UVW

United Voices of the World, UVW, is a small trade union organising largely precarious and migrant workers

Architecture workers could strike

Workers at Atomik Architecture (Atomik) in London have informed their employer that they intend to ballot between 29 September and 17 October for strikes. It could be the first ever strike by private-sector architectural workers in the UK. The workers are demanding a pay increase, reduced working hours, flexible working arrangements, paid training, and trade union recognition. In June 2022, some workers individually raised the matter of pay in their annual reviews. When they were ignored, they wrote a collective letter outlining their demands. A meeting produced no results, and Atomik then...

Hospital strike rally 29 April

A strike by outsourced security guards at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has passed its fiftieth day, as workers continue their action to win parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The workers, who are employed by the outsourced contractor Carlisle, are the last remaining group of outsourced workers at GOSH. The workers’ union, United Voices of the World, plans a rally in Queen Square, near the hospital, on Friday 29 April at 12pm. More: uvwunion.org.uk

Strikes throughout April at GOSH

Outsourced security workers at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) resumed strikes on Friday 1 April, with further strikes planned every Friday throughout the month. The workers are striking to win parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. Following a successful struggle by GOSH cleaners, security staff are now the last remaining outsourced workers at the hospital. Picketing remains restricted by a court injunction secured by GOSH, which means workers are only able to picket opposite, not directly outside, the hospital. Striking security guard Erica said: “GOSH trustees hope to...

Striking every Friday in April

Security guards at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) will strike every Friday throughout April, from 1 April, as they continue their fight for parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The workers concluded a six-week strike, the longest continuous strike in NHS history, on 18 March. A rally on 17 March was addressed by numerous union activists, as well as Labour MPs John McDonnell and Apsana Begum. Begum has also been prominent in supporting the recent successful strikes of outsourced workers at Barts NHS Trust, which is based in her constituency of Poplar and Limehouse, which won...

Cleaners brought in house, security guards strike

Security guards at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) are continuing their six-week-long strike to demand parity with NHS workers’ terms and conditions. The United Voices of the World (UVW) union plans a further strike rally at 12 pm on Friday 17 March, at Queens Square, WC1N. GOSH cleaners, also UVW members, also planned a two-day strike from 11 March, after GOSH management appeared to stall on a prior commitment to bring them into direct employment. The cleaners’ strike was called off after bosses guaranteed the cleaners would be moved onto NHS contracts from 1 April. The cleaners’...

GOSH strikers forge links

Striking security guards at Great Ormond Street Hospital held a rally on Friday 4 March, with a further rally planned on Friday 11 March, as the strike nears its full 44 days. The rally heard speeches from striking workers and supporters from a variety of unions, including RMT, whose members’ strike on London Underground had concluded the previous day. A delegation from the United Voices of the World union (UVW), including a striking GOSH worker, had visited the RMT picket line at Oxford Circus station. The rally marched from the hospital to the offices of the GOSH charity to call on the...

Going for clear anti-Putin line (John Moloney's column)

The National Executive Committee of our union, PCS, will discuss the Russian war on Ukraine at its meeting on Wednesday 9 March. The motion that will be tabled is a straightforward condemnation of Russia’s invasion and a call for Russian withdrawal. It’s possible amendments will be tabled, but I haven’t picked up any pushback from any quarter within the union against that position, so I hope that the union’s formal position, once agreed, will be unambiguous. The motion also calls for the UK to open its borders to refugees. Our consultative ballot for action over the cost of living crisis is...

Longest strike in NHS history

Striking security guards at Great Ormond Street Hospital in central London marked the 24th day of their planned 44-day strike, on Friday 25 February, with a rally at the hospital, which was addressed by strikers and supporters from throughout the labour movement, including John McDonnell MP. The strikers, who are employed by outsourced contractor Carlisle, are demanding parity with directly-employed NHS workers terms and conditions. Their strike is the longest strike in NHS history. The rally came after GOSH spent £40,000 to pursue a legal claim resulting in an injunction that prevented the...

Picketing curbs pushed back

Negotiations between bosses at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in central London and the United Voices of the World union (UVW) have blunted some of the sharper edges of a high court injunction obtained by GOSH to restrict pickets by striking security guards at the hospital. The injunction had prohibited strikers and supporters from “waving banners”, “playing music”, “shouting”, making “rapid or dramatic movements”, making “loud noises”, engaging in “vigorous dancing”, or “photographing or videoing” within 200 metres of the hospital. Following negotiations, the area in which the injunction...

Strikers challenge dancing ban

Bosses at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital have obtained a High Court injunction to block striking security guards from effective picketing. The order prevents strikers and supporters from “waving banners”, “playing music”, “shouting”, making “rapid or dramatic movements”, making “loud noises”, engaging in “vigorous dancing”, or “photographing or videoing” within 200 metres of the hospital. Breaching the conditions could lead to criminal charges. Outsourced security guards are striking to win parity with NHS workers’ conditions, and had held lively rallies and picket lines at the hospital...

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