, skills and the wider economy. This act must now be the first step in a journey to transform our steel industry. We need serious investment on the ground across the industry to create jobs and make Britain a leading producer of green steel…” read more

Government equal pay plans an important step but more action and details needed, Unite (16 July) – Unite, the UK’s leading union, has given a qualified welcome to the government’s consultation on ensuring employers follow equal pay laws and stamp out pay discrimination. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Pay discrimination is affecting thousands of women. The government’s plans are an important step, but the devil will be in the detail. Real progress will mean shifting the burden from workers to employers. Instead of expecting workers to fight for equal pay after the damage is done, the government should use this opportunity to prevent pay discrimination from happening at all.” Read more

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

Health visitors in Cwm Taf set for further strikes after health board director receives huge pay increase (13 July) – Union calls on Hywel Daniel to resign and for Plaid Cymru government to end dispute. Thousands of people across Wales have called for the resignation of Cwm Taf health Board director Hywel Daniel after the Unite union revealed that he has received a £30,000 pay increase during the dispute, involving underpaid health visitors. The failing HR director already earned over £200,000 and received a whopping increase despite refusing hundreds of health visitors the grading they rightfully deserve, which is costing female workers around £9,000 per year. On Tuesday, health visitors will march to the Senedd in Cardiff and hand in a petition signed by thousands of members of the public calling on Mr Daniel to resign given his catastrophic mismanagement of the dispute…The petition will be handed to the Plaid Cymru health minister Mabon ap Gwynfor with the demand that Plaid fulfil its election promise to resolve the dispute. Plaid has been in government since May and yet health visitors are being forced to take further strike action to get the pay they are rightfully owed. In addition to previous strike dates which has seen health visitors take strike action since 23 February 2026, members of Unite have now voted overwhelmingly to continuing this strike action which could now be extended to a further 12 months read more

Scarborough Alexander Dennis bus maker pay strikes escalate (13 July) – Spending power of striking workers’ wages have fallen by 20 per cent since 2020. Pay strikes by 400 Scarborough workers employed by bus maker Alexander Dennis will escalate from later this month, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers have rejected a four per cent offer from the company after the cost-of-living crisis was compounded by years of sub-par pay increases. Between August 2021 and May 2026, the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rose by approximately 35.1 per cent, meaning prices increased by about a third over that period. During the same period, wages at Alexander Dennis increased by only 15.3 per cent, meaning the wages have fallen 19.8 per cent behind the cost of living…The workers’ first round of strike action took place from 25 June to 1 July. They will strike again, shutting down the factory’s operations, from 16 to 20 July. Further dates will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more

Cambridge Marshall Aerospace engineers ballot for strike action over pay (13 July) – C-130 Hercules military aircraft support could face disruption. Around 250 Unite members at Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge are being balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The highly skilled engineers maintain C-130 Hercules aircraft and manufacture auxiliary fuel tanks for the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, making a vital contribution to allied defence capability. Workers have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s 4.5 per cent pay offer. Since 2020, their pay has fallen by around 16 per cent in real terms when measured against RPI inflation. The dispute comes as Marshall Group continues to benefit from the significant value being realised through the redevelopment of its Cambridge land holdings. At the same time, Marshall Aerospace remains an established and successful aerospace business…The ballot closes on 21 July. Should members vote in favour of industrial action, Unite will announce the next steps. Any strike action would have significant implications for support provided to allied military aircraft programmes, including the maintenance of C-130 Hercules aircraft read more

Cancer researchers in London missing meals and struggling with bills due to low pay (12 July) – A new survey of striking workers at the world-leading Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) has shown that many are missing meals or unable to pay bills due to the appalling level of pay they receive. Over 300 staff across scientific research, laboratory support, and site management roles have been taking strike action this summer over a pay offer of just four per cent that sees many languishing barely above the London Living Wage. A new survey from the Unite union has laid bare some of the stark realities such low pay brings…Due to the unwillingness of their employer to make a decent pay offer, staff will be taking further strike action from 13 July until 7 August read more

Thousands of council workers to ballot for strike action over pay (9 July) – Thousands of Unite members working in local authorities are balloting for strike action after rejecting this year’s pay offer. They have turned down a pay offer of 3.3 per cent from the national employers, who set council workers pay, as they believe this fails to address years of below inflation pay offers and pay freezes. The latest offer represents a real-terms pay cut and was made without any negotiations with the union. Workers being balloted work in various council roles including waste and bin collections, street cleaners, street lighting, teaching assistants and home care staff…The councils being balloted are: Great Yarmouth, North East Lincolnshire, South Tyneside, Blackburn with Darwen Borough, Bolton, Cumberland, Knowsley, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region, Oldham, Sefton, Warrington, Westmorland and Furness, Wirral, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Haringey, Leeds, Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton. Ballots are of a targeted nature and more local authorities could join the dispute at a later date. The ballot opens on 16 July and closes on 17 August read more

Manchester Kimpton Clocktower strikes over union busting to escalate (9 July) – Strikes by workers at Manchester’s luxury Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its restaurant and bar The Refuge will escalate, after the employer failed to back down in a union busting dispute. Workers will strike on Saturday (11 July) (coinciding with England’s quarter final match) and Sunday (12 July). In addition, they will walk out on 18 and 19 July – impacting World Cup final events at the venue on 19 July. There will also be strikes on 25 and 26 July. The Refuge shows World Cup matches at its late night ‘World Cup Fan Zone’. Staff at the hotel had already walked out last Saturday and Sunday (4 and 5 July). Kimpton Clocktower owner InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG UK) is still failing to offer Unite members formal recognition and has also not reinstated two Unite representatives who were dismissed on trumped up charges read more

Public sector pay Ireland: Unite to ballot members on strike action (8 July) – Union warns industrial action inevitable unless meaningful pay offer tabled. Trade union Unite, which organises workers in a wide range of public sector employments, said today that a meeting of the union’s public sector shop stewards has decided to launch a ballot for industrial action across the public sector. The decision follows the government’s failure to table what the union termed a ‘meaningful offer on pay’ following expiry of the 2024-2026 Public Service Agreement. The ballot is also protective in nature and is intended to ensure that members are in a position to respond should further negotiations fail to produce an acceptable outcome as well protecting existing conditions. Unite is a member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Public Services Committee, which last week advised that they do not believe there is a viable basis for opening formal negotiations in the absence of the Government setting out a sufficiently credible approach to public sector workers’ pay and living standards at the outset 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

Aberdeen airport workers strike suspended (4 July) – ICTS make last-minute new pay offer. Unite can confirm that strike action at Aberdeen airport involving ICTS security staff has been suspended following a last-minute enhanced pay offer to the workers. Following the announcement yesterday confirming fourteen days of strike action throughout July and into August, ICTS HBS Security made a new offer which will now be voted on by the workforce to either accept or reject. As a gesture of goodwill Unite has suspended all industrial action until the vote is complete. The Unite members make up the majority of the baggage screening team at Aberdeen airport 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

Hundreds of Thales defence workers set to strike (3 July) – Unite members at Govan and Reading plants back action after rejecting pay offer. Unite has confirmed that 300 workers employed by defence manufacturer Thales have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in an escalating pay dispute. Hundreds of Unite members based at the Thales’ sites in Govan, Glasgow and dozens in the company’s Reading headquarters overwhelmingly supported strike action after rejecting a pay offer below the current rate of inflation. Forthcoming talks with the company are scheduled in a final attempt to reach a resolution before strike action is announced. Thales remains the sole supplier of periscopes and optronics masts to the Royal Navy. The company has record levels of orders with the Ministry of Defence recently announcing export deals for Thales worth £1.1 billion sustaining hundreds of jobs in Glasgow. The workers involved in the ballot include electronics, software and systems engineers along with manufacturing and mechanical technicians read more

Great Yarmouth stinky summer as bin and street cleaning workers strike over poverty pay (2 July) – Workers, including tree surgeons, gardeners and grave diggers, furious at intimidation and interference tactics during strike ballot. Great Yarmouth bin and street cleaning workers have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Around 100 workers, will strike over a 3.3 per cent pay offer from council-owned Great Yarmouth Services. For the majority of workers this would not even take them to the minimum wage, which increased by 4.1 per cent in April, meaning they have been given a pay rise of nothing at all read more

Disruption in North London as Arriva bus drivers ballot for strikes over hot working conditions (30 June) – There is set to be major disruption to bus services in North London, as over 1,900 drivers across 10 garages are balloting for strike action. The bus drivers work for Arriva North London. They are preparing to take action as their employer has failed to act on complaints about working conditions on buses during hot weather. Most Arriva North London buses have air cooling systems rather than air conditioning. These take in air from outside and circulate it around and can reduce the ambient temperature by a maximum of 10 degrees Celsius – however bus drivers have said in the latest heatwave temperatures have only reduced by around two or three degrees. This has left drivers working in conditions they have deemed unbearable (with temperatures regularly in the high 30’s) as well as suffering from fatigue that has worsened in the recent heatwave. This issue has been raised to Arriva North London in previous years, but action has not been taken. Drivers are calling for improvements to buses, including installing air conditioning 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

South London & Maudsley NHS estates workers ballot for strikes over equal pay (23 June) – Hospital joiners, electricians, plumbers and painter and decorators angry at creation of two-tier workforce. South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust estates staff are being balloted for strike action over unequal pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The workers, including joiners, electricians, plumbers and painter and decorators, are on different pay grades – ranging from band three to band five. Some workers are on band three despite doing exactly the same job as colleagues on band five and having worked in those roles for up to 25 years…The workers are being balloted until 6 July. Industrial action will result in disruption to estates and maintenance services at Bethlam Royal, Lambeth, Lewisham and Maudsley hospitals read more

Brake Brothers workers in strike ballot over pay dispute (23 June) – Motherwell based firm delivers meals to restaurants, prisons and schools. Unite can confirm that over 350 workers employed by Brake Brothers based in Newhouse, Motherwell, are being ballot on industrial action in a pay dispute. The strike ballot involving warehouse workers, hygiene and distribution drivers opens today (Tuesday 23 June) and closes on 14 July read more

Disruption to frontline social care services as Change Grow Live staff ballot for strikes (22 June) – There is set to be disruption to frontline social care services run by charity Change Grow Live (CGL) as over 1,200 workers at almost 150 sites across England and Scotland are being balloted for strike action over pay. Change Grow Live (CGL) is one of the UK’s largest health and social care charities, providing vital support for people facing issues with drugs, alcohol, homelessness, mental health, justice, and employment. Its funding is sourced from the UK government… The ballot opens on 26 June and closes on 10 August. Any strike action would cause disruption to the vital services offered by CGL read more

