curve
curve
blank curve
long
long curve
gmb home
what's new
education
health & safety
History of GMB
how to join
legal
chiro
membership
merchandise
gmb news
local offices
political
race
organising
service
shout
youth
blankcurve

Welcome to The GMB's newsroom. This section of the London Region web site is your link to the latest news generated by the trade union and its members.

This page contains headlines linked to the latest full stories. We also provide access to newsletters and bulletins published by the union and its affiliates.

Our web archive of previous press releases and bulletins can be accessed by the search facility in the right hand menu.

All the stories have been posted as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. If you don't have the reader installed on your computer you can download it by clicking the icon.

For more information, or if you have a story, contact Rose Conroy on 020 7384 9671. Email: rosie.conroy@gmb.org.uk

 
bullet
     
bullet
     
bullet
     
bullet
 
search the GMB news section

Hope comes to Dagenham TODAY!
28 April 2008
Attached is a flyer with details of the Hope not Hate bus coming to Dagenham. Why not come and join us for a fun and crucial day of campaigning?
Click Here to Read More
Flyer
Poster
Elderly resident to chain herself to the building in an attempt to keep it open
28 April 2008
GMB members working as carers with the residents of Winifred Dell care home in Brentwood Essex will protest outside the home this Sunday 27th April against the closure of their home by owners Excelcare.
Click Here to Read More
GMB are drawing up legal claims for 90 day protective awards for members who have lost their jobs without proper consultation and notice periods
28 April 2008
GMB today met with EAD Solicitors to discuss the employment rights of GMB members who will lose their jobs as part of the 800 job losses in the 72 JJB Sports stores across the UK that are set for closure.
Click Here to Read More
Worker Memorial Day photo call (10.30) College Green followed by MP’s briefing meeting (17.00) Committee Room 16 House of Commons.
28 April 2008
GMB members will mark Worker Memorial Day (Monday 28th April 2008) by holding a demonstration outside Parliament prior to a briefing meeting for MPs on the growing problem of violent attacks on drivers by their passengers resulting in their deaths. GMB is campaigning for assistance with funding CCTV and shields in licensed mini cab and hackney carriage vehicles following a spate of serious attacks on drivers over the past months that left twelve of them dead at the hands of their passengers.
Click Here to Read More
Sevenoaks, West Dorset, Carmarthenshire and Hart have the cleanest streets in the UK: Haringey, Runnymede and Havering have the dirtiest streets in the UK
28 April 2008
Sevenoaks had the cleanest streets in England where 100% were assessed as clean. Next with 99.6% clean was West Dorset followed by Hart in Hampshire with 99.2% clean. The cleanest streets in Wales were in Carmarthenshire where 99.9% of the streets were assessed as clean. In Scotland the areas with the cleanest streets were Eilean Siar, Dundee City, East Renfrewshire and Orkney Islands. The figures for the top 20 cleanest areas in the UK are shown below.
Click Here to Read More
GMB says that individuals who have saved for decades to fund their retirement should not be denied financial assistance because their health is going to deny them time to enjoy it
28 April 2008
Ahead of the Third Reading/Report Stage of the Pensions Bill tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd April 2008), GMB are calling on all MPs to support the amendment being introduced by the Labour MP for Preston, Mark Hendrick. This amendment seeks to provide a lump sum payment from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) of twice the value of their PPF annual entitlement for those individuals who are diagnosed with a terminal illness that results in an estimated life expectancy of six months of less.
Click Here to Read More
HOPE not hate campaign
28 April 2008
Tuesday 29 April U-day is the day for YOU to show your opposition to the racist BNP.
The HOPE not hate campaign, supported by the trade union movement, will be leafleting as many underground and overground stations across London as possible.
Click Here to Read More
GMB contend that the company should be adhering to 90 days consultation period over up to 800 job losses
18 April 2008
Eddie Gaudie, GMB Organiser responsible for GMB members working at JJB Sports stores responded to reports today that the company plan to close 72 stores with up to 800 job losses and that the company plan to give between two weeks and 30 days notice to workers and to pay the statutory minimum redundancy pay of £330 per week.
Click Here to Read More
Volunteers needed for campaign events all over London up to 1st May
18 April 2008
GMB members will be taking an active part in campaign events for the rest of this month to keep out the BNP in London’s elections on 1st May.
Click Here to Read More
Commenting on the announcement from BA and BAA that the move from T4 toT5 scheduled for later this month has been postponed Paul Kenny
14 April 2008
Commenting on the announcement from BA and BAA that the move from T4 toT5 scheduled for later this month has been postponed Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary said, “GMB believe that this a very sensible decision and that it will allow time for everyone involved to make the necessary preparations for the move to take place successfully when it happens.”
Click Here to Read More

