Too sick to work, too poor to rest - 1000 cleaners strike for pay and sick pay - Double-digit pay deals
21 - 27 November 2022
A series of reports out last week help explain why there is a growing number of people leaving the labour market because they are long-term sick. A quarter of employers said in a survey that they are seeing an increase in workers taking time off because they are sick, but at the same time, the head of the Royal College of GPs has said that many workers are refusing to take sick notes because they cannot afford to be off work. This should not come as a surprise, since the UK has the lowest guaranteed sick pay of any country in the OECD, the grouping of the world’s 38 richest economies.
Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive released figures showing that 1.8 million people suffered from work-related illness last year, a 40% increase from when the conservatives first came to power, according to the TUC.
Read on for this, but also 1000 cleaners striking in the transport network, growing industrial action in the NHS and double-digit pay deals among West Midlands Metro workers and East Suffolk refuse workers.
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DISPUTES
Nurses to strike: Nurses will be on strike in December after the UK government turned down offers for negotiations, the RCN says.
Unite NHS ballot grows: Unite is balloting more than 1,500 NHS workers across Merseyside, 1000 in Manchester and Lancashire, and 3000 in London, the union says. This is on top of the thousands of NHS workers the union is already balloting across the country.
Northern Ireland NHS strikes: Unison members working for the NHS in Northern Ireland have voted to strike, with 97% of those voting backing industrial action, the union says. The union is expected to announce the results of its NHS strike ballot in England and Wales shortly.
NHS Scotland offer: Unison is balloting NHS Scotland members on the Scottish government’s latest pay offer which would increase pay by a range of between 11.24% for the bottom of band 2 to 5.56% for the top of salary band 7, the union says. Unite and GMB have also suspended action among Scottish Ambulance service members as they ballot them on the offer, they say.
Junior doctors ballot: HCSA is balloting junior doctors for industrial action over pay after receiving a pay uplift of only 2%, the union says.
RMT Cleaners strike: More than 1000 cleaners on the transport network working for outsourced providers such as Churchill, Atalian Servest and Mitie are to take strike action demanding £15 an hour, company sick pay, decent holidays and good pensions from contractors, the RMT says. The strike dates will be decided this week by the union’s NEC.
Scottish teachers extend strikes: The Educational Institute of Scotland has announced 16 more days of strike action as part of the ongoing dispute over teachers’ pay, the union says.
NASUWT members in Scotland have also voted for strike action and will be taking industrial action in December, the union says.
Rail strike continues: Workers at Network Rail and train operating companies will be striking in December and January, RMT says. There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from 18 December until 2 January.
Cash workers strike:1,200 G4S workers delivering cash and coins to the likes of Barclays, HSBC, Tesco, Wetherspoon, Santander, Asda and Aldi, have overwhelmingly voted to strike and will be taking action in September, GMB says.
Dulux strike: Workers at Imperial Chemical in Suffolk who produce Dulux paint, among other brands, are taking strike action after the company made a 4.3% pay offer, Unite says.
London bus strikes: Over 2,000 bus drivers in North and West London employed by Metroline will take seven days of strike action after rejecting a 10% pay offer from the company, Unite says.
Bus disputes on the rise: Unite has had 102 passenger transport disputes involving tens of thousands of workers since Sharon Graham became Unite General Secretary, up from just 11 bus strikes in 2019, the union says.
Finger lickin’ strike: Almost 400 workers employed by Bestfood and delivering food to KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut will strike over a real terms pay cut, GMB says.
University strikes: Unison members across nineteen universities are taking strike action, as are Unite members at 10 universities, the unions says. They are joining UCU members across 150 higher education institutions who are striking over pay, terms and conditions, as well as pensions.
Queen Mary University and Wolverhampton University have threatened to dock 100% of academics’ pay until they reschedule the classes they have missed, the Observer reports.
Greene King strike: 188 workers who brew and distribute Greene King’s products including IPO, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale will be striking in December in a dispute over pay, Unite says.
Furness college strike: Furness college workers are taking strike action after their employer offered a pay award of just 2.5% alongside a one-off £750 payment, UCU says.
Manchester College strike: Staff at The Manchester College are being balloted for strike action in a long running dispute over low pay amid the cost of living crisis, UCU says.
Bakkavor strike suspended: Strike action planned by more than 700 workers at food manufacturer Bakkavor’s factory in Spalding has been suspended following a revised pay offer, Unite says.
Holidays cancelled: Thomas Swan has cancelled all pre booked holidays over the Christmas period after workers announced strike action, GMB says.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
1.8 million suffer work-related illness: The estimated number of workers in Great Britain suffering a work-related illness is 1.8 million with stress, depression, and anxiety making up around half of cases, according to new figures from the Health and Safety Executive. The figure is now almost 40 per cent higher than when the Tories came to power, according to the TUC.
Rise in absences due to sickness: 1 in 4 employers have seen an increase in staff being off sick compared to a year ago, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by Acas.