MoD drivers to strike as management accused of “letting wheels fall off” (18 June) – A group of civil servants within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are taking strike action following years of unresolved concerns regarding workplace treatment, management practices, and failures in leadership accountability. Members of the Unite union have, for years, raised serious and ongoing concerns about the conduct, capability, and decision-making of immediate line management. The specialised civilian service VIP chauffeur drivers operate nationwide, providing discreet, secure, and highly professional transport for senior government personnel. Drawn from highly skilled backgrounds, including former military personnel and ex-police officers, they possess advanced driving qualifications and a deep understanding of security protocols. Beyond the safe and efficient movement of individuals, they are also entrusted with the secure handling and transportation of sensitive and classified documents, delivering a trusted. For over five years, staff have raised serious and ongoing concerns about the conduct, capability, and decision-making of their immediate line management. Despite repeated efforts to resolve these issues through both informal discussions and formal union channels, meaningful progress has not been achieved. Concerns raised have consistently been acknowledged but not acted upon, with agreed actions frequently ignored and established MoD policies not followed…Strike will take place across five days on 16-17 July and 20-22 July read more

Isle of Wight RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Centre workers to ballot for strike action (16 June) – Approximately 50 workers at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) Inshore Lifeboat Centre are currently balloting for strike action after the employer refused to recognise Unite. Staff have been calling for Unite to be recognised since last year. In January, Unite started the formal legal process to recognise the union, going through the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) to ask for statutory recognition. The CAC have just completed its membership checks which demonstrates a clear desire by the majority of workers to have the union negotiate on their behalf, however the RNLI is still refusing to allow Unite recognition read more

Striking Walsall Village Hotel workers protest during England’s opening World Cup game (16 June) – Demonstration outside busy big screen venue to show poverty pay and union-busting the red card. Walsall Village Hotel staff striking over poverty pay will demonstrate outside their workplace while it is packed with football fans watching England’s opening World Cup game. The hospitality, gym, events, reception and housekeeping workers are taking strike action over Village’s failure to pay the Living Wage rate of £13.45 an hour and its refusal to pay young workers’ wages equal to their older colleagues doing the same jobs. They are also striking over the company’s failure to recognise their union, Unite, for collective bargaining…Strike action will take place on 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28 and 30 June and 2, 4, 7 and 10 July. The strikes will severely impact Village Hotel bar and grill services during the extremely busy World Cup period when fans will be watching matches on the venue’s big screens read more

Northern Ireland: First one day strike set to shutdown Balcas sawmill (11 June) – Low-paid workforce at highly profitable Enniskillen sawmill vote overwhelmingly to reject insulting pay offer. Unite members at Enniskillen-based sawmill Balcas are to commence the first of three 24-hour strike actions on Thursday (June 18). In the absence of an improved offer from management, the strike will be followed by two further one-day strikes on June 25 and July 2 when the workforce is prepared to escalate the action further. The industrial action is a result of the workers rejecting the three per cent pay increase offered by management. The strike will shut down all production of timber at the site. Balcas is owned by Longford-based Glennon Brothers – a highly successful timber company which recently acquired the Pontrilas group which operates wood processing sites in Wales. In the latest accounts submitted for Balcas in Northern Ireland [end 2024] show the company had pre-tax profits of £18.7 million on turnover of £130.8 million – a profit margin of almost 15 per cent. Meanwhile workers at the Enniskillen plant are paid barely above the minimum wage with new entrants being paid at the minimum wage itself…In 2019, Balcas workers took strike action for a week to end a situation where below minimum wage pay had to be topped up by production bonuses. They won a significant uplift at that time but in the intervening period pay increases have failed to keep pace with inflation or the minimum wage read more

Further strikes at Sellafield as management fail to negotiate (9 June) – Nearly two thousand workers to walk out over special site pay. Further strikes are to take place at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria following the failure of the employer group to engage in discussions. Construction workers at the site are seeking a site-specific allowance due to the specialist skills needed to work at a nuclear site and the hazardous nature of that site. Construction workers at Sellafield undertake highly skilled work in one of the most complex and heavily regulated nuclear environments in Europe. They contribute directly to hazard reduction, major project delivery, and the long-term mission of the site. Other groups of nuclear workers across the Sellafield site are recognised and rewarded for the unique environment in which they work and the contribution they make. Construction workers rightly ask why their contribution continues to be treated differently. Unite continues to make efforts to avert industrial action and remains committed to securing a negotiated settlement. This latest industrial action will begin on Monday 15 June 2026 and conclude on Sunday 21 June 2026 read more

Tower Hamlets Be Well leisure centre staff to strike over zero-hour contracts (8 June) – Workers also angry over unequal pay, bullying, last minute rota changes, overwork and job roles. Tower Hamlets Bell Well leisure centre staff will begin strike action this week over insecure contracts and mismanagement, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Managerial staff, lifeguards, fitness instructors, customer service workers and swimming teachers at the John Orwell, Mile End, Poplar, Whitechapel, York Hall and Tiller leisure centres will start striking from tomorrow. The council has allowed an indefensible two-tier workforce to develop inside its own in-house leisure service. Some workers remain on zero-hour contracts, some have no formal written contract at all, others are guaranteed as little as five hours a week, while some are on full council contracts. This has resulted in workers doing the same role being treated differently on pay, job security and terms and conditions. Workers also report unsafe levels of understaffing, particularly in swimming pools, overwork and the denial of rest breaks. In addition, staff have also been forced to carry out duties that have nothing to do with their job roles, such as swimming teachers being expected to clean toilets. The dispute is also over mistreatment by managers, including the arbitrary changing of rotas, as well as attempts to identify union members who will be taking strike action. Tower Hamlets’ leisure services were operated by Greenwich Leisure Ltd until May 2024, when they were brought back under council control. The workers will strike on 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 23, 25 and 28 June severely impacting services across all Be Well sites. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

Staff at Lancashire hospitals to strike over holiday pay refusal (8 June) – Biomedical staff at Blackburn and Burnley hospitals to walk out this summer. Scientists at two teaching hospitals in Lancashire are being forced to take strike action over the NHS trust’s refusal to pay holiday pay that they are entitled to. Management at the 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 they have 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…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 will see significant delays to tests and procedures across the trust as workers take to the picket line on 15-19 and 22-26 June, 29 June – 3 July and 6-10 July read more

Bilfinger offshore workers strike suspended (5 June) – Alba FSU and FPF1 assets involved in dispute. Industrial action by 20 offshore Bilfinger workers has been suspended following discussions between Unite and Bilfinger aimed at resolving issues raised by the workforce. Bilfinger workers on the Alba Floating Storage Unit (FSU) and its Floating Production Facility (FPF1) were due to undertake eight days of rolling industrial action. However, following progress in talks between the parties, strike action has been suspended while the agreed process is concluded. The Bilfinger employees involved include scaffolders, engineers, deck crew and rope access workers read more

Fresh disruption to London buses as Bow drivers continue strikes (27 May) – There is further strike action ongoing at Bow bus garage in East London as a dispute around scheduling and driver fatigue continues. Over 300 drivers at the East London Bus & Coach Company (part of Stagecoach) are striking from today (27 May) to Friday (29 May) and then from 11 to 14 June. It comes after the employer has failed to listen to their concerns about scheduling and rota issues, which workers say is leading to severe fatigue issues. These include bus drivers completing multiple hour and a half long journeys without adequate breaks, having just 10 hours of rest times between shifts and Stagecoach refusing to schedule meal relief breaks at the depot, leaving drivers without a suitable area to recover as well as expecting them to refuel vehicles using remote electric charge points, which increases work demands read more

Staff at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge to rally over pay (26 May) – Unite members at Addenbrookes Hospital will hold a rally tomorrow (27 May) in their fight for fairer pay. The medical workers will be calling for an NHS high cost area supplement (HCAS) as part of a wider fight for fairer pay among Unite members in Cambridge. Workers at the university of Cambridge are also calling for a ‘Cambridge weighting’ supplement. Like their university counterparts, medical staff at Addenbrookes, the primary teaching hospital for the university’s medical students, receive no extra pay for working in Cambridge. A recent travel survey commissioned by the hospital trust showed that over 50 per cent of staff are travelling over 10 miles from outside the city to work. High costs are driving workers away from the hospital where they are employed and this means they are far away from the patients that rely on their support. Unite believes they need to be given the NHS HCAS payment now to enable them afford to live in Cambridge – this payment is given to NHS workers in London and Oxford. Unite has been carrying out a HCAS campaign and petition, which already has over 1,600 signatures demanding this supplement payment. The Addenbrookes staff involved in the dispute include those who work as porters, clinical engineering technicians and genomics scientists read more

Striking Cambridge Uni workers joined on picket line by Unite leader (21 May) – Unite general secretary Sharon Graham will join nearly 600 striking Cambridge University workers on the picket line tomorrow. The workers, including library, museum, estates management, finance, student services and IT staff, amongst others, are demanding the introduction of ‘Cambridge weighting’. This is a pensionable local pay supplement for all staff to address the exceptionally high cost of living in the city. The University of Oxford has a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,730 per year. Cambridge staff receive no equivalent, apart from a 2.5 per cent interim payment, which does not address the cost of living for those on a low salary. This interim payment can be removed at any time. Cambridge, like Oxford, is one of the most expensive cities in the UK – with rental costs 30 per cent above the national average. At the same time, Cambridge University has multiple billions in assets read more

British Army facing vehicle crisis as Babcock workers consider strikes over pay (18 May) – Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by Babcock Defence Support Group (DSG) on the British army engineering and maintenance contract, are considering strike action, following a derisory pay offer. The approximately 1,400 workers on the contract have rejected a derisory pay increase which is worth on average 2.20 per cent per worker. This is a substantial real terms pay cut as the RPI inflation rate is 4.1 per cent and is set to rise further read more

TfL bus controllers strike to escalate this week (18 May) – There will be further strike action by Transport for London bus workers this week due to an ongoing dispute about rota changes. Over 150 workers, who are bus controllers and network traffic controllers, will walk out on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 May), coinciding with strike action taken by London Underground drivers who are members of the RMT. Bus controllers and network traffic controllers do safety critical roles for TfL, which include dealing with incidents and accidents, managing bus stations and putting in place bus stop closures and diversions due to traffic or emergencies such as accidents read more

