Unite the union on Friday overwhelming voted to re-examine its relationship with Labour and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner who has had her Unite membership suspended over her role in the Birmingham bin strike.
The decision was taken following an emergency motion passed at the union’s policy conference in Brighton today that condemned Birmingham’s Labour council and the Labour government for attacking the bin workers.
Birmingham council leader John Cotton and fellow Unite Birmingham councillors have also had their Unite membership suspended for their roles in effectively firing and rehiring the workers, who are striking over pay cuts of up £8,000.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette.
‘Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.
‘The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises.
‘People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers.’
The emergency motion condemned ‘Birmingham council for its threat to effectively fire and rehire, on pain of redundancy, the Unite Birmingham bin workers’. The Labour government is also condemned for its ‘support to the council and the commissioners, originally appointed by the Tories and maintained by Labour’.
It then commits the union if the redundancy process is forced through ‘Unite should discuss our relationship with Labour.’
Birmingham’s government appointed commissioners, who, along with John Cotton, have never joined negotiations and have continually blocked deals to end the strike, answer directly to Angela Rayner.
Rayner, Cotton and other Labour councillors have been suspended for ‘bringing the union into disrepute’. This will be followed by an investigation into their behaviour with a ‘view to expelling them from the union’.
In April, the secretary of state for local authorities toured Birmingham waste depots using strike breaking labour and insisted the strikers should accept a deal that would have seen their wages slashed.
The motion was voted on by 800 Unite delegates who represent sectors across the economy from automotive to the NHS.
Unite is the largest affiliated union to the Labour Party.
- The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has slammed proposals to reduce public sector pensions in what the union has described as a ‘false trade off driven by austerity’.
Catherine Little, permanent secretary to the Cabinet Office, has been heading discussions in Whitehall around lowering pensions for nurses, teachers, firefighters and other public sector workers in exchange for negotiations on pay.
Under the Tory government, changes to public sector pensions have seen workers working for longer with downgraded terms, with firefighters now forced to work to 60 years old in a physically demanding role.
The FBU is calling for a wealth tax to fund pay rises and fund public services instead of threats to ‘raid’ pensions again.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: ‘Since 2010, public sector pay and pensions have been hammered by austerity.
‘Firefighters are already being forced to work to 60, for a downgraded pension, and on around 12 per cent less pay in real terms.
‘It would be outrageous to raid our pensions again, and the FBU will fiercely resist any attempt to attack the pensions of firefighters and other public sector workers.
‘Workers will not accept a false trade-off driven by austerity.
‘The Labour government must urgently introduce a wealth tax to properly fund public services and provide a substantial pay increase for all workers.
‘That is the only way to drive up growth and living standards.’
- Friday marked 100 days of strike for phlebotomists at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals.
Phlebotomists are specialist health workers who take and handle patient blood samples.
At present, they are paid at band 2 of the NHS’s Agenda for Change pay scale, but Unison argues that their knowledge, skills and training equate to those of a band 3 worker.
There are 37 phlebotomists striking in Gloucestershire and they want to be regraded and given back pay to cover the extra duties they have been doing for years.
Unison head of health Helga Pile said: ‘Gloucestershire is looking like a rogue employer in its determination to go to any length to avoid paying staff fairly.
‘The phlebotomists haven’t taken 100 days of strike action on a whim. They don’t want special treatment.
‘They just want to be paid correctly for the valuable jobs they do. Their patients know how important they are – it’s time the trust recognised this too.
‘Dozens of trusts have already settled disputes like this.
‘There’s no reason why NHS workers in Gloucestershire should settle for any less than the thousands of employees who’ve already seen their pay improved thanks to their efforts and the union’s campaign.’
The workers are determined to keep up their industrial action until their roles are re-banded.
- The UK and Ireland’s largest commercial news publisher Reach plc has threatened 104 journalists with redundancy.
Reach, which publishes various national and regional digital and newspaper titles including The Mirror, Express, Manchester Evening News, and Liverpool Echo, has decided to overhaul its English sports coverage.
The company plans to make around 50 roles redundant across national and local publications, print and digital, content and production.
Dedicated correspondents covering Liverpool, Manchester United, and London football clubs will be halved, while three writers covering Midland clubs and two on Welsh sport are at risk.
In addition to reducing content editors from 26 to 16 and more than halving the number of sports sub-editors, Reach also plans to cut arts desk staff, and brand writers at both
The Mirror and the Express. Workers in Scotland and Ireland are not affected.
Reach has cited ‘efficiencies’ and ‘optimising performance’ created by the sharing of content between titles and the production of common pages as the main reasons for the cuts.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said: ‘The NUJ is deeply concerned by the impact these cuts will have on staff workload and morale.
‘Either fewer staff will be expected to do more work, or Reach is seeking to use AI to fill the resulting gap.
‘The replication of content across Reach’s titles will mean less localised coverage and less media diversity. Ultimately, this results in a poorer product.
‘The distinction between different Reach titles will blur with replicated articles less tailored to readers’ interests.
‘An AI mimic would be no substitute for skilled journalists.
‘Reach is a profitable company – and this is down to journalists’ hard work. Instead of cutting jobs, Reach should invest in its staff and quality journalism.’
Those at risk of redundancy have been informed and a 30-day consultation will begin this week with the possibility of journalists being made redundant as early as 8th August.
Staff have been told that around 90 workers will be transferred to comparable roles with 11 vacancies created alongside a new sports hub but further details on the new structure are awaited.
In a statement the NUJ said: ‘The NUJ has sought urgent clarity on Reach’s plans to alleviate the stress and uncertainty many members are facing.
‘The NUJ reminds members that the union is ready to provide information, guidance, advice and representation where necessary – including in consultation meetings.
‘The union can also review and sign settlement agreements for members who may wish to consider voluntary redundancy.’
The Reach NUJ Group Chapel said: ‘Our members are dismayed by the company’s announcement of planned sweeping redundancies among its sport journalists.
‘Final details are yet to be provided to the union, but we understand that more than 100 individuals have been put at risk of losing their jobs with the aim of cutting around 50 roles.
‘There will now be a 30-day collective consultation process in which the NUJ will play its full part in seeking the best possible outcome from a dire situation and fighting to save as many jobs as possible for the business going forward.’
