Strike Spotting UK 23.02.04 – 07.03.04

26/02/04
Wildcat at the post in Liverpool
Talks begin to end postal strike
Talks have begun to try to end a wildcat strike at a Liverpool sorting office. About 100 postal workers walked out of the West Derby sorting office on Wednesday morning. They are protesting at the behaviour of a local manager Royal Mail has described the strike as "unofficial and illegal".
02/03/04
Another wildcat at the post
Postal deliveries in Peterborough have been disrupted after Royal Mail staff in the city walked out. More than 100 staff took part in the unofficial strike action at the city's sorting office in a dispute over
working practices. The action began at 0700 GMT on Tuesday, when 70 staff dealing with seven postcodes walked out. They were joined by postal delivery staff.

02/03/04
Nurseries closed as nurses start indefinite strike action
FAMILIES relying on day-care for children were thrown into chaos yesterday when nursery nurses
embarked on the first day of an all-out strike. Parents of pre-fives, including children with special needs, took time of work or sought help from friends, family and neighbours as doors were closed to all but vulnerable children on at-risk registers. Pickets appeared at hundreds of schools and day centres as about 4,000 staff took action in pursuit of a claim which would give them higher pay and three months' paid holiday.
03/03/04
NURSERY BOSSES' SCAB PLAN TO BEAT STRIKERS
Childminders have accused a local authority of asking them to scab during
the nursery nurses' strike. Registered childminders say they received calls from council officials asking them to fill in for the striking
workers. Up to 5 000 nursery nurses across Scotland began an all-out strike this week, in protest at low wages. The 'scab' claim came from childminders in Tayside, most of whom work from home.
07/03/04
UP TO 2000 striking nursery nurses and supporters were holding a rally in Glasgow today over their bitter pay row.

24/02/04
Strike hits bin rounds
Brighton and Hove's bin rounds were in chaos today after some 300 dustmen downed tools in support of a senior union rep who was marched off-site.
Rounds were delayed across the city as members of the workforce took part in a wildcat strike after shop steward Richard Warren was suddenly suspended yesterday. The city council has confirmed it is investigating a serious allegation made against Mr Warren. Two weeks ago a refuse crew was sacked for accepting cash from members of the public for taking away rubbish. Some staff have also been unhappy with the introduction of new methods of rubbish collection including wheelie and communal bins.

25/02/04
University Strike: Strike leaders claim to have 'crippled' campuses
Academic and student leaders today claimed to have "crippled" universities across the country, bringing campuses to a standstill in protest over top up fees and low pay. However, the university employers claimed that a "straw poll" they had carried out today indicated that the impact had been "minimal", with 56% of targeted campuses reporting no noticeable impact.
26/02/04
Universities hit by strike action
AUT members went on strike at Caledonian University in Glasgow
Lecturers and students are taking part in strike action at universities across Scotland. About 6,000 university staff are striking over pay, while students are protesting at the introduction of top-up fees south of the border.

26/02/04
Strike Action In Driving Standards Agency
The union confirmed that staff working in Driving Standards Agency offices in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh would be taking part in selective strike action tomorrow, Friday 27 February. The strike action will involve over thirty support staff in the agency's offices disrupting the deployment of driving examiner cover and the processing of driving tests. The action follows an ongoing work to rule campaign and a national strike last week by driving examiners and support staff, which saw the failure to deliver 5,000 tests at estimated cost to the agency of £500,000. Despite generating a record surplus, staff working in the agency have still not received a pay offer for 2003 with some earning as little as £10,250.

26/02/04
Bus routes hit by driver's strike
Many bus services were cancelled
The managing director of Lincolnshire RoadCar said he is pleased at the lack of support for a second day of strikes. Paul Hill said less than half of the T&G union members in the company have supported industrial action over pay and union recognition. However, the T&G said the strikes have been well supported.
Union wants to avoid bus strike
Union leaders and senior managers are "confident" of avoiding strike action by hundreds of drivers at troubled bus firm First. Yesterday the results of a ballot of Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) members at First gave 400 bus drivers - including those working in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire - a mandate to walk out. The TGWU said more than 80 per cent of its members had voted to take part in strike action, while more than 90 per cent had approved "action short of strike". The row erupted after First increased the maximum driving time for employees from four hours 45 minutes to five hours 30 minutes in November last year.

02/03/04
Housing agency plays down strike's impact
The Housing Corporation insisted today that its services were "for the most part not affected" by a one-day strike by hundreds of its workforce. Yesterday unions claimed that only 140 of the agency's 600 staff showed up for work on the corporation's first strike for 25 years. Today the corporation claimed that 373 reported for work or were on annual or sick leave yesterday. But it refused to state how many staff actually turned up for work. The one-day strike was held in protest at a pay increase last year of 4%. Further action is still being planned for the last week in March if the management continues to refuse to negotiate.