JLR Solihull DHL logistics workers to take indefinite strike action over pay (16 April) – DHL JLR HGV drivers also voted for strike action with dates to be announced if talks fail. Around 300 DHL logistics workers based at JLR in Solihull will begin indefinite strike action over pay in early May, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. More than 300 DHL HGV drivers working on the JLR contract in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Solihull and Widnes have also voted in favour of strike action, with dates yet to be announced. The logistics workers and HGV drivers, involved in delivering parts and cars to and from JLR’s West Midlands and North West operations, are angry at an unacceptable three per cent pay offer for 2026 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]     

Pressure mounting on Government to pause Synergy contract (21 July) – A damning  report from MPs (15 July), highlights serious problems with the government’s Shared Services Strategy. The report from the influential public accounts committee (PAC) has increased pressure on the government to pause the “Synergy” contract. The contract to deliver HR and payroll functions to more than 250,000 civil servants in DWP, Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Defra was awarded to Capita, the company responsible for the current pensions fiasco. The decision to award the contract, worth over £700 million, was described by the PAC as “extraordinary”. The latest PAC report echoes PCS’s concerns and urges the government to urgently review the entire strategy read more

Security guards at National Crime Agency ballot for strike action (21 July) – The members’ employer, OCS, has threatened long-serving guards with job losses and detrimental changes to terms and condition. The NCA plays a vital role in protecting the UK from serious and organised crime. Frontline security for the NCA has largely been delivered through an outsourced model, involving several external providers, including OCS Group UK Limited. The closure of the NCA facility at Spring Gardens, Vauxhall means that outsourced NCA security workers now face redundancy or having to apply for new roles on inferior terms with no guarantee of employment. The new roles lose key contractual protections: reduced occupational sick pay, less annual leave and the move from a salaried contract to hourly pay. Nearly 40 security officers working at the National Crime Agency (NCA) are under threat and those who are members of PCS will be balloted for strike action in a ballot that runs from 21 July to 4 August. Despite PCS representing the majority of staff on the contract, OCS continues to refuse to voluntarily recognise the union for collective bargaining and has refused to consult with the union about the proposed changes read more

Relaunch of our Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist Strategy (21 July) – Our revised strategy for 2026 underpins our anti-racist work and strengthens our response to the growing threat of the far right. Delegates at our annual delegate conference in Brighton in May voted unanimously to expand and deepen the union’s anti-racist and anti-fascist work, strengthening PCS’s response to the growing threat of the far right. In response to that is the publication of a refreshed Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist (ARAF) Strategy  read more

PCS members at Ofwat sign open letter marking a year of uncertainty (21 July) – A year after plans were announced to replace Ofwat with a new ‘super regulator’, PCS members still face uncertainty about their future. Last year, the Independent Water Commission recommended that Ofwat be abolished and its functions brought together with parts of DEFRA, Natural England and the Environment Agency in a new-super regulator for the water industry. Alongside this, it recommended that, because of “the potential to create significant uncertainty…the UK and Welsh governments [should] produce transition plans.” The UK government accepted both recommendations, however a year later the transition plan has still not been published. This has led to a formal trade dispute in Ofwat on a number of core workforce issues, including the lack of suitable assurances around terms and conditions, job security, and wider working conditions in the context of the transition to a new regulator 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

PCS statement on threat to Islamic event (15 July) – PCS is once again appalled by reports of an alleged right wing terrorist threat to an Islamic event in Suffolk (9-12 July). The UK Ijtima event is one of the largest annual gatherings of Muslims in the UK, attended by 15,000 people. This year’s event in Shrubland Hall, Suffolk, was forced to end early following the arrest of 12 people suspected of plotting a terrorist attack read more

PCS members secure improved Pay Offer following dispute with Capita (15 July) – The members based at HMS Sultan took sustained collective action which resulted in the improved offer. Following sustained collective action by PCS members, Capita has made an improved pay offer. PCS members have now voted to accept the offer and end the long-standing dispute read more

Support the FCDO picket lines (15 July) – PCS members will take their first day of strike action this week over a planned restructure and lack of assurances over compulsory redundancies. The members working for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) voted for strike action in a ballot that closed last month. It was in response to restructuring plans, a failure to meaningfully consult with unions, and the refusal to guarantee no compulsory redundancies read more

Picket lines:-

  • FCDO, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH – All four entrances to the building will have picket lines each day from 8-10am on 16, 22, 29, and 30 July. On 23 July the picket will be from 1-3pm.
  • FCDO, Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA – Picket lines each day from 8-10am on 16, 22, 29, and 30 July and on 23 July from 1-3pm
  • Action short of strike (ASOS) will run from 17-30 July.

Please send messages of support to [email protected]  read more

DfE Ballot – Have you voted? (30 June) – The ballot closes on 21 July and the deadline for requesting a replacement ballot paper is 10am on Wednesday, 1 July. The Department for Education plans to close offices in Croydon, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and Watford, impacting over 350 staff. It is refusing to consider proposals for increased homeworking or hybrid flexibility measures that could help avoid compulsory redundancies and reduce the impact on staff. We are therefore balloting DfE members for industrial action. The ballot opened on 26 May and closes on 21 July. If you have not yet received a ballot paper or have lost it, you have until 10am on Wednesday 1 July to request a replacement read more

Ask your MP to help protect outsourced workers at the National Crime Agency (19 June) – A planned restructure threatens the jobs, terms and conditions of PCS members employed by OCS as security guards. The National Crime Agency (NCA) plays a vital role in protecting the UK from serious and organised crime 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

Royal Museums Greenwich staff reject pay offer (3 June) – Prospect members at Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) have overwhelmingly rejected the employer’s latest pay offer, with 92% voting to reject with a turnout of 96%. The offer was for a cash increase of £1,668 for all staff. The result comes after a year in which most staff received no pay increase, except for those on or immediately above the London Living Wage. The dispute at RMG covers a wider range of issues. A major concern for staff is the museum’s refusal to accredit to the London Living Wage. Members are also opposing changes to custom and practice arrangements that would require front-of-house staff to use annual leave to cover museum closure days over Christmas. Additional issues raised by staff include paid breaks for security workers, additional pay for bank holiday working, concerns around the use and renewal of fixed-term contracts, an inconsistent and opaque approach to pay progression, and the absence of a dedicated training and development budget for teams. 90% of members who voted to reject the offer said they would be prepared to take industrial action if the dispute is not resolved. The ballot result reflects concerns among staff about how workplace issues have been handled at the museum. Prospect is calling on RMG to engage constructively with staff and listen to concerns that have been raised in order to improve industrial relations and reach a resolution read more

GMB  

Thames Water ‘golden share’ not enough – Govt must nationalise (21 July) – GMB Union has responded to the group of investors pursuing a rescue bid for Thames Water offering a ‘golden share’ for the Government read more

Parliament should back British bathrooms, says GMB (21 July) – GMB writes to Parliamentary authorities urging support for UK made sanitary ceramics. GMB Union and Dave Robertson MP have written to Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, urging Parliamentary authorities to consider the use of British-made bathroom ceramics and sanitaryware in any future renovation or refurbishment works across the Parliamentary Estate read more

Coastguards win following GMB campaign (16 July) – Coastguards have scored a huge win in their campaign to stop their pay being cut. Minister for Transport Keir Mather announced in parliament today [Thursday] the Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA]’s plan to stop hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises would be halted. Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) carry out rescues and search for missing people around the UK’s coast, including Scotland, Wales and England’s south coast. The move had followed a landmark case by GMB Union, which saw the Court of Appeal uphold a judgement classifying coastguards as workers. Now, following a sustained campaign by GMB Coastguards, the move has been stopped read more

Coastguards must have union voice (15 July) – GMB has launched a bid to be formally recognised as the union for coastguards. In a letter to the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) the union has called for trade union recognition on behalf of its 1,000 coastguard members. The MCA initially claimed coastguards were employed by the Department for Business and Trade, rather than the MCA. Now the body has 10 days to respond, before Central Arbitration Committee, which adjudicates on union recognition bids, steps in read more

1,000s of Evri drivers reject pay deal (15 June) – Thousands of Evri drivers have rejected a pay deal from bosses with a massive majority. More than 6,000 couriers voted on the offer– which dates back to 2025 – with almost 97 per cent voting to turn it down. GMB Union, which has had a recognition deal with Evri since 2019, recommended drivers reject the deal for the first time. GMB will meet with couriers to discuss next steps read more

NJC Pay 2026/27 Update (23 June) – GMB Regions have met to consider next steps following rejection of the “Full and Final” pay offer from the Local Government National Employers. The offer applies to GMB members working directly for Local Authority employers, Local Authority schools and Academy Trusts. GMB members rejected the pay offer and the employers were invited to open pay negotiations – as there have not been any – and the employers refused. Further consultation will now take place at local level to determine potential employers and workplaces where GMB can deliver targeted local industrial action read more

Strike action at rail manufacturing giant Vossloh (15 June) – Workers at Vossloh in Scunthorpe will down tools this week. GMB Union has today announced that workers at Vossloh will begin industrial action this week. The news comes after pay talks between the company and GMB failed to reach agreement. Workers are furious after company managers offered a below inflation pay rise, despite staff in other parts of the company abroad being offered packages worth over 5.5% and company Directors pocketing 10% bonuses. The company manufactures rails and connector components, currently planned for Sheffield’s tram network. Workers will down tools from 6AM from today, Monday 15 until June read more

Chase Farm Hospital staff at ISS to take strike action (4 June) – Dozens of staff at Chase Farm Hospital have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action following allegations of bullying, overwork, and a toxic workplace culture. The staff, who are represented by GMB Union, are employed by outsourcing giant ISS in a variety of roles including catering, cleaning, and security. They voted 95 per cent in favour of industrial action, which is set to begin on Wednesday 15 July. Serious allegations made by staff include bullying from managers – including racist comments – failure to properly pay overtime for bank holidays, changes to working patterns causing unmanageable workloads, and workplace grievances taking months to be resolved. Despite repeated attempts by GMB and its members to resolve these concerns with ISS, ISS has yet to make any formal counteroffer to attempt to avert industrial action read more

