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NSSN 785: Burnham announces end of the pension triple lock – TUC #NameTheDate for National Saturday Demo!

At the 2026 TUC Congress on 13-16 September, Motion 34 from the PCS was passed, which included the call for the TUC to organise a national Saturday demonstration. As we warned in the NSSN Rally before the start of Congress, a motion calling for a national Saturday demonstration was passed at last year’s TUC Congress but wasn’t implemented by the TUC General Council. Therefore, it is vital that union reps, members and activists call on their respective unions to vote for the motion to be enacted at the TUC General Council on 21st October and organise the demonstration to set out what workers need and build the pressure on Andy Burnham. This is an even more urgent task, because at last week’s Labour Party Conference, Burnham announced the end of the pension triple lock.

Please table this model motion below in your union meetings and trades councils:- 

Model Motion

This union organisation/trades council welcomes the overwhelming vote at the recent TUC Congress to pass Motion 34: ‘Public Sector Pay’ from the PCS.

The motion instructed TUC Congress to ‘urgently call a national Saturday demonstration this autumn for investment in public services, against austerity and for pro-worker policies.’

This union organisation/trades council believes that this is a vital action to mobilise the trade unions to put forward our movement’s demands as Andy Burnham moves towards his first Budget on 28th October.

This is imperative as the employers lobby for policies to make working-class people and communities to pay the price for the crisis caused by big business, centred on a further austerity offensive. At Labour Party Conference, Burnham announced the end of the pension triple lock.

Therefore, this union organisation/trades council calls on our union to demand that the TUC General Council on 21st October 2026 agrees to enact Motion 34 and name the date for a ‘national Saturday demonstration’ before the end of this year.

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).

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

That Action Programme is carried below:

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

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

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UNISON secures major improvements on pay and grading at Glasgow City Council (5 Oct)

UNISON has secured significant new protections for Glasgow City Council workers following intensive negotiations involving the council and Scottish government, says the union today (Monday). Following an intervention by the Scottish government, a proposal for pay protection for workers facing losses has been increased to three years, UNISON says. The council has also agreed to continue discussions with UNISON on outstanding issues including lower-paid workers, allowances, unevaluated jobs, equality impacts and the operation of the new pay model. UNISON says the latest position creates a route towards a ballot of its membership, without the council dictating the union’s recommendation or communications. Under the proposals, the council has agreed not to issue fire and rehire notices during the ballot process. The union says important issues remain unresolved and negotiations will continue before members vote, including further investment to address detriment and the position of workers whose jobs have still not been evaluated.

  • Glasgow City UNISON branch secretary Chris Sermanni said: “UNISON stood firm because Glasgow’s workers deserved better than what was originally put on the table. That position has secured significant movement. Staff will have three years’ pay protection and further commitments around workers facing detriment. There’s now a path for UNISON members to give their verdict without the immediate threat of dismissal and re-engagement hanging over them. Importantly though, this isn’t UNISON’s acceptance of the pay and grading package and the fight for improvements isn’t over. Thousands of workers are owed substantial and long-overdue increases and we want them to receive every penny. At the same time, other workers face significant losses and some still don’t even know their final outcome. The period ahead will be used to keep fighting to give the whole workforce the information they need to make their decision. Ultimately, it will be UNISON members who decide.” Read more

Glasgow City Council has agreed not to issue fire and rehire notices in 2026 while we fight for improvements and ballot our members

Make no mistake, it is the strength of our union which has forced this concession. We know that this anti-worker threat being removed will provide much needed relief for workers across the city and we were right to hold firm.

All power to UNISON Glasgow City Branch! Read more on UNISON Glasgow City Branch Facebook Page

    NSSN stands in solidarity with the Ireland Public Sector Strikes – 14 & 21 October

    From SIPTU: Ten days until the biggest Union Strike in a generation

    In ten days’ time, SIPTU members across health, local government, State agencies and education will take to the picket line and strike. At the heart of our dispute is a demand, most modest: working people should not be expected to fall further behind and our public services continue to be run down and fall further behind our EU partners. The cost of living crisis for ordinary workers is pushing many into greater debt and week to week living. Public services must be reinvigorated. Profiteering from services such as bin collection and childcare must end, and where these services can be best provided under public control we must move towards that. Rent, mortgages, fuel, food, energy, childcare and transport are impoverishing a generation that is more productive than any other. Making ends meet remains a daily struggle for the majority of working people and their families. Public service workers are experiencing the same pressures. On top of this, they are being asked to deliver essential services while dealing with staffing shortages and a rapid demand for services. This is why the Union Strike kicking off in ten days’ time matter beyond the public service read more

    From Unite: Budget 2027: Workers running to stand still as wealthiest win (6 Oct) – Subsidising high prices no substitute for addressing costs at source. Government accused of ‘megaphone bargaining’ on public sector pay. Unite, which represents workers across the economy, said today (Tuesday) that Budget 2027 represents a giveaway to the wealthiest while workers run to stand still…As workers throughout the public sector prepare to strike on 14 October, Unite slated Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers’ decision to hector unions on the floor of the Dáil rather than coming to the negotiating table with a credible pay offer read more

    From INTO: CEC confirms strike days for INTO members on 14 and 21 October (6 Oct) – The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the INTO has today issued a new Directive to members to participate in two 24-hour strike days – on 14 October and 21 October read more

    Read more from Fórsa  

    The NSSN stands with mass workers action in France and Spain!

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

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

    We demand that the new council honour this agreement.

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

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

       

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    RMT     

    RMT National Dispute Fund  

    Workers at Wood Group to take industrial action as company threatens to fire and rehire (5 Oct) – RMT members working for Wood Group will begin strike action tomorrow (October 6) at 00:01 hours in defence of their existing terms and conditions. The dispute is about protecting hard-won agreements and preventing the erosion of terms and conditions read more

    Outsourced Mitie Tube workers to take strike action over spycams (2 Oct) – TUBE union RMT announced strike action this weekend by members on the Mitie cleaning Transport for London contract from Sunday October 4 to Wednesday October 7 over the imposition of spycams. Members working as mobile night supervisors on the Mitie contract voted unanimously for strike action after the company installed intrusive inward facing cameras in vans for a ‘trial period’. But Mitie has made clear that it had no plans to remove the dashcams at the end of the trial period claiming that they were for improving the safety of drivers and other road users. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the spycams had been installed without the agreement of the union and called for them to be removed read more

    RMT calls for levy on record rolling stock company profits (2 Oct) – RAIL union RMT called for a levy on rolling stock companies today (October 2) as new figures exposed record dividend payments and seven figure salaries. The three main rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) who own over 70 per cent of Britain’s trains Angel, Eversholt and Porterbrook paid out a record £390 million in dividends to their shareholders in 2025. At the same time the three chief ROSCO executives pocketed £3.4 million between them in just one year. In total, the ROSCOs have paid out £2.4 billion over the last 10 years and £3.4 billion since 2010. On average, over the last five years, the three ROSCOs have paid out £240 million each year in dividends. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that greedy train owners were raking it in while passengers were paying the price read more

