Staff at Your Choice Barnet (YCB), who work with a variety of vulnerable adults, were on strike for two days last week.
The strike was in addition to two days the previous week, where they held a joint rally with visiting Doncaster Care UK workers.
The dispute is over a 9.5% pay cut being imposed by YCB management — an arms length organisation devolved from the council. As well as defending their pay, strikers are also demanding to be taken back in house.
The strike is very well supported amongst staff, and picket lines are lively and well attended.
Negotiations are happening with YCB management this week. Further strike dates have already been set for 13 and 14 October to put pressure on management.
Unison is demanding that Barnet Council also attend talks, and that the council writes off debt and penalties it is imposing on YCB.
• Send messages of support to: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk
More refuse strikes
Refuse workers in Brighton have named further strikes on 25 and 30 September and 3 October, as their work-to-rule begins to bite.
This is part of a regrading and equal pay dispute.
The strikers want the job of HGV drivers to be regraded to a higher grade on the pay scale.
This would bring them in line with equivalent roles across the Council and at other local authorities.
ISS cleaners vote for strikes
Tube cleaners working for ISS have voted by a 92% majority for strikes, and action-short-of-strikes, in their dispute against biometric fingerprinting machines.
Some cleaners have been locked out for three months for refusing to use the machines, and have had to fight within their union, RMT, to get access to funds to support their dispute and keep themselves going while locked out of work without pay.
So far, the union’s leadership has not called action to activate the ballot.
The rank-and-file Tubeworker bulletin said: “This is not good enough. Cleaners are amongst the most vulnerable workers on London Underground; RMT prides itself on being an all-grades, industrial union. It needs to fight as hard for cleaners as it does for any other grade.”
Reinstate Noel Roberts and Alex McGuigan!
Tube union RMT is fighting for reinstatement for two of its members, sacked on what the union says are spurious and unjust grounds.
Noel Roberts was “medically terminated” by LU, despite doctors, local management, and occupational health declaring him fit for work.
Alex McGuigan was sacked after failing a breathalyser test which failed to take into account his diabetes, which could have given a false positive.
Alex’s urine sample was only tested for drugs. Standard practice is to test for alcohol after a positive breathalyser test.
A second sample, which should be retained for independent tests, was destroyed.
Industrial action resumes in Tube cuts fight
RMT’s London Transport Regional Council already has policy to push for strikes on or around 14 October, the day of the public sector pay strike.
A one-day strike would have little impact, but a Tube strike on 14-15 October could be effective if properly built for.
