A million public sector workers preparing to strike - union official blocked from standing - 15% raise for NHS outsourced workers
17 - 23 October 2022
UCU will today announce the results of its national ballot covering 150 universities and 70,000 workers. This marks the beginning of a series of weeks when ballots covering around a million public sector workers are set to conclude, the results of which could determine the ease with which an incoming prime minister will be able to implement an austerity agenda on the public sector.
In a week and a half, the Royal College of Nursing will publish the results of its ballot of 300,000 nurses, followed a few days afterwards by PCS’s ballot of 150,000 civil servants. By the end of November they could be joined by 400,000 Unison NHS members across the UK, and 15,000 GMB members at several ambulance services who are about to be balloted, as well as RMT members who are renewing their strike mandate.
Hundreds of thousands of other public sector workers could also be strike-ready early next year, as teachers and junior doctors also vote on possible strike action.
Read on for this, but also a union official and councillor being blocked from standing as a Labour MP, outsourced workers winning a whopping 15% pay rise and the UK’s first ever ballot of Amazon warehouse workers failing to reach the turnout threshold.
DISPUTES
Coordinated strikes: PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch and CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr have called for coordinated strike action, the Guardian reports. Serwotka said that if his ballots are successful PCS is prepared to take strike action on the same days as other unions, while Lynch said he didn’t care if it was the TUC coordinating it, “as long as they don’t get in the way”.
Lynch also cautioned members to “beware of the TUC” claiming that the body had tried in the past to strike a deal with the Conservative government on strike laws in return for digital voting on ballots. “We’ve got to keep them keen and make sure there’s no sellout,” Lynch said.
Teacher ballot kicks off: The National Education Union will this week start its ballot of around 300,000 teacher and support staff members in England and Wales, over the government’s failure to offer an above-inflation pay rise, the union says.
First ballot in 125-year history: The NAHT headteachers’ union will ballot its members on whether they want to go on strike over pay for the first time in the union’s 125-year history, Schools Week reports.
Amazon ballot unsuccessful: The first ever ballot for strikes at an Amazon warehouse in the UK has failed to meet the ballot threshold, despite 99% of those who took part voting in favour of strike action, the BBC reports. Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for Amazon to formally recognise the GMB.
The union has already served the company with notification of the next strike ballot, GMB union official Stuart Richards says in a tweet.
Network Rail strike: Workers on Network Rail will take strike action in November after bosses reneged on their promises of an improved pay offer and tried to impose job cuts, more unsocial hours and detrimental changes to rosters, the RMT says. London Underground and Overground workers will also take strike action in November, the union says.
Taps run dry: Around 1,000 GXO draymen are striking after rejecting a 5% pay offer, Unite says. GXO drivers make up around 40% of the UK’s beer deliveries, the union says.
Hundreds of Budweiser workers at the company’s Salmesbury site have also gone on strike over a real terms pay cut, GMB says.
Al Jazeera journalists strike: Al Jazeera journalists have overwhelmingly voted to strike, after almost three years of no pay increase, the NUJ says.
Finger Likin strike: Almost 600 Bestfood workers who deliver food to Pizza Express, KFC, Zizzi, Burger King, Wagamama and Pizza Hut will take part in a strike ballot after they rejected the company’s 6% pay offer, GMB says.
Pay beef: Several hundred inspectors, vets, and office-based staff at the Food Standards Agency are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unison says. A strike could affect meat supplies during the festive season, the union says.
Arriva Kent action suspended: Strike action at Arriva Kent has been suspended to allow workers to vote on an improved pay offer, Unite says. If the offer is rejected the strike action scheduled for Friday 28 October will go ahead.
Food fight: More than 700 workers at Bakkavor’s food manufacturing factory in Spalding, Lincolnshire will strike over poverty pay, Unite says. The union says many of the workers earn just 1p over the national minimum wage and have now rejected a 6.5% pay offer.