Workers refuse sick notes to work: Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs has said that ill patients are refusing sick notes from their GP because they cannot afford time off work, the Guardian reports.
Boohoo ambulance calls: Ambulances have been called on average once a month to Boohoo’s Burnley warehouse according to an investigation by the Times.
Construction death: The boss of Davis Industrial Roofing in Wakefield has been given an eight week suspended sentence after a subcontractor died from a fall off a roof, Construction News reports.
JOBS AND PAY
Labour shortages lead to inflation: The chief economist of the Bank of England has warned business leaders that the surge in people leaving the workforce because they are long-term sick could push employers to offer higher wages, which would increase inflation, the Guardian reports.
Cover shortages with immigration: The head of the UK largest business lobby, the CBI, has said at the organisation’s conference in Birmingham that the UK should use immigration to solve worker shortages and boost economic growth, the BBC reports.
POLITICS AND POLICY
Brexit freedoms bill not fit for purpose: The Regulatory Policy Committee of the government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department which is reviewing the “Brexit freedoms” bill has warned that the proposed legislation is “not fit for purpose”, the FT reports.
WINS
West Midlands Metro win: West Midlands Metro workers with 12 months service or longer have secured a 20.1% pay increase following strike action, Unite says. The increase will be made by April 2023, with 15% backdated to June 2022. New tram crews will see their wages increase by 13.7% and all other grades on the West Midlands Metro will see their pay increase by 10.25%.
East Suffolk refuse workers win: East Suffolk refuse workers have called off planned strikes after voting to accept a pay deal which increases pay for lowest paid staff by 23%, improved sick pay, an extra day’s annual leave and a commitment that interested agency staff will get full-time jobs when vacancies arise, Unison says.
Ex-miners win pay deal: Nearly 100 workers at the National Coal Mining Museum for England, including ex-miners, have won a pay increase of £1,650 plus a one-off cost of living payment of £350, Unison says.
BEIS strikes called off: Catering and hospitality workers employed by Aramark at BEIS have called off strike action after winning a 12% pay rise, PCS says. Workers employed in the same building by ISS as security guards, post and porterage workers, cleaners and receptionists have suspended their strike after receiving an improved offer on health and safety issues from the employer, the union says.
In-sourcing win at private hospital: Cleaners, catering and housekeeping staff at the privately run London Bridge Hospital will be brought in-house from April 2023, after campaigning for an end to outsourcing, the IWGB says.
Scotrail no-redundancy guarantee: Scotrail workers have secured an extension of the no redundancy guarantee for six years, payments to enhance the wage packet on a yearly basis, improved maternity payments, Sunday working benefits and pay rises of 7-9% for some workers, the RMT says.
LEGAL
Strike protection challenge: The Supreme Court has granted Unison permission to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling that allows employers to discipline staff who take lawful industrial action, the union says.
UNION POLITICS
Unite supplier woes: Unite has severed ties with a long-term supplier due to concerns it may have been involved in criminality, Sky News reports.
UVW finances: Grassroots union United Voices of the World (UVW) has informed members that it is running a £20,000 monthly deficit and has entered into a collective redundancy consultation with Union Workers Union (UWU), which represents some of its staff. UWU says it has entered into dispute with UVW over a failure to meaningfully consult over proposed redundancies.
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 Jacob’s Cream Crackers factory in Aintree
28 November (not continuous): Walsall Housing Group workers strike
28 November - 24 December (every Monday Wednesday and Friday): Arrow XL strike
28 November - 24 December (not continuous & different departments): Strike action at Royal Mail
28 November - 3 December: Fawley oil refinery strike in Hampshire
28 November - 13 December: Welwyn and Hatfield council grounds staff strike
30 November: Sheffield International College workers strike
28, 29, 30 November: Unison and Unite members strike at universities
30 November: UCU Strike at 150 universities
30 November, 7, 14, 21 December and 4 January: Thomas Swan strike in Durham
30 November & 7 December: Strike at Imperial Chemical in Suffolk
1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 December: Abellio bus strike in London
1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 15 and 16 December: North and west London bus strikes
2 - 5, 9 - 12 December: Courts staff strike in England and Wales
3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24 & 26 December: Harrods security officers strike
7 December: GMB members start strike at Fawley oil refinery
8 - 9 December: Petrofac strikes
5 - 7 December: G4S cash delivery workers strike
5 - 18 December: Shelter workers on strike
6, 7, 15 December: Furness College strike
13, 14, 16 & 17 December, 3,4,6 & 7 January: RMT rail strikes
15, 20 December: RCN nurses strike
7, 8 December: NASUWT members strike in Scotland
10 - 11 January, 16 January - 6 February: EIS Schools strike in Scotland
Ballots:
29 November: GMB ambulance service strike ballots end
30 November: Unite ambulance service strike ballots end
1 - 22 December: TSSA reballot of Network Rail staff
4 December: Asda ballot concludes
5 December - 23 January: FBU strike ballot
12 December: Royal College of Midwives ballot in England and Wales concludes
14 December - 20 January: HCSA ballot of junior doctors
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
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