Unite

Unilever workers are planning an 11-day series of rolling strikes across its 12 sites in England and Wales, beginning on Wednesday 18 January. The company, which manufactures a wide range of leading food, cleaning and other domestic products, is closing its final-salary pension scheme despite admitting that there is no financial imperative to do so. Unilever is the third biggest consumer products company on earth, and its CEO is paid nearly 300 times that of its average employee. These attacks will see workers’ pensions cut by an average of 20%, and could see them lose out by 40% in the worst...

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, on 17 January condemned the Labour Party leaders’ move to endorse the Government’s continued pay freeze (real-wage cut) for public sector workers, and to stress that they will not commit to reverse the coalition cuts, or indeed to make any social-spending promises at all for a new Labour government. Paul Kenny, general secretary of another big union affiliated to Labour, has also condemned the move, and threatened talk of his union withdrawing support from Labour. Union activists should make these statements by McCluskey and Kenny a signal for a...

"There are two different forms of nationalism in the referendum. The British nationalism of a 'No' vote. The Scottish nationalism of a 'Yes' vote. And Scottish nationalism is better for the workers." So John McAllion (former Labour MP and MSP, and now a member of the Scottish Socialist Party) concluded his pro-independence speech at a conference in Glasgow on 14 January, organised by the United Left (Scotland) of the Unite trade union. The Tories and the SNP have clashed over the timing of a referendum, how many questions should be on the voting paper, who should be entitled to vote, what...

Workers at a Marks & Spencer distribution centre, operated by logistics firm Wincanton, struck on 22 December against a plan by management to create a two-tier workforce by linking a new pay scheme to the introduction of worse terms for new starters. The new deal would cut the hourly rate from £8 to £6.45 for new employees. The new package would also drastically lower shift premiums and overtime payments. As well as the one-day strike, workers also launched an indefinite work-to-rule. Unite regional officer, John McGookin said: “Our members have consistently indicated to Wincanton that their...

The seven construction contractors planning to unilaterally impose their own new agreement (“BESNA”) set 9 January as the new date by which electricians must sign up to the new terms or face the sack. Unite, the union representing the majority of organised workers in the industry, called off a planned strike in December following the mere threat of a legal challenge and is now emphasising the possibility for members who lose their jobs to pursue tribunals. The abridged article below is by the rank-and-file committee which has been coordinating the resistance to the attack, and is available in...

Leaders of the "Big Three" unions, Unison, GMB, and Unite, are talking of a great break-through in talks about the Local Government Pension Scheme even if not in the other big public-sector schemes, health, civil service, and teachers. But they have not been helpful with detail. On 16 December the union leaders announced that they had signed a deal with the local government employers, but they were "not in a position" to tell members what deal the leaders had signed on their behalf, because "the outcomes have not yet been given the 'green light' by Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State". Since...

The headline media reports - that is, the story as received by the big majority of public sector workers - are that most unions have accepted the 19 December Government terms on public sector pensions, quit the campaign, and settled down to negotiate fine detail. A closer look at union statements [below] indicates that many unions have not quite accepted the Government terms. That means the sell-out can be stopped. It also means something else, though. Unison, GMB, and Unite signed a joint letter with the local government employers. That seems to be the only document actually signed so far...

Public sector union committees, branches, and workplace groups should call emergency meetings to reject the sell-out on pensions outlined at the TUC public sector group meeting on 19 December. The Government has not shifted a millimetre on any of its three main plans for public sector pensions. [ Click here for the Government's official announcement .] a 3.2 percentage point increase in contributions by 2014/2015: the Government has already announced that the increased contributions will start for teachers and civil servants from April 2012 ; pegging the pension age for public sector employees...

Unilever workers struck for a day on Friday 9 December as part of their battle to defend their pensions. Members of the Unite, GMB and USDAW unions took action, with the strike being reported solid in most Unilever facilities. Unite said that no engineer had gone to work at Unilever’s Burton site, and USDAW reported the strike 100% solid at the Port Sunlight research and development facility. According to workers, management had been bullying and intimidating people into going to work, including by holding meetings threatening people with losing their jobs, particularly construction workers...

Electricians working for Balfour Beatty Engineering Services struck on Wednesday 7 December, the date on which new contracts which could mean a 35% pay cut for many workers were introduced by seven of the construction industry’s biggest contractors. Thousands of workers across the UK took action, shutting down or disrupting work on BBES sites across the country. The strike was reported 100% solid on flagship sites like the Blackfriars station redevelopment in London. The strike was all the more significant because the workers’ union, Unite, had postponed the official action following a legal...