Things waiting to happen…………

26/02/04
Ferry firm cuts 450 workers – Strike threat
Irish Ferries is attempting to cut its costs
Irish Ferries has made 450 members of staff redundant after suspending three of its four services - two of which run between Wales and Ireland.
The company said the decision was made because of trade unions' refusal to negotiate new staffing levels and working hours. Seamen have already been balloted on strike action over the dispute. But any such action would be more than a week away, because under Irish law the union would have to give seven days' notice of a strike once the result of the secret vote was known.

26/02/04
Social workers' strike ban lifted
A group of Nottingham social workers have been given permission to strike.
On Tuesday Mr Justice Mackay decided not to extend an injunction obtained by the city council last week preventing the 35 social workers taking action. The dispute has arisen over back-dated pay for "approved social workers" who deal with the most sensitive cases. The city council had warned any action would risk some mentally ill social services' clients being unable to obtain vital emergency treatment. A ballot by Unison held earlier in February led to the 35 workers opting for industrial action.

02/03/04
HSE staff support call for strike action
Staff working in the Health and Safety Executive have voted today (Monday) to support their union's call for strike action over pay. Members of Prospect, representing health and safety inspectors and scientists, have voted overwhelmingly in support of a one- day strike followed by a work to rule. "Our members have been forced into this position by an unreasonable management offer which will see over 40% of our members suffer a pay cut for each of the next three years," explained Prospect negotiations officer, Richard Hardy. "Although HSE claim the offer is worth 3.7%, a large number of the most experienced staff will get only 1.5%. This is below inflation and clearly unacceptable."

03/03/04
Row over Tube strike ballot votes
Five lines will be affected by the 24-hour walkout
A Tube firm has claimed only 20% of union members backed a forthcoming strike in support of sacked colleagues. Metronet says of the 445 Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union workers eligible to vote - only 121 did so and only 89 backed industrial action. Maintenance workers are due to hold a 24-hour walkout on 12 March.

05/03/04
Derry Pensions Centre Staff Go On Strike
UP TO 40 telephone staff from the Social Security Agency Pensions Centre, based at Carlisle House in Derry, yesterday started strike action that will last for at least a week. The strike action is part of the rolling programme of industrial action mounted by trade union, NIPSA, in the ongoing dispute over civil servants' pay increase for 2003.

05/03/04
Ambulance Strike may be called
AMBULANCE staff in Wakefield could join more than 1,000 colleagues across West Yorkshire in a strike over pay and conditions. Staff from West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service will be balloted on Thursday March 11 to see if they are prepared to take industrial action, up to and including a strike, after a 'final' offer from management was rejected. Members of Unison, the T&G and GMB unions want a 3.225 per cent offer for staff paid less than £14,000 a year - which would equate to £500 a year. They are also calling for time-and-a-half to be paid to all staff for working overtime, a reduction in the working week to 39 hours or below by September 2004 and time-and-a-half for working off-duty days.

05/03/04
Co-op bank facing strike threat
The Co-op bank is to face industrial action after opting to exclude some staff from its pension scheme. Members of the finance union Unifi voted overwhelmingly for action following the decision. The bank opted to remove some staff from its final salary pension scheme after deciding to transfer the staff to its outsourced computer specialist SCC. From 12 May an overtime ban will begin, which may escalate if the Co-op Bank maintains its stance, Unifi warned.

05/03/04
Strike brings Metro to standstill
Football fans are likely to be among those hit by a strike which has brought the Tyne and Wear Metro system to a standstill. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Amicus trade unions are taking the action in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions. The first of two 24-hour strikes started at 1900 GMT on Friday, another will follow from 1900 GMT on Sunday. Bus and train operators say they are coping well with additional passengers.

07/03//04
Miners confirm new strike action
The Selby mines will finally close in the Spring. Miners at a North Yorkshire colliery are set to take industrial action on Monday in a row about new working practices, their union has confirmed. The announcement from the National Union of Mineworkers came on the 20th anniversary of the 1984 miners' strike. UK Coal wants to introduce flexible working patterns at its site in Kellingley, near Knottingley. But miners are unhappy with the planned changes and have voted to take 24-hour stoppages on Monday and Thursday.

Cancelled………..

26/02/04
Bradford IT strike off
A strike among IT workers in Bradford has been averted following the successful completion of "extensive negotiations" between the council and public sector union UNISON. Bradford Council's 100 or so IT staff were due to strike later this week over plans to privatise the authority's IT department. Workers were concerned that that any move to bring in private finance to run the IT department would put their jobs and terms of employment at risk. Now, though, workers have won assurances that staff will not be transferred to the eventual winner of the £100m, ten-year IT services contract to privatise the council's IT department. Instead, they will be seconded to whichever IT outfit wins the deal.

03/03/04
NO TELEGRAPH STRIKE
TELEGRAPH journalists have backed down over strike threats after securing improved working conditions. Staff at the One Canada Square-based broadsheet had threatened a work-to-rule action last Tuesday (March 2) followed by a two-day strike yesterday and today (March 3&4). Staff were demanding an 8 per cent pay rise. But action was called off last Thursday (February 26) when management at the Telegraph Group made a series of concessions. Staff won a three per cent pay rise for all, including casual workers who will also be included in every annual pay review.