Firefighters and doctors announce ballots - Unison president expelled from Labour - Civil service strikes in December
14 - 20 November 2022
Firefighters and junior doctors have become the latest to announce dates for their respective strike ballots. The announcements came as the RCN gave the government a deadline of Tuesday to start pay talks before and PCS declared that it will kick-off strikes at the Home Office, Defra and the Department for Transport from mid-December.
This public sector revolt should come as no surprise, as new statistics reveal that the gap between private and public sector pay continues to widen, with the latter falling by 6.1% in the three months to September.
Read on for these stories, but also Unison’s president being expelled from Labour, the new minimum wage rate being set for 2023 and UK workers being £15,000 poorer as a result of wage stagnation.
But first, a small appeal from The Week in Work. Thanks to your support, in just over half a year the newsletter has reached almost 1000 subscribers. Please help it hit that milestone by the end of the year by sharing it with friends, reps and others who might find it useful.
DISPUTES
Civil service strikes: PCS has announced a programme of strikes at the Home Office, the Department for Transport and Defra, the union says. Civil Service World writes that the strikes will start in mid-December and last for a month.
Junior doctors ballot: More than 45,000 junior doctors in England will vote on industrial action from 9 January, the BMA says. The union says that over the last 15 years junior doctors’ pay has been cut by more than a quarter.
Nurse strikes: The RCN has given the UK health secretary until Tuesday to open formal talks before it announces strike dates for December, the union says.
The Scottish government has reopened NHS pay negotiations, after the RCN and Unison rejected the 5% pay offer.
Environment Agency strike: Around 2,800 Environment Agency staff have voted overwhelmingly to strike over pay for the first time in the organisation’s 26-year history, Unison says. The staff rejected a 2% pay offer and a one-off £345 payment earlier in the year.
FBU strike ballot: The Fire Brigades Union is balloting workers for strike action, following the rejection of a 5% pay offer, the union says.
Royal Mail negotiations: Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson has told the CWU that the company will walk away from talks on Monday, the union says. In a message to staff shared on twitter, Thompson also said the company will stop talking if strikes continue. Shortly before, the union had announced additional strike days.
RMT renews national ballot: RMT members have returned an average 91.7% ‘yes’ vote on a 70.2% turnout to renew their strike mandate at Network Rail and 14 rail operating companies, the union says.
TSSA ScotRail ballot: TSSA is balloting members at ScotRail over possible industrial action as part of a dispute over on-call working arrangements, the union says.
Scottish school strikes: The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has announced two additional strike days, the union says.
Food fight: More than 700 workers at Bakkavor’s food manufacturing factory in Spalding, Lincolnshire, will strike from late November until the New Year over poverty pay, Unite says. Many of the workers earn just 1p over the national minimum wage with some being forced to use food banks, the union says.
At the beginning of the pandemic I investigated conditions at Bakkavor factories across the UK, and uncovered a culture of bullying and harassment.
All out strike at Jacobs factory: More than 750 workers at the Jacobs Cream Crackers factory, who also make Jaffa Cakes, Twiglets, Club bars and Mini Cheddars, are to stage a permanent strike in anger at a real terms pay cut, GMB says. The company has announced it will move production to Portugal to undermine the strike.
Harrods strike: More than 50 Harrods security guards and CCTV operators are striking following a 7% pay offer, Unite says.
Twitter redundancies: Prospect says it represents a third of Twitter’s UK workforce and is urgently seeking a meeting with the company to discuss how it will manage redundancy consultations, the union says.
ExxonMobil strike ballot: Around 200 workers at ExxonMobil’s ethylene plant in Mossmorran are voting on possible strike action as part of a dispute over the level of bonus payments under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry, Unite says.
Oil workers to strike: 75 oil workers at the Valero site in Pembroke dock have voted for strike action after their employers rejected a request for a bonus to help them cope with the cost of living, GMB says.
