A-Infos (en) UK, ACG: Workplace Resistance (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

London Tube ---- Workers in the RMT union were about to  take strike 
action from 7th January to 12th January after a derisory 5% pay offer 
was rejected at a mass meeting of representatives  and in a ballot by 
95%.  The employers, Transport for London (TfL), argued that they cannot 
afford to offer more. However, Andy Lord, commissioner of TfL, got a pay 
increase of £40,000 last year, whilst senior managers pay themselves £13 
million in bonuses. Revenue from passengers has gone back to its 
pre-Covid levels and  the money is there.
In a well-coordinated action, different sections of the workforce  were 
planning to come out on different days, to cause maximum disruption, 
without losing four days' pay. This meant stations, trains, engineers, 
fleet, power control, signallers  would strike at different times. In 
addition to the pay claim, tube workers are demanding parity with 
workers on the Elizabeth Line and London Overground, who get 
concessionary rail travel on national rail. As both are run by TfL , 
there is no reason why this concession should not be offered to tube 
workers too.

The strike action was interrupted for fresh talks after London mayor 
Sadiq Khan suddenly discovered unspecified City Hall funds. Khan decided 
to act after concerns by business and tourism leaders of  massive effect 
of a week-long strike on the London economy and the post-Christmas 
return to work.

It is unfortunate that workers organised in the ASLEF union on London 
Underground did not take coordinated action with those in the RMT, 
agreeing to accept the company pay offer of 5%. After pay talks were 
renewed, ASLEF leaders then asked for the 12% rise too.

West London Buses

350 bus drivers and engineers in West London, based at Westbourne Park 
garage, working for London Transit went out on strike on 21st to 23rd 
December, after rejecting a 6.8% pay offer. London Transit is owned by 
French company RATP. It attacked arrangements for days off and for a 
£500 per annum meal relief payment and failed to okay an increase in 
hourly pay. Workers must work for 7 years before they get a full rate of 
pay, unlike most bus companies who award it after only 3 years of work.

Southampton Buses

After threatening strike action, workers for the bus company Unilink, 
which provides student transportation to campuses in Southampton, 
accepted a 7% pay rise, after rejecting a 5.28% pay offer.

Cardiff, Gosport, and Northampton Refuse Collectors

Workers in Cardiff working for the council refuse collection voted to 
start four weeks of strikes from 28th December to 25th January. They are 
striking over pay,  the bullying culture of management, and the failure 
to enact agreed policies and offer full-time contracts to agency 
workers. Meanwhile refuse workers in Gosport, Hampshire, working for the 
outsourcing firm Urbaser,  threatened strike action over pay. The firm 
then agreed to pay HGV drivers £15 an hour and other workers £12 an 
hour, backdated to April 1st 2023. As a result, the strike was called 
off. In Northampton, refuse workers working for Veolia threatened strike 
action over the Christmas period . The company then offered Christmas 
bonuses, but workers are still prepared to strike if a pay offer above 
the rate of inflation is not agreed.

Iceland Warehouse Workers

150 Workers at the Iceland cold storage warehouse in Swindon, who work 
for sub-contractor GXO, earn the minimum wage. They rejected the 
company's plans for a two year below inflation pay deal and went out on 
strike over Christmas, on 14-18th December and 27-30th December.

Gosport ASDA Workers

Workers at an ASDA supermarket in Gosport are planning to strike from 
12th to 26th January over safety concerns. Management has failed to 
address these concerns on five occasions.

South Wales Gas Workers

WORKERS AT the Flogas gas supplier at Llandarcy in South Wales struck 
for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Workers are furious that they 
are paid less than workers at the same company in England. Workers began 
strikes last year.

Clyde Shipyard Workers

Workers at  a Clyde shipyard are set to strike for 20 days beginning in 
January and ending on 27th March. They are employed by sub-contractors 
CBL Cable Contractors at the Govan and Scotstoun yards. They voted 100% 
for strike action

Barts Workers Ready to Strike

Workers at Barts Hospital in London plan to strike from 29th January. 
These include pathology workers and laundry and maintenance workers. 
Pathology workers will be striking for a week and other workers may join 
in. Laundry workers have united with porters, cooks, and cleaners to 
demand the Covid Bonus promised by the government.  Pathology workers 
went out on strike for 2 days before Christmas as well.

Greenwich Library Workers

Library workers employed by Greenwich Leisure plan to take strike action 
after the employers  failed to offer a 2023 pay deal above inflation.

Movianto Workers

Workers at the Movianto warehouse in Bedford, which distributes 
specialised medical equipment and medication, have voted to strike by 
80% over collective bargaining.

Hartlepool

Around 150 workers at TMD Friction in Hartlepool, which supplies car 
parts UK wide, walked out in early January on two days., after rejecting 
a 4% pay offer. They also imposed an overtime ban, and plan three 
further 24-hour strikes.

West Lothian

Craft workers, including labourers and painters, working for West 
Lothian Council are also set for strikes after massively voting for 
action over pay. They have already gone out on three 24-hour strikes.

Pensions Workers in Brighton

Workers at the Pension Regulator(TPR) in Brighton are planning on 
striking over 12 days, after having struck for 36 days in 2023. They 
rejected a laughable 3% pay offer.

Merseyside Firefighters

After workers at the fire control room on Merseyside threatened eight 
days of strikes  from 27th December on a ballot by 100%, management 
backed down and agreed a pay rise of £6,680 per year and a new duty 
shift system as well as compensation if workers agree to change shifts 
at short notice.