Strike threat as ‘unacceptable’ delays to equal pay (3 June) – Workers have today written to the City’s lead Commissioner demanding action, says GMB. GMB Union members have today written to Birmingham City Council Lead Commissioner, Tony McArdle, calling on the authority to do more to end delays to equal pay settlement. The open letter, co-signed by hundreds of GMB members, calls on Tony McArdle and the city’s Commissioner team to intervene to end the deadlock in settling outstanding claims. Hundreds of equal pay claimants still await settlement details from the authority, despite commitments from the council bosses to speed up the process read more

Sandwell school workers strike (1 June) – Workers from The Orchard School have been pushed to the edge, says GMB. Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Midday Supervisors will begin strike action in Sandwell next week as part of the ongoing dispute at The Orchard School. The strike is joint action between GMB, the union for school support staff, and NASUWT, Britain’s teachers union. Ninety workers at the school are anticipated to join the strike action which comes weeks after overwhelming support for industrial action in a recent ballot of staff at the school. Workers are furious after school bosses failed to respond to grievances and concern raised about student and staff safety at the facility read more

East London primary school staff to strike over proposed pay cuts (22 May) – Teaching assistants at Sir William Burrough Primary School in Tower Hamlets will take strike action over a restructure that could see their pay slashed by thousands of pounds. The workers were balloted by their union, GMB Union, and voted 88 per cent in favour of strike action on a 100 per cent turnout. The school, which is part of the University Schools Trust, has paused the restructure, but declined to scrap it entirely, meaning staff are living with the threat of having their jobs downgraded. If it went ahead, it would see some support staff moved from grade 5 to grade 3, which could represent a loss of up to £7,500 per year for nursery nurses and up to £2,500 a year for learning support assistants. Any staff member who opposes the changes will have no choice but to resign, as the Trust has refused to offer redundancy pay. GMB is also supporting its members in another school in the Trust, St Paul’s Way, which is consulting on a restructure that would affect the jobs and salaries of both teachers and support staff read more

Net-A-Porter deliveries to be ‘savaged’ as 100 strike at warehouse

GMB Union (19 May) – Luxury fashion merchant Net-a-Porter is set to have its distribution centre savaged by industrial action tomorrow and Thursday. 100 distribution workers will walk out for two days after the company failed to honour its commitment to pay the London Living Wage to its lowest‑paid staff. Net-a-Porter offers high-end fashion deliveries, and its website includes items for sale which cost more than £150,000. In the run up to this action, GMB members have complained of being made to feel under pressure for taking part in lawful and visible union activity read more

Strike action begins at Crane Building Services and Utilities (11 May) – More than 100 workers at Crane Building Services and Utilities (BS&U) in Hitchin have started two weeks of strike action in a row over pay. Strikes will continue until Friday 22 May inclusive and stop manufacturing on the site. The workers, who are represented by GMB Union, voted 84 per cent in favour of strike action following frustrations around an unsatisfactory pay offer that has left them feeling undervalued. This vote marks the second time in two years that Crane BS&U workers have had to take industrial action to secure a decent pay award that matches their skills and experience read more

More than two hundred South London hospital staff to strike over cuts (5 May) – ‘Wards in disarray’ and ‘bad food’ facing three mental health sites for three days

GMB members working for OCS across three hospital sites within South London & Maudsley NHS Trust will take strike action between Wednesday 6 and Friday 8 May. More than 200 workers are expected to take action, who work in cleaning and catering at Maudsley Hospital, Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Ladywell Unit, Lewisham. Having been outsourced to OCS, the contract is now facing a proposed 2000 hours of cuts, which represents a drop in service provision of twenty per cent 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   

South East Water crisis highlights need to bring service back into public ownership, says UNISON (22 July) – South East Water crisis highlights need to bring service back into public ownership, says UNISON. The government should bring South East Water back into public ownership before the company’s worsening financial and operational problems push it closer to collapse, says UNISON today (Wednesday). South East Water has said it might not be able to continue operating beyond next summer without further financial support, warning there is “material uncertainty” about its future. The union says ministers cannot afford to focus solely on Thames Water while another major water company is facing mounting questions over its future. The company has been hit with a £30.5 million Ofwat penalty following repeated supply failures and has imposed a hosepipe ban on 2.4 million customers. UNISON says the problems are the result of a privatised water model that has failed customers, workers and communities for decades. The union is calling on ministers to return South East Water to public ownership, ensuring any transition protects jobs, pay and pensions while providing the long-term investment needed to strengthen the network. UNISON says public ownership would ensure investment improves infrastructure and resilience, rather than servicing debt or rewarding shareholders read more

St Mary’s multi-region win (21 July) – Marple Bridge school St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy has won a six-month campaign against cuts at Saint Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. They stood alongside colleagues at schools based predominantly in the East Midlands region read more

Strike threat as Gloucestershire care workers call on council to halt transfer plans (21 July) – Gloucestershire County Council care staff will urge councillors not to move them to a private provider when they meet later today to scrutinise the plans read more

Burnham’s policies must match his vision for change (20 July)

Ministers must extend West Sussex council reorganisation timetable, says UNISON (20 July) – Communities will judge reform on whether public services still work for them read more

Workers delivering vital community services are key to council revamp plans, says UNISON (17 July) – Commenting on proposals for local government reorganisation announced by Steve Reed, UNISON South West regional secretary Tim Roberts said today (Friday): “Reorganisation cannot be used as a vehicle for cuts, outsourcing or attacks on staff pay and conditions…” read more

Leeds hospital staff to begin 14-day strike on Monday

Theatre assistants are set to strike for two weeks in their ongoing dispute over back pay and fair grading (16 July) – Leeds hospital staff to begin 14-day strike on Monday. Low-paid NHS staff working in operating theatres across Leeds will walk out for two weeks as part of an ongoing dispute over fair grading and back pay. The theatre assistants employed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will strike from 8am on Monday. The union says the workers should be paid at a higher rate for their vital role in keeping operating theatres safe. The union is calling on the trust to regrade them from band 2 to band 3 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale and provide back pay for carrying out higher-level responsibilities read more

Inquiry into Zane Gbangbola’s death is vital step towards truth and justice, says UNISON (16 July) – The seven-year-old died in 2014, but despite official reports that hydrogen cyanide was in the flooded home, an inquest claimed carbon monoxide was the cause of death 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!

UNISON’s council and school members vote on pay strikes (9 July) – ‘There’s still time for employers to improve this pay offer and avoid a dispute’. Around 200,000 council and school workers at more than 500 employers across England and Wales begin voting today (Thursday) on whether to strike over pay, says UNISON. The ballot follows the union’s rejection of a 3.3% pay offer from local government employers, which UNISON says falls well short of restoring the value of staff pay after years of decline. Teaching assistants, social workers, waste collection staff, trading standards teams, housing officers and librarians are among those voting in the four-week ballot, which closes on Thursday 6 August. If workers back industrial action, walkouts could begin early in the autumn read more

NCA Theatre members begin round of strikes over contractual overtime (29 June) – On Friday 26th June, members from all NCA NHS trust hospital sites walked out and took industrial action in their campaign against the trust for the right to be paid overtime at the nationally agreed contract rates read more

  • Next strikes – 23 & 24 July

Bedfordshire hospital staff to strike next week in overtime pay row (22 June) – NHS operating theatre staff in Bedfordshire will strike next week in a dispute about overtime pay, says UNISON today. Hospital workers say they will walk out on Thursday and Friday (25 and 26 June) unless managers reverse plans to cut pay for staff working extra hours. Workers employed by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bedford and Luton & Dunstable hospitals, are upset bosses have scrapped a payment worth up to £120 a shift for staff who work beyond their contracted weekly hours. The union says the payment is urging the trust to reverse its decision to bring overtime payments back in line with national agreements paying time and half for the extra shifts. In February, hospital bosses said they were switching to a system where staff doing extra hours had to take shifts paid at a flat rate. UNISON fears the change will lead to staff shortages and more cancelled operations read more

Sacked mining museum worker submits unfair dismissal claim (18 June) – Neil Williams was removed from his position as health and safety manager at the National Coal Mining Museum last Decemberread more

Children’s social care managers in Bath escalate strike action over pay and grading (14 May) – Workers will walk out from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 May. Bath and North East Somerset Council workers protesting in Bath. They’re holding placards. Children’s social care managers at Bath and North East Somerset Council are to strike for a further three days in an escalating dispute over pay and grading, says UNISON today (Thursday). Team managers and deputy team managers will walk out from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 May. Workers at the local authority unanimously backed strike action following concerns about the council’s job regrading programme, says UNISON. Those affected by the scheme say it was imposed without proper consultation, and has left many on the wrong grade and underpaid. The union says the dispute comes at a time of wider upheaval in children’s services. In March, the council announced a restructure of which UNISON says has left staff facing further uncertainty read more

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

Urgent Trade Union Day of Solidarity: Support for Unfairly Dismissed Echo & Obsidian Workers (16 July) – Stand in Solidarity with Workers Fighting Unfair Dismissal

  • When: Monday 20 July, 12 Noon
  • Where: Obsidian Body Piercing Studio, 37 Church Lane, Belfast, BT1 4QN

Workers formerly employed at Echo Body Piercing Studio and Obsidian Body Piercing Studio have called an urgent trade union rally to seek support for their ongoing campaign against unfair dismissal and for improved health and safety standards, decent terms and conditions, and trade union recognition across the industry. NIPSA members and trade union activists are encouraged to attend and show solidarity with these workers by bringing union banners and flags read more

NIPSA Warns Of “Systemic Failure” In DAERA As Vets’ Dispute Escalates (15 June) – NIPSA has warned Stormont’s Agriculture Committee that failures in DAERA’s Veterinary Service have triggered a workforce crisis now affecting key public protections. In evidence to the Committee on 11 June, union officials said the dispute was “entirely avoidable”, accusing management of years of inaction and poor governance. They said two groups of vets were allowed to carry out identical work on different pay scales, despite clear internal policy requiring early review. NIPSA said DAERA ignored repeated warnings from 2019 and failed to carry out a mandatory grading review within required timelines, allowing a known equal pay risk to persist. A long-delayed grading review in 2024 confirmed both roles should be paid the same. While some staff were upgraded last year, NIPSA said DAERA has refused to address years of lost earnings, pension impacts and ongoing financial disadvantage. After “years of being ignored”, members backed industrial action with near-unanimous support. Action is now impacting TB control, export certification and wider veterinary services read more

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

   

