When and who is on strike?

Personnel Today tracks the latest developments in major industrial actions across different sectors. It outlines who is on strike, when they are striking, whether or not pay offers have been accepted, as well as the results of the trade union member’s ballots.

After a turbulent period between 2022 and mid-2024, almost all major industrial disputes are now resolved. Since Labour came to power in 2024 on the 5th of July, trade unions have accepted pay offers made for resident doctors, railway workers, and other public sector employees.

The government also announced its intention to repeal Strikes Act 2023, legislation that has never been used by an employer.

Labour said that it would update the trade union legislation to make it “fit for modern economies, remove unnecessary restrictions on union activity, and ensure industrial relations are built around good faith negotiations and bargaining”.

The Plan to Make Work Pay will put an end to what the Conservatives have called their “scorched-earth” approach to industrial relations.

Personnel Today will maintain this page on a regular basis when there are significant strikes or industrial disputes that could lead to industrial actions.

Last Updated: 26 September 2024 at 11.30am

HEALTHCARE

Doctors

Resident doctors

The British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctor committee in England has accepted the 22.3% government pay settlement after 66% junior doctors voted for it on 16 September 2024.

Junior doctors were referred to as “resident doctors” from 18 September 2024. The dispute had lasted since October 2022, and they had gone on strike for 44 days due to more than 10 years of real pay cuts.

The average pay settlement over the two years in dispute is 22,3%. The average pay increase for 2023-24 is 4.05%, which is an addition to the average of 8.8% previously granted. This brings the average pay rise from last year to 13.2%, with backdates to April 2023.

The remaining pay rise comes from the 2024-25 recommended pay award, announced in July. This gave junior doctors a pay boost of an average of 8% for all grades.

The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association in England (HCSA), which represents resident doctors, also voted in favor of accepting the pay offer from the government on 23 September with 69.3%.

Walesthe Welsh Government announced on the 10th September that all of the recommendations made by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration will be implemented for 2024-25.

The co-chairs, Dr Oba Babs Osibodu, and Dr Peter Fahey, of the BMA’s Welsh Junior Doctors Committee, said that today’s announcement of an increase of 6% in pay for junior doctors for the 24/25 year financial period, plus a consolidation of PS1,000 per pay point is another step towards better valuing our doctors and restoring pay. The junior doctors of Wales will see a pay increase between 7.6% and 9,3% as of 1 April.

Members of the BMA in Scotland and the HCSA have accepted the pay offer for 2023-24, which was backdated from April 2023. However, pay negotiations for the 2024-25 period are still ongoing.

The Scottish Government offered a 12.4% pay increase in 2023-24. The package includes a 4.5% increase in pay for 2022-23 and a further 17.5% over the next two years.

In Northern Irelandresident physicians remain in dispute with Department of Health. The BMA, in response to England’s much improved pay offer, has stated that the Department “needs work quickly to assess what impact it will have if a significantly improved pay offer is now made to junior physicians in Northern Ireland.” This is the only method to avoid further and longer strikes.

Consultants

The BMA and HCSA in England announced that their pay dispute with government will end on 5 April 2020 after an improved offer was made to NHS consultants in England in early March.

The BMA reported that its members in England had voted for the offer by 83%. They described it as an improvement over one rejected earlier in the year. The changes include the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB).

In Wales 86% of BMA consultant members voted in favor of a revised pay scale for consultants by June 2024. This will increase the early years’ pay and the career average salary to retain senior staff.

The BMA Scottish Consultants Committee recommends that consultants in Scotland accept an offer for a basic pay increase of 10.5%.

Finaly, in Northern Ireland consultants accepted a salary offer from the Department of Health, after 94.3% of BMA membership voted to accept an additional 5.26% on average.

SAS doctors

The BMA UK SAS Committee announced on June 18, 2024 that members of England have accepted the latest pay offer. SAS doctors in England on 2021 contracts will receive an increase between 9.5% to 19.4% per year. The offer also includes a PS1,400 increase for each SAS doctor on 2008 contracts. This is on top of a 6% pay rise for 2023-24.

General practitioners

As of the 5th September, doctors are still on track to strike as their union is demanding an 11% increase in funding. The protest ” Work to Rule” could be escalated and result in a complete walkout.

