TSSA’s Cortes retires pending harassment inquiry - UCU smashes ballot thresholds - CWU cancels strikes on ballot challenge
24 October - 30 October 2022
The TSSA announced last week that general secretary Manuel Cortes, who has been mired in allegations of sexual harassment, has retired. The union had previously announced that elections would be held, but these have now been postponed until the conclusion of the KC-led inquiry into bullying and sexual harassment at the union.
Prior to resigning, Cortes had tried to push through a merger with the US-union the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, arguing that it was necessary to stave off the union’s growing deficit, but talks fell through in September.
Read on for this, but also the UCU winning a huge mandate for strike action in the university sector, CWU being forced to cancel two weeks of strikes and hospitality workers winning over £100,000 in unpaid tips.
I’ve also rejigged the calendar of events at the bottom after some of you asked for it to be a bit better organised. If you have a strike, ballot, protest or event coming up that you’d like me to add, let me know by filling out this form.
DISPUTES
University workers vote to strike: Over 70,000 university staff at 150 universities have voted to take strike actions over pensions, pay and conditions, the union says. The union’s decision to proceed with an aggregated ballot means it now has the biggest strike mandate it has ever had in this dispute, and will be able to take strike action in nearly every university in the UK.
Royal Mail challenges ballot: Communication Workers Union (CWU) will suspend industrial action for two weeks following a letter from Royal Mail’s legal team which challenged the strike notices, the union says. Strikes will resume on 12 November and a more in-depth explanation from the union can be heard here.
Earlier in the week the union said it had entered into ACAS-brokered negotiations with Royal Mail.
Rail strikes: TSSA members across the rail service will be on strike in November, the union says. The TSSA and the RMT have postponed their 3 November strikes to 9 November because they clashed with the Royal British Legion’s Poppy day, the unions say.
TfL and London Overground workers will also walk out on 10 November, the RMT says.
Transport cleaners ballot: Cleaners working for Churchill, Mitie and other contractors on the transport network are being balloted for strike action, the RMT says.
Teacher strikes: NASWUT and the NEU have started balloting their teacher members over potential strike action, the unions say.
Local government pay offer: Unite members have rejected the local government pay offer, but the union says it has opted for local campaigns rather than a national ballot for strike action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The other local government unions have accepted the offer which includes an increase of £1,925 on all pay grades, an increase of 4.04 per cent on allowances and an additional day’s holiday.
Defending a rep: South West London bus drivers employed by RATP subsidiary London United are being balloted for strike action after the dismissal of a local shop steward, Unite says. London United workers recently won an improved pay deal following strike action.
Terminally ill victimised: GMB members working across Nottingham’s tram network have begun balloting for industrial action over the mistreatment of two terminally ill GMB members employed by Keolis, the company responsible for the city's tram system, the union says. The workers’ employer, Keolis, has threatened to slash the pay of the two workers, despite signing up to the ‘Dying to Work Charter’ which guarantees protection for workers facing terminal illness.
Ambulance strike grows: Unite is balloting workers for strike action at several ambulance services across the country, the union says. They are joining the more than 15,000 ambulance workers being balloted by GMB. In total Unite is balloting
More than 300 workers at South Central Ambulance Service
Nearly 250 at the South Coast Ambulance Service
Nearly 650 at North West Ambulance service
Nearly 1000 at the West Midlands Ambulance Service
Pay cut and pay freeze: Workers at power transmissions manufacturer Renold Couplings in East Cardiff are taking strike action after being offered a below-inflation pay rise and enduring a pay freeze during the Covid pandemic, Unite says.
Striking at Nine Elms: Security guards employed by outsourcing company OCS Group at New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms London are striking after the company refused to enter into formal pay talks, Unite says.
It takes the biscuit: Engineers at Fox’s Biscuits factory in Batley are taking strike action over a real terms pay cut, Unite says.
Southampton airport shutdown: Airside operations controllers, firefighters, technicians and engineering workers at Southampton Airport who haven’t had a pay increase since 2019 will take a series of one day strikes beginning on 5 November after months of delays by airport bosses, Unite says.
An injury to one: Gatwick Airport Taxi drivers are protesting after a driver was sacked for undertaking his duties as a workplace representative, Unite says. Gatwick Airport taxis will not be available during the protests on 25, 29 and 31 October, the union says.
Fire and rehire by union: Unite is accusing the Royal College of Occupational Therapists of using fire and rehire tactics with its staff. Unite says that the college gave the workers just 3 full days to decide whether to take a poor redundancy package or apply for other jobs on worse terms.
Oil workers strike: Workers at oil logistics contractor Briggs Marine are striking after rejecting the company’s below inflation pay offer, GMB says.
Dietetics strike: The British Dietetic Association is balloting its members in Scotland for strike action, the union says.
GXO strike suspended: The GXO draymen strike has been suspended as members are balloted on a new offer, Unite says.
UNION POLITICS
TSSA’s Cortes resigns: TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes has retired and new general secretary elections will be held in early 2023, the union says. The announcement comes following allegations of sexual harassment and the launch of an inquiry led by human rights barrister Helena Kennedy KC. TSSA members can get in touch with the inquiry team via info@helenakennedy.co.uk.
