NEU, UCU and PCS on strike in Wolverhampton – march and rally.
Wednesday 15 March
speeches from UCU, PCS, NUJ and Wolverhampton TUC
UCU picket from 10-30am at Wulfuna St, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY
organised by Wolverhampton TUC with UCU, PCS and NEU
https://www.megaphone.org.uk/events/wolverhampton-budget-day-strike-rally
https://www.facebook.com/events/1211373242820918
On Budget Day, over 100,000 civil servants in 123 government departments are set to take part in a one-day strike on Wednesday 15 March. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) announced an escalation of its targeted strike action on Budget Day, aiming to achieve 1,000 picket lines on the day. A further 33,000 members have now voted by 100% to join the strike action, it was announced.
Teachers in England and Wales are still set to take strike action on the 15 March if the government fails to come forward with a ‘serious proposal’, the National Education Union has said.
Over 70,000 University and College Union (UCU) staff from 150 universities across the UK will take further strike action, affecting nearly 2 million undergraduate students. The 15 March is in addition to industrial action already called on March 16, 17, 20, 21, 22.
BBC local reporters in the NUJ are on strike all over the country from
11am Wed 15 March until 11am Thurs 16 March
(union officers/ spokespeople/branches/ members, please remember to respect their action by not engaging with BBC local radio, TV and online)
BBC outlets where NUJ members are on strike on 15-16 March in the West Midlands
BBC Central News Service
BBC Radio WM
BBC West Mids Online
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Radio Hereford-Worcester
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Stoke
picket lines:
PCS DWP Black Country branch picket lines@
Molineux House Job Centre, Temple Street, Wolverhampton WV2 4AU 7.30am-10am
Bilston Job Centre, High Street, Bilston, WV14 0BN 7.30am-10am
PCS Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities branch picket line @ i9, Wolverhampton Interchange, Railway Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1LG 7am-10.30am
UCU picket line on Wulfruna St from 10-30am
NEU teachers will be striking at schools and sixth form colleges in the West Midlands
Local National Union of Journalists strikes at BBC Central News Service, BBC Radio WM and BBC West Midlands Online.
NUJ statement
Over 1,000 journalists are expected to take part in the strike action throughout England, with a continuous work to rule kicking off on their return from 11am Thursday 16 March.
NUJ members are taking part in 24hr strike action that started today at 11am.
This is because the BBC has put forward plans that the National Union of Journalists and BBC Local journalists believe will kill off local radio.
Under the BBC’s proposals, BBC local radio stations would share programmes with neighbouring stations after 2pm on weekdays and at weekends and some news bulletins would also be pre-recorded.
The plans mean journalists having to re-apply for their own jobs.
The NUJ believes the plan to share output will seriously diminish a service that is highly valued by listeners and underpins local democracy.
Proposals are part of the BBC’s strategy for developing its digital offering, but the NUJ believes digital services can be improved by working differently and using technological solutions.
Local radio is popular – latest figures show that 5.7m people tune in to hear local news, traffic reports, weather warnings and chat and entertainment on one of the 39 local BBC radio stations.
Journalists are taking a stand today to defend local radio and send a clear message that it is worth fighting for.