Disputes, action and victories

In her first year as Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham has secured millions for members

Sharon Graham – elected on August 27, 2021 has, a year later won literally millions of pounds in extra pay and conditions for members. Her ‘Jobs Pay Conditions’ theme is cutting a positive swathe through difficult disputes. Workers in the private sector have seen increases worth over £150m. And when you add it all up it really proves that being in Unite can make a real difference.

It’s just she says that 'no-one in Westminster is going to ride in and save us. We are going to have to do it ourselves'

Randeep Ramesh The Guardian 2 December 2021

Disputes resolved

Unite has tens of thousands of negotiations which are settled long before they go to a dispute. But in Sharon Graham's first year as General Secretary Unite has been winning those.

Unite talks have seen many disputes resolved in workers’ favour over the last year – with a win rate of 80 per cent. There have been a total of 450 disputes.

Disputes in passenger transport

  • Over 25,000 workers across the sector have taken part in over 140 disputes
  • Successful disputes have helped raise the hourly rate within companies and across surrounding areas, like major wins across 23 Stagecoach disputes nationally
  • Successful disputes have led to improved wage progression and closer pay parity between depots in the same company – eg winning the target rate of over £13/hr across First West Yorkshire depots.

Ms Graham declares herself a fan of the factory gate. She says legal action is no substitute for organising workers and building workplace power

The Economist 28 August 2021

Disputes in road transport, commercial warehouse and logistics

By the end of 2021:

  • In the road transport, commercial, warehouse and logistics sector, several pay rises were won through disputes, averaging an extra £5,600
  • Petrol tanker drivers in the South East won 11 per cent (£3,500)
  • DHL workers in Scotland won a 10 per cent rise (£15 p/h, £9,000)
  • In the North East 24 per cent (£6,032) was won by Wincanton Morrison’s drivers at Stockton achieving parity of £15 p/hour

Disputes in local authorities

  • 2,500 workers in local authorities across Northern Ireland took strike action in April and May over an insulting 1.75 per cent pay offer. Mid-Ulster workers won a significant pay victory in August after going on strike, while pay talks are ongoing at other councils
  • In England, members have taken industrial action at Rugby, Bexley, Croydon, Woolwich and Hackney
  • After six months of continuous strike action at Coventry City council, Unite won a pay rise for HGV bin drivers worth up to 12.9 per cent, plus bonuses worth £4,000
  • In Scotland, members across 26 councils have rejected a 2 per cent pay offer and voted for industrial action
  • Over 1,500 waste workers across 15 local councils in Scotland are taking action at the end of August

..and her re-structuring of Unite has been focused on making it fighting fit for industrial disputes

Alex Maguire The Times 8 December 2021

Workers are winning back money lost during Covid

  • Stagecoach workers faced a national pay freeze in 2020; in 2021, over 3,300 workers won pay rises above inflation to claw back money lost
  • In Wales, Petrofac workers won 15 per cent (worth £5,000), including the 10 per cent previously lost through a pay freeze
  • British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow backed strike action after BA refused to restore pay that was cut during the pandemic. The threat of strike action led to a significant 13 per cent pay offer for thousands of workers.

ONGOING DISPUTES

And the fight goes on – here are some disputes happening right now

  • Dockers at Felixstowe and Liverpool, responsible for up to 60 per cent of UK container freight, have both won mandates for strike action over pay, with nearly 2,000 Felixstowe dock workers having taken eight days of strike action at the end of August
  • Over 1,500 waste workers across 15 Local councils in Scotland are taking action as members reject the 2 per cent pay offer in the last week of August. This follows strike action at Edinburgh council between August 8 and August 30.

Against all the odds she won, however. And under 100 days Unite says she has already won pay deals worth £25m

Sienna Rodgers Labour List 4 December 2021

Over to you

We meet two Unite leaders who have won successful disputes – Pete Randle from the Coventry HGV bin drivers’ dispute and Stevie Payne from Lothian bus workers

WATCH

‘We stood firm to deliver’, Pete Randle, Unite Coventry bin drivers

‘Given chance to achieve results’, Stevie Payne, Unite Lothian bus workers

By uniteEXTRA team

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