Pay, hours, conditions

older

Mobilise to reject sub-par offers, and fight for escalation!

After the votes (announced 20 March) to accept poor offers on Network Rail and by RCN in Scotland, there is still potential to remobilise and turn the tide. But workers need independent rank-and-file organisation to develop alternative strategies in disputes. RCN (Royal College of Nursing) in Scotland has announced that among its members in Scotland. 53.3% voted to accept the offer, 46.6% voted to reject, on a turnout of just over 50%. The offer is a 6.5% rise in 2023-4 (or for some, fractionally more) for all staff up to and inclusive of Band 8a, plus a one-off pro rata payment of between...

Letter: Take risks, push the envelope

Jack Horner (Solidarity 664 , 22 February) rightly states that the pay offer the Fire Brigades Union has put to its members, with a recommendation to accept, “will likely be a real terms pay cut for 2022-23.” The offer is a significantly smaller pay cut than the ones initially proposed. And without doubt, the advance is a consequence of FBU members' resounding vote for strikes. Given these facts, and the FBU Executive Committee's recommendation to accept, it seems highly likely the offer will be accepted, and probably by a large majority. That recommendation is no sell out, and acceptance...

West Midlands buses on indefinite strike

Over 3,000 bus drivers and more than 200 bus engineers who work for West Midlands Travel were due to start an indefinite strike across the West Midlands on Thursday 16 March. The strike plan produced a last-minute improved offer: workers are voting on it, and if they reject the offer, then the strike starts 20 March. The ballot for action was a massive step forward for Unite in National Express: the Bus Combine worked with local reps to deliver a 73% turn out and 96% yes vote by the drivers. West Midlands Travel is wholly owned by National Express and is the largest bus operator in the West...

UCU: fight to stop sell-out

This article was written before UCU eballoted members asking for a consultation on very poor deal, meanwhile stopping the strikes. What about striking while consultation takes place, or better, allowing elected HE committee to make decisions? As Solidarity goes to press, members of the University and College Union are about to begin six days of strike, from Wednesday 15 to Wednesday 22 March inclusive. Action was suspended almost a month ago after the joint union leaderships claimed there had been ‘significant progress’ in talks at ACAS. However, as many activists feared, there is little...

A thousand picket lines (John Moloney's column)

On 15 March, PCS is asking all eligible members to take a one day strike. This strike will include members from the HMRC and other areas who have recently voted for industrial action. The union is estimating that up to 136,000 members might take action on the day. PCS will not be on its own of course but will be joining strikers from the NEU, the BMA and in London, the RMT. Whilst getting all our members, and indeed non-members, out on the day is key, the union has two other aims. The first is having as many picket lines as possible, the second getting is getting people to marches arranged in...

Health pay: break the pause!

The strikes over pay for Agenda for Change (i.e. most) NHS employees in England are paused for negotiation. After the RCN cancelled their strikes in England at the beginning of March to go into unilateral negotiations, Unison, GMB, CSP and then Unite called off their planned action to join too. The government preconditions for negotiations with these unions were: cancellation of strikes; any uplift for 2022-23 would be a one-off unconsolidated payment; the talks to cover 2023-24 pay and “efficiency” reforms; and any offer coming from the negotiations to be recommended by trade unions to their...

Prepare for the ballot in local government

Unison’s representatives on the local government National Joint Committee (NJC) that cover pay for local government and school support staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — voted on Friday 10 March to reject the £1,925 flat rate offer from employers and go to an industrial action ballot. The ballot, which will be disaggregated by employer, is likely to run from 23 May to 4 July, and could see local government workers joining taking strike in the summer and autumn. The offer did not meet the claim for a 12.7% pay-rise for all workers, or come close to the starting salary of £15 per...

Scottish teachers ballot on improved offer

On Friday 3 March, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities made another improved offer to the Scottish teachers' union EIS in the ongoing and year-long pay dispute.

“We’ve come this far, we have to see it through”

A Royal Mail worker and CWU rep spoke to Solidarity about their ongoing dispute. Royal Mail and the CWU have issued a joint statement, with a longer appendix. Royal Mail has paused its “executive action”, the unilateral imposition of its planned cuts and restructure, and the joint statement effectively devolves negotiation over these issues down to local level. It sets a 10 March deadline for local resolution, but this seems ridiculous to me – I can't see how this will happen. Given what Royal Mail has already imposed so far, in many larger workplaces you have well over 100 people displaced...

Unison strike ballot on local government pay 2023-4: 23 May to 4 July

Unison has issued the information below. For information on the unions' claim, the bosses' offer, and the case for rejecting the offer, click here . The Committee voted to move straight to an industrial action ballot of all members covered by the NJC, without holding a consultation of members first. The Committee decided that the ballot would be for strike action (not action short of strike), and they decided not to offer an ‘opt out’ for any branches. The Committee received a draft industrial action timetable which provides for a ballot period from 23 May to 4 July. There is clearly lots of...

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