Women not far from smashing ceiling in a further 33 out of 149 English Councils & in 1 Scottish Council

14 April 2008
58.6% of the top 5% earners working for Thurrock Council in Essex are now women (see note 2). This makes Thurrock Council top of the English league for the percentage of the top 5% of earners in the council that are women for the year ending April 2007. There are a total of 22 councils in England where more than half of the top 5% of earners are women. This is up from 16 councils twelve months ago. Lewisham in London is second at 56.3%. Rochdale is third with 56.1% followed by Essex and Redcar & Cleveland at 55%. The list of all 22 councils is set out below. Stirling is the top Scottish council at 50.5% of women in the top 5% of jobs.
Click Here to Read More

Act comes into force as deaths from accidents at work rises

14 April 2008
The latest official figures for deaths at work (2006/7) were up from the previous year to 241 from 212. Provisional figures for the first three quarters of 2007 show 210 deaths with the HSE extrapolating the final figures at between 215 -225 for the full year.
Click Here to Read More
Pay offer of 2.4% in 2009/10 and 2.25% in 2010/11 is part of a pay package that is worth 7.99% on pay bill over 3 years
14 April 2008
The Government today put forward its pay offer for NHS staff in response to the decisions of the NHS pay Review body (see notes below). Sharon Holder, GMB National Officer for GMB members working in the Health Service commenting on NHS pay offer said, “GMB members working in the NHS will now be consulted on this new pay offer. GMB members will be sent full details of the proposed multi year agreement comprising of other changes to pay, future talks on a changes of the NHS pay system and other non pay elements for their consideration. GMB members are likely to be disappointed that the offer falls below the headline inflation rate.
Click Here to Read More
John Hutton tells House of Commons that he thinks this is becoming accepted as a very important issue and that the Government is looking very seriously at the point
14 April 2008
GMB union which represents hotel and catering workers today responded to an announcement in the House of Commons by Secretary of State John Hutton that the Government is seriously looking at the issue of tips counting towards the National Minimum wage.
Click Here to Read More
GMB to convene lay delegate conference on April 24th to determine stance on pay offer
14 April 2008
GMB and the other local government unions, representing more than a million local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, today expressed disappointment at a revised pay offer of 2.45% for the majority of staff, with 3% for those on the bottom 3 pay points.  
Click Here to Read More
Night of Hope Live-Music Gig: Sunday 6 April 7pm
5 April 2008
GMB London Young Members together with the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight are sponsoring a live music gig as part of the Hope not Hate campaign across London to stop the BNP in the London Assembly election on May 1st.
Click Here to Read More
"A Night of HOPE"
5 April 2008
Sunday 6th April 2008The Grave Maurice, Whitechapel Road E1. (10 metres from Whitechapel Underground)
Click Here to Read More

GMB SUBMIT LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY CLAIM SEEKING 7.5% FOR 40,000 CRAFT WORKERS

5 April 2008
GMB warns that members won’t stomach another bad deal and councils need to take heed or face the industrial and political consequences
Click Here to Read More
GMB reminds public that BA staff are professional and do a fantastic job week in and week out to provide a first class service to millions of passengers
5 April 2008
Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary commenting on problems at Heathrow T5 said “ GMB are asking the traveling public using T5 not to take out their frustrations on the GMB members who operate the check in desks and other frontline positions. These staff are doing their very best to cope with what looks like technical difficulties.
Click Here to Read More
Costa Rica - Costa Rican Banana & Pineapple workers union - SITRAP
28 March 2008
I was appalled at the treatment that banana plantation workers were suffering in Costa Rica
Click Here to Read letter to MP page 1
Click Here to Read letter to MP page 2
Click Here to Read letter from Nicaraguan migrant pineapple workers page 1
Click Here to Read letter from Nicaraguan migrant pineapple workers page 2
GMB today lobbied Environment Agency (EA) board meeting
25 March 2008
This morning the Environment Agency told GMB representatives that the Agency intend to go ahead to de-recognise GMB as a consequence of the Union staging a lobby at the EA board meeting in Norwich and for issuing a public statement which set out concerns of GMB members who work as maintenance workers on the River Thames.
Click Here to Read More

