Latest news with #UnitetheUnion
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Unite suspends Rayner over Birmingham bin strikes
Uh oh. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been suspended by Unite the Union over the Birmingham bin strike – and the union has announced it is reviewing its relationship with the Labour party. It's yet another blow for Sir Keir Starmer's army as the union is one of the party's biggest financial backers. Talk about trouble in paradise… Trade unionists voted 'overwhelmingly' at Unite's conference in Brighton today to suspend Rayner, accusing the former Unison union rep of backing a council that had 'peddled lies'. Rayner isn't the only public figure Unite has gone after. John Cotton, the leader of Birmingham council, has had his membership suspended by Unite, alongside some Labour councillors. The conference also backed a vote to 'discuss our relationship with Labour' – sparking fears there could be a formal split between the organisations which would spell financial trouble for the Labour lot. The industrial action has dragged on for more than 100 days, after pay talks between bin workers and the city council broke down in March. Union bosses were not impressed when Rayner urged workers to accept the latest pay deal. Unite chiefs have claimed that changes to how rubbish is collected will mean that 170 workers will face an annual pay cut of £8,000 – figures that Birmingham City Council disputes. As the strike action continues, costs are creeping up too. As Mr S revealed last month, a whopping £90,767.20 was splurged on pest control services in Birmingham this March, while over the Easter weekend alone there were 376 complaints of rats. Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham remarked: Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts. The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises. People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers. Shots fired!
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Perth-based SSE redundancy consultations draw towards a close
Over 300 jobs are thought to be at risk with energy giant SSE, which recorded an adjusted operating profit of over £2.4 billion last year Despite recording an adjusted operating profit of over £2.4 billion for 2024/25 Perth-based energy giant SSE looks set to go ahead with a swathe of redundancies. In April, Unite the Union said over 300 SSE jobs across Britain and Ireland were at risk with over 150 of those affected in SSE Renewables, based at Dunkeld Road. Redundancy consultations are now drawing to a close but a Unite national officer said more progress has to be made. The union has said proposed redundancies in Renewables Services include critical support staff for the control room and those working in maintenance. They added that workers there have already complained about being overworked due to there not being enough staff and have been unable to take proper breaks or time off, putting them at risk of illness and fatigue. Unite's national officer for Energy and Utilties Simon Coop has been involved in national conversations between SSE and employees. He said: "There are roles at SSE, based at Perth, which will be at risk of redundancy." Pushed on how many Perth jobs were at risk, he said: "These are nationwide redundancy consultations so it's difficult to put numbers on it. "Unite is fighting hard for those affected in order to try and mitigate redundancies and hold SSE accountable during consultations. And we're looking hard to find alternatives and try and mitigate job losses through this period. "There has been a multitude of redundancy consultations but it is looking that the consultations will end at the end of July; they are now starting to close. "There are redeployment opportunities and Unite is questioning the business case of SSE, if there are too many job losses at this time and they need to reassess it. "Progress has been made but more progress has to be made as well. "Unite will fight for jobs during this consultation." A spokesperson for SSE said: "After a period of sustained growth, we're undertaking an efficiency review to ensure we continue to operate in the most efficient and effective way possible into the future. We have informed colleagues that this will unfortunately lead to reduced headcount in some parts of our business. We understand this process will be difficult for our teams, and we'll be keeping colleagues informed throughout." Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in April: "SSE's renewables operation is already extremely profitable and set to become even more so as the demand for renewables increases. The threat of job losses is a cynical attempt driven to further boost the company's profits and not in the interests of workers or consumers. "Unite will not stand by and watch these workers lose their jobs while shareholders and bosses profit. They have the full support of the union throughout this consultation process."
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Scottish workplaces rife with sexual harassment, Unite says
A nationwide survey of more than 1000 Unite the Union members found that almost 10% of women had experienced sexual assault at work, while 46% reported unwanted flirting or sexual remarks from colleagues. 38% of respondents claimed they had been touched inappropriately while at work, and 52% said they had been the recipient of sexually offensive jokes. However, three-quarters of respondents said they had not reported the incidents to superiors. One woman, who works in the civil air transport industry, said: "Two of my friends were sexually assaulted on a work trip. I was involved in the investigation for months. "The man in question is still flying in a managerial position. The company did nothing to support my friends or keep them safe." Aviation is one industry where claims of sexual harassment are especially high. Another respondent, who works in the food and drink industry, added: "I reported disgusting behaviour and sexual comments from contractors which I had put up with for over two years and nothing was ever done about it. "I refused to work with them in the end and they were still given work for over 12 months afterwards until another female colleague reported them and then action was finally taken. "It made me feel worthless knowing that nobody had taken any notice of what I had said, and action was only taken after the reports from another female colleague. Unite has called for greater protections for those experiencing workplace harassment, including mandatory sexual harassment training for all employees, standalone sexual harassment policies, and extra legal support from the government. The survey, which polled 1,100 Scottish women, found that only 26% of respondents believed their employer had done enough to promote 'zero-tolerance' sexual harassment policies. The trade union has also called on the government to do more to enforce the 2023 Workplace Protection Act, which states that employers must take action against workplace harassment. READ NEXT: 'We apologise': Latest on Glasgow City Council's cyber attack READ NEXT: 18 road safety schemes to be installed in Glasgow streets - what we know Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Staff safety should be among the highest priorities for employers, but the results of our Scottish survey are damming and show women workers are being failed by bosses. "Nobody should suffer sexual harassment in the workplace. Unite is committed to taking a zero-tolerance approach and we will put every Scottish based employer turning a blind eye on notice. "We will fight every step of the way to stamp out workplace harassment once and for all. Every worker deserves a safe working environment and should feel able to report harassment."