    RMT suspends strike action on TPE (2 Oct) – RAIL UNION RMT has suspended strike action by conductors planned for Sunday October 4 on Transpennine Express. The action was suspended for further talks after the company agreed to return to productivity negotiations. However, further action planned for the remaining Sundays in October remain in place. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the union will remain in dispute until a satisfactory agreement can be reached with the employer read more

    Strike action called at Chiltern against driver-only operation (29 Sept) – RAIL union RMT announced strike action today (September 29) on Chiltern Railways after members voted overwhelmingly for industrial action against driver-only operation (DOO) planned for East West Rail services. RMT members will take 24-hour action on Saturday October 10 and Saturday October 17 after the company refused to provide guarantees over the safety critical role of the second person on board proposed East West Rail services. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the driver-only operation proposed on East-West represented a significant risk to safety and the current Train Manager roles read more

    Striking outsourced rail workers to take battle to Labour Party conference (25 Sept) – RAIL union RMT will hold protests outside Labour Party conference meeting in Liverpool on Monday September 28 with striking outsourced rail workers to highlight low pay and calling for them to be taken in-house. Outsourced RMT members on TransPennine contracts working for Bidvest Noonan and Rail Gourmet are striking against low pay and in-work poverty. Outsourced workers on another publicly owned contract LNER who work for Gate Solutions will also be taking strike action next month at Doncaster, Edinburgh Waverley, King’s Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and York starting with 24-hour action from October 16. The growth in strike action by outsourced workers comes as the Common Wealth think tank published a report which says that by allowing public service outsourcing the government was effectively driving workers into poverty read more

    Industrial action at Go Cornwall (23 Sept) – BUS union RMT announced industrial action short of a strike from Friday October 2 by members at Go Cornwall over the refusal of the company to recognise the union. RMT members voted overwhelmingly for action to assert their right to trade union representation. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that Go Cornwall should accept the result of the TUC Disputes Committee verdict back in January to recognise RMT read more

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

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

    Unite     

    Oxford University Press workers to demonstrate against offshoring plans (6 Oct) – on 7 October, striking Oxford University Press (OUP) finance operations staff will continue their fight against offshoring plans with a rally outside OUP’s headquarters.

    • When: Wednesday 7 October, 12:30 to 13:30
    • Where: Outside Oxford University Press headquarters, corner of Walton Street and Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP

    As well as protesting outside OUP, 30 Unite members at the company are currently on strike until Friday (9 October) over plans to move their roles to India. They have been seeking a resolution since the announcement was made in June. The workers were given a deadline to sign the settlement agreement a day before the first planned industrial action or be transferred to new employer EXL and lose the standard redundancy terms, which has been described as ‘intimidating’, and they have also been asked to stay on for six months to train their replacements read more

    NHS lorry drivers supplying medical equipment to hospitals across England to strike over pay (6 Oct) – GXO employed drivers based in Derbyshire, Somerset, Kent, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Suffolk and Newcastle demand better wages. Lorry drivers delivering general NHS supplies nationwide will strike over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Industrial action involves nearly 200 drivers employed by GXO in Alfreton in Derbyshire, Bridgwater in Somerset, Normanton in West Yorkshire, Maidstone in Kent, Rugby in Warwickshire, Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk and Washington in Newcastle. The drivers cover all hospitals in England. Members rejected a four per cent offer from GXO, which runs the NHS supply chain contract for Supply Chain Coordination Limited (SCCL). SCCL is wholly owned by NHS England. GXO claims SCCL has said the consolidated pay offer cannot be increased. GXO workers on the NHS supply contract have inferior terms and conditions compared to standard NHS contracts, including a much lower pension entitlement…The workers drive HGV and other vehicles delivering general equipment such as bandages, dressings, gowns, gloves and needles to hospitals in England. They will strike from 13 to 15 October, 20 to 22 October, 27 to 29 October, 3 to 5 November and 10 to 12 November. Industrial action will intensify if the dispute is not resolved read more

    Derbyshire Forged Solutions metal workers pay win ends strike threat (6 Oct) – A strike threat by Darley Dale metal workers employed by Forged Solutions has ended after an improved pay deal was secured. The two-year deal includes a 3.75 per cent pay rise backdated to April, an increase to weekend overtime shift premium rates and a £200 lump sum, plus an inflation linked pay rise in 2027. Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced strike action after voting to reject an initial 3.4 per cent pay offer. Following negotiations between Unite and Forged Solutions, the improved offered was accepted by the workers…The deal was secured without any industrial action taking place read more

    Loganair cabin crew strike ballot in pay dispute (6 Oct) – Unite rejects unacceptable pay offer citing management ‘arrogance’. Loganair cabin crew are being balloted on industrial action after rejecting a ‘final’ wage offer from the company before pay negotiations had even taken place. Over 60 Loganair cabin crew involved in the ballot are based out of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man and Southampton airports. The cabin crew service flights across the UK and Ireland…The ballot will open on 8 October and close on 27 October read more

    Strikes by MoD drivers suspended (5 Oct) – Planned strikes by drivers at the Ministry of Defence have been suspended following last minute concessions by the employer. Drivers has been due to strike over a complete breakdown in workplace relations but, having announced strike action, the MoD came back to the negotiating table with a new commitment to resolve long-standing issues read more

    Leeds Bradford Airport shutdown as workers will strike (5 Oct) – Leeds Bradford Airport is set for a standstill as almost 130 workers will take industrial action over pay. The Unite members are a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners. Workers involved in the dispute have recently come out of a four-year pay deal and some of the departments have fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles. Pay talks have been happening since December 2025 with the airport’s formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity…Strikes will take place from 03:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for hourly paid staff and from 06:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for air traffic control workers read more

    Offshore dispute at Wood Group escalates in strike action ballot (5 Oct) – Unite says it will resist all attempts to slash jobs, pay and conditions. Strike action involving Wood Group offshore workers starts tomorrow (6 October) as part of a series of stoppages on assets operated by Harbour Energy. Unite is in dispute with the Wood Group over its decision to slash the pay, and conditions of dozens of workers, including through the threat of issuing fire and rehire notices. Strike action starts at 00.01 on 6 October and will last until 23.59 on 7 October. Further days of action will take place on 20-21 October, and 3-4 November over the same hours read more

    Strike action by Apache offshore workers set to hit UK fuel supplies (5 Oct) – Strike action by Apache offshore workers set to hit UK fuel supplies. Unite warns disruption could bring down Forties pipeline. Unite, the UK’s largest offshore union, is warning imminent strike action by over 160 Apache offshore workers could ‘severely disrupt’ UK fuel supplies. Apache workers emphatically backed strike action in a pay dispute relating to a rejected offer which amounts to a real terms pay cut for many workers, ranging from a pay freeze to below inflation increases. The operator also set deadlines for reaching an agreement over back pay, and indicated payments may be withheld leaving workers potentially thousands of pounds out of pocket read more

