Cleaners’ low pay battle
Cleaners working for Churchill on Arriva Trains Wales were on 24-hour strike on 27 March. They are fighting against poverty pay.
The company made a slightly improved offer after they announced a strike for 16 March, which was suspended.
Talks are proceeding between the workers’ union RMT and the company, which has doubled its profits in the last five years.
Meanwhile cleaners working for ISS on the East Coast Mainline will be on strike on 30 March, again against poverty pay.
ISS made an offer after the last round of strike action but it did not address many issues, including sick pay and free travel.
Crown PO strike
Thousands of CWU members in Crown post offices will be on strike on Easter Saturday, 30 March. The dispute is over closures, jobs and pay.
The Post Office plans to close 76 out of the 373 Crown offices, threatening 800 jobs. Also the workers have not had a pay rise since April 2011, even though one was due in April 2012. But postmasters have received a pay rise.
Blacklisting
At the Blacklist Support Group AGM on 23 March GMB and Unite unions pledged to step up the campaign against blacklisting in the construction industry.
This will include exposing the individuals who have been associated with the blacklisting body, the now completely discredited Consulting Association.
Unite has found that over half of the people who were contacts for the Consulting Association now work for companies engaged in the huge Crossrail project.
The result of this includes the sacking of 27 subcontracted workers, including Frank Morris, who was sacked after being elected as a shop steward. Crossrail is trying to claim that the contract simply came to an end.
