Latest news with #UniteTheUnion
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Union to challenge bin strike picket court order
Unite the Union has said it is preparing to challenge a court order which prevents its members from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham. An interim injunction was granted by the High Court on 23 May, after collections were said to have been disrupted by striking workers. The union added it had agreed to abide by the law on picketing and would continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful protest. Birmingham City Council said it had applied for the order to continue on an indefinite basis so workers were "freely able to leave their depots", and its efforts to resolve the dispute continued. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could leave to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The council said on Friday it had sought the injunction after seeing "an increase in disruption" at depots, with "workers and vehicles being prevented from doing their job". The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. However, Unite said it believed the injunction should not have been granted. "Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case," it said in a statement. The authority said it acknowledged that everyone had the right to protest and the union had the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. "The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law," it added. Workers who are members of the union have been involved in all-out industrial action since 11 March in a pay row that now also includes a dispute over bin lorry drivers' wages. On Thursday morning, bin workers on the picket line at the city's depot in Tyseley allowed trucks manned by agency staff to leave. However, there was a queue of lorries waiting to leave at about 06:45 BST, as those on strike spent several minutes talking to each crew, explaining why they were on strike. About 40 bin workers were on the picket line, with most gathered on the opposite side of the road. The BBC's Bob Hockenhull said there was one police car on site, and described the atmosphere as "good humoured". "There is no threats, no intimidation, we are happy to talk to the agency staff in the wagons," said Steve, who was on the picket line in Tyseley. "But if they don't want, they're free to drive straight out. "It's their choice to stop and talk or drive straight through." Another striking bin worker, Wayne Bishop, added: "It's starting to hit my bank balance and I'm glad I've got strong family and friends to help me if need be." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Union to challenge bin strike picket court order
Unite the Union has said it is preparing to challenge a court order which prevents its members from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham. An interim injunction was granted by the High Court on 23 May, after collections were said to have been disrupted by striking workers. The union added it had agreed to abide by the law on picketing and would continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful protest. Birmingham City Council said it had applied for the order to continue on an indefinite basis so workers were "freely able to leave their depots", and its efforts to resolve the dispute continued. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could leave to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The council said on Friday it had sought the injunction after seeing "an increase in disruption" at depots, with "workers and vehicles being prevented from doing their job". The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. However, Unite said it believed the injunction should not have been granted. "Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case," it said in a statement. The authority said it acknowledged that everyone had the right to protest and the union had the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. "The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law," it added. Workers who are members of the union have been involved in all-out industrial action since 11 March in a pay row that now also includes a dispute over bin lorry drivers' wages. On Thursday morning, bin workers on the picket line at the city's depot in Tyseley allowed trucks manned by agency staff to leave. However, there was a queue of lorries waiting to leave at about 06:45 BST, as those on strike spent several minutes talking to each crew, explaining why they were on strike. About 40 bin workers were on the picket line, with most gathered on the opposite side of the road. The BBC's Bob Hockenhull said there was one police car on site, and described the atmosphere as "good humoured". "There is no threats, no intimidation, we are happy to talk to the agency staff in the wagons," said Steve, who was on the picket line in Tyseley. "But if they don't want, they're free to drive straight out. "It's their choice to stop and talk or drive straight through." Another striking bin worker, Wayne Bishop, added: "It's starting to hit my bank balance and I'm glad I've got strong family and friends to help me if need be." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Summer holiday strike chaos threat as unions warn airport staff could walk out over pay
Holidaymakers face weeks of travel misery at Scotland's two biggest airports this summer as staff look set to walk out in a dispute over pay. Around 600 ground crew workers at Edinburgh and Glasgow international terminals could bring operations to near standstill after 'emphatically' rejecting two separate pay offers. Now union leaders are warning that strike action is 'looming' unless their employer Menzies Aviation puts an improved deal on the table. Unite the Union, which represents the workers, branded the basic pay offer of around 4 per cent at Edinburgh and 4.25 per cent at Glasgow as 'unacceptable' after the company announced a 'record-breaking performance' last year. And it said if improved offers are not made it will have 'no option' but to ballot members on industrial action during the peak season. This could lead to delays and cancellations affecting major airlines including British Airways, Loganair, Emirates, Lufthansa and AIR Transat, all of which are supported by Menzies ground handling and passenger services workers. Menzies staff are also used by Aer Lingus, American Airlines and United Airlines, with strike action likely to spell misery for tens of thousands of holidaymakers hoping to jet off to popular destinations such as Spain and the US. Unite industrial officer Carrie Binnie said: 'Summer strike action looms over Edinburgh and Glasgow airports because the pay offers on the table from Menzies Aviation aren't good enough. 