UVW

We reported that the workers of Scarlett Letters Bookshop, in East London, were balloting to strike. Since then the owner has announced the shop’s closure. The workers occupied the shop to get the stock of books and bargain to run the shop as a cooperative. Now, as of 4am on 1 July, the owner has illegally broken the locks on the shop and had movers move the stock out. We are in solidarity with the workers who stood up to their boss and who took direct action to win. Those of us who have organised against our own bosses understand that no matter what the dispute is about on paper, ultimately...

In February 2025, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs), organised by the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, ran a campaign against redundancies at the charity Solace Women's Aid in Tower Hamlets. Solace is commissioned by Tower Hamlets Council to provide support for survivors of domestic violence. Budgetary issues were down to financial mismanagement. It had hired permanent staff despite fixed-term funding from the local authority from a pandemic grant. So while the Council was technically right to say that it had not cut funding to Solace, the two organisations passed blame...

The UVW union has announced that planned strike action by Tower Hamlets domestic abuse support workers at Solace Women’s Aid has been suspended. Both strikes and the redundancy process have been paused to allow for further talks between union and the employer. All-out strike action had been announced after a ballot returned a 100% vote in favour of strike action following a 92% turnout. The strike was building local support, and hundreds of people gathered for a rally outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall in against the cuts to domestic violence service and in support of the workers. Apsana Begum MP...

Workers at Atomik Architecture (Atomik) in London have informed their employer that they intend to ballot between 29 September and 17 October for strikes. It could be the first ever strike by private-sector architectural workers in the UK. The workers are demanding a pay increase, reduced working hours, flexible working arrangements, paid training, and trade union recognition. In June 2022, some workers individually raised the matter of pay in their annual reviews. When they were ignored, they wrote a collective letter outlining their demands. A meeting produced no results, and Atomik then...

A strike by outsourced security guards at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has passed its fiftieth day, as workers continue their action to win parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The workers, who are employed by the outsourced contractor Carlisle, are the last remaining group of outsourced workers at GOSH. The workers’ union, United Voices of the World, plans a rally in Queen Square, near the hospital, on Friday 29 April at 12pm. More: uvwunion.org.uk

Outsourced security workers at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) resumed strikes on Friday 1 April, with further strikes planned every Friday throughout the month. The workers are striking to win parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. Following a successful struggle by GOSH cleaners, security staff are now the last remaining outsourced workers at the hospital. Picketing remains restricted by a court injunction secured by GOSH, which means workers are only able to picket opposite, not directly outside, the hospital. Striking security guard Erica said: “GOSH trustees hope to...

Security guards at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) will strike every Friday throughout April, from 1 April, as they continue their fight for parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The workers concluded a six-week strike, the longest continuous strike in NHS history, on 18 March. A rally on 17 March was addressed by numerous union activists, as well as Labour MPs John McDonnell and Apsana Begum. Begum has also been prominent in supporting the recent successful strikes of outsourced workers at Barts NHS Trust, which is based in her constituency of Poplar and Limehouse, which won...

Security guards at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) are continuing their six-week-long strike to demand parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The United Voices of the World (UVW) union plans a further strike rally at 12 pm on Friday 17 March, at Queens Square, WC1N. GOSH cleaners, also UVW members, also planned a two-day strike from 11 March, after GOSH management appeared to stall on a prior commitment to bring them into direct employment. The cleaners’ strike was called off after bosses guaranteed the cleaners would be moved onto NHS contracts from 1 April. The cleaners’...

Striking security guards at Great Ormond Street Hospital held a rally on Friday 4 March, with a further rally planned on Friday 11 March, as the strike nears its full 44 days. The rally heard speeches from striking workers and supporters from a variety of unions, including RMT, whose members’ strike on London Underground had concluded the previous day. A delegation from the United Voices of the World union (UVW), including a striking GOSH worker, had visited the RMT picket line at Oxford Circus station. The rally marched from the hospital to the offices of the GOSH charity to call on the...

The National Executive Committee of our union, PCS, will discuss the Russian war on Ukraine at its meeting on Wednesday 9 March. The motion that will be tabled is a straightforward condemnation of Russia’s invasion and a call for Russian withdrawal. It’s possible amendments will be tabled, but I haven’t picked up any pushback from any quarter within the union against that position, so I hope that the union’s formal position, once agreed, will be unambiguous. The motion also calls for the UK to open its borders to refugees. Our consultative ballot for action over the cost of living crisis is...