Royal College of Nursing     

RCN tells new health secretary: nursing pay reform can’t wait (21 July) – Yvette Cooper inherits a health and care system under intense pressure. Nursing pay and tackling workforce shortages must be her priority, says RCN read more

RCN sets out top nursing priorities to new prime minister (20 July) – Andy Burnham and his government must recognise the value of nursing and prioritise getting the profession back on track read more

RCN disappointed to see NHS pay process begin before talks conclude (16 July) – health secretary has written to the NHS Pay Review Body about pay for 2027/28 read more

Government must do more to secure nursing graduate jobs (16 July) – Growing England’s nursing workforce requires more than attracting applicants. Students need greater support and jobs after graduation, says the RCN 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

94% of midwives in Wales say unsafe staffing levels affects the quality of care for women and babies (15 July) – New survey data from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Cymru has laid bare the scale of the safety crisis in NHS Cymru maternity services – with 94% midwives saying staffing levels directly affect the care they can provide to women and babies read more

South Tyneside and Sunderland midwives vote overwhelmingly for strike action (19 June) – Midwives in South Tyneside and Sunderland have voted overwhelmingly for strike action to prevent being rostered on-call on their days off. In a ballot of impacted members that closed this week, 92 per cent of RCM members voted yes to strike action. The RCM has been in negotiations with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust for more than three years, seeking a solution that keeps maternity services safely staffed, without forcing midwives onto on-call shifts at busy times. The union has warned that the proposed on-call system is unsafe and unsustainable, risking increased burnout and damage to the recruitment and retention of midwives read more

BMA

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

Northern Ireland Resident Doctors strike for better pay (29 June) – Primary and secondary care in Northern Ireland in dispute with government simultaneously. Resident doctor leaders accused Northern Ireland’s health minister of ‘burying his head in the sand’ as they prepared to go out on strike owing to pay erosion. A 24-hour walk-out began today at 7am today as resident doctors continue their battle for pay restoration. It follows a 24-hour strike (in the form of Christmas Day cover) by consultants and specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors in Northern Ireland on Thursday read more

Consultants and SAS doctors begin strike (24 June) – Senior doctors in Northern Ireland announce 24-hour strike owing to failure to meet agreement on better pay.  For the first time, consultants and specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors in Northern Ireland will go on strike today because of pay. The 24-hour strike takes the form of Christmas Day cover, which means most routine or elective work will be cancelled but emergencies will be treated and runs from 7am today until 6.59am tomorrow. Representatives of the Northern Ireland BMA consultants and SAS doctors’ committees will go to Stormont around lunchtime to meet the chair and deputy chair of the health committee to discuss the dispute read more

NEU

NEU comment on new Education Secretary, Lucy Powell (21 July)

Andy Burnham appointed Prime Minister: hope for a fresh start (20 July)

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

Oak National Academy funding increase (17 July) – Commenting on the announcement of increased annual funding for Oak National Academy, to £22.8 million for 2026/27, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The government cannot plead poverty and shortchange schools on funding the pay offer to teachers, when projects like Oak continue to be kept alive. This is another example of government attempting to micromanage from the centre. If the new Prime Minister wants to show a shift away from centralised power, with decision making in hands locally, then moving away from Oak would do that…” read more

Judge orders reinstatement for dismissed NEU Rep at the centre of on-going dispute at renowned London Hospital School (8 July) – On Friday 3 July, Kate Williams – dismissed NEU rep at the centre of the long running dispute at The Hospital School at GOSH and UCLH – was awarded Interim Relief by the judge presiding over her hearing. The decision made by Judge Davidson, at the Interim Relief Hearing, has meant that the Board of Governors at The Hospital School at GOSH and UCLH have been instructed to reinstate Kate paying her full salary until her full Employment Tribunal is heard. Kate Williams was dismissed by her employer in March 2026 following a disciplinary hearing overseen by Camden HR. Her dismissal followed her suspension from the workplace, 8-months earlier, in July 2025, after she raised concerns about chaotic and bullying management. Prior to her suspension, Kate had taught at the specialist setting for nearly 15 years with an unblemished record. Three senior staff remain suspended after also attempting to raise concerns and for their trade union activity. The Deputy and two Assistant Heads – who have a combined 30 years of service at the setting – have been suspended from the workplace since 24 October 2025. This was the day after Camden NEU submitted a collective grievance on behalf of 15 of their members. The school has lost approximately a combined 100 years of specialist hospital school experience through resignations, dismissals, and suspensions since a new headteacher took post in September 2024 read more

Support the strikes:-

  • Forest Fields Primary & Nursey School / Nottingham (Workload, unreasonable management practices and failure to properly maintain industrial relations) 20, 22-23 July; NEU contact: Sheena Wheatley [email protected]  
  • Learning Partnership West / Bristol (TURA, Contractual hours & breaks, pay scale & progression & safety) 20-22 July; NEU contact: Tom Bolton [email protected]   
  • Great Torrington Bluecoat CofE Primary / Devon (Redundancy, health and safety concerns, lack of time for proper consultation) 20 July; NEU contact: Charlotte Ovey [email protected]

NASUWT   

Ten key education priorities for the new PM (21 July) – As Andy Burnham begins his tenure as Prime Minister, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union is calling for an immediate and decisive shift in education policy to meet the expectations of millions who voted for change at the last general election. The Union is today publishing ten priority actions the it wants the new Prime Minister to commit to in his first months in office to rebuild the education system and demonstrate that Labour is serious about delivering meaningful change read more

Prime Minister urged to honour Labour’s manifesto commitment and repeal 50% strike ballot threshold (21 July) – NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to honour Labour’s manifesto pledge to repeal the 50% turnout threshold for industrial action ballots, warning that the Government is now introducing unnecessary obstacles that risk delaying the abolition of one of the UK’s most controversial anti-trade union laws. Writing to the Prime Minister today, NASUWT General Secretary Matt Wrack congratulated Andy Burnham on his appointment but raised serious concerns that the Government is seeking to tie the repeal of the threshold to a new monitoring and review process linked to the introduction of electronic balloting. Mr Wrack said the Government’s approach contradicts Labour’s clear commitment to repeal the Trade Union Act 2016 and remove the turnout threshold within the first 100 days of office read more

Hastings teachers strike for professional dignity (7 July) – Teachers from NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings are starting three days of strike action today (Tuesday) in protest at restructuring plans. Restructuring plans are due to come into effect from September. The employer has failed to engage meaningfully and constructively with staff and union representatives and NASUWT believes the plans will have a significantly detrimental impact on teachers’ workloads. Furthermore, staff have been subjected to harassment and victimisation for raising concerns about the impact of the restructuring. NASUWT teachers will also take strike action tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday read more

Durham High School staff and parents stage emergency demo (3 July) – Teachers, school staff and parents will stage an emergency demo outside Durham High School on 3rd July at 12:45pm to protest the school’s sudden closure read more

Yorkshire teachers strike to reinstate essential pupil support (2 July) – Teachers at three schools across Yorkshire will take strike action next week after being forced out of their pastoral roles. Strikes will take place at Graham School in Scarborough on 7th July, and at Vale of York Academy and Manor Church of England Academy in York on 8th July. All schools are part of the Heartwood Learning Trust read more

Industrial action ballot over toxic teacher workload in Northern Ireland (2 June) – NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Northern Ireland, has today served formal notice of an official industrial action ballot across all state-funded schools, following the Department of Education’s sustained failure to deliver a credible implementation plan for the 27 recommendations of the Independent Review of Workload. The ballot will open on Wednesday 10 June and will close on Tuesday 1 September read more

Teachers at SEND school strike against overcrowding (1 June) – Teachers at The Orchard School in Oldbury will begin the first of four days of strike action tomorrow. The Orchard School is a SEND school run by Sandwell Local Authority. Teachers at The Orchard have serious concerns about the numbers of pupils on roll and the impact overcrowding has on their workload, and the safety of both staff and pupils read more

Haberdashers staff strike over pensions raid (11 May) – Teachers at Haberdashers Boys and Girls Schools in Elstree are to start five days of strike action on Wednesday over attempts to impose detrimental changes to their pensions. Employers are trying to cap their future contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, meaning that teachers would have to foot the bill for any future increases in the employer contribution rate, rather than the employer meeting the additional costs. The employer has used fire and rehire tactics to try to force through these changes, with large numbers of teachers receiving letters of dismissal and reengagement on amended contracts. Teachers from NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at both schools are due to take strike action on 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th and 21st May. Teachers will be picketing outside the school between approximately 7.15am and 9.30am read more

Workload threats prompt strike action at two Lincolnshire schools (10 May) – Teachers from NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Banovallum School and Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, both in Horncastle, are due to begin four days of strike action tomorrow (Monday) over the detrimental impact of job cuts and changes to working conditions on teacher workload. The Horncastle Education Trust, which runs both schools, is making seven voluntary staff redundancies and is proposing to cut the time allocated to teachers for planning, preparation and assessment from 15% of timetabled teaching time to 10%. Strike action is planned for 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th May. NASUWT teachers will be picketing outside the school on each strike day between approximately 8am and 9am read more

Strike action begins at St Helens college (7 May) – Teachers from NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union at Cowley International College in St Helens began the first of four days of strike action today as a result of adverse management practices, escalating workload pressures, and a breakdown of trust caused by the school’s leadership. Teachers have been subjected to unprofessional treatment by the employer and a persistent failure by senior leadership to address workload and safety concerns. By the time the employer began to acknowledge the seriousness of the concerns raised, trust had already collapsed. Teachers now have no confidence that commitments made by management will be honoured. Despite this, they have agreed to attend work to ensure exam classes are taught, demonstrating their continued commitment to their pupils read more

    

EIS   

EIS ‘Baffled’ at GCC Decision to Pursue Former Parent Group Representative (17 July) – The EIS has responded to Glasgow City Council’s decision to pursue a former representative of Glasgow City Parents Group (GCPG) for over £40,000 to recoup legal fees, following an unsuccessful legal bid for a judicial review of the Council’s education budget-setting process in respect of cuts to teaching provision. Lawyers for GCPG sought to initiate a judicial review in 2024 after receiving confirmation that the Council did not carry out a full Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) before making the decision to cut 450 teacher posts over three years, declaring that the Council failed to fulfil its legal obligations. However, the call for a review was rejected by a judge primarily on procedural grounds of time-bar read more

