There’s a number of local councils teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. They’re certainly not all high spending councils.
Read about what the possible solutions could be…
Councils Going Bust?
Strike success after Greenwich and Bromley library workers see sick pay increased by 20%
Unite have secured an important improvement in sick pay for library workers in Greenwich and Bromley.
Sanctuary Housing Maintenance Workers Vote To Strike
100% In Favour:
The result of Sanctuary Housing’s London maintenance workers ballot for action was overwhelmingly supported by members who voted 100% in favour of action on a 60% turnout.
Wake up call Sanctuary lead rep commented, “Since we started the union 2 years ago we have come a long way. Over the last year in particular we showed that we have got a voice. The result of this ballot shows how angry members are. 100% of members voting for strike action should be a wake up call for management.
Patience has run thin Many things have contributed to this result including the way we are treated on a daily basis. Our patience has run thin, we want an inflation proof pay increase, we want parity of conditions with office workers, we want our travel time to be part of core hours and importantly we also want our union to be recognised!”
Unite membership up dramatically Sanctuary workers have been forced into balloting for action as management have continually refused to negotiate with them. Members are particularly upset at the way their genuine concerns have been brushed aside or ignored. Our last piece of correspondence took management 3 months to respond to and then they had the cheek to ask us to bring our concerns to them as soon as possible! No wonder members see industrial action as the only viable option.Unite members at Sanctuary have seen their numbers rise dramatically over the last 18 months and with their confidence to push back at management. Our members will now start a process of intense discussion with their work colleagues to ensure maximum support for the strike. They will also be visiting other regions to spread the word and encourage their fellow workers to join them in their fight.
Sanctuary do not recognise any union Sanctuary workers will be striking over pay, disputes relating to travel time, parity with office staff, a four day week and recognition of their union.Sanctuary do not currently recognise any trade union which is why Unite members at Sanctuary have included this vital issue as part of their claim.Sanctuary claims to have 13,000 employees, manage over 120,000 properties and house or care for over 250,000 tenant and service users. This makes it one of the biggest employers in the sector. Our members are determined that Unite raises its profile and becomes the genuine voice of workers.
End Exploitation Of Care Workers
Public Zoom Meeting on
END THE EXPLOITATION OF CARE WORKERS FROM ABROAD
Monday 5th Feb 6.30 – 8pm
JOIN US to hear from the front line about the many ways in which vital care and support workers from abroad are financially exploited, harassed, intimidated and now threatened with separation from their families.
Share your experience and ideas and help us to organise resistance.
Speakers:
Fatou Jinadu from ‘Broke not Broken”, Manchester
Josie Tothill from ‘Care and Support Workers Organise’ (CASWO)
Lykelady Chiriseri from the ‘Pan African Workers Association’
Fran Kelly from ‘Patients not Passports’
Andrea Egan, President of Unison
Chair: Alison Treacher, founder member of CASWO, Unite activist
REGISTER HERE:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcuiprTkrEtNtlhXraUk_7GTTRu26rfK7
and please share the link widely
Trades Council Meeting
The next meeting of the Trades Council will be held online on Wednesday 18th October 2023 at 7.30pm.
If you would like more information about this meeting, please contact Bill Reed at billreed2245@msn.com
Unite Protests at NHS London Trusts
Unite, the UK’s leading union, is undertaking a series of demonstrations and marches in London next week as part of its campaign to increase pay and end unsafe staffing afflicting NHS workers.
The demonstrations and marches coincide with strike action being taken by over 2,800 Unite NHS workers employed in four NHS trusts.
When: Wednesday 13 September, 12 pm
Where: Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1FR
There will be a further demonstration on Thursday 14 September at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7EH beginning at 12 pm. Speeches will take place from 12:30 and then at 13:00 demonstrators will march to Trafalgar Square.
The workers at the Royal London Hospital, which is part of the Barts NHS Trust, are in dispute because they did not receive the £1,655 lump sum payment that was part of the NHS pay settlement for 2022/23.
The workers, who primarily undertake soft facilitator roles (cleaners, housekeepers, caterers, porters, etc.), were previously employed by outsourcer Serco and only transferred back to the NHS in recent months. The trust has refused to honour the lump sum payment. Unite has also rejected the government’s pay deal as it amounted to a further real terms pay cut for NHS workers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our NHS members are making a stand to ensure that they are paid fairly and that the chronic problem of staff shortages, which is placing patients in danger, is no longer swept under the carpet.
“It is intolerable that our members at Barts, who are some of the lowest paid staff in the NHS and who are living hand to mouth, have been denied the one-off payment they fully deserve.”