    Diageo strike action escalates at Cameronbridge distillery (2 Oct) – Over 100 workers fight back against job cuts. Strike action by over 100 Unite members at Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery will escalate in response to management reiterating its threat to force through job cuts, the union has announced. Industrial disruption began on 28 September with specific groups of workers scheduled to take industrial action up until 15 October.  Strike action involving all members will now be widened to include the following additional days: 12, 15, 19 and 22 October. The union said the significant industrial escalation is in response to Diageo management reaffirming its threat to push through compulsory redundancies during the course of meetings this week. Unite is the principal trade union at Cameronbridge read more

    Pilgrims workers secure inflation busting pay improvement and end strike (2 Oct) – Workers vote overwhelmingly to accept above inflation deal which provides paid breaks to all. Members of Unite employed at Pilgrim’s Enniskillen site have voted overwhelmingly to accept an improved pay offer and end their dispute. The workers have taken six weeks of strike action in pursuit of improved pay. The deal will see all shop floor workers receive a four per cent pay increase and will mean all workers are fully paid for breaks, ending a two-tier arrangement where some shifts were fully compensated and others not read more

    Legal 500 workers win full pay claim after strike action (30 Sept) – Dozens of publishing staff at Legalease, the publishers of legal industry-bible The Legal 500, have won a dramatic victory in their industrial dispute over pay. Staff who had been on strike for two and a half weeks accepted an offer that fully met their original pay claim of a £2000 pay increase for every worker. This was despite the company originally claiming it would not pay such an increase. After two and a half weeks of well-supported strike action, and more industrial action on the horizon, Legalease agreed to meet the workers’ demands read more

    Gatwick Airport strikes off as workers win improved pay deal (30 Sept) – Strikes by over 220 workers at London Gatwick Airport have been averted after they received an improved pay offer. The Unite members, who work for Wilson James and provide assisted travel to passengers, were due to walk out for eight days earlier this month. However, strikes were suspended to allow them to vote on a new pay deal, which they have overwhelmingly accepted. Workers will now receive a five per cent pay rise backdated to April plus 0.5 per cent uplift to employer contributions on pensions and in 2027 will get CPI plus one per cent or a 3.5 per cent hike, whichever is greater read more

    Tower Hamlets health visitors and support staff strike for NHS parity (29 Sept) – Tower Hamlets GP Care Group refusing guarantees to fully align with NHS pay structures. Nearly 120 East London health visitors and support staff will take strike action over service restructuring after their employer failed to give guarantees it would fully align NHS Agenda for Change pay structures. The workers have already forced Tower Hamlets GP Care Group (THGPCG) to scrap plans that included dangerous reductions in staffing levels for the borough’s zero to five years old health visiting services, which covers nearly 20,000 patients. During consultations with Unite, however, THGPCG has failed to give commitments that all staff contracts will fully align with NHS Agenda for Change pay, terms and conditions…The workers will strike on 6, 7 and 8 October. Further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved read more

    Oxford University Press offshoring strikes to escalate this week (28 Sept) – Over 30 Unite members at Oxford University Press (OUP) are taking further strike action this week in a dispute around offshoring. Workers in its finance operations team already walked out earlier this month after their employer announced plans to move the department to EXL Services. This firm provides its services from India, meaning the almost 50 affected OUP staff will be unable to TUPE transfer and will lose their jobs. The affected staff have also been asked to stay on for six months to train their replacements, which has been described as an ‘insult’…Unite members are striking until 9 October read more  

    East London private school staff to strike over swingeing pay cuts (25 Sept) – Catering staff and cleaners at an expensive private school in East London are taking strike action next week in a dispute over pay cuts. The workers at Forest School in Snaresbrook are employed on a contract by Compass Group UK & Ireland Limited. They are facing a pay cut of up to 13.5 per cent as Forest School has cut the contract to term time only, so 45 weeks instead of 52. These plans will leave workers, many of whom earn just above the minimum wage and do not receive the London Living Wage, in a precarious financial situation. Many of them live in London and Essex, which are areas with high rent prices and an expensive cost of living… Workers are also calling for Unite to be formally recognised as their union for collective bargaining. Membership surged after the pay cut plans was announced three months ago and membership is growing. Strikes will start this coming Monday (28 September) to Friday (2 October). It means staff and pupils won’t receive meals and areas of the school will not be cleaned read more

    Hovis Avonmouth strike suspended after new offer (24 Sept) – Continuous strike action at Hovis starting today (24 September) has been called off following eleventh hour pay talks. Around 60 Unite members working as distribution drivers at the Avonmouth, Bristol, site were due to walk out in a pay dispute. However, following late night negotiations this has been paused to allow workers to vote on a new pay offer read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    CWU

    CWU Welcomes Government Announcement On Ending Bogus Self-Employment (1 Oct) – Earlier this week the Government announced that it would take action to ban bogus self-employment. This is very good news for the CWU and a major step forward in a campaign our union has been fighting for years. Our motion to Labour Party Conference called for the abolition of bogus self-employment, underlining the importance of this issue to our union and our members read more

    CWU backs Citizens Advice call for Single Worker Status (30 Sept) – Commenting on today’s Citizens Advice report into the working and payment conditions of parcel delivery drivers Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said: “CWU strongly welcomes this report and its finding that the pay and employment conditions of the workforce in the parcel industry have a significant impact on the quality of service for consumers. The analysis confirms what the union has argued for many years primarily that bogus self-employment in the sector has been hugely detrimental for workers in terms of pressure and stress. Citizens Advice is right to call on the Government to implement a single status of worker in the parcel market and to ensure that the status can be enforced.” Read more

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

    PCS     

    You can show your support to the strikes by PCS members by:     

    • Making donations to the PCS Fighting Fund Levy account, sort code: 60-83-01, account no. 20331490    
    • Sending solidarity messages to [email protected]     

    Pension scheme members demand insourcing (6 Oct) – PCS members affected by Capita’s maladministration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme explain why they want to see it taken out of private hands. The ongoing crisis in the administration of the scheme has caused real financial hardship for retired or retiring civil servants. Countless scheme members have also been forced to postpone their retirements.

