Pay 2008

The Unite union has confirmed that strike action which is expected to halt the services of First Capital East Buses and First Centrewest Buses in London will go ahead from 3.00am Friday 29th August. The action will affect bus routes across east, west and central London (see below).

Schools were closed, rubbish went uncollected, ferry services were disrupted, and services like libraries were closed. Union leaders said an estimated 150,000 workers took part in the one-day strike over pay. The pay row is over an offer of 2.5% for each of the next three years, an offer made "derisory" by the rising cost of living.

Some 1,000 track, signal and train maintenance staff working for Tube Lines, the contractor responsible for running the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines, were due to walk out. The strike would have meant that any signalling problems - a daily occurance - or track faults would have closed down the lines.

More than 120 members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out on 25th August. The workers want a higher basic wage than the £6.37 per hour which the staff, who work for contractor OCS, receive.

RMT members at the company will down tools between noon on Wednesday August 20th and noon on Saturday August 23rd. The second 72-hour strike will begin at noon on Wednesday September 3rd and end at noon on Saturday September 6th.

At Gatwick, 318 Swissport workers will walk out for 24 hours, halting services at some airlines and a second strike is planned for Friday 29 August.

Around 130 RMT members working for the transnational subsidiary contracted to put up posters on London’s Tube, are to strike for four days from Thursday over a sub-inflation pay offer that would erode the living standards of already low-paid staff.

They overwhelmingly agreed on Thursday to take strike action on 20th August after the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) refused to improve a pay offer of 2.5 per cent a year for the next three years.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) announced yesterday that 12,000 of its members would refuse to work as Network Rail executives had "scuppered" negotiations. The strike will affect Network Rail's repair schedule.

The PCS union expressed anger that the Scottish Government had proposed to cap pay rises at 2%. Three other public sector unions - Unison, Unite and the GMB - have also balloted for action over pay.

Union bosses claimed industrial action could hit policy delivery, ministerial visits, answers to Scottish parliamentary questions and operations at the Registers of Scotland.