23rd April 2024

INDUSTRIAL ACTION DATES SERVED ON G4S

 

Dear GMB Members,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and we want to reiterate again our thanks to members for your patience.

We have now served the formal legal notice of the following strike dates in May:

  • From 00.00 on Tuesday 7th May 2024 to 23.59 on Wednesday 8th May 2024
  • From 00.00 on Monday 13th May 2024 to 23.59 on Monday 13th May 2024
  • From 00.00 on Monday 20th May 2024 to 23.59 on Monday 20th May 2024
  • From 00.00 on Tuesday 28th May 2024 to 23.39 on Wednesday 29th May 2024

These dates have been identified by your GMB LNC as looking to have maximum impact on operations in May.

As previously discussed members who participate in the strike action will be eligible for support, and it has been agreed that this will be £70 each day. Each Region will determine the eligibility for this support and they will also lead on the location and operation of pickets in your GMB Regions.

To support this, on Wednesday 30th a number of GMB Regions will look to host online meetings with GMB members to discuss and outline their regional plans – you will receive specific invites to each meeting direct from your Region.

It is also important to note that it is not appropriate for Company representatives to question members on whether they are participating in the strike action – you are not obliged to answer any questions and if you are asked please ensure you notify your local LNC Rep and/or GMB Officer.

As you can see below, in October 2022 the Company described their pay offer as “disappointing” and actually sought additional funds from the DWP, however when that was rejected, the Company began to describe the offer as ‘great’.

Since then almost nothing has changed, with the Company refusing to contribute any meaningful additional funds to secure a settlement, and instead constantly using virtually the same pot of money in different ways.

Both DWP and G4S now need to come back to the table with a proper offer that addresses the cost of living crisis that members experienced and was acknowledged at the start of the talks, and this must involve additional funds.

We also need to reinforce that only GMB members will have a say in resolving this dispute and securing a settlement. If you have colleagues who are not in GMB – regardless if they are members of another union – ultimately they will not have a say in this dispute – if they want a say then they need to join GMB here: https://www.gmb.org.uk/join-gm…

In solidarity,

GMB DWP LNC and GMB National Officer