Counterfire’s weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles

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In an escalation in their dispute, junior doctors in the BMA staged a 3-day walkout from Wednesday to Friday this week. Lively picket lines were met with constant tooting from cars and buses and cheers from passing by members of the public.

At a rally at Homerton Hospital in London, junior doctors spoke about the dire state of the NHS, the burnout among their colleagues and how they’re being driven out in droves by it. They spoke about their determination to keep fighting for pay restoration not only because it’s what they deserve but because they know it’s necessary to save the NHS.

As RCN nurses re-ballot to strike, seeing junior doctors standing defiant and united with huge support behind them will be a big boost. On Friday, striking junior doctors will be assembling at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP at 2pm and marching to Parliament Square for a rally from 3-5pm – if you can, join them!

Donate to the BMA hardship fund here.

Amazon workers step up the fight against Bezos’s dirty tricks

Last week GMB was forced to withdraw their bid for union recognition at the Coventry warehouse, claiming Amazon had hired over a thousand extra workers to dilute union density below 50%. But if Jeff Bezos thought that would demoralise the strikers he is sorely mistaken. This week they voted to renew their strike mandate for another six months, and on Tuesday, the 19th day of their strike, 800 of the workers were out on strike and 500 turned out on the picket line.

At Saturday’s How We Fight, How We Win Rank-and-File Organising Conference, Amazon striker Darren Westwood spoke of the need to unite the fights because, “if Bezos is able to get away with taking away our rights and treating workers the way he wants to, they’ll do the same to all of us”.

Donate to the strike fund here.

St Mungo’s workers extend strike indefinitely

Workers at the charity St Mungo’s who began striking for a month on 30 May voted this week to extend their strike indefinitely. The charity insists it can’t afford to offer its workers more than a paltry 2.25% – a real-terms pay cut while its workers are struggling to live – but this hasn’t constrained senior management who have seen their pay increased by 350% over the last ten years.

St Mungo’s strikers are holding a solidarity fundraiser social on Friday 16 June from 6pm at Pelican House, Bethnal Green. If you can’t go, you can donate to the hardship fund here.

Cleaners unite!

On Tuesday, cleaners who are members of United Voices of the World began a three-day coordinated strike. Cleaners at the Department for Education, Amazon warehouse Dartford, Ogilvy, London School of Economics, Sage Nursing Home, Streatham and Clapham High School and West End Quays walked off the job together and strikers and activists rallied at each of the picket lines on an open-topped bus.

You can donate to the joint strike fund here.

Taste the feeling of victory

Members of Unite working for Coca Cola were due to begin 14 days of strike action at the Wakefield plant on 14 June. Strikes at Europe’s biggest soft drinks production plant were averted with a last minute deal which will see technicians’ pay increased by 10.2% – 16.6% and clerical workers’ pay increased by 12% – 18.1% – the lowest paid receiving the biggest increases.

Unite regional officer, Chris Rawlinson, said:

“The threat of strike action meant Coca Cola finally agreed to share a greater proportion of its mammoth profits with workers.

“The union’s reps and members organised a fantastic campaign for better pay.”

Unison Higher Education workers rise up

Unison members at the University of Bristol, SOAS University and University of Leeds began striking this week after members rejected the latest paltry offer from employers in February. Next week, strikes will continue at the University of Leeds and commence at University of Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Winchester.

The strikes coincide with the ongoing Marking and Assessment Boycott by UCU members. Unison is also balloting members in 32 other universities until 31 July.

University of Bristol striker Nathan Street told News from the Frontline:

“Today marks the beginning of our longest strike wave yet of 5 days, 2 of which are coinciding with open days for the uni. For the picket line at my workplace it was the best-attended one yet. Pay remains the primary issue to members, with UCEA’s offer of 5%  inadequate considering the cost of living in Bristol. On Friday we will strike in tandem with UCU, with a rally and march.”

Travel chaos ahead as Unite announces 31 days of Heathrow strikes

Over 2,000 security officers at Terminals Three and Five of Heathrow Airport will begin 31 days of strikes from 24 June. Unite the union has worked out that security guards at Heathrow, the biggest single-site employer in the UK, have lost 24% of their wages in real terms since 2017.

The workers will be on strike on 24-25 and 28-30 June; 14-16, 21-24 and 28-31 July; and 4-7, 11-14, 18-20 and 24-27 August.

Big Pharma faces escalated strikes

750 engineers, process technicians, laboratory analysts, warehouse workers and fire officers at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline have escalated strike action after rejecting the company’s latest paltry 6% and one-off lump sum offer. Last year. the company made an operating profit of £8.15 billion and its chief executive Emma Walmsley received an eye-watering £8.4 million.

The workers walked out at the Ware plant on 9 and 12 June, Ulverston plant on 13 June and Montrose plant on 16 June. Ulverston workers will be back out on 16 June, Montrose on 19 and 22 June, Barnard Castle on 19 and 21 June, and Irvine on 22 and 24 June.

The wheels on Leeds buses won’t move

800 bus drivers working for First West Yorkshire will begin indefinite strike action from 18 June over the company’s refusal to return the pay anniversary date to April. The workers agreed to moving the date to October during the pandemic to assist the company, but now when the tables are turned and workers are facing a soaring cost of living, the company which made £226.8 million in profit last year is refusing to treat its workers fairly.