The union has separately announced that it has ended merger talks with US-union, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.
POLITICS AND POLICY
Public sector cuts: Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are exploring tax increases and public spending cuts worth up to £50 billion a year, the Financial Times reports. If it was secured purely through spending cuts, the fiscal tightening would be equivalent to George Osborne’s austerity Budget of 2010.
Public sector worker exodus: The TUC warns that nearly 2 million public sector workers could be close to quitting over poor pay, the Guardian reports.
Seafarers bill: A bill to ensure seafarers are paid at least a minimum wage has been presented at the House of Lords and will proceed to the House of Commons for further consideration, ITV reports.
JOBS AND PAY
Biggest wage fall since financial crisis: Real wages adjusted for inflation fell 2.6% in the year to April, the sharpest drop since the 3.3% decline during the 2010 financial crisis, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Care workers running out of cash: More than half of those working in care and support in Scotland (52 percent) run out of money before their next pay day, and one in five don’t use energy when at home because they can’t afford to, according to a survey by Unite. Nearly one in ten are skipping meals to save on cash.
Nurses can’t afford to live: By next April, a broad spectrum of working-age families across the UK — graduate couples, nurses, and shop workers on the minimum wage in London, and the red and blue walls – will not be able to afford the cost of living, according to the New Economics Foundation.
LEGAL
Nurse racially victimised: An employment tribunal has ruled that an agency nurse was a victim of race-related harassment and victimisation when she was told by her manager to 'bleach her skin’, the Mirror reports. The comments came after she told the manager that she was being racially abused by a patient at an immigrant removal centre in Heathrow.
MODERN SLAVERY
Chinese forced labour case: Uyghur rights activists are suing the UK government over its failure to investigate imports of cotton products made using forced labour from Xinjiang, the Financial Times reports. The case at the High Court in London is the first of a wave of lawsuits across Europe aimed at blocking imports from Xinjiang.
WINS
Drilling for gold: Over 450 offshore drilling and maintenance workers covered by the United Kingdom Drilling Contractors Association (UKDCA) have called off their strike and accepted an improved offer of 10% on their rates of pay back dated to 1 June 2022, Unite says.
Another Arriva win: More than 480 bus drivers at Arriva Kent have voted in favour of 13.92% pay increase, backdated to 23 April 2022, after taking six days of strike action, Unite says.
Fair tips: Around 200 staff members at Scottish hotel Cameron House have won around £138,000 in backdated tips following a campaign by Unite, The Caterer reports.
Airport security pay increase: East Midlands Airport security staff have secured a 10% pay increase backdated to 1 September 2022 after voting for strike action, Unite says. The workers will also receive an additional 1% in 2023 and 2024 on top of any annual increase agreed for the entire airport.
Sustainable theatre: Equity says it has signed agreements with two theatre companies that commit the organisations to sustainability practices, such as ensuring the budget and schedule are set to support sustainable working, all plastics used are reusable, recyclable or compostable, and workers have maximum five-day working weeks.
WHAT’S COMING UP
Strikes and protests:
Ongoing: Dundee university workers strike
Ongoing: Barnet Council housing repairs workers strike
Ongoing: Continuous strike at Arriva Northumberland
Ongoing: Quorn continuous strike action
31 October - 7 November: Liverpool dock workers strike
31 October: Northern Ireland Housing Executive strike
31 October - 28 November (not continuous): Walsall Housing Group workers strike
31 October - 5 January (not continuous): West Midland Metro workers strike
31 October - 24 December (every Monday Wednesday and Friday): Arrow XL strike
31 October - 3 November: New Covent Garden security officers strike
31 October - 22 November: Renold Couplings strike
3 - 5 November: Mizkan Euro strike
3, 10, 17 and 24 November 2022: Honeywell workers on strike
31 October: Sunderland bus strike
31 October: Movianto workers strike
31 October: Co-op coffin makers strike
1 - 9 November: Bakkavor Spalding strike
2 November: TUC mass lobby of parliament
4,5,7,8, 9 November: TSSA strikes on Network Rail and rail operators
4, 11 November: First Group workers strike in Somerset and Cornwall
5, 7, 9 November: RMT strikes on Network Rail
6 - 9 November, 14 - 17 November: Fox’s Biscuits strike
10 November: RMT strikes on London Underground and London Overground
12 November - 3 December (not continuous & different departments): Strike action at Royal Mail
Ballots:
31 October: Unison NHS Scotland strike ballot ends
2 November: RCN strike ballot ends
3 November: Unite NHS Scotland ballot concludes
7 November: GMB NHS Northern Ireland strike ballot ends
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
18 November: Unison NHS Northern Ireland strike ballot concludes
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
9 January: NASUWT strike ballot in England and Wales concludes
13 January: NEU ballot of 300,000 teachers and support staff concludes
Legal:
16 November: GMB3 appear before Brighton magistrates court
Events:
5 November: IWGB UCL Security strike fundraiser in London
15 November: Strike MCR, Organise Now and StrikeMap organising training in Salford
6 December: Nae Pasaran - film screening and CWU strike fundraiser in Salford
FEEDBACK
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