Wave of industrial action to continue this week

The wave of industrial action which has swept across the country for months will continue this week and could escalate unless there is a breakthrough to bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

GMB leaders will meet on Monday to decide whether to call more strikes among their ambulance members because of the lack of progress in talks.

Any decision is likely to be announced later in the week.

Meanwhile the National Education Union (NEU) and school leaders union NAHT will announce the result of ballots for strikes over pay.

The NEU announcement will be made on Monday, and the union will have to give two weeks notice of any industrial action.

A ballot of members of the NASUWT teachers union last week failed to reach the 50% turnout threshold, although nine in 10 of those who did vote backed strikes.

A strike will be held on Wednesday by Unison members at the Environment Agency in a dispute over pay.

Revised offer

Talks will continue this week between rail unions and train operators in a fresh attempt to resolve the long-running row which has led to a series of strikes since last summer.

Both sides say they are working towards a revised offer.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) is pressing ahead with a strike on February 1 by 100,000 civil servants which will have an impact on governments, driving test centres, museums, ports and airports.

The TUC is organising a series of protests on February 1 against the UK Government’s controversial proposed new law on strikes.

Planned legislation aimed at ensuring minimum levels of service during strikes will receive its Second Reading in Parliament on Monday and will be met by protests.

PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in Wales are also to take further strike action in a long-running dispute about a case management system called Common Platform.

Integrity

Around 300 PCS members across Wales and England will take action on January 21 and January 28.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “As long as managers continue to ignore our members, our members will continue to resist the unworkable Common Platform system and fight for the integrity of the entire justice system.”

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) across England will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday and nurses in Wales are also expected to strike in February following a month without industrial action.

Last week nurses and ambulance workers in Wales rejected an offer from the Welsh Government of a one-off payment in order to break the deadlock.