Pay, hours, conditions

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Why the strongest have done poorly in the strikes

By most statistical measures — levels of union density; number of members covered by collective bargaining agreements; numbers of workplace reps — workers in the railway, including the London Underground, and in the postal service can be considered among the best organised in Britain. They are also able to hit their bosses’ or the government’s income directly by strikes, unlike most public service workers. Despite ostensibly extensive strikes, neither group has been able to win victories in their 2022-3 campaigns, while gains have been won by some weaker-placed workers. Why? Part of the reason...

Amazon workers say: the fight continues!

Amazon workers have sent a message to the support group established to support their ongoing fight for improved wages and conditions, and for union recognition. A push for recognition has been scuppered by Amazon, with the collusion of the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), the government body which oversees requests for union recognition, skewing the figures by suddenly creating thousands of new jobs. This pushes the GMB union's membership level back below the 50% required for statutory recognition, even though a reasonable approach to due process would take the workforce figures from when...

St Mungo’s: “Emboldened”

Workers at the St Mungo’s homeless charity, members of the Unite union, are striking from 30 May to 26 June over pay.

Why nurses voted to reject

Harry Eccles, who is an activist with "NHS Workers Say No’, "Team Vote Reject", and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), talked to Solidarity. (Photo: Steve Eason). I joined the RCN as a student. I was told I had to join a union to ensure I had indemnity. Five or six years ago I became an RCN "pay champion" for a couple of years. I was working at Southampton General at the time. In the role of pay champion I tried to raise awareness of the problem with pay and get people involved with the campaign. I think that campaign sowed the seeds for the more recent campaign on pay. Last September or...

Pay: we can beat the Tories

May 12 and 13 will see workers employed by Train Operating Companies (TOCs) on the mainline railway return to industrial action after a lengthy pause. RMT members, who strike on the 13th, returned a huge majority for action, on a 70% turnout, in their latest re-ballot. Drivers’ union Aslef has also rejected the latest offer put to it by the Rail Delivery Group, the umbrella body representing the TOCs. Aslef drivers strike on the 12th. RMT’s ballot result shows there is still a strong will to fight amongst members; the union leadership must now act on those results by calling the sustained...

Royal Mail: reject the deal!

Royal Mail postal workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will vote in a referendum, 17 May to 4 June, on the agreement ( cwu.org/deal ) endorsed by their union’s executive on their long-running dispute over pay and conditions. The newly-formed “Postal Workers Say Vote No” group ( @ PostiesSayNo ), which launched with an online meeting on 4 May addressed by a speaker from NHS Workers Say No, is mobilising for a no vote. At least one CWU branch, South East Wales Amalgamated, has already announced its vote not to recommend acceptance of the deal. The group’s leaflet says: “While CWU...

Court rules against nurses’ strike

The final day (2 May) of a planned strike by nurses’ union the RCN has been cancelled, after the government took the union to court to block the strike. The judge agreed with the government’s assertion that the RCN’s industrial action ballot mandate expired at 23:59 on 1 May, making the final day of the strike unlawful. The RCN held a protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice, where protesters held placards including one reading “who takes their heroes to court?” RCN leader Pat Cullen said: “The full weight of government gave ministers this victory over nursing staff. It is the darkest day...

Push forward after May Day weekend strikes

The return to strikes by nurses’ union RCN, from 8pm on 30 April until 2 May, is an important opportunity to revive and accelerate the pay fight in the NHS. Unite members in various NHS trusts, including several ambulance trusts, will also strike on 1 and 2 May. If GMB members in the NHS also reject the pay offer in their ballot closing 28 April (possible, despite the GMB leadership recommending acceptance), their members in ambulance trusts and elsewhere in the NHS could also strike, officially from mid-May, but sooner if GMB members refuse to cross other unions’ pickets. Although junior...

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