Workers' Liberty

Management has now been forced to recognise the GMB at Laing O’Rourke, where there is a dispute over new contracts. Previously, it had recognised only UCATT, which had agreed a new contract which slashed pay and conditions. Over 100 workers have now joined the GMB, which management initially barred from the big Channel Tunnel Rail Link site at King's Cross.

Staff at regional ITV stations will be balloted by the unions NUJ, BECTU and Amicus over strike action if there are redundancies under sweeping changes proposed by media regulator Ofcom. Regional news services are under threat.

Paul Atkinson, of BECTU, said the union was already getting signals from ITV that they were preparing for job losses. The public consultation over the proposals ends on 24 November.

A postal worker who claimed he was being bullied by a manager has been sacked — after the union called off a strike to highlight the bullying culture in his workplace! This followed last minute negotiations with Royal Mail. Postal workers in Egremont, near Carlisle, will ballot for fresh strike action.

Staff in the GMB and TGWU at Co-op Funeral Parlours have taken a second day’s strike action in an increasingly bitter dispute. The Co-op, who made £18 million profits from the funeral business last year, offered just 3.5% to staff and are now threatening to withdraw even that pay increase from anyone who participates in the strikes. The unions have established a strike fund, are lobbying Co-op Party MPs, and calling for a boycott of Co-op outlets until the dispute is settled.

Privatised Liverpool council house repairs staff have staged a wildcat strike protesting because management told three union leaders they can no longer carry out trade union work as their full-time job. Two of the men have since been suspended, one for failing to carry out management orders and the other on health grounds. Council house repairs are carried out by a joint venture company set up by the city and Enterprise Plc. Around 100 members of the workforce picketed the Enterprise Liverpool depot in Long Lane. Sid Fenlon, TGWU convenor at the service, said: “Since the walk-out there has been no dialogue with management and no indication that they want to speak to us.”

Over 1,000 workers at ferry company P&O are to be balloted to strike over plans to cut 1,200 jobs. The RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “We made it quite clear we would not accept compulsory redundancies. Rather than sit down and discuss a long-term plan that would safeguard jobs, the company seems hell-bent on sacking hundreds, tearing up the contracts of those who are left, and even slashing payments to those prepared to leave the company voluntarily.”

Ballot papers will be sent out next week, with a recommendation to vote for strikes, and the result will be known at the end of the month.