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Stagecoach West Scotland bus drivers' strike suspended
Stagecoach West staff began their demonstrations on June 9 and were due to continue until July 21. However, the strike action will now be paused from 3pm today, June 18, while drivers are balloted on the revised pay terms. READ MORE: 'Significant disruption' to city centre buses for a year and a half Siobhan McCready, Unite industrial officer, said: 'Unite's members at Stagecoach West Scotland have fought hard to get an improved pay offer on the table. "Strike action has now been suspended as an act of good faith while members are balloted on the new offer.' The ballot is expected to conclude by Friday afternoon. The industrial action involved 430 drivers across depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan, and Kilmarnock, and affected services throughout Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Glasgow. READ MORE: Scottish Citylink adds over 4000 seats on busiest routes for summer The outcome of the ballot will determine whether the new pay offer is accepted or if industrial action will resume in the coming weeks. Further updates are expected once the ballot has concluded. A spokesperson for Stagecoach commented: "Following further discussions between Stagecoach West Scotland and Unite the Union, all drivers have been advised to return to work at our Ayrshire depots on Wednesday, June 18. "A ballot will take place on Friday, June 20, on a deal which has been recommended for acceptance by Unite the Union. "We thank our customers for their continued patience and will update further as soon as we are able to do so."
Spectator
18-06-2025
- General
- Spectator
Revealed: Birmingham's pest control costs soar as bin strikes continue
Today marks the 100th day of the Birmingham bin strikes. The City of a Thousand Trades has been subjected to more than three months of refuse piling high on its streets while reports of 'cat-sized rats' feeding on the neglected rubbish have struck fear into Brum's residents. Now Mr S can reveal what is known so far of the detrimental financial and social costs of the bin worker's strike… It was on 11 March 2025 that all-out industrial action kicked off after pay talks between bin workers and the city council broke down. Unite the Union bosses have claimed that changes to how rubbish is collected will mean that 170 workers will face an annual pay cut of £8,000 – figures that Birmingham City Council disputes. They aren't the only figures that council chiefs aren't sure about: they have not yet managed to tally up the total sum of the strikes – from dealing with missed bin collections to paying for clean-up operations – and they don't know how many people have been affected, or which areas have been most impacted. A whopping £90,767.20 was splurged on pest control services in Birmingham this March, while over the Easter weekend alone there 376 complaints of rats But costs are creeping up: a Freedom of Information request by the Taxpayer's Alliance shows that a whopping £90,767.20 was splurged on pest control services in March this year – taking the total spend for 2024/25 to over £416,000. Since then the council has noticed a rise in reports of rats: over the Easter weekend 270 people complained about the pests in their gardens while, alarmingly, 106 people reported rodents inside their houses. In fact, Birmingham City Council has received more than 11,000 complaints since the start of the year. While some of these predate the industrial action, the council says it responded to 75 per cent of those received with an apology and, er, suggestions about other ways to dispose of waste. Steerpike can't imagine this will have reassured the residents of the UK's Venice of the North… Even more concerning are the potential health effects the abandoned waste could have on Brum's population: gastrointestinal disease from rotting waste, fires from residents burning rubbish, blocked emergency access due to waste build-up, the psychological impact of living in filthy conditions and even a risk of physical injury from the build-up and spillage of waste across the streets. Despite these rather grim-sounding risks, the council has officially rated them as 'tolerable' – despite declaring a multi-agency major incident. And the summer months look to bring more problems. 'Higher temperatures may putrefy waste, causing liquid run-off and increasing the risk of contamination,' the council admits. BCC also notes that people living in deprived areas – as well as children, disabled and elderly residents across the city – are at a greater risk of being affected by the adverse health consequences of the strikes. Cheery stuff, eh? There doesn't look to be much let up soon, as Unite members overwhelmingly voted to continue strike action a fortnight ago. While Birmingham City Council claims it had made workers a 'fair and reasonable offer', frustrated residents are demanding it does more. Just yesterday, BCC's meeting had to be adjourned following three separate interruptions from the public gallery. Steerpike has approached the council for comment, while Joanna Marchong, the TPA's investigations campaign manager, said of the issue: Families in Birmingham will be appalled by the council's blatant disregard for their health and safety. Birmingham council is forking out hundreds of thousands of pounds on pest control while branding residents living amongst filth as 'tolerable'. After years of mismanagement, council leaders must focus on tackling bureaucratic waste so that they can get basic service delivery back on track for taxpayers. Strong stuff. Will the council heed the warnings directed its way? Stay tuned…