Free parking: Serco parking attendants and CCTV operators in the London boroughs of Hounslow, Ealing and Brent are voting on strike action after the company offered a pay rise of just 20p an hour, Unite says.
Welwyn and Hatfield council ground staff: Grounds maintenance workers employed by Continental Landscapes on the Welwyn and Hatfield council contract are striking after being offered a 7% pay increase, Unite says.
Water outsourcing dispute: Workers at South Staffs Water are being balloted for strike action over company plans to outsource workers, GMB says.
Sunderland bus strikes back on: Sunderland Stagecoach strikes are back on after members reject the company’s offer of a less than 10% pay raise, GMB says.
Thomas Swan strike: Almost 100 workers at Durham chemical company Thomas Swan have voted to strike in anger over a real terms pay cut, GMB says.
UCL security overtime cut: Striking UCL security officers have been stripped of all overtime shifts, which for some amounts to as much as a third of their take-home pay, after announcing strike action, the IWGB says.
Overground strike suspended: ASLEF has suspended strike action on London Overground to consult members on a new pay offer, the union says.
BEIS strike suspended: ISS and Aramark members at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have suspended their strikes to vote on an improved offer, PCS says.
East Suffolk refuse strike suspended: East Suffolk refuse workers have suspended their strike to vote on an improved pay offer, East Anglian Daily Times reports.
Midlands Metro strike suspended: The Midlands Metro strike has been suspended to allow members to vote on an improved offer, Unite says.
Sheffield college strike suspended: Strike action at Sheffield International College has been suspended to allow for further consultation, UCU says.
JOBS AND PAY
Minimum wage increases but stays low for the young: The minimum wage for people aged 23 and older in the UK will increase by almost a pound to £10.42 per hour in April 2023, according to a government announcement. For 18-20 year olds it will only go up to £7.49 an hour and for 16-17 year olds and apprentices it will be just £5.28 per hour.
Private/public sector pay gap: The UK’s tight labour market has seen the gap between public and private sector pay growth increase to its widest level ever outside of the pandemic period, and public sector vacancies reach a record high, according to the Resolution Foundation. The private sector faced a 2.7% fall in real pay in the three months to September, while it plummeted by 6.1% in the public sector.
Workers £15,000 poorer: Two decades of wage stagnation have cost British workers £15,000 a year in wages, according to the Resolution Foundation.
Unemployment to rise: The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts a 7% drop in household incomes over the next two years and for unemployment to increase by 505,000, the Guardian reports.
5 million paid below living wage next year: With wages lagging behind inflation, the number of people earning below the living wage is expected to jump to 5.1 million next year, up from 3.5 million today, the Living Wage Foundation says.
POLICY AND POLITICS
Amazon delivers surveillance: An Amazon policy chief admits to the Business Select Committee that the company tracks the productivity of workers at its warehouses.
Sick pay demands: A coalition including the TUC, Unison and Business Disability Forum (RDF) has asked the secretary of state for work and pensions to abolish the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, to make it payable from the first day of sickness and to match it with the real living wage, HR Magazine reports.
LEGAL
The Erin Brockovich of Bradford inspires others: Charity Pregnant Then Screwed has seen a “surge in calls” from women who are looking to take discrimination cases to tribunal following Donna Patterson’s victory against Morrisons, where she represented herself without the support of lawyers, People Management reports.
Racist bullying on the overground: An employment tribunal has found that London Overground rail workers were subjected to a “toxic” culture of racist bullying, the Guardian-Series reports.
Age discrimination: The Glasgow employment tribunal found that TUI Airways discriminated against a flight attendant when it used length of service as the “sole or predominant factor” when deciding who to select for redundancy, People Management reports.
Flexible working cases: The number of employment tribunal cases relating to flexible working that reached a decision stage increased from 186 to 190 in the previous year, according to research by law firm GQ Littler.
WINS
United Airlines drop outsourcing: United Airlines airport workers at London Heathrow have secured a cost of living pay increase and a commitment by the company to abandon outsourcing plans after announcing strike action, Unite says.