    PCS continues to regularly meet with representatives of the Cabinet Office to address this crisis. To pressure the government into resolving it, the union has also joined the Insource Now! campaign with Unison and RMT. The campaign will seek to pressure the government into fulfilling its promise – long overdue – of delivering the biggest wave of insourcing for a generation. You can sign up the campaign to receive updates read more

    PCS meets with Capita to press for action on escalated cases (29 Sept) – Capita’s response so far to cases escalated by unions and MPs has been unsatisfactory. The reaction among members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme at Capita’s disappointing progress ranges from anger to despair. PCS is continuing to press for effective recovery action. Widespread frustration is being voiced by unions, MPs and the wider public and receiving a lot of media coverage. The government has said Capita’s performance is unacceptable and is waiting for evidence that Capita is capable of getting back to an acceptable level of service read more

    Support the campaign to keep jobs in Southport (2 Oct) – PCS members in Southport are campaigning to keep Home Office jobs in Southport. The campaign has received strong support from members, councillors and local MPs, and the branch has attended events and rallies to highlight the importance of retaining these jobs in Southport read more

    FCDO strikers take to picket lines while foreign secretary delivers Labour speech (29 Sept) – As our members in London and East Kilbride held their latest day of strike action at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote called on Ed Miliband to resolve the dispute read more

    Data protection workers to hold day of action over toxic leadership culture (29 Sept) – ICO staff will mark the opening of the regulator’s new Manchester headquarters, and the appointment, of a new board, by calling for accountability over a toxic workplace culture. PCS members at the former Information Commissioner’s Office, now being rebranded as the Information Commission, will hold a day of activity on 30 September to demand accountability for leadership failures to keep staff safe and an end to what they describe as a toxic workplace culture. The action coincides with the formal opening of the Commission’s new headquarters in Manchester city centre and the appointment of a new board, which will comprise a Chair and seven non-executive directors. PCS members say there is growing dissatisfaction and declining sense of pride in working at the ICO among staff at the continued lack of accountability for senior leadership failures and conduct that have contributed to a climate of fear, alongside an increase in the number of staff experience or witnessing bullying, harassment and discrimination read more

    Ofwat members to vote in industrial action ballot (28 Sept) – Vote opens today (28 September) as members seek guarantees on jobs, rights and conditions. PCS members working in Ofwat are being urged to vote yes to strike action and yes to industrial action short of strike action in the industrial action ballot. More than a year after the government announced plans to abolish Ofwat and create a new water industry regulator, members are still waiting for the assurances they need about their future read more

    Ask your MP to support National Gallery security staff (24 Sept) – PCS has launched a new e-action calling on MPs to sign an early day motion and help secure a fair resolution to the ongoing dispute involving CIS Security staff. PCS members employed by CIS Security at the National Gallery have been campaigning for equal treatment, fair pay and decent workplace facilities read more

    MOD caretakers remain in dark about future (23 Sept) – PCS continues to press for MOD caretaker roles to be retained following the end of a consultation into plans to abolish them. The Ministry of Defence’s consultation into its plans to abolish 125 caretaker posts across the UK closed on 11 September. The proposal also puts many of them and their families at risk of homelessness as 88% live in accommodation tied to their job. PCS continues to support and help members affected by these proposals and heard from a number of them at a PCS members’ meeting at lunchtime yesterday. At a departmental meeting yesterday morning, management said there would now be an assessment of all 125 posts, our view is that this should have happened before the announcement read more

    The facts behind the V&A director’s claims (22 Sept) – The V&A director has made a number of claims about the ongoing dispute. Find out below what the facts are. PCS members at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum’s South Kensington site will take strike action on 25 and 26 September. This latest strike comes after members at three V&A sites (East Storehouse, East Museum and Young V&A) walked out on 4 and 5 September. You can support our members by using our e-action to email your MP. Although PCS has entered negotiations with V&A bosses over the provision of water bottles and adequate seating for front of house staff at V&A Storehouse, there has been no movement on pay. V&A director Tristram Hunt recently responded to a letter from the PCS Parliamentary Group. In his letter, Hunt stated a few mistruths that need to be corrected read more

    Please use our e-action to email your MP and ask them to support the members by signing Early Day Motion 746, Industrial action at V&A Museum, and by writing to the director of the V&A and the minister responsible to ask them to intervene urgently to resolve the dispute

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Prospect

    Prospect calls for worker protections as BT acquires TalkTalk (5 Oct) – Prospect has called on BT and the government to work closely with trade unions and protect workers’ rights following BT’s acquisition of TalkTalk read more

    Prospect members at the V&A strike over fair pay (28 Sept) – Prospect members who work at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) South Kensington site in London closed down the museum’s main entrance last week, as they took strike action on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September in a dispute over pay and working conditions read more

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

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

       

    Unison     

    Donate to support striking workers – As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund   

    Serious concerns over staff pay at Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (1 Oct) – Workers had their employment transferred to the authority earlier this year. The mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire must provide clarity urgently over money owed to staff employed by Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA). Around 20 workers had their employment transferred* from Hull City Council and East Riding Council to HEYCA earlier this year. Under the transfer, staff contract terms including entitlement to the local government pay award and associated back pay should be protected. But employees are yet to receive the money they are owed, and have been given no details about when they’ll get it. The workers make up the region’s ‘growth hub’, delivering adult learning resources, careers help and support to businesses. UNISON has contacted the Reform UK mayor Luke Campbell to find out when staff will receive the money they are due, but no response has been received. The union has also sought to establish a constructive working relationship with HEYCA since the beginning of the year, but says it has so far been unable to do so. The union was told in July that the decision was with mayor Campbell. Almost three months later, there has still been no significant update read more

    Glasgow Caledonian University staff to strike for two weeks over redundancies (1 Oct) – Security staff, cleaners, couriers, accommodation and registry workers at Glasgow Caledonian University are to strike across 15 days from tomorrow in a dispute over compulsory redundancies, says UNISON today (Wednesday). The union says employees will walk out en masse tomorrow and on Thursday 15 October, while individual staff groups will take selective strike action every day during the next two weeks. UNISON says up to 100 jobs remain at risk of compulsory redundancy. The union was in negotiations through arbitration organisation Acas earlier this month. But the talks failed after the university remained intent on pursuing compulsory redundancies read more

    Health secretary must finish the job – and fix pay (30 Sept) – ‘NHS workers can’t wait on a promise made two years ago to fix problems with their pay structure’ read more

    Leeds theatre assistants to begin indefinite strike next week (30 Sept) – Staff will walk out from Wednesday on a continuous, indefinite strike unless bosses return to talks. Theatre assistants in Leeds are to begin an indefinite strike next week in a dispute over pay grades). Staff will walk out from Wednesday 7 October on a continuous, indefinite strike unless bosses at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust return to talks. The health workers say they should be moved up a grade as they carry out clinical duties including handling samples, supporting surgical teams, using specialist equipment and maintaining safe, sterile operating environments. Workers have already taken 40 days of strike action since the dispute began last December and UNISON says interim chief executive Brendan Brown must now return to the negotiating table read more

    Camden UNISON traffic wardens on strike – On Monday 28 Sept, Camden UNISON traffic wardens (employed by profiteering private company NSL) will be walking out to start 8 weeks of strike action. The dispute is over pay and conditions – for a £2ph pay rise, an increase of 7 days annual leave and for company sick pay from day 1. Currently, traffic wardens work 42.5 hours a week (almost a day longer than other council workers every week, so 50 days more a year) and only get 20 days annual leave (the statutory minimum). So their demand is to have the same annual leave that Council employees start with. There will be picket lines 7-10am at the following places, all solidarity visits welcome:-

