Unite

The local government branches of the public services union Unison are only now being consulted on the pay claim for the year starting 1 April 2022. Following a failure in a union ballot to reach the 50% turnout threshold required by the Trade Union Act 2016, last year’s pay deal (1.75%) was settled just weeks ago. The options for a 2022 claim offered by the union leaders are 2% above the Retail Price Index (RPI) or a flat rate rise of £2,000. Our fight to challenge low and unequal pay normally points to support for a flat-rate claim, but there are problems with a flat-rate claim this year. If...

Last Thursday the executive council of the big union Unite met and passed a resolution on the war in Ukraine. The resolution “unreservedly condemns Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and stands in full solidarity with the millions of victims of the attack. Unite calls for an immediate cease-fire and a withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.” It congratulates union members “such as those at the Stanlow refinery – who refuse to unload Russian oil from any ship regardless of the nationality of the vessel that delivers it, and Unite repeats the call on the UK government to close the loophole that...

Unison members in Glasgow City Council have voted to strike in their ongoing dispute over equal pay compensation payments. Some 96% of Unison members voted in favour of the strike action, beating the anti-union laws threshold with a turnout of 52.5% among just under 9,000 workers. Some days earlier GMB workers also voted for strike action, while Unite the Union will be balloting its members on industrial action on 14 March. The dispute has its roots in a £500 million settlement agreed with council staff in 2019, for which a new pay and grading system was required to account for the many...

A flurry of worker-imposed boycotts on Russian trade in solidarity with Ukraine has followed Russia’s invasion. On 6 March workers refused to unload Russian oil from the tanker Seacod docked at a terminal on the River Mersey. Unite’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Unite workers at the facility will under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it.” At the time of writing, the boat is sailing directionless in the Irish sea. On Monday 28 February, Unite issued a statement that they would support a workers’ boycott of the NS...

Two weeks of strike action by Serco workers at the Barts NHS Trust in London have ended with a major victory. The strike, with big noisy picket lines and several well-supported demonstrations, moved Serco and the trust from a “1% and not a penny more” position to a 3% pay rise backdated to April 2021 plus £400. More importantly the strike ended contracting out of porters, cleaners and patient food staff across the Bart’s NHS Trust. In-housing was the key demand of the strike. These services have been contracted out across the Trust for years, and in Whipps Cross, Newham and Mile End Hospitals...

On 27 February, Unite the Union declared it would support its members at the Flotta terminal in the Orkney islands and at Sullam Voe in the Shetland islands, north of Scotland, if they boycotted a Russian government-owned oil tanker due to arrive soon. The local councils, the Scottish government, and the UK government had batted the issue back and forth for a little while, seemingly unwilling to act. It may be that the threat of workers’ action pushed them. Now the UK government has said it will stop Russian-owned or connected ships from docking in the UK. In general we do not support long...

Refuse workers employed by Coventry City Council are striking to demand better pay. 70 HGV drivers launched the action after what the Unite union says was a “year-long” negotiation that failed to produce a settlement. A union statement said: “The workers are paid a basic rate of between £11.49 to £14.37 an hour, which is below comparable rates of pay for HGV drivers in the region. The low pay of the refuse drivers is in sharp contrast to Coventry’s top council bosses who were paid £2.9 million last year. Chief executive Martin Reeves takes home £229,000 in pay and pension.” The strike is now...

Cleaners, porters and catering staff at Whipps Cross, Royal London and Bart’s Hospitals are entering their second week of strike against their employer Serco. The strike (since 31 January) has been strong, with picket lines of up to 145 strong at the Royal London and 75 at Whipps Cross. Two large demonstrations have been held, with labour movement supporters joining the pickets. The Bart’s Unite branch is confident the strike will stay strong for the remainder of its planned two weeks. It demands a 15% pay rise and an end to the two-tier pay system for those employed by the NHS and those on...

Cleaners, porters and ward catering workers in the country’s biggest NHS trust will strike for two weeks from 31 January to 13 February over pay and inequality. These workers’ jobs are contracted out to Serco across the five hospitals in the Bart’s NHS Trust. Pay and conditions for many workers fall below the NHS agreement “Agenda for Change”, but they are also striking to demand at 15% pay increase. The strike follows a yearlong organising drive by Unite amongst Serco staff, that has recruited over 250 new members to date. This helped to get the ballot for strike action over the 50% turnout...

Bus drivers in the Greater Manchester area will strike to win improved pay on 31 January, and for three days each week in February, on 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 21, 23 and 25. The dispute has already seen multiple days of action, most recently on 20, 24, and 26 January. The drivers, who are members of Unite, are demanding improvements to their basic pay rate, currently £12.40 per hour. A Unite statement said: “A major sticking point in the dispute is First Manchester’s refusal to honour the anniversary date of 1 August (when the pay increase for 2021 was due to come into effect) and to...