Public sector strikers stay firm

Workers at the Dudley Group of Hospitals in the West Midlands started a 14-day strike on 20 November in their seventh period of industrial action over threats to privatise the jobs of 600 non-clinical staff under the private finance initiative (PFI).

The workers, members of public service union UNISON, joined colleagues from the London Borough of Hackney in a demonstration in the capital on 25 November. This was called in protest at the borough's announcement of massive job cuts because of a financial crisis. The Hackney announcement has been met with widespread opposition from both council unions and the local community, involving occupations of nurseries threatened with closure, a large picket of a council meeting and strike action by council staff.

Meanwhile the dispute in Scottish local government has intensified following the imposition of a pay settlement despite its having been rejected by 68% of UNISON members to 32% in favour. The union has now called over 600 members in 20 local authorities out on indefinite strike and has also called a further one-day strike of all its members in Scottish local authorities.

- Higher education unions look set to hold a day of action in universities and HE colleges on 5 December because of the employers' refusal to negotiate seriously on pay and conditions. The dispute involves seven unions - UNISON, the AUT, NATFHE, the EIS, MSF, the T&G and the GMB - who have around 150,000 members in higher education across the country. The action will involve demonstrations and a petition.