Industrial news in brief

Submitted by Matthew on 31 August, 2016 - 1:41 Author: Gemma Short and Ollie Moore

A recent survey of workers at Lambeth Council, south London, conducted by the Unison union uncovered high levels overwork, stress and anxiety among staff, following years of job cuts. The survey found that 56% of staff do not feel that they can continue at the council unless workloads improve.

Unison is launching an indicative ballot asking members if they’d be willing to take industrial action around workload and job losses. Ruth Cashman, Unison branch secretary explained; “Lambeth Council has lost thousands of jobs but people still need our services so we are left with workers doing two maybe three people’s jobs.

“We are working ourselves sick and at the same time being told we might not have a job in a few months because savings have to be made. Enough is enough. We have to stand together and say we demand a decent work-life balance and we demand job security.”

The indicative ballot is due to close on 8 September.

Strikes on Southern Rail restart

RMT has announced further strikes on Southern, on 7-8 September, involving both guards, who are resisting the introduction of Driver Only Operation, and station staff, who are fighting against ticket office closures and the de-skilling of their role. The last set of strikes on Southern was suspended half way through, leaving members concerned. Things need to escalate quickly to put the pressure back on the bosses; further dates should be announced quickly.

There’s also the possibility of coordination with disputes on other train companies, such as Hammersmith and City Line drivers on London Underground. This might add some industrial impact (disruption on the Tube will certainly affect Southern’s London terminals), but can also be a symbol for possible further unity and coordination.

Rail activists writing for Solidarity recently called for a national rail strike, coordinating ongoing disputes across different TOCs, and with strikes on Southern back on that prospect should be re-explored.

• Follow reports from our rail activists here

Tube drivers strike

RMT drivers at the Edgware Road and Hammersmith depots on the Hammersmith and City Line on London Underground have voted by big majorities for strikes. The timing opens up the possibility for H&C drivers to take action on the same day as the next strike days on Southern, on 7-8 September, which would be an excellent symbol of unity.

The dispute on the H&C is over train side management abusing procedures and policies to arbitrarily discipline staff, and acting in an authoritarian manner. It’s a pattern we’re seeing across depots, with similar issues on the Piccadilly Line and elsewhere, as well as on stations.

• Follow reports from Tubeworker here

London bus workers strike

London bus workers on services operated by Tower Transit struck on Friday 26 August over changes to rosters which would disrupt work-life balance, non-payment of overtime, and high levels of rest-day working.

The workers, members of Unite, called off a planned strike for the bank holiday Monday as a ″gesture of goodwill″ intended to encourage the company to engage in talks. Such a tactic was used on the London-wide bus strikes in 2015 to no avail. Strike action was not reinstated despite there being no concession from bus companies. Unite regional officer said “There is now breathing space for Tower Transit to do the right thing and make the commitments members need. “If however, the company chooses to squander this opportunity, there will be further strikes and further damage to industrial relations.”

Courier strikes defeat low pay bosses

Strikes by couriers working for Deliveroo, an app that offers food delivery services from restaurants, have forced bosses to back off from imposing a new pay structure that would have seen the couriers earn just £3.75 per delivery. Their existing scheme guarantees a £7 hourly payment plus an additional £1 per delivery, plus a petrol allowance and tips. The strike lasted a week, and saw couriers, who were threatened with the sack, hold protests outside the company’s head office. The settlement reached allows couriers to opt out of the trial of the new pay structure, providing they move to a new “zone”.

Since the agreement, the Couriers and Logistics branch of the Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB), which organises Deliveroo riders, has said that riders who have agreed to participate in the trial are “working faster and harder, travelling longer distances, and taking more risks than when they were on the £7+£1 scheme. Two drivers have already had road accidents.”

Couriers working for UberEats, the food-delivery arm of taxi app Uber, have also struck, in response to a sharp pay cut by the company which has seen their rates, before Uber takes its 25% share, fall to £3.30 per delivery or less during off-peak hours and around £6.30 to £7.30 per delivery during peak hours.

The IWGB, along with the United Voices of the World union, is involved in supporting the UberEats couriers. These strikes are great examples of how to organise precarious workers. Imran Siddiqui, an UberEats courier and leader of the strike, has been sacked by the company. Supporters are petitioning to demand his reinstatement.

• Sign the online petition

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