public and third sector
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in the public and charity sectors. It includes housing, but does not include most nationalised industries like health, transport or security forces.
London civil servants on strike
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union are going on strike today (November 1st) in Sheffield against the compulsory transfer of ten staff who worked for the former Department for Education and Skills (DfES) at Caxton House into the private sector.
Up to 1,800 members working for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), will be taking part in the action.
Members will be picketing outside Caxton House on Tothill St, London today from 12pm-2pm with members in Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn also taking part in the strike.
UNISON back down despite vote for strike action
Despite zero concessions from employers and a vote in favour of strikes, public sector union UNISON have backed down from announcing strike action over an across the board pay cut (also known as a below inflation "pay rise").
Citing the low turnout and the close result of the ballot, the UNISON National joint council rejected industrial action by a large vote. The result stood at 51.6% in support of action, with a 24.4% turnout. However, many members did not recieve ballot papers in time - or indeed at all - as a result of the recent postal workers dispute.
Civil servants begin ballot for strike action
Members of PCS working across the civil and public service have begun voting in a ballot for further national civil service strike action in an escalation of the union's campaign against job cuts, below inflation pay and privatisation.
The ballot involving 270,000 members working in over 200 different government departments, agencies and non departmental public bodies follows two strongly supported one-day national civil service strikes this year.
Local government unions break ranks over latest offer
Trade unions GMB and Unite have split from Unison over their response to the increased offer from local government employers for English, Welsh and Northern Irish staff.
Both unions will hold a consultative ballot of members on whether they will accept the 2.475% offer, announced last month after six months of negotiation, an increase on employers’ initial bid of 2%.
They would only ballot for industrial action if GMB’s 250,000 local government members and Unite’s almost 100,000 council staff reject the offer.
Glasgow: Social care workers win strike
Social Care workers who struck for twenty consecutive days in Glasgow returned to work last week having won most of their demands.
The deal will mean most staff move up one grade, "role profile" five to six by August 2008. Around 600 workers were on strike, with support from workers in other sections of the council, all of which were regraded following the "single status" review.
Edinburgh council workers to strike
Council services across Edinburgh are set to grind to a halt after workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a one-day strike.
The industrial action is set to take place next Thursday, and union leaders said today it will affect services "right across the board". About 8000 Unison members have voted by more than two-to-one in favour of the walk-out in protest at cuts and possible redundancies.
UK: Local government workers reject pay cut
The threat of strikes across England, Northern Ireland and Wales has moved closer with Unison's local government workers voting overwhelmingly to reject a below-inflation pay offer of 2%.
In a branch consultation covering all relevant regions, 81% voted to reject the offer, giving a major thumbs-down to the suggested 'pay cut' that a below-inflation 2% pay "increase" would represent.
Fiji: Public sector strikes grow amid death threats and intimidation
A week long strike by 1400 nurses in Fiji expanded on Thursday as 1000 teachers and 300 public works, water and sewerage workers also began strike action.
They are demanding the reversal of a 5% pay cut and the changing of the retirement age from 60 to 55, and an additional 10% pay rise. The pay cut and change in retirement age were announced shortly after the military government took power in a coup last December.
Social care workers in Glasgow on indefinite strike
600 social care workers at Glasgow Council are about to enter their second week of strike action.
A pay review by Glasgow City Council could lead to workers losing up to £1,000 per year. The workers were originally balloted for work to rule, but following threats of legal challenges by GCC they began all out indefinite strike action last week (23 July).
PCS consults civil servants over strike action
280,000 civil servants will be consulted on a ballot for further strike action during August. This is likely to mean more strikes over public sector pay in the Autumn.
A consultation involving 280,000 members of PCS on the next steps of the union's campaign against civil and public service job cuts, below inflation pay and increasing privatisation, got under way today.
