NEU sixth forms fight on for funding for pay
NEU members in non-academised sixth form colleges have continued their strike action into the new year, demanding funding from the Labour government for a pay rise.
Nick Chaffey, Southern and South East Socialist Party, reports:
More strikers were out at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, near Southampton, some for the first time as anger grows. Workers reported that losing pay during the previous strike days had forced many to reassess how badly paid they are for the work they do.
An offer of 3.5% backdated to September, then 5% from April, has been rejected. Strikers told us teachers in colleges with funds would get 5.5%. That would leave government funding unresolved and breaks up national pay.
NEU rep Dani said: “It’s not the colleges that set pay, it’s the Sixth Form Colleges Association. They get funding from the government. They are responsible for settling this dispute.”
NEU exec member Sheila Caffrey (personal capacity) reports:
Teachers at St Brendan’s Sixth Form, Bristol, are standing strong to demand fair pay and at least 22 out of 29 support staff NEU members are refusing to cross the picket line. A fantastic show of strength and solidarity!
Ken McCall, NEU secretary (personal capacity) reports from Hull:
NEU members from both sixth form colleges in Hull remain defiant and optimistic despite the continued gaslighting of the sector from the Government. Pickets have been bigger and stronger than ever, attracting great support from other workers, trade unionists and students across the city, including Hull and District Trades Council. The mood remains positive, and some good local media coverage has enthused the workers currently taking action.
RMT members on Avanti strike for fair treatment
Train managers working for Avanti West Coast took strike action over the holiday period due to unfair treatment. They get paid significantly less than senior management for covering the same roles.
Nick Hart, Birmingham Socialist Party, reports:
Striking RMT members in Wolverhampton told us that one of the few Avanti trains to run on New Year’s Eve had three members of senior management on it, as opposed to one guard during normal service. Underlining the reason for the strike, each scab manager was being paid £300 – the same amount that guards are demanding for an entire rest-day shift!
Princes Juices workers stand up to new owners
On a snowy 6 January, workers began a 48-hour strike at five Princes Juices sites across the UK, following strike action in Cardiff in December.
Iain Dalton, Leeds and West Yorkshire Socialist Party, reports
Workers in Bradford braved freezing conditions to take a stand, with a tailback of traffic blocking the road into the factory.
New owners Newpat Food S.p.A are reneging on a pay offer from the previous owners. Instead of 4-7%, workers are now offered 3%, from a company which made £6 million in profit last year. Meanwhile workers’ pay has declined: last year, five workers at the Bradford site were on minimum wage, now it’s 105!
Hampshire bus drivers fight for better pay
David Maples, Southern and South East Socialist Party, spoke to striking bus drivers at Fareham garage.
Unite members working for First are escalating their strikes. After four very well-supported days around Christmas, they now intend to strike on three successive weekends in January. Drivers have asked for an increase of 77p an hour from their settlement date in August 2024, and reinstatement of terms and conditions sacrificed during Covid.
They have been encouraged by an overwhelming vote to reject management’s offer. That there is only a handful of buses running on strike days, despite management bringing in some drivers from other garages, shows the strength of feeling.