    * Camden Car Pound, Regis Rd NW5 3EW

    * 13-15 Guilford St WC1N 1DW

    * 199 Belsize Rd NW6 4AA

    Solidarity messages to [email protected]  Camden Unison website & Facebook page

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

    No to Fire & Rehire

    Strike Update:-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Bank: Unity Trust

    Account name: UNISON Leicester City Branch

    Account Number: 20059879

    Sort Code: 60−83−01

    Reference: Ash Field Strike Funds

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

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

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

    Support Camden Unison school support staff members at Richard Cobden school for fair pay and safe staffing levels Camden New Journal: School strike over cuts to support staff

    NIPSA

    Labour Weakening Pension Triple Lock Would Be ‘Morally Abhorrent’ (1 Oct) – NIPSA has warned that plans to weaken the State Pension triple lock would amount to an attack on pensioners and is demanding that the Government reconsider the proposals. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the existing triple lock would remain throughout the current Parliament but would be changed from April 2030. Under the proposals, the State Pension would continue to rise by at least inflation or 2.5%, with the Government saying it would maintain its value relative to earnings over time. NIPSA General Secretary, Carmel Gates said: “It would be morally abhorrent for a Labour Prime Minister to get rid of the triple lock. Governments have steered clear of this for the last 16 years, and it would be a very sad irony for something introduced by a Tory/Liberal Democrat Government to be done away with by a Labour Prime Minister regarded by some as being on the left…” read more

    Bust the Budget, Not Our Public Services (28 Sept) – NIPSA has called on working class people to stand united in defence of our public services.  NIPSA demands that Executive Ministers refuse to impose further cuts on public services if Westminster does not provide the funding needed. NIPSA General Secretary Carmel Gates said: “Public services cannot withstand another round of cuts. Years of underfunding have left services stretched to breaking point and the workers delivering them facing relentless pressure. Our members did not create this crisis, yet they are being expected to carry the consequences through increased workloads, pressure on pay and conditions, and services struggling to meet growing need. Westminster must provide the funding required to deliver public services according to need.  If it refuses to do so, Executive Ministers must refuse to make the cuts. Ministers must be prepared to bust the Budget rather than make workers pay the price for continued underfunding. NIPSA’s message is clear: refuse the cuts and defend our public services.” NIPSA has consistently called for a needs-based Budget, warning that continued underfunding will result in further damaging cuts to public services and public-sector pay read more

    Daisy Hill Maternity Threat: NIPSA Warns ‘Enough Is Enough’ (24 Sept) – The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) has warned that the potential suspension of inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital is another stark warning of the crisis facing health services across Northern Ireland. If services are transferred to Craigavon Area Hospital, women and families will face longer journeys for maternity care, while already stretched staff at Craigavon will be expected to absorb additional demand read more

      

    NEU

    NEU pause strike ballot (24 Sept) – The executive of the National Education Union met today to discuss the commitment from government to fully fund at a national level the teacher and support staff pay award for 2026/27. They have agreed to pause the ballot that was set to launch on 3 October read more

    School teachers’ pay: Joint union response to Secretary of State (24 Sept) – ASCL, NAHT, NEU and Community have jointly responded to the Secretary of State’s consultation on the STRB report.  Underlining the consensus in the profession, they call on the Government to recognise and act on the key issues affecting the pay and working conditions of teachers and school leaders read more

    Support the NEU strikes:-

    • Castle Education Schools (4 Schools) / South Gloucestershire (Workload and working conditions in CSET academies) 7-9 October; NEU contact: Elly Owen [email protected]
    • Fir Vale Academy / Sheffield (Unreasonable management practices and health, safety and working conditions) 7-8 October; NEU contact: Duncan Blackie [email protected]
    • Forest Fields Primary & Nursey School / Nottingham (Workload, unreasonable management practices and failure to properly maintain industrial relations) 6-8 October; NEU contact: Sheena Wheatley [email protected]
    • Grace Garden School / Bristol (Conditions of service) 6-9 October; NEU contact: Tom Bolton [email protected]
    • Learning Partnership West / Bristol (TURA, contractual hours & breaks, pay scale & progression & safety) 7-8 October; NEU contact: Tom Bolton [email protected]
    • Great Ormond Street & UCH Children’s Hospital / Camden (Conditions of service) 5-9 October; NEU contact: Megan Quinn [email protected]
    • Great Torrington Bluecoat CofE Primary / Devon (Redundancy, health and safety concerns post restructure, lack of time for proper consultation) 5 October; NEU contact: Charlotte Ovey [email protected]
    • Rushey Green Primary / Lewisham (Workplace bullying, trade union victimisation, unacceptable workload and unacceptable management style) 5-8 October; NEU contact: Eleanor Davies [email protected] & Karina Maloney [email protected]

    NASUWT

    Pay award fails schools, teachers and pupils (24 Sept) – The teachers’ pay award falls far short of what is needed to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis and safeguard children’s education, NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, has warned. NASUWT has called on the Education Secretary to agree to urgent discussions on a long-term solution to school funding and real-terms pay cuts for teachers. In its response to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) report on pay, the Union has argued that the 3.5% pay award for 2026/27 fails to protect teachers against rising inflation and or to begin the process of pay restoration after years of real-terms pay cuts. Furthermore, the Union’s letter highlights that the announcement last week of £500 million for the pay award from savings made to the Local Government Pension Scheme does not represent additional funding for school budgets and the impact is not uniform across schools read more

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

       

    EIS   

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

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

    INTO

    Trade dispute over teachers’ workload (21 Sept) – Mark McTaggart Northern Secretary: I wrote to you on 1 September 2026 in accordance with Article 118 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 informing you of the results of the INTO’s ballot for industrial action. Following the results of the ballot of members in Northern Ireland, I am authorised by Northern Committee and CEC to instruct you to take continuous action short of strike action with effect from Monday 28 September 2026. The form which the action short of strike action will take is set out in the attached document entitled ‘Action Short of Strike Action Instructions’. We remain available and willing to continue discussions on the detailed implementation of the proposals and to work constructively with all parties to secure meaningful and lasting workload reductions for teachers and school leaders. Thank you for your patience, understanding and support during the process of negotiations read more      

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

    UCU     

    UCU Stop the Cuts campaign  

    Sign petition against the education cuts 

    University of Lincoln staff vote for strike action in fight against job cuts (6 Oct) – Staff at the University of Lincoln have voted in favour of industrial action in a row over job cuts, the University and College Union announced today. The decision follows a ballot in which 85% of participating staff backed strike action, on a turnout of 60%, with 88% voting in favour of action short of a strike. The dispute, which will run throughout the 26/27 academic year, centres on the university’s redundancy plans which originally saw over 140 staff put at risk 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 Business School, and have already seen 25 staff leave the university this year. The union said that this is the fourth year of job losses in a row, that has seen hundreds of staff who were at Lincoln four years ago leave. The strike threat follows an overwhelming no confidence vote against the vice-chancellor and senior leadership team over their poor leadership and potential damage to the provision of teaching and research read more