New GMB study shows that in the UK labour market able bodied and fully fit workers get jobs ahead of those disabled and not fully fit

25 March 2008
New rules announced in the Budget will mean that a total of 2,517,988 people on incapacity benefit in UK, amounting to 6.7% of the population of working age, must attend work capability assessments. The percentage of the population of working age in the UK on incapacity benefit who will face this new test ranges from a highest in the UK of 16.9% in Merthyr Tydfil to 1.9% in Wokingham which is the lowest in UK. The numbers facing the test in each of 229 areas in UK, expressed as a percentage of the working age population, based on a new GMB analysis of official data, are on the GMB website attached to this release. The top and bottom 10 areas with the highest and lowest % are set out below.
Click Here to Read More
GMB secures clarification for its members employed by AA to drive recovery vehicles that they are covered by the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules
25 March 2008
GMB today received a letter from the Department of Transport in response to the Union’s request that the Department clarify whether GMB members employed by the AA to drive recovery vehicles are covered by the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules. The letter states as follows: “…..you will wish to be aware of the Department's considerations as to whether an AA breakdown vehicle towing a broken-down car using a VRS ‘dolly’ would be bound by the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules contained in Regulations 561/2006/EC and 3821/1985/EEC.
Click Here to Read More
Further Tragedies Predicted At Tate & Lyle From Outsourcing Silvertown Wharf Operation To Solent Stevedores, Says GMB Union
13 March 2008
GMB says that only major cuts in every element of the operation, especially health and safety, can provide an estimated £450,000 a year on savings.
Click Here to Read More
Weekend of Hope!
13 March 2008
This coming Weekend is the weekend of Hope. Its the London-wide push to stop the BNP in getting a seat is the GLA Elections. If you can spare just a few hours over the weekend, it will really make a difference, together we'll stop the fascist BNP.
Click Here to Read More
GMB Reaction To The Resignation Of Bob Warner Of Remploy
13 March 2008
Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary who has fought to keep all 83 original Remploy factories open said
Click Here to Read More
Airport Ground Services Contractors threatens check-in staff jobs
11 March 2008¬
GMB has respond to the issuing of an HR1 redundancy notices to 90 ground support staff working for Swissport at London’s Stansted airport with amazement as Stansted Airport will be submitting a planning application for a second runway tomorrow (Tuesday 11th March 2008).
Click Here to Read More
Hanningfield presided over the closure and demolition of care homes in Essex, care worker redundancies and cuts in the remaining carers pay and conditions, inevitably leading in carers opinion, to lower standards of care for the elderly
11 March 2008
GMB today expressed its shock that Lord Hanningfield, Leader of Essex County Council is a member of a parliamentary inquiry into the long-term care and well-being of older people which began its work on 3rd March 2008.
Click Here to Read More
GMB call for revival of 1970’s plans to transfer water from West of Britain to London and South East as being less expensive than proposed new reservoir at Abingdon Oxfordshire to deal with “water stress”
11 March 2008
GMB, the water workers union, plan to step up a campaign to secure a new ownership structure for the UK water industry that would lead to better value for consumers and open the way to develop new water supplies for London and the South East.
Click Here to Read More

GMB to ballot members on Barking & Dagenham’s housing maintenance contract for industrial action

4 March 2008
GMB Union is to hold a consultative ballot of 200 GMB members working on Barking & Dagenham Council’s housing maintenance contract which is held by their employer Enterprise. The workforce were transferred from Accord when the company was bought out by Enterprise in 2007. Enterprise bid for business with the slogan of ‘More for Less’.
Click Here to Read More
 
   
   

 

{rtntop}
GMB, London Region,
Thorne House, 152 Brent Street, Hendon. NW4 2DP
Tel: 020 8202 8272
Fax: 020 8202 2893
Web updated by:
Tracey Judd