Workplace news in brief



Support Paul Kelly!

Transport union RMT rep Paul Kelly has recently been involved in protesting against the imposition of new rosters at Wightlink Ferries in Portsmouth. The new rosters were brought in after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency identified shortfalls. These shortfalls are largely due to poor management structures.

Now Paul has been charged with gross misconduct, after being seen without personal protection equipment (PPE). Yet many managers frequently ignore PPE requirements.

Management’s first action was to issue informal advice to Paul, which he accepted. Clearly this was not enough for some managers and further allegations were made, which in spite of being refuted by five witnesses, were used to dismiss Paul.

The RMT is demanding that Paul Kelly be reinstated and a transparent investigation be carried out into how this manager was allowed to abuse the disciplinary process.

Please send messages of support to: [email protected]

TV licensing workers

Hundreds of TV licensing workers are planning to strike again on 17/18 November. Their employers, Capita, make £1 million a day in profits but are refusing to negotiate over a reasonable pay deal. The workers are low-paid, many are earning just above the minimum wage but the company are trying to fob them off with a below-inflation pay rise, a pay cut.

Picket lines will be out in Bristol, Darwen (Lancs) and Glasgow on 18 November, with field officers on strike on 17 November.


More N30 strike votes

Joining with tens of thousands of other workers, members of the main public sector union in Northern Ireland, Nipsa, have voted by a two thirds majority to strike on 30 November.

And 81% of senior civil servants in the FDA ballot have voted to strike.


RCN pensions ballot

The Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) governing council has unanimously decided to ballot for industrial action if the current pensions negotiations fail. The council will meet again in January to make arrangements for the ballot. RCN members are so angry about attacks on their pensions that the leadership has made this unprecedented decision.

The RCN council is also sending support to the strike by public sector unions on 30 November.