EIS Lodges New Dispute with City of Glasgow College over Management and Culture (30 June) – The EIS has lodged a new dispute with City of Glasgow College (CoGC) over the management style and institutional culture within the college. The EIS believes that the culture and ethos of CoGC is having a detrimental impact on the health, wellbeing, professionalism, operational effectiveness and morale of lecturing staff read more

EIS Strike Commences at Glasgow Caledonian University over Threat to 100 Jobs (29 June) – Members of the EIS ULA at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) will be on strike this week in an escalation of a dispute over job cuts and redundancies at the university. The EIS has given notice to the university on the planned strike action and has again urged GCU management to return to the negotiating table with a promise to rule out compulsory redundancies. EIS members at GCU are greatly concerned over their future at the university, the negative impact the planned job cuts will have on the workload of those who will remain and the detrimental repercussions to academic provision and the educational experience for students read more

INTO

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

NITC Lodges Dispute with Department of Education over Teacher Workload Response (12 May) – On 28 April the Minister published his response to the report from the Independent Panel on Teacher Workload. NITC met with the Minister and a range of representatives to discuss the response. The five teaching unions then met with their executive bodies and took comment from members regarding the report. Subsequently, the concerns which were expressed from members right across the system were compiled into a document for consideration by the Minister and the Department. The plan as it currently stands is simply not acceptable to the NITC. Members were informed on Tuesday 5 May that NITC submitted the letter detailing the concerns and requested a reply by Monday 11 May. No reply was received with DE indicating that we may receive a response next week. NITC as a whole, and each constituent union, took the decision in the absence of a response on the date requested, to lodge a dispute with the Department of Education. These actions were taken today. The dispute relates to the failure of the Department of Education to publish a plan which is capable of fully implementing the recommendations from the Independent Review of Teacher Workload read more

UCU     

UCU Stop the Cuts campaign  

Sign petition against the education cuts  

LONDON MET DEMOS – WE FIGHT FOR EVERY JOB – SAVE THE 47

Defend Jobs. No Zero-Hour Contracts. Save London Met.

  • Monday 27 July | 1.00–2.00 pm Demo & Leafletting

* Save the 47 jobs

* Stop compulsory redundancies

* No zero-hour contracts

  • Friday 31 July | 1.00–2.00 pm SAVE THE 47 – Solidarity Rally

31 July is the redundancy deadline. Stand with colleagues, students and supporters

Every job matters. Every colleague matters.

After the rally, join us for free drinks and snacks at El Rincon – on us.

Flip the fear. Stand together. Save the 47

Strike ballot opens at University of Exeter in fight against cuts (21 July) – Staff at the University of Exeter will be balloted for strike action in their fight against cuts, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The ballot runs from Monday 27 July to Wednesday 9 September and comes after an online poll where staff indicated by 92% that they would be willing to strike on a turnout of 68%. A successful ballot paves the way for strike action to hit campus at the start of the academic year, unless university management rules out compulsory redundancies. 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, resulting in 200 compulsory job losses. Last month more than 600 staff attended a jam-packed emergency meeting to take a no confidence vote in the vice-chancellor. A petition against the cuts has gained over 30,000 signatories and key public figures including Stephen Fry, Rory Stewart, George Monbiot, Samira Ahmed, Alice Roberts, Mark Kermode, Adam Rutherford and Rowan Williams have supported the staff campaign read more

Union poll shows Burnham premiership can turn tide for Labour (20 July)

Five-week strike at Dundee University starting in September (16 July) – Five weeks strike action from 21 September. Lobby of court today, 12.30pm at the Bonar Hall, Nethergate, Dundee. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Dundee University will strike for 25 days over five weeks at the start of the new academic year in a long running dispute over cuts and job losses including compulsory redundancies. Staff at the university will be on strike each weekday from Monday 21 September through to Friday 23 October, meaning the strike will last for the first five weeks of the new term.  As well as taking strike action, staff will also be taking part in action short of strike which will include action such as not covering for colleagues or undertaking voluntary activities read more

UCU Welcomes USS 2026 Valuation Consultation (15 July) – UCU welcomed the publication of the latest Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) valuation as a further justification of the action taken by its members to protect their pension between 2018 and 2023. The technical provisions valuation and consultation shows the scheme has a surplus of £16.9bn, up £9.5bn from the 2023 valuation, and a funding ratio of 127%. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “This latest valuation is a further vindication of our members’ decision to strike for 69 days to defend their pension…” 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

University of Sussex strike ballot opens over threat to axe hundreds of staff (1 July) – Staff at the University of Sussex are being asked to vote yes for strike action in a ballot that opened today and will run until Thursday 13 August. The ballot is over plans to cut 200 jobs and comes after more than 600 staff were put at risk of redundancy across academic, technical and professional services departments. Management says it needs to save £35m in annual costs due to a fall in student numbers and has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies despite more than 500 staff having already left Sussex over the past two years. Sussex UCU is putting forward proposals that would avoid the need for compulsory redundancies, protect jobs and support student learning. These include allowing staff to volunteer to move part-time and working to bring down the amount spent on the pay of senior management. Senior management’s pay bill is over £3m a year, and over the last few years new senior managerial roles have been created while staff have been taken out of frontline teaching read more

Strike ballot looms at Macclesfield College as staff reject lowball pay offer (30 June) – Macclesfield College staff have overwhelmingly voted to reject a pay offer worth just 1.5% in year and backed strike action in a fight for fair wages. In an online ballot, UCU members at the college overwhelmingly voted by 95% to reject the low-ball award and indicated they are prepared to strike if the college does not come back with a decent offer. Macclesfield initially made an offer of just 2%, lower than any other college in the region, well below inflation and the 4% recommended by the college’s employer body, the Association of Colleges. Management belatedly made a further offer of 3%, but refuse to backdate it to August, meaning it is only worth 1.5% in year. Despite offering staff a real term pay cut the college has a forecasted surplus of over £650,000, generated through the hard work of UCU members. The college is due to be taken over by Cheshire College South and West on Saturday 1 August (2026) meaning staff could be striking within weeks of the college’s takeover read more

Exeter University staff vow to fight ‘vicious’ job cuts (29 June) – Staff at Exeter University have overwhelmingly supported a no confidence vote in the university’s vice-chancellor as they prepare to fight a wave of vicious cuts to the humanities department, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. Over 500 research and teaching staff, including more than eight in 10 academics in the faculty of humanities, arts and social sciences are at risk of redundancy in plans to axe over 200 staff. UCU fears that courses including history, English, modern languages and politics will suffer irreparable damage if the cuts go through, with the cuts on the Falmouth campus also putting languages and environmental sciences provision at serious risk. A petition against the cuts has already gained over 10,000 signatures. Management says the cuts are needed to reduce financial pressures, but UCU argues there is no financial need to force through cuts of this scale. According to the university’s own accounts, since 2023 it has increased its reserves by over £188m (from £432m to £621m). And since 2021, the number of staff earning over £100k has jumped by more than double (from 157 to 404), despite the university’s claim that it has “taken steps to manage staffing costs”. Last Thursday, at a packed emergency meeting, UCU members overwhelmingly voted no confidence in the vice-chancellor and, later this week, will meet again to vote for industrial action read more

University of Nottingham condemned after latest attempt to end industrial action (19 June) – University and College Union (UCU) has today (Friday 19 June) condemned University of Nottingham management for their lack of willingness to help resolve the current dispute. UCU officials met with University of Nottingham management yesterday in a bid to end the ongoing dispute over large-scale job cuts, course closures and workload concerns. UCU had earlier this week provided potential further savings and a more detailed financial counterproposal to the employer’s plans and on top of the number of staff who may leave voluntarily. With graduations in just a few weeks, this was the ideal time to seek a resolution read more

Staff at Northumbria University to be balloted for strike action in job cuts row (18 June) – UCU has today formally declared a dispute with Northumbria University and will ballot members over potential strike action. The dispute is in response to management plans to slash around 1 in 10 jobs before Christmas, across Geography and Natural Sciences; Engineering, Physics & Maths; Humanities; Theatre & Performance; and Design departments.  Management has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies. The £5 million cuts follow an already damaging restructure, plans to push staff out of pension schemes and the folly of expensive building projects, including a £2.5m Centre for Writing which would house some of those staff who survive the cull. The move to a dispute and potential strike action follows votes of no confidence in both the senior executives and the Board of Governors read more

Global academic boycott imposed on University of Sheffield over job cuts & pay docking (4 June) – The University of Sheffield has just been hit with the ultimate sanction of a global academic boycott by the biggest higher education union in the UK read more

Glasgow Caledonian University strike starts today (3 June) – Members of UCU at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) today begin three days of strike action in a dispute over job cuts and possible compulsory redundancies. Staff are taking strike action today and tomorrow, and on Tuesday 4 August.  In the vote authorising the strike members supported the action by 79% with a 69% turnout.  Staff are also taking part in action short of strike including working to contract, not undertaking voluntary duties or covering for absent colleagues. The strike is over proposals by senior managers to cut up to 100 posts even though the university is not currently in deficit read more

UCU responds to threat of over 100 job cuts at Aberdeen University (29 May) – Speaking following the announcement from the University of Aberdeen that it plans to make over 100 job cuts, UCU Aberdeen co-chair Dan Cutts said: ‘This is absolutely devastating for the workforce. There is a lot of anger, distress and worry amongst our members who have been working tirelessly to support their students. Our members are baffled as to why senior management are choosing to make these drastic job cuts when the university’s financial situation has improved and they report we are in surplus. Management plans are illogical and will be damaging to the student experience here at Aberdeen University. UCU will be gauging the feelings of our membership over the next few days and there is no doubt that our union will be fighting back against these devastating cuts.’ Read more

Ten-day strike at Aberdeen University starts today (13 Apr)

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

Union condemns University of Sussex threat of compulsory redundancies (29 May) – UCU has condemned the University of Sussex management’s threat to cut 200 jobs, with around 600 staff placed at risk of redundancy. The threatened job losses form part of a £35m cuts programme following a fall in student recruitment. UCU Sussex, along with sister branches UNISON and UNITE, has written to vice-chancellor Sasha Roseneil demanding that compulsory redundancies be ruled out until Saturday 31 July 2027. UCU said it would fight any threat of compulsory redundancies read more

