Sick pay slashed in the middle of a pandemic, terms and conditions attacked, what would you do? Bus drivers with Go North West in Manchester are being bullied and threatened with the sack if they don’t sign new contracts on inferior terms in a brutal fire and rehire attack. The company has refused to row back and has even started hand delivering letters with dismissal dates included for those that don’t sign. Now the drivers, who have worked on the frontline throughout the pandemic and face having their sickness agreement ripped up and working longer hours for less pay, are getting ready to strike after voting by 82.3% to walk out. With your help we can keep the pressure on. Please join us in calling on the CEO of the Go Ahead group David Brown to act. He’s the top chief of the entire group and our best bet of getting the company to take fire and rehire off the table and get them back around the negotiating table. Email Mr Brown now.

Our members don’t want to strike, particularly not in the middle of a global pandemic. They just want a wage they can live on, but Kingdom management's refusal to engage in meaningful talks over the 2020 pay award, harmonisation of sick pay, as well as enhanced pay for working nights, weekends and overtime has left them with no other option. These are low paid guards, who provide security 24/7 for the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust. The £12p/h for security officers and £13p/h for supervisors they are seeking is modest and affordable. For Kingdom to exploit the pandemic to drive down pay is totally unacceptable. Please Show your support for Kingdom security guards at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Add your name to our email to the Managing Director, urging him to get back around the negotiating table with Unite and pay his staff fairly. *The Unite members first went out on strike on 14 December for five days. The second strike action started on the 4 January for a further 20 days. More action is planned.

An estimated 400,000 seafarers from across the globe are stranded on ships, continuing to work but unable to be relieved, in a crew change crisis which threatens trade and maritime safety. Some seafarers have now been at sea for up to 18 months without a break. An equivalent number have been unable to join their ships to work, and many have not been able to claim any government financial support.

The NUJ believes a free, independent media is a cornerstone of democracy. No group can be allowed to undermine the freedom of the press. Every effort must be made to ensure that those who are guilty of intimidation are brought to justice. We call for the immediate withdrawal of all threats against journalists in Northern Ireland and for the freedom of the press to be respected and protected.

Boris Johnson is a right wing symbol for attacks on the most vulnerable sections of our society. Unelected, with no mandate equates to a free hand in decimating the Rights of workers, the NHS, the Climate. All our communities are in danger from this.

Japhet Moyo, General Secretary of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has been arrested. The trade union leader’s arrest follows the violent repression of protests, which saw police open live-round fire on civilians, resulting in the death of 12 people and the reported imprisonment of over 200. After opening fire on its own people, the police are now targeting trade unionists with arrests, intimidation and violence. The world is watching, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa needs to take immediate steps to restore a climate free of violence and fear. The protests – centred on a three day ‘stay away’ from work called by the ZCTU - were a response to massive price hikes for essential goods and services after the government unilaterally imposed a 150% increase in the cost of fuel. Read the ITUC’s letter to President Mnangagwa: www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/20190121_ituc_protest_letter_following_arrest_zctu_gs_en.pdf