    Strike ballot opens at Glasgow University over job cuts (6 Oct) – A ballot for industrial action, including possible strikes, opens today at Glasgow University in a dispute over cuts, job losses and possible compulsory redundancies. University and College Union (UCU) members at the university are being balloted on whether they are willing to take strike action and action short of strike.  Action short of strike could include working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues and other actions up to a possible marking and assessment boycott.  The ballot will run from today until 10 November. The ballot is in response to the announcement of job cuts and the opening of a voluntary severance scheme on 14 August.  Managers have also confirmed their intention to undergo a number of organisational change projects which the union said will involve cuts to staff numbers, and they have also cancelled promotions for academic staff during the current academic year, although the union has negotiated their reinstatement from next year. The union said that it had repeatedly asked university senior management to rule out compulsory redundancies but that they had refused to do so.  An earlier, consultative ballot showed support for strike action at 68% read more

    University of Nottingham staff to strike for two months from October in redundancy fight (28 Sept) – Staff at the University of Nottingham will strike on Wednesday 30 September and Thursday 1 October, and then solid strike action from 5th October until 11 December in a row over jobs and course cuts, the University and College Union has confirmed today. The first two strike days this week will coincide with the university’s council meeting at which the final business case for cuts will be considered. The action will also include action short of a strike, such as only working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues read more

    • Thursday 1st October 2026 – Rally: 12pm south side of Trent Building

    Staff at the University of Edinburgh start five-week strike (28 Sept) – Members of the University and College Union at the University of Edinburgh today start five-weeks of strikes in a dispute over £140million cuts and compulsory redundancies. The strike follows the announcement two weeks ago that 90 programmes at the university face closure.  The dispute began nearly two years ago when the university principal announced £140million cuts with “nothing off the table”, pointing to compulsory redundancies.  Since then, 100s of staff have lost their jobs with the union saying some were pushed out or with expected contract extensions or renewals not happening.  Hourly-paid staff have had their hours slashed and positions have disappeared.  Naming those courses and degree programmes facing closure is an escalation in the dispute and increases the possibility of management forcing staff out of work by compulsory redundancies. The 1,800 jobs the union estimates will be cut is unprecedented in Scottish higher education.  It is happening in the wealthiest Scottish university, and the third richest in the UK, currently sitting with over £3billion reserves read more

    Glasgow Caledonian University hit by six days of strike action during autumn term (22 Sept) – Members of the University and College Union working at Glasgow Caledonian University are today taking the first of six days strike action in a dispute over job cuts and compulsory redundancies. The dispute, which is taking place as Dundee and Edinburgh universities also face strikes, is over plans announced in March by senior management to cut up to 100 posts at the university despite not having a deficit.  With staff taking voluntary redundancy, the number of posts management want to cut is now approximately 50.  The union said that there is no need to cut jobs and that the university is in a strong financial position, so much so that the university recently bought land in Glasgow city centre at Buchanan House Gate that was previously used by Network Rail.  The land is believed to have cost around £4.5million but, at present, the intended use is unknown by the university’s staff.  The branch claimed that making investments of this scale at the same time as cutting the staff who deliver the teaching and research central to the university’s mission shows that management’s priorities are out of step. As well as striking today, members of the branch will also be on strike on 24 and 29 September and on 1, 6 and 8 October.  UCU members have already taken three days of strikes and members of other unions on the campus have also taken industrial action.  The cuts and job losses have been raised in the Scottish Parliament with seventeen MSPs calling on the university to engage constructively with unions to end the dispute read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

         

    GMB  

    Barnsley Hospital threatens 200 with fire and rehire (7 Oct) – Almost 200 workers at Barnsley Hospital are ready to take action after bosses threatened them with fire and rehire. Barnsley Hospital NHS Trust wants to hit nurses, radiographers and front line care staff with worse contracts – removing all paid breaks and imposing longer unpaid breaks which will see staff working extra and longer shifts for no more pay. Anyone who doesn’t sign up to the new deal will be sacked. Earlier this year the trust imposed the worse terms on more than 1,000 workers but backed off when more 400 refused to sign. But now bosses appear to be taking advantage of the Government’s delay in implementing new restrictions on fire and rehire practices by sneaking the worse terms through read more

    1000 school support staff to march on parliament over pay (7 Oct) – More than 1000 teaching assistants and other school support staff are expected at a rally and march this Friday in Westminster. These GMB members are employed at schools in Merton and Greenwich and are taking a second day of strike action, having previously downed tools on Friday 1 May. Their dispute centres around London Weighting payments, whereby teachers in their schools receive the Inner London rate and they receive the lower Outer London rate – a difference of up to £1400 per year. The workers will stage a rally in Old Palace Yard before marching to the Department for Education to take their message to senior politicians read more

    Coastguards set for union recognition (1 Oct) – Coastguards are set for union recognition after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) agreed to talks with GMB. The MCA wrote GMB Union this week confirming it was ready to begin discussions over the introduction of a voluntary recognition agreement for the Coastguard Rescue Officer (CRO) community. Previously, the body had turned down coastguard calls for recognition – claiming coastguards were employed by the Department for Business and Trade, rather than the MCA. GMB began proceedings for calling on adjudicating body the Central Arbitration Committee to rule on whether the union should be recognised on behalf of hundreds of coastguard members. 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 read more

    £500 million pension raid could hand £1,200 to every TA (1 Oct)

    Carers deserve a decent pension (1 Oct) – GMB Union has responded to the announcement by the Health Secretary today there will be a new collective pension for care workers read more

    Uber criticised for failure to fairly compensate drivers affected by technical issues (1 Oct) – London Uber drivers have criticised the platform for offering an £80 goodwill gesture after a software issue cost them three days of work. Drivers were unable to access the Uber platform over the weekend of 14 – 17 August due to an issue with the system, which failed to alert drivers when their profile photographs were due to expire. GMB, which represents thousands of private hire drivers, estimates that hundreds of drivers were affected and has pushed Uber to pay compensation. The platform has now offered a goodwill gesture of just £80, which split over three 8 hour days works out at just £3.33 an hour. Separately, the union has also been made aware of an issue with Uber Lux, Uber’s premium option, failing to make eligible drivers visible to riders on the app. These drivers have not yet been offered any form of compensation read more

    Briar Chemicals staff begin strike vote (29 Sept) – More than 100 workers at agrochemical firm Briar Chemicals Ltd in Norwich will begin voting in a formal strike ballot in a row over pay. The workers, who are represented by GMB Union and work in operational, engineering, maintenance and technical roles, recently voted 97 per cent to reject a pay offer that would have seen them receive no pay rise in year one and just 1 per cent in year two. They also voted 87 per cent in favour of industrial action in an indicative ballot. The formal ballot will close on Tuesday 13 October read more

