Strikes and lock-outs

Cleaners working for Interserve at Waterloo station struck on 10-11 November after a manager claimed “we shouldn’t be employing black people.” The strikes will take place between 3pm on Monday and 3pm on Tuesday, and for a further 24 hours starting at 3pm on 21 November. The RMT union says bosses have refused to address the allegation through agreed procedures. The union also says Interserve has underpaid wages, as well as victimising, bullying and harassing staff. Cleaners at Waterloo are not the only ones facing these conditions, or fighting back. Across various contractors, cleaners...

Train drivers' union ASLEF has gone into dispute with the Northern Rail franchise and is to ballot its members, after rejecting a two-year pay offer of 2.7% this year (RPI inflation in April 2014) and 2.5% or RPI next year, whichever is greater. The company argues that this is a "good offer" "in the current climate". ASLEF points out that it leaves drivers at the company behind those at other train operating companies. In a clear attempt to intimidate, propaganda threatening to withhold back pay and not to settle before Christmas has been sent to drivers' home addresses by HR Director Adrian...

Firefighters in England completed a 96 hour national strike over pensions as Solidarity went to press (31 Oct-4 Nov). Firefighters have now taken more than 10 days of strikes in the increasingly bitter dispute over pensions. Reports from picket lines across England have shown solid levels of support from firefighters and widespread public sympathy. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) had expected movement from the government after a series of talks with Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt. The government three times delayed laying the regulations to give itself time for a new offer. No new proposals were...

On 8 October, outsourced workers – cleaners, caterers, switchboard workers, seamstresses, porters and others – employed by ISS at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, South London, struck for the same pay and conditions as directly employed workers. To find out more about the dispute, visit their page on the GMB Southern region website . To make a donation to their strike fund, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Messages of solidarity and requests for more info to nadine.houghton@gmb.org.uk The workers are in talks with management and will be deciding their next course of action soon...

Outsourced workers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich employed by ISS struck for the first time in their campaign to win parity of pay, terms and conditions with directly employed NHS staff on October 8. There were several lively GMB picket lines outside the hospital in Woolwich, South London. About 50 workers were on the pickets at 9am, and picketing continued late into the evening. GMB members were also out in force for the national NHS pay strike on 13 October. The dispute is for the same pay rates, weekend enhancements and unsocial hours rates as the staff directly employed by the Trust...

London Underground workers will strike on 14, 15, and 16 October. Tube union RMT is fighting to stop management imposing massive staffing cuts and the closure of every ticket office on the network. The cuts would see a reduction of nearly 1,000 posts, with some stations set to lose more than 50% of their staff. Major stations will lose significant numbers of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts from their rosters, with Oxford Circus set to lose 5.2 FTE posts, King’s Cross St. Pancras 7.6, Paddington 8.4, and Victoria 8.2. Barons Court, in West London, will be hardest hit, with a 58% cut to its...

On Friday 10 October Care UK workers will be striking for the 81st day in their campaign for a Living Wage. Stewards David Honeybone and Diane Marsden spoke to Solidarity . What led to you taking industrial action? It started in 2012 when Doncaster Council put our service [supported living for adults with learning disabilities] out to tender. Care UK won the bid and took over in September 2013. Under the NHS we were paid a basic rate and an enhancement for anti-social hours and sleeping over. Care UK tried to cut this and vastly reduce sick pay, maternity leave and annual leave. We rejected...

Report on the biggest strike in the USA for a quarter of a century Download PDF

Two hundred GMB members employed by ISS at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, South London have voted for strikes to end two-tier conditions in NHS. The dispute is for the same pay rates, weekend enhancements and unsocial hours rates as the staff directly employed by the Trust. The GMB members are employed as cleaners, security, ward hostesses, caterers, on the switchboard and as porters. On 23 September GMB organised a protest outside the bondholders meeting of the PFI operator for the hospital. ISS workers, which includes cleaners, security, ward hostesses, caterers, switchboard operators...

The ballot over NHS pay in Unison returned a yes vote with 68% in favour of strike action and 88% of action short of strike action. Unison has called a four hour strike in all NHS services, from 7-11am on October 13. This is a different day to local government workers, who will be called out on October 14, and PCS (civil servants), who will be out on the 15th. It is good that Unison has shown leadership in calling action on a ballot with a low turn out. However many NHS staff who are not part of emergency cover work 9-5, meaning many will only be asked to strike for only two hours. NHS pay has...