Union solidarity round-up: 30 March to 5 April

Together Alliance reported that Saturday’s march against the far right saw nearly half a million activists gather in London, vastly outnumbering a Tommy Robinson-organised march last year.

And if proof were needed that even the sweetest boss’s face can hide a rotten smile, confectioners Swizzels Matlow were among nearly 400 employers named, shamed and fined last week by the Department for Business and Trade for underpaying their staff.

UK activity

PCS members at the Office for National Statistics, the Civil Aviation Authority (with Prospect), and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) all continue action short of a strike. Security officers at the Palace of Westminster currently have a mandate to strike and further ballots continue for members at MHCLG, Ofgem, and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Unite bin workers at Birmingham City Council continue their indefinite action. 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. And over 230 members working as bus driver at First South Yorkshire’s depot in Doncaster will today (30) having gone on strike this weekend. And around 100 members employed by glass bottle company Encirc in Cheshire will strike action from Friday to Sunday (3, 4 and 5 April) over planned redundancies.

Unison members at the National Coal Mining Museum continue their strike begun in September last year. Members are still striking in their dispute at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. And GMB members in the Northwest working at Cadent Gas are angry at frequently having to work more than half the weekend; they will strike on Saturday and Sunday (4 and 5 April), then four more days this month.

UCU members at Durham University continue indefinite action short of strike over high workloads. Members at University of Sheffield International College, who have already walked out for five days this year, will strike today (30) and Wednesday (1 April) over pay: a delayed cost of living pay increase has been announced at 0%. And NASUWT members teaching at Haydon Bridge High School in Hexham will continue last week’s three days of action with a strike tomorrow (31) until Thursday (2 April) with six days later in the month and over management’s failure to improve behaviour management systems.

International

In Spain, around five and a half thousand ground crew at 12 major airports have begun action today (30) in an indefinite series of strike sessions. Millions of travellers will be affected as a variety of roles, unions and employers are involved.

In Nepal, union leaders are campaigning against proposed bans on union membership for civil servants. The government wants to restrict membership to a single official union and ban those which are politically aligned.

And in New Zealand, the leading union NZCTU union has criticised the government for failing to invest in a plan to redress rising unemployment. There are over forty one thousand fewer jobs than two years ago.