CTV: French teachers in Alberta vote on strike

 CTV News reports that French teachers in Alberta's largest school district will be voting on a strike action after two years without a contract agreement.

The teachers, represented by Unité locale francophone No 24, are said to be greatly in favor of a strike. If the action passes, teachers could go out as early as 72 hours after giving notice.

Greenwich Library Workers Stage 48-Hour Strike

The planned cancellation of a mobile book service has prompted Greenwich library workers to strike for 48 hours this week. Over the last year, the mobile book service delivered 33,000 books to area children at schools and child-care centers. A Unite official said:

Literacy is a fundamental human right and anything that erodes that life chance should be strongly opposed. Good reading skills are the key to decent employment in adulthood – so the blinkered actions of the council need to be condemned.

Strike in Lewisham

Library workers in the London borough of Lewisham went on strike on Saturday in response to plans to close four of the borough's library branches. The workers, members of UNISON, were joined by library workers from Lambeth as well as community library supporters. Photos of the strike can be viewed here.

Planned Library Closures in Darlington, UK

Unite, the union representing library workers in the borough of Darlington, has spoken out against planned cuts to library services in that borough. The council has proposed closing two of the library branches in the borough as well as the library's mobile service, which would also result in the loss of thirty staff positions.

Strike Action Continues in Bromley

Workers in Bromley, UK continue to engage in strike action in protest of budget cuts and privatization attempts by Bromley Council. Next week library workers will go on strike, with workers from other council services such as parks and transportation striking on subsequent days.

Bromley Council Strike

Employees at Bromley's public libraries are among the council workers represented by Unite engaging in strike action today and tomorrow. Bromley Council has proposed running the libraries with volunteers.

Doncaster Council Commits to Living Wage

Doncaster Council, UNISON, GMB, and Unite issued a joint statement announcing that the Council is committed to paying its workers, including library workers, the living wage. The living wage is higher than the minimum wage, as it is the calculated wage that a person would need to earn in order to meet the basic costs of living. For Doncaster Council workers, this would mean an increase from the current minimum wage of £6.50 an hour to £7.85.

Greenwich Library Dispute Settled

Greenwich Library Service staff and Greenwich Leisure Limited have come to an agreement on their on-going dispute over wages and staffing levels, avoiding further strike action. A Unite spokesman said:

Unite members in Greenwich have won an important victory in defence of libraries as a public service and by showing solidarity, they have made large gains on the staffing and pay issues. They have shown that the bosses can be taken on and be forced to back down, if you are well-organised and determined enough. I congratulate every one of our members who won this victory.

Another Strike at Greenwich Library Service

Workers at Greenwich Library Service are again engaging in strike action as part of an ongoing dispute over wages and staffing levels. Strike action was scheduled for yesterday and today; earlier in the week Unite, the union representing library staff, met with Greenwich Leisure Limited and a decision to accept or reject an offer made by the company should be made today.

Thousands Protesting in UK

Huge demonstrations are taking place today in London, Glasgow, and Belfast, with members of several unions including Unite and UNISON marching and engaging in rallies in response to wage disputes between the government and public sector employees.

Check out #BritainNeedsaPayRaise, #AJustScotland, or #18Oct on Twitter for photos and more information on the demonstrations.

Strike at Greenwich Library Service

Staff at Greenwich Library Service went on strike on Tuesday, resulting in all but two of the system's branches being closed. According to a Unite representative, further strike action is likely as there continue to be concerns about staffing levels in the library system.

Massive Strike in United Kingdom

More than one million public sector workers across the UK are on strike today in protest of a number of issues including workplace safety, heavy workload, and wages. Librarians, teachers, and firefighters are among those who have walked off the job in response to austerity measures. The massive strike has been coordinated among a number of unions, including UNISON, Unite, Public and Commercial Services Union, National Union of Teachers, the Fire Brigades Union, and GMB.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that he plans to introduce new laws restricting strike action for essential service providers. Speaking about the National Union of Teachers' involvement in the strike, he said "I don’t think these strikes are right... I think people should turn up for work."

Third One-Day Strike for UK University Workers

Workers at universities across the UK are striking today, the third time members of Unison, Unite, University and College Union, and Educational Institute of Scotland have participated in coordinated strike action. Administration at some of the institutions continue to contend that that there is little support for the strike action.

UK University Workers Engage in Second One-Day Strike

Workers at universities across the United Kingdom are engaging in a second one-day strike today, with at least one university closing for the day as a result. University administration has been unwilling to negotiate an increase above the offered 1% pay raise. During October's strike, the administration contended that a small percentage of unionized staff supported the strike.

Workers at Universities Across UK on Strike

Workers represented by Unite, Unison, and the University and College Union are engaging in a coordinated strike today over an offered 1% pay raise, which has followed a "five-year pay drought", according to a Unite official.

Unison and Unite to Vote on Strike Action

This summer, over 95,000 employees in Scotland will be asked to vote on strike action in response to being offered a 1% pay increase. Wages for local government employees have been frozen for the past two years. The government contends that a wage increase higher than 1% would result in job loss. Library workers are among the many employees represented by Unite and Unison, two unions that will be balloting members beginning in July.

Job Losses in Southampton

Nearly 300 jobs are being eliminated in Southampton, UK - including a number of positions in libraries. Two unions, Unison and Unite, are attempting to work with Southampton City Council in response to the announced budget cuts. Union members will be meeting later this week to determine future action.

Unite set to strike

Library workers in Greenwich, England are set for a four-day strike starting on Friday.  The workers are members of Unite and are taking this action in opposition to city council's decision to privatize the library system.  Unite is also planning a second action on May 11.

Greenwich (UK) privatization temporarily halted

Efforts by Greenwich Council to privatize the library system in that UK town have been temporarily halted after a conflict of interest was declared by Councillour John Fahy.  Fahy runs Meridian Link with Mark Sesnan, managing director of Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which is the group that will take control of the libraries.  However, the transfer has not been stopped completely and may still go through.

Greenwich (UK) library workers poised to strike

Library workers organized with Unite are poised to strike in Greenwich (UK) in response to Greenwich Council's move to privatize library services in the borough.