All the union news that's fit to blog...
“We have so many people standing together that we cannot be ignored, and we have every confidence that we will be heard and we will be making a lasting impact on our industry. “We are world leaders at our institution and we want to act as world leaders, and inspire others to stand for what’s […]
The post Scientists, dreamers… strikers! appeared first on Unite Live.
Over a thousand local government craftworkers have started strike action yesterday (17 June) in a dispute over pay and attacks on their conditions. The highly skilled workers predominantly undertake the local authority housing maintenance and repair work that keeps council tenants safe and comfortable in their homes. But, after years of pay freezes and paltry […]
The post Red Book Strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members at Enniskillen-based sawmill Balcas have announced strike action starting next week, with the first of three 24-hour strikes on Thursday (June 18). The Balcas sawmill in Enniskillen is highly profitable, and the industrial action follows a vote by its low-paid workforce that overwhelmingly rejected the insulting pay offer. Balcas claims to be one […]
The post Sawmill Strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Hundreds of GKN Aerospace workers braved sweltering temperatures on a picket line in Filton yesterday (27 May) to tell bosses at the world-leading aerospace supplier to pay up. Around 900 Unite members at the Filton factory had walked out this week in a fight over fair pay after receiving a below inflation pay offer – […]
The post Aerospace action appeared first on Unite Live.
“Not a penny off the day, not a minute on the day!” was the rallying cry of workers involved with the General Strike in 1926, and Unite is commemorating the centenary of the strike and its importance to working class history with an event this May. Today’s workplaces might look very different, but those words […]
The post “Not a penny off the pay…” appeared first on Unite Live.
After weeks of determined strike action that began in mid January, WSP Textiles workers in Stroud and Dursley yesterday (5 March) voted to accept an improved pay offer from the company. The workers at the sports cloth manufacturer were on strike for the first time in their history, and the industrial action saw snooker and […]
The post Game, Set and Match appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members from WSP Textiles made their voices heard last week at the Players Championship snooker tournament in Telford, as part of their ongoing campaign for better pay and conditions. The highly skilled workers produce world-class snooker cloth used in many elite tournaments, such as the Players Championship, around the world – yet many are […]
The post Get back round the table appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has expressed fury following the announcement by BAE Systems of record profit figures, at a time when the military-industrial giant continues to refuse to pay its workers a fair wage, and attempts union-busting high court injunctions to prevent strikes. Financial results published yesterday (18 Feb) show BAE’s full year operating profits increased by 12 […]
The post “Little short of obscene” appeared first on Unite Live.
Tower cranes across the UK could grind to a halt this winter as crane operators take strike action over pay and conditions. The strikes by workers from Wolffkran, one of the world’s largest rental companies of tower cranes, could see construction work at the UK building sites stop on days starting this January, and continuing […]
The post Crane drivers strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Tennis ball and snooker cloth makers started industrial action today (12 January) over pay that could result in shortages at tournaments. Workers at sports cloth manufacturer WSP Textiles are on strike action for the first time in their history which will see snooker and tennis tournaments under threat due to a lack of baize and […]
The post Felt let down appeared first on Unite Live.
The UK is facing a Guinness zero drought this Christmas as workers at the company’s Belfast brewery announced eight days of strikes this December in a dispute over pay. The workers who are members of Unite, will begin strike action on Friday 5 December and walkouts will continue until the early hours of Saturday 13 […]
The post My Goodness, No Guinness! appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members and their supporters held a rally through the streets of Birmingham in support of bin workers this morning (1 Dec). Hundreds of supporters and striking workers gathered for the rally outside the Smithfield Depot at 8.30 on the first day of strike action by agency workers employed by Job & Talent, before marching […]
The post Agency workers strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Staff at Imperial College have taken their campaign over poor pay to the streets as they started a series of ten strike days this week. On Tuesday picket lines appeared at university campuses to tie in with the first week of teaching, whilst today (8 October) staff gathered outside the main campus entrance and the […]
The post Imperial’s insulting offer appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite bus drivers across the UK have been fighting for, and winning, decent pay rises as workers struggle to keep up with bills during the continuing cost of living crisis. The government has said that buses are vital for the country, with Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander saying they aim to “improve and maintain bus services” […]
The post Routes of solidarity appeared first on Unite Live.
Each day throughout the holiday season, UniteLive will feature one of our twelve stories of the year. On the third day of Christmas, UniteLive looks back on a key win in the hospitality sector in August, when members, many of them young, took a brave stand against their employer, Village Hotels. Three weeks of strike […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas: Village workers win appeared first on Unite Live.
After a year on the picket line workers remain strong in face of union-busting activities by waste management giant, Veolia, who still refuse to recognise their union for collective bargaining. The one-year anniversary of their strike action passed yesterday (19 August), and still the employer won’t recognise the Unite members right to have their union […]
The post Remaining resolute appeared first on Unite Live.
Brothers, sisters, comrades It’s an honour to stand here at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Rally amongst trade union activists and working class people who know that history doesn’t just live in the past, it lives in our struggles today. We are here to remember those six brave men who stood against injustice in 1834, and to […]
The post “Whose side are you on?” appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is calling on the local government ombudsman to investigate whether Birmingham’s government appointed commissioners have a financial conflict of interest in keeping the bin strike going. The strikes are over pay cuts of up to £8,000 impacting around 400 workers who are either former Waste Recycling Collection Officers or bin lorry drivers. At the […]
The post Commissioners obstructed a deal appeared first on Unite Live.
Glasgow’s Subway was totally shutdown on Wednesday (June 25) – as drivers and station staff mounted the underground railway’s first strike in 20 years. Staff are in dispute with the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport over working conditions, understaffing and inadequate overtime and sick pay. After the latest offer from the employer was rejected last weekend, […]
The post Glasgow Subway workers strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite branches across North London, joined with Trades Councils, unions and campaign groups in a show of solidarity with striking Birmingham bin workers last night (Wednesday 21), at a time when the Birmingham Bin Strike is escalating. Unite branches including the London Building Workers Branch (LE UG005), Haringey Craft Workers (LE/UG130) Wood Green Bus Garage […]
The post Backing bin workers appeared first on Unite Live.