Workplace news in brief


Lambeth College

University and College Union (UCU) members at Lambeth college in south London were on strike on 1 May. The college had been granted an injunction to prevent an all-out strike but the UCU responded by reballoting for strike action.

The dispute is over attempts to change contracts to increase workloads, cut pay, sick pay and holiday entitlement.

QA Hospital strike

Workers at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth are going on a 24-hour strike from midnight on 9 May. The GMB members work for Carillion and are protesting against staff shortages, grievances which Carillion and the hospital trust are not taking seriously. The strike is scheduled to take place every fortnight.

FBU strike

At the FBU picket line at the Western Station, in Leicester on 2 May the strikers were waiting to talk to me when I arrived to give support. They already knew I was from the Socialist Party, and one of them immediately said: “You want co-ordinated strike action from everyone don’t you? Our union leadership seems reluctant to do it, but I think we need it.”

This was before I had even said anything! A debate immediately broke out about the value of a one-day general strike.

Steve Score