Wes Streeting has warned GPs against striking, while officials have warned GPs to not “close the door” on patients. Since the beginning of August, family doctors have taken “collective actions” including limiting their daily patient intake to 25. However, many practices are yet to implement these measures.

Nurses

The members of the Royal College of Nursing who work for the NHS in England voted to “reject the pay award” from the UK Government. The vote was a record of 145,000 members, with 64% voting that they would not accept the award.

After accepting the recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that the pay award will be made in July. It is expected to be paid out next month with a backdate of April.

RCN stated that the results of their consultation with members, announced during Reeves’ speech to Labour Party Conference, will not directly impact employers’ payments but shows the strength in feeling that something fundamental needs to change for nursing wages. The RCN does not plan to ballot its members for industrial action.

Scotland

A consultation of RCN Members showed that 61% accepted the pay offer for 2024-25. According to the RCN, a significant minority of members voted against the offer as a sign of their frustration with the crisis in the nursing workforce facing Scotland’s NHS. The majority of health trades unions at a joint meeting of health unions held on September 23 reported that their members had accepted an offer of a 5,5% pay rise for 2024-25.

Wales

RCN Wales launched a member’s consultation regarding the new NHS pay award for nursing staff of 5,5% in Wales. The vote closes on 25 October 2024.

Northern Ireland

The RCN consultation on pay for health and social care in Northern Ireland ended on 21 March 2024, with 55.9% rejecting an offer that falls short of parity in pay with English nursing colleagues.

EDUCATION

Teachers and Schools

England

Teachers in England will not strike during the fall 2023 term, after All four teaching unions have accepted The government’s 2023-24 pay deal.

Rishi Sunak, the Minister of Education announced on 13 July that the Government would accept the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body. The four unions – National Education Union(NEU), National Association of Head Teachers(NAHT), Association of School and College Leaders(ASCL), and NASUWT – agreed to the agreement. Teachers were offered a lump-sum payment of PS1,000 for 2022-23 and a 4.3% increase for most teachers in 2023-24. This comes on top of the 5% increase that teachers received in September 2022.

Wales

Seventy three per cent of NEU teachers in Wales who responded the union’s consultative vote voted to accept the pay offer made by the Welsh Government. This ended their dispute.

The members of NAHT Cymru have also accepted the new workload agreement along with the additional funding and pay offer.

Scotland

The Educational Institute of Scotland is the main teachers’ union in Scotland. It calls for employers and the Scottish Government to engage in good faith negotiations and deliver a fair settlement by the 1 August 2024 due date.

The teachers’ side of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, which includes representatives of four unions, including the EIS and NASUWT, Community and the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, unanimously rejected on 4 June 2024 the pay offer of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

The Teachers’ Panel made it clear in its rejection that an offer of 2% starting August 2024 and a further 1% beginning May 2025 falls well short of what they expected in terms of restoring the value of teacher’s pay. It submitted a claim for 6.5% pay across all career grades in 2024-25 “without discrimination or differentiation”.

Des Morris, SNCT Teachers’ side joint chair, stated: “The offer of pay, made yesterday by Cosla, does not even begin to address significant declines in the value of Scottish teacher’s pay since 2008. The reality is worse than that. Had this offer been accepted by the Teachers’ Panel of the SNCT, teachers’ pay in Scotland would have continued to decline.

The unanimous rejection of the unsatisfactory SNCT Teachers’ Panel offer sends a message to Cosla as well as the Scottish Government that they will need to commit and work hard to reach a settlement by the previously agreed implementation date on 1 August.

The SNCT Teachers’ Panel is committed to swift negotiation, but it’s imperative that any agreement made must be a step in the right direction for restoring pay for teachers throughout Scotland.

The unions claim that their pay demand is slightly higher than the current inflation rate and is seen as modest progress towards restoring real-terms teachers’ pay as laid out in the Agreement for Teaching in the 21st Century in 2001.

EIS members voted last year to accept an offer of pay and end a longstanding series of strikes. The EIS members accepted a pay offer with a retroactive date of April 2022. They also agreed to a 5% increase in April 2023, and a further 2.5% in January 2024.

Northern Ireland

Teaching unions in Northern Ireland made a recommendation to their members on March 20, 2024. This was after the Northern Ireland Executive was re-established. Five unions from the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council,, the NEU and Ulster Teachers Union,, as well as the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation,, made the offer to their respective members.

The Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council accepted the Department of Education’s 2021-22, 2020-23, and 2023-24 offer at a meeting of Teachers’ Negotiating Committee held on 9 April, 2024.

The pay offer announced on 11th March 2024 includes a new salary starting at PS30,000 in September 2023. This was made possible through a reorganisation of the lower end. Teachers and school leaders in all other areas will receive a pay award that is equivalent to a cumulative 10.4% plus PS1000. The award is based upon an increase of 1% in 2021-22, 5.5% in 2022-23, and 4.1% with PS1000 for the following years.

Higher education

University and College Union failed in its bid to win a new mandate for strike action on 6 November following a reballot of their members throughout the UK. The UCU failed to secure a new strike mandate on 6 November after re-voting its members across the UK.

In July, the UCU and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association had three rounds of talks but were unable to reach an agreement on the pay round for 2023-24.

Most branches of the UCU did not participate in the strike that was announced by UCU for freshers’ Week, 25-29 Septembre. UCU announced only 42 universities would be facing industrial action in September.

UCU retracted its boycott of marking and assessment in September 2023. The UCU asked for RPI plus 2 percent. UCEA said that this was “far beyond the affordability of the sector”. The UCEA argues that the pay increase of 5 to 8% this year was already “at its very edge” of the mandate and that the award had been delivered six months earlier.

UCU is organising localised strikes, ballots to strike and boycotts in response to job cuts, at universities such as Kent University, Sheffield Hallam, Goldsmiths College, Winchester, Northumbria, and Portsmouth.

Continued education

The University and College Union will welcome pay deals up to 10% in England at the end of 2023.

UCU members in five colleges, including Cleveland and Redcar, as well as Stockton-on-Tees, have renewed their mandate. 94% of the members voted for strike action, in a long-running dispute about pay awards in 2022-23. The UCU members voted to renew their mandate after six days of striking and rejecting the latest Education Training Collective (ETC offer. This did not include an increase in pay, but only two extra “wellness days” and additional points for pay scales starting 1 August 2024. ETC offered an increase of 3% in 2022-23 with a further 1% starting May 2023.

In Scotland college lecturers and members of the Educational Institute of Scotland’s Further Education Lecturers Association, voted for industrial action. 85% favored action short of strike in support of a pay campaign, while 77% backed strike action.

The EIS-FELA Executive Committee, on 2 May, decided to not schedule any strike actions for the weeks starting 6 and 13 may, in a gesture of goodwill, and as a way to continue discussions with College Employers Scotland to try to find a solution.

If there is no resolution, then a further strike programme will be implemented by EIS-FELA in all colleges for nine days, over a period of three weeks, on 20, 23, , 28-31 May, and 3-5,7 June.

The previous rolling strike began on 16 April 2020 for three weeks, with each college being affected by one day per week.

EIS-FELA sent a letter to the Scottish Government and college employers in February expressing their outrage over threats to withhold wages during ASOS. This includes lecturers who withhold results.

On 29 February, more than 2,000 support workers, including librarians and IT specialists at 21 colleges across Scotland, as well as cleaners, estate managers, canteen staff and administrators went on strike over wages and jobs.

Lecturers of the NASUWT in Northern Ireland voted against a payoff of 5% and an unconsolidated payment amounting to PS1500. 87 per cent of the strong>NASUWT/strong> members voted against a pay offer of 5% plus an unconsolidated payment of PS1500.

RAIL WORKERS

Railways

Update for 19 September Aslef members accept 15% pay deal. RMT members to vote on similar deal.

Update 5 September Aslef train drivers have cancelled their planned strike on LNER services following a successful conclusion of talks with the employer on 29 August 2024. The dispute was over changes in working practices.

Aslef had called off a wider strike earlier in August 2024 after the offered a 15% wage deal.

Aslef announced on 13 May 2024 that its train drivers had voted for industrial action (both a strike and an action short of a strike) during the national wage dispute between 16 train operating companies.

Aslef conducted another round of rolling strike at the train operating companys between 7 and 09 May 2024. Members of the train drivers’ union walked out between 5-8 April.

The members refused to work on rest days from 6-11 May.

