• Weekend rally in Winchester

Unions have announced a further round of strikes starting on Tuesday, June 28 over council dismissal notices and plans to cut pay.

The action will include around 95% of library workers, refuse collectors, street cleaners, toll collectors and parking enforcement officers.

They’ll be joining other public sector workers who will also be on strike on June 30, including teachers and civil service workers.

Unions have accused the council of “not negotiating seriously”, it having taken over four weeks to get around the table.

Quoted by the Daily Echo last week, following a day of talks that eventually took place on June 16 with the conciliation service ACAS, Conservative council leader Royston Smith said the council is “determined to bring an end to this industrial action and negotiate a way forward with trade unions”. He said that some progress had been made.

Unions however said the nine-hour meeting left them “very disappointed that no agreement could be reached.”

Talks are continuing this week.

• Trade unionists and community campaigners from across Hampshire are expected to converge on Winchester on Saturday, June 25, "to demand an end to vicious and totally unnecessary austerity cuts that are destroying jobs and services".
  Speakers include:
  • Jeremy Corbyn MP
  • RMT assistant national secretary Mark Carden
  • NUT executive member Gerry Glazier
  • PCS executive member Adam Khalif
  • Southampton Unite organiser Ian Woodland
  • National Pensioners’ Convention general secretary Dot Gibson
  • Save Our Children’s Centres activists Becci Frost and Catherine Ovenden
    

• The rally assembles at 11am at Oram's Arbour, Clifton Road for a march through Winchester at noon. More info here.