Something to relish: Around 150 workers at Telford’s Heinz Food Service factory have won an 11% pay increase, Unite says.
Offshore deal: Offshore catering workers have accepted a 10% pay offer from the Catering Offshore Trade Association (COTA), Unite says.
Tyne and Wear Metro workers pay deal: Tyne and Wear Metro engineers employed by Stadler Rail Service Ltd have called off their strike after accepting an improved offer for pay and allowances, which will be backdated to January, a £1,000 one-off payment and boosts to overtime rates and health benefits, Unite says.
Newham College pay deal: Workers at Newham College have secured a consolidated 8% pay rise for staff earning up to £25K and 5% for qualified lecturers and curriculum managers, UCU says. The deal also includes a £600 non-consolidated lump sum for staff earning over £30K and £750 for those earning below £30k.
Nurseries saved: Hillingdon Council have delayed plans to close three early years nurseries following a successful Unison campaign, the union says.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Hinkley Point death: A construction worker at Hinkley Point C has died in a traffic incident involving a construction vehicle, the BBC reports.
UNION POLITICS
Unison president expelled from Labour: The president of Unison has been expelled from the Labour Party after sharing articles from Socialist Appeal, Novara reports.
Paddy Lillis reappointed at Usdaw: Paddy Lillis has been reappointed General Secretary of Usdaw after being the only candidate to receive the required 25 branch nominations to run for the position, the union says.
WHAT’S COMING UP
Strikes and protests:
Ongoing: Dundee university workers strike
Ongoing: Continuous strike at Arriva Northumberland
Ongoing: Quorn continuous strike action
Ongoing: Northern Ireland Housing Executive strike
Ongoing: Continuous strike at Jacobs Cream Crackers factory in Aintree
21 - 28 November (not continuous): Walsall Housing Group workers strike
21 November - 24 December (every Monday Wednesday and Friday): Arrow XL strike
21 - 22 November: Renold Couplings strike
22 November: Equity demonstration against arts cuts outside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
21 November: Co-op coffin makers strike
24 November - 24 December (not continuous & different departments): Strike action at Royal Mail
21 November: Dnata and Menzies strike at Heathrow
21 - 26 November; 28 November - 3 December: Fawley oil refinery strike in Hampshire
21 November - 13 December: Welwyn and Hatfield council grounds staff strike
22, 25, 26 November, 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 December: Abellio bus strike in London
23 - 24, 26- 27 December: Sunderland bus strike
24, 25, 30 November: Strike at 150 universities
24 November 2022: Honeywell workers on strike
24 November: Scottish teachers strike
24 November, 10-11 January: Scottish school strikes
25 November: Make Amazon Pay day
25 - 27 November; 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24 & 26 December: Harrods security officers strike
25 November - 2 January: Bakkavor Spalding strike
30 November - December: Petrofac strikes
30 November, 7, 14, 21 December and 4 January: Thomas Swan strike in Durham
5 - 18 December: Shelter workers on strike
Ballots:
21 November: NASUWT strike ballot in Scotland concludes
25 November: Unison NHS England and Wales strike ballot concludes
29 November: GMB ambulance service strike ballots end
30 November: Unite ambulance service strike ballots end
4 December: Asda ballot concludes
5 December - 23 January: FBU strike ballot
12 December: Royal College of Midwives ballot in England and Wales concludes
9 January: NASUWT strike ballot in England and Wales concludes
9 January: Start of BMA strike ballot
13 January: NEU ballot of 300,000 teachers and support staff concludes
Events:
28 November: Reel News Night: Solidarity with Strikes - Uniting all Struggles
6 December: Nae Pasaran - film screening and CWU strike fundraiser in Salford
13 December: UK monthly unemployment figures
14 December: UK inflation statistics
FEEDBACK
Did I miss anything? Email me on theweekinwork [at] gmail [dot] com.