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Welcome to Union News, your guide to what’s happening in the UK labour and trade union movement. Reports are by Pat Harrington and music is from Tim Bragg. In this edition: Amazon Workers in Historic Union Vote at Coventry Depot, Brighton Academy Trust Schools Strike Over Funding Cuts, Lambeth School Workers Strike Against Closures, Leeds Teachers Strike Over Contract Terms, Health Workers Continue Strikes for Regrading, UCU Union’s Staff Escalate Strikes, Barnet Social Workers Stand Firm Against Strikebreakers, Tractor Workers Narrowly End Strike After Close Vote, Calls to Repeal Tory Anti-Protest Laws, Investigation into Death at Cardiff Recycling Centre, and finally, Department for Education Strike Averted After Pay Deal.
Amazon Workers in Historic Union Vote at Coventry Depot
Amazon workers at the Coventry depot began a historic vote for union recognition this week. With 3,000 employees participating, the results are expected early next week. If successful, this will mark the first time Amazon recognizes a union in Europe, compelling the company to negotiate terms, pay, and conditions for workers at the Coventry site.
GMB union representatives at Coventry have reported low pay and poor working conditions as significant issues. Adam, a GMB rep, expressed optimism about achieving union recognition despite Amazon’s efforts to limit union organizing. Andy, another rep, highlighted Amazon’s use of fear and intimidation tactics, including confiscating union literature and urging employees to vote against recognition.
This vote is seen as a potential turning point for Amazon workers across Europe. If successful, Coventry could inspire similar efforts at other Amazon warehouses, such as the Doncaster depot. GMB organized protests across Britain, including outside Amazon’s London headquarters, where a petition demanding union recognition was presented with over 30,000 signatures.
Brighton Academy Trust Schools Strike Over Funding Cuts
NEU Union members at five schools within the University of Brighton Academy Trust (Ubat) are striking this week. The workers demand that Ubat allocate more funds to schools rather than central services to save jobs and reduce workloads. This is the first academy-wide dispute in the country, highlighting the lack of financial transparency in the academy system.
The dispute began in April when Hastings Academy announced job cuts. The NEU quickly organized meetings and a formal strike ballot across five affected schools: The Hastings Academy, The St Leonards Academy, The Baird Primary Academy, Burgess Hill Academy, and Robsack Wood Primary Academy. With a 74% turnout, 93% of members voted in favour of strikes, leading to this week’s action.
NEU membership has surged by around 50% across these schools, predominantly among support staff. This strike emphasizes the growing dissatisfaction with the current funding allocation and the need for greater financial accountability within the academy system. Two additional schools are balloting to join the action in September if the issue remains unresolved.
Lambeth School Workers Strike Against Closures
School workers at three schools in Lambeth, South London, will strike next Thursday against the council’s plans to merge six schools and close two more due to falling student numbers. At St John’s Angell Town Primary School, workers voted 100% in favour of striking on a 91% turnout. Holy Trinity Primary and St Saviour’s Primary also showed strong support for the strike.
A teacher in Lambeth attributed the falling school numbers to the high cost of living in London and social cleansing. Instead of closures, the teacher suggested that schools could reduce class sizes to improve education quality. The closures are seen as unnecessary and a political choice, with the council urged to avoid job losses and maintain the schools.
This strike is part of a broader movement against school closures and funding cuts across London. Teachers and support staff are determined to protect their jobs and ensure better educational outcomes for students. The Lambeth strike is a significant step in this ongoing struggle, highlighting the community’s resistance to the council’s plans.
Leeds Teachers Strike Over Contract Terms
Teachers at Oulton Academy in Leeds are striking on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Leeds NEU union organized the strike after a meeting with Adrian Kneeshaw, CEO of Carlton Academy Trust, which manages the school. The CEO’s refusal to incorporate national terms into new contracts for academy staff prompted the action.
This strike is part of a broader wave of industrial actions in schools across the UK. At Benson Community School in Birmingham, workers are striking over management practices, with NEU members citing bullying by management. St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College in Hessle, near Hull, also saw strikes this week over a new pay system that fails to cover extra duties and responsibilities.
These strikes reflect growing dissatisfaction among teachers and support staff with management practices and contract terms in academies. The NEU continues to advocate for better working conditions and fair treatment for its members, aiming to secure improved terms across the education sector.
Health Workers Continue Strikes for Regrading
Low-paid health workers in England remain determined to strike despite pressure from the new Labour government to end their industrial action. Thousands of healthcare assistants and nursing assistants are demanding re-grading from NHS band 2 to band 3, reflecting the clinical work they perform alongside patient care.
Unison union members have already achieved several key victories, with most trusts accepting the principle of re-banding. However, disputes continue over the extent of backpay workers will receive. The best outcomes so far include back payments for up to five years, amounting to significant payouts for long-serving staff.
