GMB Follow

The Unison and GMB unions have signed up to a "heads of agreement" in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Further confusion broke out today (Wednesday) over possible deals on pensions as two unions – Unison and GMB – said they were "back on track" with a deal in local government, but Unite appeared not to be. And Unite general secretary Len McCluskey issued an "action alert" to the union’s members stressing that no deals had yet been done.

In an extraordinary move, the Tories have provoked the local government unions into withdrawing from the agreement they reached yesterday. Unite, Unison and GMB have just issued the following statement:

Over 2,000 workers at nine factories, two research and development facilities and one IT office are on strike today (Friday) to defend their pensions at manufacturing multinational Unilever. They are members of the Unite, GMB and Usdaw unions.

Striking workers in the Unison, Unite and GMB unions made sure council services from refuse depots to libraries were shut for the day.

The GMB union has exposed the Tories’ lies over pensions. The government said that it had made changes to its reforms that meant some workers would be better off. The GMB says this is "misleading propaganda".

Activists from the GMB and Unite unions gathered in central London today, Wednesday, to discuss the upcoming public sector strikes.

Birmingham bin workers in the Unite and GMB unions have voted for industrial action against pay cuts and job losses. Stewards were set to meet this week to decide their next steps—up to and including strikes.

The call from last week’s TUC congress to coordinate strikes across public sector unions on 30 November—including Unison, Unite and the GMB—is of huge significance.

Workers from the GMB union are staging demonstrations at the ExxonMobil’s Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire over 20 locked out workers.

Some 500,000 construction workers have won a pay increase following negotiations between the Ucatt, Unite and GMB unions and the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC).

A major theme of GMB congress has been the union’s relationship to Labour.