The strike was in response to the “persistent non-compliance with existing agreements” by two government-owned train companies, LNERand North. Aslef held a second strike on LNER in April, and a noncontractual overtime ban between 19-21 April.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers ( RMT) , announced on 18 April 2024 that it had rejected a pay offer of 3.5% below the inflation rate for 2024 from Network Rail. The union stated that the RPI for November was used as the benchmark inflation figure in negotiations.

The RMT made an announcement on 30 November 2023 that its members had approved a pay agreement in the long-running dispute between train operating companies throughout the UK. On average, 89.6% RMT members across 15 rail companies represented by Rail Delivery Group voted for the deal, with an aggregate turnout of 79%.

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association has accepted a revised Rail Delivery Group offer, which represents 14 train operating companies. It also canceled its industrial action.

The unions GMB Unite and SIPTU confirmed that in Northern Ireland their members voted to reject a pay offer from Translink as being inadequate. The increase would have given workers a 5% pay increase and a non-consolidated payment for 2023-2024.

The majority of bus and rail workers rejected the offer with a vote of about 70%. After the result of the ballot, the unions have begun new talks with Translink to try to resolve the dispute.

Transport for London

TSSA confirmed this week that members of the London Underground working as Customer Service Managers will strike after the company refused to compromise during crunch negotiations.

On 10 April 2024 and 11 April, walkouts were held for all members who started their shifts the previous day.

After two productive days of talks, the train drivers’ union ASLEF cancelled their strike on London Underground. The discussions were facilitated by Acas. The strike dates were 8 April 2024 and 4 May 2020.

The RMT announced on 7 January 2024 that it would call off the remaining strike scheduled for 5-11 January on the London Underground after a breakthrough was made in negotiations with Transport for London. Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, was believed to have raised PS30m for the deal. However, the money angered the other rail unions.

In a long-running dispute about jobs, conditions, and pensions, the RMT already had a six-month strike mandate on London Underground. 95% of its members voted “yes” on a 54% participation rate, and 52% out of those balloted also voted “yes.”

RMT has won a wage increase for London Overground employees working for Arriva London. Workers accepted the latest pay offer after a referendum that ended their wage dispute. All planned strike actions have been cancelled.

According to Unite, engineers who are crucial to the operation of London Trams which transports 22 million passengers per year have secured a better pay deal. Some workers will receive a pay increase of up to 20 percent. The walkouts were scheduled to take place from 30 June until 8 July and then again between 11 and 15 August.

CIVIL SERVICE

The results of the ballot conducted by 160,000 civil servants from 171 government departments and bodies were announced on 15 May 2024. This was after the government had failed to meet the demands of the Public and Commercial Services Union regarding pay, pensions, and job protection.

Only a third or so of departments and government agencies achieved the required 50% turnout, even though 83.7% of members voted in favor of a strike.

The departments that have been given a strike mandate include DVSA, HM Land Registry, Defra and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The union is demanding an inflation-proofed pay increase, as well as a pay equalization across departments and a restoration of some pay. The union wants a living-wage of PS15 an hour, a London weighting of PS5,000 at minimum, a minimum of 35 days of annual leave and to shorten the work week. The union also wants to reach an agreement on measures to combat low pay. This includes the impact of the statutory increases in the national minimum wages and the eradication of the civil service grade structure at the three lowest grades.

PCS took further strike action against The Pensions Regulator from 28 February to 1March and 4-6 March, 2024. Strikes scheduled for the 13-15 March and 18-20 march were suspended when TPR agreed to meaningful negotiations.

PCS members have been absent from TPR for more than fifty days in the last year. PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote stated: “PCS is pleased with the willingness of TPR to return to the negotiating table.” We are looking forward to real progress in a settlement agreement that will reward our members fairly for their hard work.

The dispute concerns the imposition a 3% settlement on pay and TPR’s refusal of further engagement with the union. PCS announced on 1 November 2023 that 95.7% (of its members) working for TPR Brighton had voted to continue industrial action. The turnout was 75%.

The FDA and the Cabinet Office have reached an agreement on a new significant pay offer for Civil Service Fast Stream. In the first year of the agreement, 68% of FDA Fast Stream participants will receive a pay increase of close to 10% or more. The second year will see 75% of members receiving a pay raise of close to 10% or more. The offer is being voted on by members, and a recommendation has been made to accept.