Muller strike: Around 70 HGV drivers and shunters at Mullers’ Stonehouse factory in Gloucestershire will escalate their dispute over imposed rota changes with 11 days of all out strike action, Unite says.
Bristol housing strike: Around 50 housing officers and team leaders, responsible for managing Bristol council’s 27,000 tenancies, are on strike over unsustainable workloads, Unite says. Walsall Housing Group workers have also extended their strike action over pay, the union says.
Gimme Shelter: Workers at housing charity Shelter are balloting for strike action after being offered a 3% pay increase and a one off payment of £1,500, Unite says.
Quorn all-out strike: More than 60 Quorn workers started continuous strike action last week over a below inflation pay offer, Unite says.
Coffin strike: Around 50 craft workers based at the Co-op’s only coffin manufacturing facility in the UK are striking after they rejected a below-inflation pay offer, Unite says.
NHS strike ballots: GMB is balloting hundreds of NHS and ambulance service workers in Northern Ireland, the union says. The ballot will conclude just over a week before Unison’s own ballot of Northern Ireland NHS workers.
Council workers walk out: Hundreds of Reigate and Banstead council workers, including planning officers, parking attendants, administrators, refuse workers, cleaners, and security officers, have taken strike action after being offered an increase of just 1.3%, Unison says.
Nuclear strike: Workers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which supports and maintains the UK nuclear deterrent, are being balloted for strike action after they rejected a 5% pay offer, Prospect says.
Chemical strike: Almost 100 workers at chemical company Thomas Swan, in Consett, Durham are voting on strike action following a 5.1% offer capped at £1000, GMB says.
ASOS ballot at Merseyside fire service: Merseyside firefighters and control staff are being balloted for industrial action short of a strike in relation to a number of recent and long-standing issues pertaining to attacks on terms and conditions, the Fire Brigades Union says.
Courier action across the country: Delivery courier strikes are taking place in Luton, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Harlow, Slough and Basingstoke, Novara reports.
POLITICS AND POLICY
EU bill will create deep uncertainty: Jonathan Jones, who headed the government legal service from 2014 to 2020, has warned that the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill, which looks to scrap all EU laws, including employment protections, by the end of 2023, will create deep uncertainty for businesses and many other organisations, the Observer reports.
Minimum service: Just hours before Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned, the government announced a new bill that would enforce minimum service levels during transport strikes and penalise individual workers who strike if their employer deems them essential.
Trade unionist blocked from standing as MP: Lauren Townsend, a CWU official, Labour councillor and former TGI Friday’s waitress who led a historic fair tips campaign at the restaurant, says in a tweet that she has been blocked from standing as a Labour MP. Townsend says that despite the support of six affiliated trade unions, she was told she could not stand because, among other things, she “liked” a tweet by Nicola Sturgeon saying she had tested negative for COVID and wrote an article advocating for a Green New Deal.
LEGAL
Domestic abuse counsellors win rights: An employment tribunal has ruled that domestic and sexual abuse charity Solace Women’s Aid had misclassifed its councellors as self-empkoyed independent contractors when in reality they were limb (b) workers, entitled to holiday pay, among other rights, United Voices of the World says. The workers are bringing a separate claim for backdated holiday pay.
Firefighter pension win: Nearly 9,000 firefighters are set to receive a pay out of £3,750 in compensation for anxiety and distress in relation to the government’s “pension debacle” when it tried to change firefighter pension rules, the Fire Brigades Union says. Claimants with “additional reasons for being aggrieved” will receive £7,250 in total. This payment is separate to the pension case itself, where the FBU successfully argued that attempts to change pension rules in 2015 were discriminatory.
Civil servants can stand as MPs: An employment tribunal has ruled that the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), acted unlawfully when it dismissed Polly Jones after she decided to stand as an MP, The Sunday Times reports. A blogpost by Jones on the judgement can be found here.