The striking workers are employed at Barts Health NHS Trust, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust, East London Foundation Trust and Guys and St Thomas’.
The Barts workers will be on strike from 13-14 September and then from 16 – 22 September. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust workers will strike from 13-14 September. East London Foundation Trust workers will strike on 13 September and Guys and St Thomas’ workers on 13-14 September.
Unite members are increasingly alarmed about staff shortages affecting patient care and management’s failure to resolve the problem. A recent survey of Unite NHS members revealed that 48 per cent said during the past year staffing levels in their areas regularly reached a point where “patient care has been compromised and unsafe”. For workers in frontline roles, these figures rose to 57 per cent.
Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “The forthcoming strike action will cause disruption, delays and cancellations at the affected hospitals. The NHS, however, is in crisis every day due to chronic staffing shortages.
“NHS employers and the government have had years to tackle the staff shortages and low pay that are forcing people out of the NHS but have failed to do so.”
Sign A Petition!
Hi, my name is Alex. I am part of Movement For Justice & the Strike To Win Committee that it set up. I am asking you to sign the Petition demanding that Newham Council reinstate Dennis Carabott. Dennis was working as a Refuse Driver for 18 years & has been a leader of his Newham Refuse co-workers for many years defending them against management abuse & discrimination. He has fought for his Refuse Loaders, who are one of lowest paid & do the most physically changeling work, to get better pay & recognition.
That’s why Newham Council decided to drive him out of the workforce & sacked him after a Kangaroo disciplinary process in July 2020. Dennis has continued to fight for his reinstatement and continues to support his co-workers, including being a part of the recent successful strike ballot, His Refuse co-workers are due to start their strike action in a few weeks.
Dennis’s Employment Tribunal hearing start on 25th – 29 September & will be open to the public. See his full witness statement & Tribunal address details, that we have published (Strike To Win bulletin No7) ahead of the hearing: https://movementforjustice.co.uk/
Fighting to win Dennis’s reinstatement, will be a victory for all workers who are playing a leading part of the strike movement.
Can you sign Dennis’ petition, circulate this message to people/groups you know. I would like to encourage you, if possible, to attend all/part of the ET hearing.
https://share.communityx.com/posts/1abd335f-ad68-4bfc-becc-d56fb221aedd/
Westminster libraries workers to strike in pay dispute
Members of Unite employed by Westminster City Council across the borough’s libraries will begin strike action this Wednesday (6 September) in a dispute over pay.
The workers have rejected the national pay offer of a flat rate increase of £1,925. The offer is below the rate of inflation and amounts to a real terms pay cut.
The workers will initially take 4 days of strike action on 6th, 8th, 13th, 15th September. Strike action will disrupt services across the borough.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members provide critical frontline council services. Despite the essential roles our members undertake their employer thinks it is acceptable to propose what amounts to yet another real terms pay cut, at a time when they increasingly can’t make ends meet.
“Unite never takes a backward step in supporting its members and is dedicated to enhancing their jobs, pay and conditions. Unite will be providing members across Westminster’s libraries with its complete support.”
A survey of Unite members in local authorities, has highlighted how years of pay freezes and below inflation pay deals has resulted in workers facing desperate financial choices. The survey found:
Nearly half (48 per cent) have struggled to afford heating, electricity and water bills
30 per cent have struggled to afford food and clothing
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) are skipping meals to save money
17 per cent have struggled to meet rent and mortgage payments
Six per cent have been forced to use food banks.
Councils are not legally bound to follow the local government pay increase and can pay a higher rate to workers if they wish to do so.
A total of 23 local authorities have voted for industrial action in the dispute which will escalate next month and throughout the autumn.
Unite regional officer, Lui D’Cunha said: “The proposed strike action will inevitably cause major disruption to Westminster libraries but this dispute is a direct result of local government employers failing to value workers and properly reward them for their hard work.”
Ticket Office Closures
It’s official – Train operators have announced plans to close up to 1,000 ticket offices. We have only 21 days to take part in the public consultation. Can you take two minutes to respond to your train company’s consultation and object to the closure of ticket offices? The RMT has prepared template letters for each train operator.🚆 Please have your say 👉 https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/save-ticket-offices/
RMT: Ticket Office Closure Demos
Between 7am and 9am on Friday 21 July, there will be a demo taking place at Putney Station.
Between 5 and 6pm there will be a similar demo taking place at Brentford Station.
If you can help at either of these locations, it will be much appreciated
It’s not just about jobs, it’s going to seriously affect the travelling public if these ticket office closures go ahead, particularly disabled and other vulnerable travellers.