Staff at Queen Margaret University vote for strike action (22 May) – Staff at Queen Margaret University (QMU) have voted for strike action in a dispute over jobs cuts, compulsory redundancies and changes to working practices. University and College Union (UCU) Scotland members at the university voted by 92% to back strike action on a turnout of 67%.  Action short of strike, which could involve working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues or voluntary activities, was also backed by 96% of members voting.  Members of the branch will now decide their next steps in the dispute. Senior managers at QMU are looking to make savings of £4million in staffing costs this academic year and in 2027/28 and have refused to rule out the possibility of compulsory redundancies.  On top of the job cuts, management also proposed cutting research and scholarship time for academic staff.  Research-led teaching is recognised universally as the benchmark across higher education and the union argues that any step backwards on this would harm the university read more

First day of summer of strikes begins at Heriot-Watt University (14 May) – University and College Union Scotland members at Heriot-Watt University will today begin the first of six strike days across May and June. Today’s strike takes place as the university court, the university’s highest decision-making body, meets to consider future strategy.  UCU members will also take strike action in June unless management take steps to resolve the dispute before then.  Staff are striking over plans to cut jobs in the university’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies and the potential closure, including possible compulsory redundancies, of the successful Scholar programme which delivers online learning in schools.  Members backed strike action by 74% on a 70% turnout and took nine days of strike action strike action earlier in the Spring read more

Four strike days begin tomorrow at Capital City College Group over workload issues (11 May) – Staff at Capital City College Group (CCCG) begin four consecutive days of strike action tomorrow after the employer failed to meaningfully negotiate over workload concerns. UCU members will be on picket lines each strike day (Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13, Thursday 14, and Friday 15 May) from 8am across the eight college sites. The dispute is over excessive workloads, and the action comes after CCCG failed to meaningfully progress workload issues after belatedly meeting with the union last week, in response to the strike threat (Wednesday 6 May). Prior to that meeting, management had failed to meet with the union over workload concerns since January (when inadequate notice was given to UCU reps of the meeting date), despite committing to two further meetings before the Easter break. UCU demands include increased tutorial time, more support for students with special educational needs, and additional student wellbeing staff read more

Outrage as DfE hire refuses national recommendation to raise pay (5 May) – Staff at Windsor Forest Colleges Group (WFCG) will strike tomorrow (Wednesday 6 May) as they continue to fight for fair pay. College principal Gillian May is now set to leave at the end of the month to take up a senior post, as deputy commissioner for further education, at the Department for Education. Despite holding down her own staff’s pay, she has accepted a 7.8% increase to her own salary of over £10,000. The group runs four colleges across Berkshire and Surrey: Slough and Langley College, Windsor College, Strode’s College, and the Berkshire College of Agriculture. Staff have already taken five days of action and are asking for a fair pay award. WFCG has refused to even meet the 4% pay award recommended by the Association of Colleges, unlike every other college in the region read more

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

     

FBU   

Zane’s Law (13 July) – 7 year old Zane Gbangbola died in 2014 when floodwater passed through landfill into his home. Surrey FRS detected high levels of hydrogen cyanide from the incident. Today, the government has announced an inquiry into Zane’s death. This inquiry must be thorough and transparent. For over 12 years, Zane’s parents Nicole and Kye have fought for answers. Since 2019, we’ve stood with them, backing calls for a full independent investigation. The FBU will continue calling for Zane’s Law to protect communities from contaminated land read more on FBU Facebook page

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

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

POA     

General Secretary update read more

National Chair update June 2026 read here  

NEC minutes June 2026 read more

Minister’s departure must mark a new beginning for prison officers (20 July) – The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) today thanked the outgoing Prisons Minister, Lord Timpson, for the constructive engagement he showed with the union during his time in office, while calling on the Government to seize the opportunity presented by his departure to finally deliver workplace justice and dignity for Prison Officers. Throughout his tenure, Lord Timpson maintained a dialogue with the POA and demonstrated a willingness to engage with the serious challenges facing the prison service. The union wishes him well for the future. However, the POA said a change in ministerial leadership within the new Andy Burnham government must now lead to a change in delivery on the issues that matter most to the frontline staff who keep the public safe every day. The union is urging the new incoming Prime Minister to once and for all right the wrongs imposed on Prison Officers, including reducing the ridiculous retirement age of 68 years old and restoring the right to strike for Prison Officers read more

Right to strike campaign – further action (5 June) – POA Circular 033/2026 asked members to contact their local MP and request their support for the POA’s Right to Strike Campaign. If you have received a response from your MP, whether positive or negative, please forward it to [email protected]. This is part of a simple but powerful campaign that will send a clear message that Prison Officers must have their right to strike restored read more

NAPO

Climate Change is a Workplace Issue – Lives Before Targets (17 July) – Climate change is no longer a distant environmental concern. It is now a workplace health and safety and security issue that is affecting our members, the people we supervise, and the delivery of probation and Cafcass services. Napo believe that there needs to be national discussions now to discuss the challenges of climate change. Across the country we are seeing more frequent heatwaves, flooding, wildfires, storms and periods of poor air quality read more

The ballot is open. Your voice matters (10 July) – The indicative ballot on workloads is now open. You will be receiving an email from [email protected] with your unique electronic ballot paper shortly. We have created a dedicated webpage with all the information you will need throughout the campaign and we encourage you to visit it regularly read more

Can we show the country what unpaid overtime really looks like? (17 July) – Most people never see probation work. They don’t see the late evenings. The weekends. And they certainly don’t see the TOIL that never gets taken. Every extra hour tells part of the story, and we are asking members to help us tell it read more

Detailed Probation Pay Claim Submitted (26 June) – The Probation Trade Unions have now formally submitted the detailed 2026–27 pay claim to senior HMPPS management, marking the next stage in our campaign to secure the pay, recognition and respect that probation staff deserve. This follows the opening of ‘without prejudice’ discussions earlier this month. Further talks will take place throughout July and August and Napo remains absolutely clear: members must have a pay offer to consider before 1 September read more

BFAWU     

Spring Foodworker 2025 read more

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

BALPA

BALPA calls on Burnham to tear down six-figure training paywall blocking new pilots (17 July) – Ahead of his appointment on Monday as Prime Minister, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has called on Andy Burnham to make pilot training an affordable option for everyone with the ambition and talent read more

Beating the Heat: Why Rotary Pilots Need Better Protection (17 July) – Whether you are revelling in the escape from our usual grey skies and drizzle, or heading to the beach to find reprieve from the heat, spare a thought for our rotary pilots who face particular difficulties during these heatwaves read more

NUJ   

Victory for Turkey AFP journalists after 12-day strike (22 July) – The NUJ has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in commending journalists at the AFP bureau in Istanbul and the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS) for winning a substantial wage increase. Journalists and media workers at AFP Istanbul secured a 27% wage increase following 12 days of strike action following months of inconclusive talks read more

MPs question culture secretary over future of the BBC (17 July) – On 13 July, Lisa Nandy, culture secretary, faced questions from MPs on the future of the BBC ahead of the charter renewal process. Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s BBC Royal Charter Review inquiry, Nandy said that the government is “almost certainly” going to pursue worker representation on the BBC board while removing political appointments as part of Charter Renewal read more

NUJ responds to PA proposal to close Howden hub (16 July) – NUJ members at the Press Association have responded to the company’s proposal to close its northern hub at Howden in Yorkshire and transfer operations to Leeds read more

NUJ supports bill to broaden scope of FOI laws (16 July) – The NUJ has backed legislative proposals to bring the King and the Royal Household under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act with the aim of promoting transparency and press freedom read more

Equity

The arts are “not simply a ‘ministry for fun’” (20 July) – Equity’s message to new administration as Andy Burnham appointed Prime Minister read more

Equity calls on Manchester City Council to ensure Pride performers are paid (17 July) – According to Manchester Pride, the annual event generated over £104million for the city between 2021 and 2025 read more

Equity providing support on Leicester Comedy Festival non-payments (15 July) – Many comedians have been left unpaid. Equity is supporting a number of members impacted by the financial difficulties of Leicester Comedy Festival’s parent company. The union has successfully secured payments for some comedians who had been left unpaid for shows performed during the festival held this February and is encouraging any other impacted members to contact Equity for support read more

Equity responds to delayed reopening of Oldham Coliseum (15 July) – Equity has expressed “disappointment” following the announcement that the reopening of Oldham Coliseum will be delayed to 2027. Union officials met with management recently, and despite the longer than hoped closure, added that Equity wants “to work constructively towards this much-loved venue being fully functioning next year.” The theatre was saved from closure in 2024 following a community campaign, which included Equity. It was originally set to reopen in 2025, then for panto season later this year. However, Oldham Council have updated this week that due to unexpected structural issues, the ongoing refurbishment will take longer, meaning the reopening will now take place in 2027. In the meantime, shows are due to be put on in other venues read more

Equity members vote on West End pay offer (13 July) – Equity and Society of London Theatre (SOLT) have reached a negotiated agreement on pay and conditions for the West End following a period of intense talks. Equity members will vote on whether to accept or reject the offer in an online ballot which opens today (Monday 13 July) with the result due on Wednesday 29 July. Equity is recommending acceptance. The offer is a three-year deal, spanning April 2026 – April 2029. Equity members wanted to achieve improvements in both pay and work-life balance, and this offer provides significant enhancements in both areas. On pay, the offer provides an increase of at least 13.5% to minimum rates over the period (Year 1:  6%; Year 2: 5%; Year 3: inflation +0.5%). There are also new payments for responsibilities of fight captains and social media reps, and increased stage management differentials read more

Musicians Union

New Collective Agreement Agreed for Northern Ballet Sinfonia (16 July) – A new collective agreement has been agreed between the Musicians’ Union and Northern Ballet, securing rates, terms and protections for freelance musicians engaged by the company read more

Sign the Petition to Protect the BBC’s Future (3 July) – A collective of arts, entertainment and broadcast unions, including the Musicians’ Union, have launched a joint petition to protect the future of the BBC read more

Community

Community signs recognition agreement with GXO B&Q CDC (20 July) – We are proud to announce that we have signed a formal recognition agreement with GXO B&Q CDC, meaning GXO now formally recognise Community to represent, consult and negotiate on behalf of our members working across their CDC network read more

USDAW

Usdaw congratulates Andy Burnham on becoming the new Labour leader and calls for him to deliver for working people (20 July)