Royal Mail whistleblower win: Royal Mail has been ordered to pay a recommended sum of more than £100,000 to an employee due to bullying and unfair dismissal after she blew the whistle on potential fraudulent activity relating to bonuses, Employee Benefits reports.
WINS
Improved pay and terms at OCS: Outsourced workers employed by OCS and working at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust have won a 14.7% pay rise backdated to April 2022, seven extra days of annual leave, full parity with NHS sick-pay arrangements and enhanced pay on bank holidays, Unison North West says in a tweet.
15% for Richmond refuse drivers: Richmond refuse HGV drivers have won a 15% pay increase after one day of strike action, GMB Southern says.
Health worker contract win: Unison reps at Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland have negotiated the move of 200 workers from agency to trust contracts, Unison Northern Ireland says in a facebook post.
London bus win: Around 3000 bus workers employed by Go-Ahead group in London have secured a 10.5% raise, Unite says.
Menopause absences: Tesco will no longer count menopause related absences in absence calculations, following an agreement with Usdaw, the union says.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Construction death: A self-employed construction worker has pleaded guilty to one health and safety offence and has been fined £2500 after the death of a 57 year old man during the replacement of a perspex roof on a farm building in Newry, ITV reports.
WHAT’S COMING UP
Ongoing: Dundee university workers strike
Ongoing: Barnet Council housing repairs workers strike
Ongoing: Continuous strike at Arriva Northumberland
Ongoing: Quorn continuous strike action
24 October: UCU announce results of national strike ballot
24 October - 7 November: Liverpool dock workers strike
24 - 31 October: Northern Ireland Housing Executive strike
24 October: Bristol housing workers strike
24 October: BT and Openreach workers on strike
24 October - 29 December: Hull Stagecoach workers strike
24 October - 28 November (not continuous): Walsall Housing Group workers strike
24 October - 5 January (not continuous): West Midland Metro workers strike
24 - 29 October: Hinduja Global Solutions workers at the Disclosure and Barring Service strike
24 - 30 October: Magistrates Courts workers strike
24 - 28 October: Woolwich Ferry strike
24 October - 24 December (every Monday Wednesday and Friday): Arrow XL strike
24 October - 29 November: Ambulance service strike ballot
24 - 29 October: Muller Stonehouse factory strike
25 - 26 October: Mizkan Euro strike
25 October - 3 December (not continuous & different departments): Strike action at Royal Mail
26 - 30 October: National Coal Museum strike
27 October, 3, 10, 17 and 24 November 2022: Honeywell workers on strike
27 October - 18 November: Unison NHS Northern Ireland strike ballot
27 October - 25 November: Unison NHS England and Wales strike ballot
27, 28 October: Alstom strike in Derby
28 October - 13 January: NEU ballot of 300,000 teachers and support staff
28 - 31 October: Sunderland bus strike
28, 31 October: Movianto workers strike
31 October: Co-op coffin makers strike
31 October - 4 November: GXO draymen strike
31 October: Unison NHS Scotland strike ballot ends
4, 11 November: First Group workers strike in Somerset and Cornwall
3-4, 17-18 November, 1-2, 15-16 December: Offshore drillers and contractors strike
6 November: Avanti West Coast strike
7 November: GMB NHS Northern Ireland strike ballot ends
1 - 9 November: Bakkavor Spalding strike
2 November: RCN strike ballot ends
2 November: TUC mass lobby of parliament
3, 5, 7 November: RMT strikes on Network Rail
3 November: RMT strikes on London Underground and London Overground
7 November: End of PCS civil service strike ballot
8 November: End of EIS industrial ballot of Scottish teachers
10 November: Announcement of results of PCS civil service strike ballot
11 November: NEU Sixth Form College strike ballot ends
15 November: RMT rail strike ballot ends
16 November: GMB3 appear before Brighton magistrates court
FEEDBACK
Did I miss anything? Email me on theweekinwork [at] gmail [dot] com.