    Hospital porters overtime row sees two-day strike (29 Sept) – Workers stood outside the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading holding banners and “official picket”. Dozens of hospital porters have started a two-day strike with a dispute about a reduction in overtime rates left unresolved. Royal Berkshire Hospital workers and the GMB union said staff are being “pushed towards poverty” and a recent offer to bridge a loss of earnings until March was rejected by members. Sergio Dias, a porter and union representative, said staff at the Reading hospital were reluctant to strike but that long-running concerns have not been addressed read more on the BBC website  

    Royal Parks gardeners take further strike action (28 Sept) – The gardeners, who look after London’s most prestigious parks, including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and St James’s Park, voted 95 per cent in favour of strike action last month after their employer Idverde offered them a 70p an hour pay rise. They will now take part in further strike action after Idverde failed to deliver an improved pay offer read more

    South Yorks Police staff in strike vote (25 Sept) – South Yorkshire Police (SYP) Witness Liaison Officers begin balloting for strike action on pay today [Friday]. GMB members in the Witness Liaison team are demanding their pay match that of their pees in West Yorkshire Police, who are paid up to £5,000 more per year, despite having the exact same job role and responsibilities. Witness Liaison Officers provide support and assistance to victims and witnesses throughout the criminal justice process, often speaking with and supporting highly vulnerable individuals including rape, domestic violence and child abuse victims. The ballot will close on 5 October. If successful, strike action can be expected next month read more

    Barnsley nursery workers set for full strike ballot (24 Sept) – Barnsley nursery workers are set for a full strike ballot over the ‘theft’ of their pensions. GMB has today (Thursday) closed an indicative industrial ballot early after one hundred percent of staff voted said they would be ready for a full strike ballot. The early years workers are employed by six nurseries across Barnsley which have been outsourced by the council to private provider Limetree. Despite repeated promises they would keep their existing Local Government pensions, staff have now been told they will be moved onto the private company’s basic statutory pension scheme. This will result in a significantly lower pay out in their retirement and removes their Death in Service entitlement. The formal strike ballot will begin on 5 October read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Royal College of Nursing     

    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 

    BMA

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

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

    FBU   

    FBU wins backing of Labour Conference for major investment in fire service after wildfire summer (2 Oct) – The FBU has won resounding support at Labour Party conference for the recruitment of 5000 firefighters and the introduction of nationally recognised wildfire training. Support for the union has been evident throughout Labour conference and on the final day firefighters secured backing for major investment in recruitment, the correct PPE and acknowledgement that the fire service had been decimated by 14 years of Tory led austerity. The union will now take this support of Labour conference and make the case that the firefighters and wildfire resilience must be front and centre of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plan to rewire the British state read more

    FBU reacts to Metropolitan Police submitting Grenfell investigation file to CPS (30 Sept) – FBU general secretary Steve Wright said: “After nearly a decade since the Grenfell atrocity, progress is finally being made towards prosecuting those culpable. Although we do welcome CPS and police action, the Grenfell families along with our members who were part of the rescue effort that night, have waited far too long for justice to take its course. The trauma and anguish suffered by the bereaved, survivors and relatives of Grenfell must not be in vain and the FBU will continue our relentless campaign alongside the victims’ families, to see all those culpable, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” read more

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

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

    POA     

    General Secretary update read more

    National Chair update Sept 2026 read here  

    NEC minutes Sept 2026 read more

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

    NAPO

    Early Releases: Napo warns of dangers (30 Sept) – In October, just under two thousand prisoners, just under two thousand prisoners will be released early under the new progression model introduced in the Sentencing Act. Whilst amendments have been made to the eligibility for early release, Napo is still very concerned about the impact on victims and also the impact on its members. The probation service is significantly under-staffed across all areas of delivery and this additional work has added extra pressure on staff tasked with ensuring that the release of prisoners is managed as safely as possible read more

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

    BFAWU     

    News from Right to Food Commission (2 Oct) – ‘New Report Says Hunger in the UK is the embodiment of state failure –  Andy Burnham must Introduce Immediate Relief and end Food Insecurity ”. The Right to Food Commission is this week, at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, publishing its sobering and hard hitting findings into food insecurity and calling on PM Andy Burnham to have the courage of his convictions and end the scourge of hunger across the UK read more

    BFAWU statement on proposed Gregg’s manufacturing changes (2 Oct) – The BFAWU is deeply concerned by today’s announcement from Greggs, which places hundreds of workers and their livelihoods at risk as part of proposed changes to the company’s manufacturing network. Our immediate priority is our members, their jobs, their families and the communities that could be affected by these proposals. Greggs is clear in its own announcement that the business continues to perform strongly, that more customers are choosing Greggs than ever before, and that it is investing significantly to support further growth. Against that backdrop, our members will understandably be asking why their jobs and livelihoods should now be put at risk in the name of efficiency and future progression. The workers affected by these proposals have played a huge part in getting Greggs to where it is today. They have worked through enormous changes within the business, increased demand, restructuring and the challenges of recent years. They have produced the food, packed the products and kept the operation moving while Greggs has expanded from just over 2,100 shops in 2021 to almost 2,800 today. They cannot simply be dropped like stones as the company moves on to its next phase of growth. We recognise that Greggs has stated that no final decisions have been made and that a consultation process will now take place. BFAWU will be entering that process determined to scrutinise these proposals in full, challenge the business case where necessary and explore every possible alternative to compulsory redundancies and site closures read more

    Post BFAWU Conference Foodworker 2026 read more

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

    NUJ   

    NUJ welcomes Met Police confirmation that journalists’ data is no longer retained (5 Oct) – The NUJ has welcomed confirmation from the Metropolitan Police that they no longer retain data relating to the journalists at the centre of a lengthy legal challenge over the collection and use of information held on police databases read more

    NUJ responds to claim of further PSNI source protection breach (2 Oct) – The NUJ has responded after an investigative journalist filed a high court claim against the Police Services of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for unlawfully obtaining communications in order to identify journalistic sources read more

    Honouring Our Communities: the vital role of journalists in amplifying Black voices (1 Oct) – This year’s theme for Black History Month, ‘Honouring Our Communities’, invites us to recognise the individuals whose everyday contributions shape, support and sustain Black life read more

    NUJ responds to Reform banning Local Democracy Reporter in Derbyshire (1 Oct) – The NUJ has condemned the decision by Derbyshire County Council’s Reform UK leadership to no longer engage with a Local Democracy Reporter read more

    NUJ responds to reports of Conservative Party banning Byline Times journalists from conference (30 Sept) – The NUJ has responded to reports that Byline Times journalists have been denied access to the Conservative Party conference read more

    Reach chapel issues vote of no confidence in company leadership (28 Sept) – The NUJ Reach group chapel has passed a vote of no confidence in Reach’s editorial leadership, particularly its Chief Content Officer. This vote comes after the latest wave of relentless cuts resulting in a net loss of 160 editorial roles and the closure of three titles read more