'Menzies Aviation has the ability to improve its offers and they can easily resolve this pay dispute without any disruption to the travelling public. If the company fail to table a better offer to our members, Unite will have no option but to ballot our members for strikes over the summer holidays.' A total of 97 per cent of the estimated 300 workers balloted in Glasgow voted against the latest pay offer of 4.25 per cent, while all 300 staff based at Edinburgh turned down an offer worth around 4 per cent. It comes just two months after Menzies, which has ground handling staff at around 300 airports in 65 countries, announced it had achieved its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth after global revenue reached £1.9billion [$2.6bn (USD)] - up 20 per cent over the year. The company also reported global earnings before tax of £282million [$382m] last year. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in the wake of this members 'emphatically rejected unacceptable pay offers'. She added: 'The Menzies group is posting sky-high profits and our members who contribute towards this success deserve far better from the company.' On its website Menzies put its success down to its staff and 'non more so than ground services', which includes flight dispatchers, airside agents and controllers. It states that they 'always do our best to deliver safe and trusted service and a world-class passenger experience for every customer, every time', adding: 'None more so than ground services, where our dedicated teams make sure that more than 250m passengers every year are ready for take-off through the delivery of a portfolio of supportive services.' But if strike action goes ahead it could impact on a number of flights in and out of the two airports. Last year during the peak summer months Glasgow saw on average 30,000 passengers a day go through the terminal on 240 flights. Edinburgh, meanwhile, reported a record 15 million passengers in 2024, which it hailed as 'a milestone achieved for the first time ever at a Scottish airport'. It announced new destinations of New York, Dubai, and Toronto, with even more routes on the timetables for this year including to Boston and Vienna. Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow airports were willing to comment on the latest pay dispute. But a spokesman for Edinburgh Airport stressed that Menzies was just 'one of a number' of providers of ground handing staff at Scotland's largest airport. The latest threat of industrial actions comes a week after Unite announced wage wins for 100 North Air workers across Scottish airports, and over 140 ABM cleaners and OCS workers who assist passengers with mobility issues based at Glasgow Airport. Last year, planned strikes at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports were also called off after workers accepted a new pay deal by employers ICTS in July. Around 300 workers voted overwhelmingly to walk out over the busy summer months if the offer of a basic pay increase of 4 per cent, back dated to January, and a £500 one off payment was not improved. But Unite confirmed the dispute came to an end after a pay deal worth up to 12.8 per cent was agreed. Menzies Aviation said last night it was 'committed' to finding a solution to avoid disruption during the busiest time of the year. Phil Lloyd, Senior Vice President UK, Menzies Aviation, said: 'Following the rejection of recent pay award proposals, we remain committed to seeking a resolution. 'We have invited Unite to return to the table to continue discussions this week and hope to reach an agreement which is workable for both the business and our employees at both Edinburgh and Glasgow. We will continue to work to pursue an agreeable solution to protect services for our airline and airport partners and their customers.'
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Striking Birmingham bin worker says PM living in 'la-la land'
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was living in la-la land for calling on union workers to end their strike, a striking Birmingham refuse worker driver Dave Callaghan said he was sorry the city looked a mess and was gaining a bad reputation but that workers could not stand by and watch people lose Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said the government supported the Labour-run council and called on Unite to end its strike workers have been taking all-out action for 10 weeks in a dispute which now focuses on plans to cut pay for drivers. The council said the changes were part of a regrading exercise aimed at avoiding future equal pay claims. The equal pay issue, which relates to claims staff in female-dominated roles were historically underpaid in relation to male-dominated positions, was one of the key factors in the authority declaring effective bankruptcy in 2023, when it said it was facing a bill of £760m to settle the are Birmingham's bin workers on strike?Bin strike exposes divide between rich and poorI haven't had my recycling collected since JanuaryUnite the Union bosses said the council's stance over the refuse workers pay amounted to a 'fire and rehire' situation. Dave Callaghan, a lifelong Labour voter who has worked in the refuse service for 35 years, said he was ashamed of the council and the government and would never vote for them to Politics Midlands, Mr Callaghan said he had been involved in three previous rounds of industrial action, but this strike had cost him thousands in lost wages as well as taking a toll on his mental health. "This is the hardest strike I've ever done, being out for so long in one go," he said."The 300 strong on the picket line is humbling really, because everyone feels the same." He said the council's plans to regrade drivers were shocking and unfair but he had sympathy with residents impacted by the disruption."None of us want to be out on strike but as a union member we've got to be able to do something as we're losing £8,000," he said. "I'm sorry to the people of Birmingham that it looks a mess and we're giving Birmingham a bad rap, but we can't just stand by and lose that kind of money."Sir Keir said the government was supporting the council to make sure a backlog of waste, which at one point totalled more than 17,000 tonnes, did not strike escalated again last week when West Midlands Police scaled back it's operation at the picket to end the dispute are ongoing. Meanwhile, Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington Paulette Hamilton said collections in her constituency had been "quite regular" due to the extra resources deployed by the she called on the authority and Unite to "sit down and sort this out". "We have to understand that this strike is something we need to end. Residents in Birmingham are tired of it," she Ade Adeyemo, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Solihull Council, said Birmingham had experienced so much disruption during the strike that Labour would see repercussions at the next local election."They are going to pay a very heavy price. People in Birmingham are totally fed up of having waste piling up everywhere," he said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