Strikes last week saw hundreds of healthcare assistants at five hospitals across Leicester and Northamptonshire take action after rejecting a management offer. More than 300 workers at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS also voted to strike, potentially joined by thousands of cleaners, porters, and housekeepers facing privatization threats. The fight for fair re-grading and working conditions in the NHS continues to gain momentum.
UCU Union’s Staff Escalate Strikes
Nearly 200 workers employed by the UCU union are escalating their strikes over management’s working practices. Represented by the Unite union, these workers voted overwhelmingly to strike, citing a complete breakdown in industrial relations and unreasonable negotiation approaches by their employer. Strikes took place on Monday and Wednesday last week, with more planned for this week.
Unite regional officer Rose Keeping condemned UCU’s undermining of industrial recognition agreements, failure to agree on key working principles, and heavy-handed disciplinary procedures. These actions have left Unite members with no choice but to strike, emphasizing the need for fair treatment and proper negotiation practices within the union itself.
Unite’s support for its members at UCU highlights the broader issue of management practices within unions. The strikes aim to secure better working conditions and respect for existing agreements, setting a precedent for other unions facing similar internal disputes.
Barnet Social Workers Stand Firm Against Strikebreakers
Barnet adult mental health social workers are on day 77 of their strike, with their final days of action planned until Friday this week. The strikers, part of the Unison union, demand higher recruitment and retention payments from the north London Labour council, which has so far refused to acknowledge a retention issue in the service.
The council has employed a recruitment agency to cover the work of striking social workers, a move Unison deems strikebreaking. This tactic, akin to anti-union measures, threatens the broader trade union movement by encouraging other employers to break strikes in similar ways.
Despite these challenges, Barnet social workers remain resolute. Their prolonged strike action underscores the importance of fair pay and working conditions in maintaining a stable workforce. The outcome of this dispute could have significant implications for social workers and other public sector employees facing similar issues.
Tractor Workers Narrowly End Strike After Close Vote
Workers at CNH Industrial’s Basildon tractor factory in Essex have narrowly voted to end their strike action. Despite this decision, 46% of Unite union members voted against the management offer, highlighting ongoing dissatisfaction. The offer included a 5% pay rise, which fell short of the previously agreed rate based on yearly average CPI inflation.
Unite had initially cancelled scheduled strikes while members voted on the offer. The close result indicates a strong desire among workers to continue fighting for fair pay. Issues such as the withdrawal of line allowances and a 30-year wait for a review of pay grades remain unresolved.
This narrow vote reflects the complex dynamics within the workplace, with many workers feeling compelled to accept the offer due to short-term financial pressures. However, the strong opposition suggests that future industrial action is possible if conditions do not improve.
Calls to Repeal Tory Anti-Protest Laws
Peace, pro-Palestine, environmental, and civil liberties groups have called on the new Labour government to repeal Tory anti-protest laws. Amnesty International published a report highlighting the wide-ranging measures used to suppress peaceful demonstrations and free speech across Europe. The report urges Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to repeal the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, the Public Order Act, and the Serious Disruption Regulations.
Kerry Moscogiuri of Amnesty International UK emphasized the importance of protest in addressing issues like inequality, discrimination, and climate change. The anti-protest laws have been used to stifle dissent, with environmental activists labelled as threats and pro-Palestine protests denounced by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Activist groups, including Just Stop Oil and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, argue that protest is a fundamental democratic right. They call on the Labour government to protect these freedoms and ensure that the right to protest is upheld. The new government faces pressure to reverse the authoritarian measures implemented by the previous administration.
Investigation into Death at Cardiff Recycling Centre
An investigation has been launched into the death of a worker at the Atlantic Recycling site in Cardiff. South Wales Police are working with the Health & Safety Executive to determine the cause of the tragic incident that occurred on Monday. The man, a contractor carrying out maintenance, died from his injuries after emergency services were called to the site.
The Dauson Environmental Group, which owns the site, has a controversial history, including convictions for environmental offenses and allegations of mislabelling waste to avoid landfill taxes. This incident has raised concerns about the company’s safety practices and regulatory compliance.
The investigation aims to uncover the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death and ensure accountability. The tragic event highlights the need for stringent safety measures and oversight in the waste management industry to prevent future incidents.
and finally, Department for Education Strike Averted After Pay Deal
Facilities staff at the Department for Education (DfE) have secured back pay amounting to £2,500 each, averting a planned strike. The United Voices of the World (UVW) announced that cleaners, caterers, receptionists, and post room staff won the boost after negotiations with their contractor ISS. The agreement includes back pay to November 2023 and commitments to discuss improvements in sick pay.
Picture credits
Lambeth crest
By Cakelot1 – This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this file:, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=121923916
UCU logo
By The logo may be obtained from University and College Union., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20736421
Female worker
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
CNH Industrial logo
By Unknown author – http://www.cnhindustrial.com/en-US/investor_relations/financial_information/annual_reports/FiatDocuments/CNHIndustrial_Annual_Report_2014.pdf, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46269347
Liverpool Palestine Protest
Tony Green, 2024 with permission.