    Live coverage from The Lancet strike (22 Sept) – NUJ members working at the Lancet are out on strike today (22 September) over pay – the first time workers have been forced to walk out in the company’s 200-year history. Striking workers formed picket lines from 8am outside the two entrances of the Lancet Group’s London HQ this morning, carrying “Fair Pay Now” and “Solidarity For Science” placards and banners. At least 120 members of the scientific community signed an open letter expressing their support for our members in the lead up to the action. Messages of solidarity have also been coming in from across the NUJ, fellow unions, and beyond today read more

    Equity

    More focus on cultural output needed in BBC Charter Review, says Equity (2 Oct) – Equity respond to the release of the DCMS committee report on the renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter read more

    Equity calls on council to help secure future for Taunton’s Brewhouse Theatre (2 Oct) – Brewhouse Theatre announces closure at end of October read more

    Equity calls on Culture Secretary to back personality rights to protect against abusive content (30 Sept) – Following Lisa Nandy’s pledge to “tackle abusive and non-consensual images”, Equity is calling for the government to introduce personality rights read more

    Musicians Union

    Support Staff and Music Education at Goldsmiths (24 Sept) – Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London, including colleagues in the Music Department, are taking sustained strike action over proposed cuts and redundancies, amid wider pressures facing music provision in UK higher education read more

    UVW   

    90 years on from Cable Street, UVW marches against fascism: “No Pasarán!” (6 Oct) – “Our strength comes from standing together in our differences, as one organised working class!” – Nelly Ospino, UVW General secretary. Ninety years ago, thousands of East London workers and migrant communities came together to prevent Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists from marching through the East End. On Sunday, 4 October, UVW members returned to Cable Street to commemorate that historic anti-fascist resistance and reaffirm its message for today read more

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

    IWGB

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

    SIPTU (Ireland)   

    Health Division escalates dispute in 30 hospitals (22 Sept) – SIPTU Health Division has today (22nd September) notified the HSE and voluntary hospital employers that more than 11,000 members across 30 hospitals will undertake a full day of strike action on Wednesday, 14th October, in a major escalation of the Union’s campaign to secure meaningful public service pay negotiations. The strike action follows a one-day work-to-rule by SIPTU Health Division members on the 30th September. During the work-to-rule, members will withdraw all voluntary flexibility and goodwill that employers increasingly rely on to maintain services, including the provision of non-rostered overtime and other voluntary additional duties. The escalation comes after what SIPTU describes as the Government’s continuing failure to establish a forum for negotiations on a successor public service pay agreement following the expiry of the current agreement on 30th June. The proposed strike action will affect 30 major hospitals across the country and represents a significant intensification of the campaign by health workers for a fair and sustainable pay deal that reflects the reality of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis read more

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

      

    Other news     

    New Book: ‘YOU WILL HEAR ME SPEAK’: Memoirs of a Marxist trade unionist with a stammer. BY GARY CLARK (Former CWU postal rep & NSSN Steering Committee Member) order a copy

    New Book: CABLE STREET 1936-2026: ‘NOT THEN NOT NOW’ from Unite the Union. Regular price £19.36 order from Rough Trade Books

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

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

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

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

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

    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

    From the Banner Theatre: A Just Transition – Jobs, People, Planet/ First of May Band (duo) – see tour dates and book tickets

    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

    Blacklist Support Group update October 2026

    1. “Our report is in the final stages. We hope to clarify a final date for delivery soon”. 

    Nick Randal KC – Independent #Blacklisting Collusion Inquiry

    4th October 2026

    Everyone is frustrated about the length of time the collusion inquiry has been going on. This recent statement by the lawyer leading the inquiry confirms that the report is very close to completion. The delays mean that there are rumours circulating that the inquiry report is some how being influenced by UNITE. The oversight committee (made up of 3 blacklisted workers) have been assured by the lawyers that this is not the case. Any delay has been due to new evidence arising that needed to be fully investigated before a fair and robust report can be published. 

    2. Trade Union Football & Alcohol Committee 10th Anniversary Party

    The iconic TUFAC have assisted the Blacklist Support Group on multiple occasions during our campaign for justice. They made ‘Blacklisted’ stout, football tops, t-shirts & posters. All the profits were donated to good causes, including striking workers & foodbanks. 

    On Sat 24th October, TUFAC are holding a 10th anniversary party in New Cross (South London). A crowd of blacklisted workers from London are attending – be great to see other friends & comrades too. Tickets in the link below. Nearest station New Cross. If you’re coming from outside London, you might need to find accommodation. 

    https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-tufac-10th-year-birthday-bash-tickets-1985905933105

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

    Spycops inquiry condemned as “fundamentally flawed” in statement by blacklisted workers – The SpyCops public inquiry that restarts evidence hearings this week is described as “fundamentally flawed” by the Blacklist Support Group (BSG). The comments appear in an opening statement for the inquiry’s Tranche 3 hearings. The statement opens with a section stating:

    “Undercover police officers infiltrated and spied on trade unions. SDS reported on union meetings, union activists, union campaigns, and industrial disputes. For decades, police and security service records were used to blacklist trade union and leftwing political activists from employment. Through official and unofficial routes, the police intelligence was disseminated to government departments, major private sector employers and the unlawful blacklisting bodies; the Economic League and the Consulting Association”. The statement goes onto catalogue 10 years of missed opportunities and broken promises in relation to blacklisting, including highlighting how intelligence gathered by undercover police is used to provide state organised vetting for employers known as ‘List X companies’. One section of the statement reads: “The failure to fully investigate blacklisting is either a remarkable lack of curiosity, or an intentional self-imposed restriction of the Inquiry’s terms of reference. Either way it is against the public interest and is a failure to fulfil the Inquiry’s terms of reference as laid out by Parliament”. 

    BSG’s opening statement is published on the inquiry’s website as part of the submission by Imran Khan KC, who also represents Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE, Suresh Grover and the Monitoring Group. Full statement in link below – BSG section starts at page 35.

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

    Opening statement to the Undercover Policing Inquiry on behalf of:

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

    Blacklist Support Group

    book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

    video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

    blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

       

            

    Keep an eye out for other Facebook and social media groups and pages that are being created. You can catch up on disputes at Strike Map UK. Also, check out Organise Now! – Support for new worker organising.      

         

    International     

    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]

    November 20 International Youth Strike

    Read more on Socialist Students website – On Friday 20 November, students and young people across Europe will be striking in opposition to capitalism, war and racism as part of the International Youth Strike, “Fight for our future, Not their wars”. Tens of thousands of young people are set to walk out and protest across Europe on November 20 – and you can be a part of it. Socialist Students are alongside other organizations, helping students build for November 20. If you’re interested in building a youth strike at your school, college, University or in you’re local area then fill out the form below to get in touch with Socialist Students to help build the strike.

    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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