Today’s top story…Strike ends at St Mungo’s

Unite wins inflation beating pay deal

Today, Friday August September 25, Unite announced that after three months of strike action hundreds of workers employed by homelessness charity St Mungo’s have now ended their long running strike, after accepting a pay increase of 10.74 per cent.

The cash-based deal also means the lower paid workers will get a bigger share of the pot and Unite’s campaign of industrial action has made certain that executive directors at the Charity agree to a pay freeze for 2023/24.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said, “The workers took action because they were under huge financial and mental pressure and they weren’t being listened to by management.

“Unite will continue to defend workers when employers refuse to do so, in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions for our members.”

Council workers to go on strike

Earlier in the day Unite, announced that members in an initial 23 local authorities would begin to take strike action from next week in a dispute over pay. Members have rejected the local authority employers’ pay offer of just £1,925 – worse than last year’s offer.

The first industrial action will be at Chesterfield council who will strike next Wednesday and Thursday (30 and 31 August). The other councils with industrial action mandates will then take strike action throughout September.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Council workers are on the frontline providing vital services to the communities they serve. It is simply unacceptable that workers have been forced onto the breadline due to years of real terms pay cuts.”

The English councils that have secured mandates for strike action are, Bath and North East Somerset, Chesterfield, Coventry, Cumberland, Darlington, Haringey, Ipswich, Newham, North Tyneside, Tower Hamlets, Truro, Sefton, Southwark, Warrington, Westminster and Wigan.

The Welsh councils who are part of the industrial action campaign are, Cardiff, Cynon Valley Waste, Gwynedd and Wrexham.

In addition, Tamar Bridge and Ferry Port, Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence and Derby Homes, whose workers are subject to local government pay, also voted in favour of strikes.

Rail network to face signalling kit woe when Unipart pay strike hits

Finally Unite warned rail companies including Network Rail to be braced for a delay in the supply of signalling equipment as workers at Unipart Rail strike next week in a pay dispute.

The workers have rejected a 4.75 per cent pay increase and will begin strike action from Tuesday 29 August and continuing until 23:59 on Friday 1 September. An overtime ban will also be in place beginning today, ending September 4.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “This is a very wealthy multinational company which can afford to pay its workers a fair wage for undertaking highly skilled and safety critical work but is choosing not to in order to boost its profits.”

Compiled by Amanda Campbell