Petrol Peace: Are strikes looming?
In the search for petrol peace the two parties have only a narrow window before the union must decide its next move or lose its mandate
Details of offer at centre of petrol tanker dispute
ITV News has obtained details of the offer at the centre of the petrol tanker row, ahead of talks to avert strikes by fuel tanker drivers.
Fuel union's strike ballot was flawed
The unions may have to re-ballot over the tanker strike dispute, as the original ballot may be based on a flaw.
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Tax office workers strike against 'massive cuts'
More than 50,000 Revenue and Customs workers are going on strike today in protest against the "massive cuts" they say will undermine any efforts pledged by the Government to clamp down on tax avoidance schemes.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will take action across the UK. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said:
"It is sickening to see millionaires in the cabinet wringing their hands about the immorality of tax avoidance when it is their lack of political will to act that means we lose tens of billions of pounds every year.
"The case for investment in our public services as an alternative to austerity could not be more obvious than it is in HMRC.
Yet the government wants to cut 10,000 more jobs from the department, letting the wealthy tax dodgers off the hook and punishing the rest of us for a recession we did not cause."
Unite warn of more strikes
Unite the Union have warned there will be more strikes over Government spending cuts in the coming months. General Secretary Len McCluskey said:
This campaign will run and run, probably up to the next election.
Governments that don't listen to the concerns of ordinary people tend to get turfed out of office. There will be further campaigns and further strikes and all this will be a major issue at the next election.
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Unite urges Labour to prepare for early general election
Unite leader Len McCluskey has urged Labour to prepare for an early general election because of the strength of public feeling against the austerity measures imposed by the Government.
McCluskey also warned that there will be more industrial action over pay, pensions and cuts to public services.
Transport chief hits back at union claims
TfL's Director of Surface Transport, Leon Daniels, has hit back at union claims that transport chiefs are in line for huge bonuses during the Olympic Games.
He said:
These are spurious and inaccurate claims by Unite. TfL's chief officers are not receiving an additional 'bonus' for performance during the Olympics.
"As has always been clear, bus drivers are employed by private companies and their pay and conditions are a matter for those private companies.
Unite has already negotiated binding deals for pay and conditions with each of the London bus companies for this year and those companies are keeping their end of the deal."It is disappointing that Unite continues to push for strike action, attempting to exploit the Games spirit and add a further multi-million pound burden to the hard-pressed fare and tax payers of London."
Unite's regional secretary for London backs bus workers
TfL chiefs on six figure salaries are in line to earn Olympic bonuses worth 160 times more than bus workers are asking for.
These revelations will infuriate our members and serve to strengthen their resolve to fight for fairness. TfL have done nothing to help get the bus companies around the table to resolve this dispute. Since September last year TfL have consistently refused to get involved.
– Unite's regional secretary for London Peter KavanaghAll they can do is condemn workers asking for a fair award for the massive increase in workload that they will face during this historic occasion.
There is no doubt that with the huge numbers of extra passengers and major congestion on London's roads, bus workers will be on the frontline, ensuring London runs smoothly during the Olympics.
TfL's approach to this dispute is a dereliction of duty to London, it is time they acted responsibly.
Baroness Warsi: Unions 'clearly hell-bent on ruining Olympics'
Commenting on news that bus drivers in London have voted to take strike action over extra payments during the London Olympics.
Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party Baroness Warsi said:
Ed Miliband’s friend Len McCluskey [Unite General Secretary] is clearly hell-bent on ruining the Olympics.
Unite are Labour's biggest donor. Ed Miliband should put the national interest first and get them to call off this damaging and irresponsible strike
This, says the Conservative party, follows comments made by Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite, in February when he called for “civil disobedience” during the Games in order to bring his “grievances to the attention of as many people as possible”.
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Unite gives bus firms final chance to consider ballot result
Unite said it was giving the bus companies a final opportunity to consider the "landslide" ballot result before announcing possible strike dates early next week.
The union said bus workers were the only London transport employees not receiving an award for their extra effort during the Olympic Games.
At least 800,000 extra passengers are predicted to use London's buses during the Olympics, said Unite.
– Regional officer Peter KavanaghThere are only seven weeks until the Olympics and the whole world is watching London. It's a disgrace that London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and the bus companies have allowed this dispute to get this far.
Our members are only asking for an extra £17 a day which will just about buy you a pint of beer and a portion of fish and chips at the Olympics.
Our members want the Games to be a success but their patience has run out.
We have given Transport for London and the bus operators almost a year to resolve this issue.
Prospect of July bus strike has increased
Thousands of London bus workers have voted to go on strike in a row over extra payments for working during the Olympics.
Members of the Unite union backed industrial action by more than nine to one, raising the prospect of crippling walkouts during the Games, which start in the capital next month.
The union is seeking a payment of £500 for each of the 20,000 bus workers it represents in London, pointing out that other transport employees are being paid a premium for being on duty during the event.
The union will decide in the coming days whether to name strike dates after the ballot result.
London bus workers to strike over 2012 payments
Thousands of bus workers in London have voted by a majority of nine to one to go on strike in a row over payments to work during the London 2012 Olympic Games, said Unite.
51% of tanker drivers vote for peace deal
A strike by tanker drivers has been very narrowly averted they after they voted to accept a peace deal aimed at ending a long-running row over terms and conditions.
Unite said its members working for seven distribution firms backed the deal by 51% overall, although drivers in four of the companies voted to reject.
The union said the vote left no room for "complacency" and it wanted rapid implementation of proposals agreed.
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