London Tube

Workers in the RMT union were about to  take strike action from 7th 
January to 12th January after a derisory 5% pay offer was rejected at a 
mass meeting of representatives  and in a ballot by 95%.  The employers, 
Transport for London (TfL), argued that they cannot afford to offer 
more. However, Andy Lord, commissioner of TfL, got a pay increase of 
£40,000 last year, whilst senior managers pay themselves £13 million in 
bonuses. Revenue from passengers has gone back to its pre-Covid levels 
and  the money is there.

In a well-coordinated action, different sections of the workforce  were 
planning to come out on different days, to cause maximum disruption, 
without losing four days' pay. This meant stations, trains, engineers, 
fleet, power control, signallers  would strike at different times. In 
addition to the pay claim, tube workers are demanding parity with 
workers on the Elizabeth Line and London Overground, who get 
concessionary rail travel on national rail. As both are run by TfL , 
there is no reason why this concession should not be offered to tube 
workers too.

The strike action was interrupted for fresh talks after London mayor 
Sadiq Khan suddenly discovered unspecified City Hall funds. Khan decided 
to act after concerns by business and tourism leaders of  massive effect 
of a week-long strike on the London economy and the post-Christmas 
return to work.

It is unfortunate that workers organised in the ASLEF union on London 
Underground did not take coordinated action with those in the RMT, 
agreeing to accept the company pay offer of 5%. After pay talks were 
renewed, ASLEF leaders then asked for the 12% rise too.

West London Buses

350 bus drivers and engineers in West London, based at Westbourne Park 
garage, working for London Transit went out on strike on 21st to 23rd 
December, after rejecting a 6.8% pay offer. London Transit is owned by 
French company RATP. It attacked arrangements for days off and for a 
£500 per annum meal relief payment and failed to okay an increase in 
hourly pay. Workers must work for 7 years before they get a full rate of 
pay, unlike most bus companies who award it after only 3 years of work.

Southampton Buses

After threatening strike action, workers for the bus company Unilink, 
which provides student transportation to campuses in Southampton, 
accepted a 7% pay rise, after rejecting a 5.28% pay offer.

Cardiff, Gosport, and Northampton Refuse Collectors

Workers in Cardiff working for the council refuse collection voted to 
start four weeks of strikes from 28th December to 25th January. They are 
striking over pay,  the bullying culture of management, and the failure 
to enact agreed policies and offer full-time contracts to agency 
workers. Meanwhile refuse workers in Gosport, Hampshire, working for the 
outsourcing firm Urbaser,  threatened strike action over pay. The firm 
then agreed to pay HGV drivers £15 an hour and other workers £12 an 
hour, backdated to April 1st 2023. As a result, the strike was called 
off. In Northampton, refuse workers working for Veolia threatened strike 
action over the Christmas period . The company then offered Christmas 
bonuses, but workers are still prepared to strike if a pay offer above 
the rate of inflation is not agreed.

Iceland Warehouse Workers

150 Workers at the Iceland cold storage warehouse in Swindon, who work 
for sub-contractor GXO, earn the minimum wage. They rejected the 
company's plans for a two year below inflation pay deal and went out on 
strike over Christmas, on 14-18th December and 27-30th December.

Gosport ASDA Workers

Workers at an ASDA supermarket in Gosport are planning to strike from 
12th to 26th January over safety concerns. Management has failed to 
address these concerns on five occasions.

South Wales Gas Workers

WORKERS AT the Flogas gas supplier at Llandarcy in South Wales struck 
for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Workers are furious that they 
are paid less than workers at the same company in England. Workers began 
strikes last year.

Clyde Shipyard Workers

Workers at  a Clyde shipyard are set to strike for 20 days beginning in 
January and ending on 27th March. They are employed by sub-contractors 
CBL Cable Contractors at the Govan and Scotstoun yards. They voted 100% 
for strike action

Barts Workers Ready to Strike

Workers at Barts Hospital in London plan to strike from 29th January. 
These include pathology workers and laundry and maintenance workers. 
Pathology workers will be striking for a week and other workers may join 
in. Laundry workers have united with porters, cooks, and cleaners to 
demand the Covid Bonus promised by the government.  Pathology workers 
went out on strike for 2 days before Christmas as well.

Greenwich Library Workers

Library workers employed by Greenwich Leisure plan to take strike action 
after the employers  failed to offer a 2023 pay deal above inflation.

Movianto Workers

Workers at the Movianto warehouse in Bedford, which distributes 
specialised medical equipment and medication, have voted to strike by 
80% over collective bargaining.

Hartlepool

Around 150 workers at TMD Friction in Hartlepool, which supplies car 
parts UK wide, walked out in early January on two days., after rejecting 
a 4% pay offer. They also imposed an overtime ban, and plan three 
further 24-hour strikes.

West Lothian

Craft workers, including labourers and painters, working for West 
Lothian Council are also set for strikes after massively voting for 
action over pay. They have already gone out on three 24-hour strikes.

Pensions Workers in Brighton

Workers at the Pension Regulator(TPR) in Brighton are planning on 
striking over 12 days, after having struck for 36 days in 2023. They 
rejected a laughable 3% pay offer.

Merseyside Firefighters

After workers at the fire control room on Merseyside threatened eight 
days of strikes  from 27th December on a ballot by 100%, management 
backed down and agreed a pay rise of £6,680 per year and a new duty 
shift system as well as compensation if workers agree to change shifts 
at short notice.

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2024/01/11/workplace-resistance/
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