Union solidarity round-up: 27 April to 3 May

TUC research published last week paints a shocking picture of casual racism, normalised in the workplace. Only 69% of those who reported racism to their employer were taken seriously. And reports of incidents at work of verbal abuse, intimidation and threats of violence have increased to 26%, up from 19% in 2020, with evidence suggesting that these incidents are also more serious than previously reported. 

UK activity

PCS members working at Ofgem with a mandate for strike action are waiting for managers to respond in their long-running dispute over pay, jobs, working conditions and industrial relations. Action short of a strike continues for members at the Civil Aviation Authority (with Prospect), and at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government where there is now a mandate to continue the strike action undertaken in April, May and September last year.

Unite bin workers at Birmingham City Council continue their indefinite action. Members who survived recent redundancies at glass bottle company Encirc in Cheshire went on strike last week, refusing to work night shifts until tomorrow (28, since Thursday 16), and then again between 9 and 15 May. Members working as bus engineers for Arriva in Luton are furious over managers’ failure to address sexual harassment and assault and their targeted dismissal of a member; they will strike all this week (Monday 27 to 1 April), with two further weeks in May.

Unite members at Cambridge University will strike this week (Thursday 30 and Friday 1), angry at a sub-inflation pay offer of 1.4% and being denied a pay weighting comparable to staff at Oxford University. Members working in pathology and clinical engineering at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will strike all week (Monday 27 to Friday 1) over outsourcing, privatisation and a new shift system. Members working as health visitors at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in south Wales, who begun their strike on 16 March, continue until 13 May. 

Unison members working as porter drivers for Greater Manchester Mental Health are striking again this week over their being paid at a band beneath their actual work; they will walk out Monday (27) to Thursday (30). And members at the National Coal Mining Museum continue their strike begun in September last year (set to run until 26 June). 

NASUWT members teaching at Haydon Bridge High School in Hexham will continue their action over management’s failure to improve behaviour management systems, striking this week from Tuesday (28) to Thursday (30). UCU members at Southampton Solent University staff have announced strikes over managers’ attempts to remove them from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, alongside other grievances, with action this week on Thursday 30 April. UCU members at London Metropolitan University will strike again, this week from Tuesday (27) to Thursday (29) over redundancies and course closures, with further dates planned this month. And members at Durham University continue indefinite action short of strike over high workloads.

International

In the Netherlands, landmark legal history is made after a judge ruled in favour of union leader Pawel Rudzki against the supermarket that fired him. The precedent now exists that hiring a temporary contract agency worker continuously for 3 years is a total abuse of loopholes and unlawful.

And in Eswatini there is outrage after the general secretary of the national teachers’ union was arrested and secretly beaten. The government has reneged on its promise to improve public sector salaries and there are fears of a growing trend of attacks on labour organisers.