UVW   

Science Museum security guards complete up to 30% pay restoration after two years of organising (20 July) – “After two years of organising and strike action, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved together. But this isn’t the finish line” – Catherine Campbell, Science Museum security guard. Outsourced security guards at the Science Museum have secured a new pay deal that completes a pay restoration of up to 30% after two years of sustained organising, industrial action and negotiations with United Voices of the World (UVW). The latest agreement, reached in July 2026, raises the minimum hourly rate to £14.80, plus a 25p per hour attendance allowance, taking workers’ pay above the London Living Wage. The allowance will now be paid to all workers, ending the previous system under which only those who completed training in their own time were eligible to receive it. The victory marks the latest chapter in a determined campaign by outsourced security guards employed by contractor Wilson James read more

Butlin’s Resort safety officers demand safer holidays and warn of strike ballot (16 July) – “We work 12-hour shifts dealing with violence, aggression, lost children and medical emergencies to keep families safe — yet we’re understaffed, unsupported and taken for granted” – Alan Riley, Butlin’s Resort Safety Officer and UVW member. As Butlin’s celebrates its 90th anniversary, Resort Safety Officers at its Bognor Regis resort have launched a campaign demanding safer working conditions, fair pay and greater investment in the workers responsible for protecting thousands of holidaymakers every year. The officers, all members of United Voices of the World (UVW), have presented Butlin’s management with seven demands for a safe, secure and fair workplace. They have given the company seven days to respond, warning that failure to address their concerns could lead to further action, including a ballot for industrial action read more

Radisson Blu housekeepers win landmark union recognition at two UK hotels (14 July) – “It’s exciting news. Securing this recognition agreement means our employer now has to sit down with us before making any decisions that affect our working lives” – Doris Selenbo, Radisson Blu housekeeper. Outsourced housekeepers at Radisson Blu Canary Wharf and Radisson Blu Euston Square have won statutory trade union recognition through the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), in what is believed to be the first known agreement of its kind covering two hotels within the same chain in the UK. The victory marks a major breakthrough for outsourced hospitality workers and follows a year of determined organising by UVW members, predominantly migrant women workers from Nepal and India, who transformed workplace frustration into collective power. The workers, employed by hospitality contractor WGC Ltd, have secured recognition after building strong union membership and demonstrating majority support. As a result, WGC must now negotiate collectively with United Voices of the World (UVW) over key issues including pay, hours and holidays, giving workers a permanent voice in decisions that affect their working lives read more

Migrant cleaners at South London school Ark Globe Academy vote for strike action (30 June) – Outsourced migrant cleaners, members of United Voices of the World (UVW), at Ark Globe Academy in South London have voted unanimously to take strike action after months of campaigning to restore the full London Living Wage and address persistent payroll issues. Every worker who participated in the ballot voted YES for industrial action, giving a 100% mandate to strike. The cleaners, employed by subcontractor Atlas Cleaning Limited, won the London Living Wage in 2020 and have consistently received it over the past five years. However, from 1 April 2026 they were given only a partial uplift to £14.27 per hour, marking the first time the full annual increase has not been implemented.  Months of payroll errors and delayed wage corrections have also left many workers struggling to pay rent, bills and other essential living costs. Atlas Cleaning Limited has told UVW that it cannot fully implement the 2026 London Living Wage increase because of contractual arrangements with Ark Globe Academy. The school told UVW that it decided “to pause alignment to the Real Living Wage for this financial year” due to wider financial pressures across the organisation and education sector…The cleaners’ campaign has attracted growing support from the local community, including National Education Union (NEU) members, teachers across Southwark, and residents; Green Party councillors have also backed the workers’ call for fair pay and treatment read more

Migrant cleaner takes Hackney council to court for discrimination and breach of contract (29 Apr) – “I have felt bullied despite giving 100 percent of myself at work. It is not fair that at the slightest issue, workers can be made to feel belittled and pushed out as though they are worth nothing” – Maryori Pacheco Masias, UVW member. “I have felt bullied despite giving 100 percent of myself at work. It is not fair that at the slightest issue, workers can be made to feel belittled and pushed out as though they are worth nothing” – Maryori Pacheco Masias, UVW member. A migrant cleaner is taking legal action against Hackney Council, alleging bullying, harassment, and discrimination after her working conditions were abruptly changed, leaving her in financial hardship read more

Solidarity Financial Appeal: UVW’s office was targeted in a break-in! – in January 2025, laptops, essential equipment and other valuables worth several thousands of pounds were stolen, disrupting critical support for low-paid, migrant and precarious workers. This won’t stop our fight for justice. The theft comes as UVW leads critical campaigns with hundreds of workers taking strike action across London. Please support UVW during this critical time. Help replace stolen equipment and ensure campaigns for dignity and equality continue. Every donation makes a difference. Donate now: https://www.uvwunion.org.uk/donate. Read more on UVW Facebook page   

IWGB

Rockstar workers launch bid for union recognition following mass firings (30 Nov) – Workers at Rockstar Games have submitted a request for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union, in a move that could make the studio the second UK games studio with a recognised union. If successful, the recognition would follow IWGB members at ZA/UM, who became the first workers in the UK games industry to achieve union recognition in October 2025. Workers in the UK have the right to join a union and organise without formal recognition, but recognition gives members additional protections and rights, and opens formal channels for collective bargaining with management read more

RCA cleaners fired after protesting sexual harassment and workplace abuse (13 May) – Two cleaners at the Royal College of Art have been dismissed after taking part in a letter hand-in protest over alleged workplace abuse and sexual harassment, involving supervisors employed by the university’s cleaning subcontractor, PfP Students. The workers, who are members of the IWGB Union, say they are being victimised for speaking out about harassment and safety concerns in the workplace read more

SIPTU (Ireland)   

SIPTU members back Labour Court proposals resolving ambulance dispute (17 July) – SIPTU members overwhelmingly accepted Labour Court proposals today (Friday, 17th July) resolving a six-year dispute over pay rates in the National Ambulance Service (NAS). 98% of members voted in favour of the Labour Court recommendation. In accepting the proposals, ambulance personnel working as Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, Advanced Paramedics and Paramedic Supervisors will see significant pay rises read more

SIPTU demands urgent meeting with Aer Lingus management (16 July) – SIPTU representatives have today (Thursday 16th July) expressed deep concern and surprise following this morning’s announcement by Aer Lingus of its intention to reduce headcount by approximately 500 positions across the airline. The union has warned that the sudden announcement has caused significant worry and uncertainty among workers and their families, and has demanded an immediate, face-to-face meeting with senior airline management read more

SIPTU calls for Oireachtas scrutiny of Carlow College closure process and exclusion of staff (15 July) – SIPTU representatives have called on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Higher Education to launch an immediate examination into the decision to wind down Carlow College, St Patrick’s, as well as the flawed process that led to it read more

SIPTU members at St John of God Shankill to strike (14 July) – SIPTU members employed as Household/Domestic Staff at St Joseph’s Centre in Shankill, Dublin, are to proceed with a strike on Wednesday, 15th July, following a breakdown of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Monday. The dispute follows management’s failure to appropriately pay workers in line with the duties they currently carry out. SIPTU representatives met with management at the WRC on Monday for last-minute talks in an effort to prevent the upcoming industrial and strike action. St Joseph’s Centre, which is part of St John of God services, is the country’s largest care home dedicated solely to dementia care. Last month, SIPTU members voted in favour of industrial action in a ballot concerning management’s failure to recognise the Union’s claim for enhanced pay for Household/Domestic Staff to Multi-Task Attendant read more

SIPTU to ballot public service members on strike action over Government inaction on pay talks (6 July) – SIPTU has today (Monday, 6th July) launched nationwide workplace consultations in preparation for strike ballots involving tens of thousands of members across the public service over the coming weeks, following the Government’s failure to begin meaningful negotiations on a successor public service agreement. The previous agreement, which expired on 30th June, covered more than 80,000 SIPTU members across the public service. SIPTU said the lack of meaningful engagement is not tenable given the enduring cost-of-living crisis experienced by workers, and that the absence of an agreement is creating unnecessary uncertainty for workers and services read more

Public service unions to prepare ballots as pay talks process stalls (5 July) – The Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) confirmed that its 19 affiliated unions 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

SIPTU members in RTÉ vote for industrial action to prevent further outsourcing (3 June) – SIPTU members employed in RTÉ have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action if there is any further outsourcing of production or roles at the national broadcaster. In a ballot, the results of which were released today (Tuesday, 2nd June), the vote was 85% to 15% in favour of proposals for industrial action if management attempts to implement any further outsourcing of roles and production responsibilities. SIPTU organises approximately 600 RTÉ staff carrying out a wide variety of roles read more

SIPTU receives proposal from Dublin home care provider in pay dispute (29 May) – SIPTU received a revised pay proposal from the Dublin-based home care provider, Trinity Home Care following intensive engagement with the organisation’s management. The proposal represents progress in the ongoing discussions to resolve the current pay dispute. The proposal has the potential to deliver substantial financial gains for members of over 10%. It also includes increases to the Night Allowance for those who provide this service between 5.00pm and 10.00pm. Change in the workers’ pay scales will result in members in their first five years of service benefiting from an annual increase. In line with established procedures, SIPTU will now be putting this proposal to members for their consideration through a formal ballot. To facilitate this democratic process, the planned industrial action has been placed on hold pending the outcome of the ballot read more

SIPTU healthcare workers to begin strike action over pay failure (11 May) – SIPTU members of Blanchardstown and Inner-City Home Care will commence strike action on Tuesday (12th May) for failure by management to fully implement the 2023 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Agreement. Within the agreement, SIPTU members were to receive an 8% pay increase backdated to 1st April 2023. However, Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care have failed to fully implement these increases or provide any of the outstanding money owed read more

Strike action set at STERIS Tullamore in union recognition dispute (10 May) – SIPTU members employed by STERIS AST in Tullamore, County Offaly have served notice of strike action on their employer, in a dispute resulting from management at the contract sterilisation and lab testing facility’s refusal to engage with their Union on issues including sick leave and pay. SIPTU members will conduct work stoppages commencing at 8.00am on Friday, 15th May, and concluding at 8.00am on Saturday, 16th May 2026. During this time, pickets will be placed at the entrance to the plant read more

  

Other news     

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

For any press enquiries please email [email protected]

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

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: SPOT Statement on the arrest of Deniz Göktaş read more on the website of SPOT – Solidarity with the People of Turkey

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]

National March for Palestine – Saturday 18th July; assemble 12noon Russell Square details on the website of Stop the war Coalition

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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