The GMB and PCS security guards working in G4S Solutions’ Jobcentres in the UK are going on strike from 17-24th June over a dispute about pay.

Border Security

From 31 May to 2 juin, more than 500 PCS employees of Border Force in Heathrow went on strike in a dispute over the new roster that was imposed.

The strike will be followed by a three-week period of non-strike action, including a ban on overtime and work-to rule from 4 to 25 June. The strike is being called after managers implemented a new schedule that resulted in more than 250 employees losing their jobs, or having their work moved to another location against their will.

After new regulations are enacted by the Home Office in December 2023, it could impose service levels minimum on Border Force. PCS is currently fighting the legislation before the courts. PCS said that it would vigorously defend the right of our members to strike in the event ministers tried to impose work notices.

Retail and Distribution

Asda

The industrial unrest that began at the supermarket giant Asda, has now spread to a 4th store. Workers from the GMB have voted in favor of industrial action.

Nearly 200 Asda workers in the Lowestoft store are set to go on strike for 48-hours on May 10-11, 2024 after a vote of 87% for industrial action on a turnout of 80%.

Keith Dixon, GMB’s regional organiser said: “GMB workers used to be proud of their jobs at Asda. But this once great grocery store is being driven to the ground. The standards in stores are falling. There are thousands of health-and-safety breaches including blocked fire extinguishers and fire routes.

“Asda workers have had enough and are flexing their industrial muscle to make bosses do something about it.” Workers at Asda have had it and are using their industrial muscles to force the bosses to do something.

On 29-30 March 2024, around 170 workers from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire walked out. The strike was sparked by the reduction of hours and an increase in “bullying management culture”. Around 100 GMB members also went on strike in February at Asda, Gosport in Hampshire.

A software error caused almost 10,000 Asda workers to receive incorrect payslips in March 2024. Some employees were owed up to two full weeks of wages. In an internal memo sent to store managers, it was explained that the problem is related to an error in holiday pay calculations which occurred after the retailer switched to a new system.

Amazon

Amazon announced on 4 September 2024 that it had increased employee pay by 10%. The company won the vote for union recognition at its Coventry center by a narrow margin in July, but is accused of using underhanded tactics to discourage employees from joining unions.

In March, workers at two Amazon locations halted work. The GMB members at the Coventry fulfillment centre and the new flagship facility at Birmingham, respectively, took strike action from 19-20 and 27-28 march.

GMB members have been striking at Amazon’s Coventry Warehouse, which has involved around 1,000 workers most recently, for over days in 2023. On a 54% turnout, 99% of distribution workers who participated in the ballot in early this year voted to extend the strike mandate.

The GMB announced on 26 April 2024 that it would take legal action via an employment tribunal in order to stop what they alleged was Amazon’s attempts to discourage people from joining or cancelling their union membership. According to reports, company bosses had erected QR code in Amazon fulfillment centres that sent an email to union membership asking for the cancellation of membership. GMB accused Amazon managers of forcing employees to attend anti-union seminars lasting an hour during working hours.

The GMB union withdrew their first CAC application in June 2023 at Amazon’s Coventry Warehouse, accusing them of using “dirty trick” to prevent the union from achieving the required membership threshold.

Morrisons

The supermarket chain Morrisons made a better offer and cancelled the planned industrial action at its warehouses in Northwich, Wakefield between 13-16 June.

Strikes were taken by hundreds of workers over proposed pension changes that would have cost them hundreds of pounds per year. The dispute also included issues relating to pay and conditions.

Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer, said: “As an act of goodwill and in response to a new Morrisons offer, we suspend any strike action planned while we poll our members.”

Aircraft

After a new proposal was made by the employer, hundreds of workers planned to strike at Heathrow Airport in May.

Workers at airports went on strike over the outsourcing of subcontractors who they feared could lead to a deterioration in contract terms and conditions.

Gatwick has also cancelled the planned strikes for July.

Wayne King, Unite’s regional officer, said that the talks had progressed over the past two days. We will now ballot our members about a new proposal. We will suspend the strike this week as a gesture of goodwill, while we consult our members.

This article is updated regularly to reflect the most recent developments.

Last Updated: 26 September 2024 at 11.30am

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