Read to the end for new train strike dates, the crisis affecting both prisons and farms, and a strong contender for the best commute in Britain.

Morning team, 

It’s Evie Breese here, bringing you the latest employment news and wishing you all a happy Pride month. 

Last week, news broke that Shell and BP had been dropped as supporters of the British LGBT Awards after a whole host of queer celebs (comedian Joe Lycett, presenter Sue Perkins, drag queen Cheddar Gorgeous, to name a few) rejected their nominations and invitations. 

They were protesting the “pinkwashing” sponsors who have been criticised for lending their names to LGBT events when it brings them good press, but continuing to do work that harms the planet or endangers queer people and other minorities across the world the rest of the time. 

While the expulsion of two major fossil fuel producers could be seen as a win for the movement, Fossil Free Pride and LGBTQ+ activists went ahead with their protest of the event, and will continue to do so “until all harmful corporate sponsors have been dropped and there is an ongoing commitment to not allow them into our spaces again”.

The decision was described as “disappointing” by BP, and it’s hard not to feel something for the LGBT employees there, and at Shell, whose names were subsequently struck off the guest list. 

Does this mean you only get to join in the Pride celebrations (or protest?) if the place you work has a squeaky clean record? And how should less savoury companies and public institutions participate in Pride or LGBT History Month? If you have burning opinions on the matter or experience that gives you a unique point of view, I want to hear about it. Get in touch and let me know.

Drop me an email at evie.breese@bigissue.com or tweet at @Evie_Breese

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What you need to know about work this week:

“Technical difficulties”. Some of Britain’s most well-known household names have been caught paying their staff less than the legal minimum wage, with one chain found to owe staff £1,000,000 in unpaid wages. 

Unsafe, understaffed and underpaid. Prison staff shortages are already preventing existing staff from carrying out vital rehabilitation work with prisoners, but with new research from parliament’s Justice Committee suggesting 43% of staff are planning to leave within five years, prisons are facing a crisis point. 

Farm or prison? Migrant workers have told a House of Lords committee of the prison-like working conditions on UK fruit farms, where they were referred to by numbers rather than their names, forced to work 18-hour shifts and threatened with deportation.

The price of milk. Shortages of farm workers could further drive up the price of milk, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative has warned, and could even lead to scarcity. Of the farmers surveyed, a majority blamed Brexit, as well as the pandemic, for their hiring difficulties.

Work hard, work hard. More university students are having to take on part-time work to support themselves through their studies, according to a survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), which found the average student did paid work for 13.5 hours each week. Richard Adams has the write-up in the Guardian. 

Dangerous work. Owners of the Titan submersible, Ocean Gate, have been criticised for posting a job advert for a new pilot while  rescuers searched for the pilot (CEO Stockton Rush) and four passengers near the wreck of the Titanic. All five men have been confirmed dead.  

Keep it low. Rishi Sunak may overrule the independent public sector pay review bodies if he believes their pay recommendations are too high, as reported by Steven Swinford in The Times (£). The PM fears pay increases of 6% and above risk causing a “wage-price spiral”. My colleague Greg Barradale asked the economists whether pay rises make inflation worse a few months ago. Here’s what they said. 

Modernisation, at what cost. A plan to shut down nearly all of Britain’s train station ticket offices could begin as early as next week. Opposing the plan, railways union the RMT has said it would make train travel harder for people with disabilities and vulnerabilities.

Strike watch

Railways union the RMT has announced three dates of strike action this July that will  clash with The Open Championship and The Ashes.

Junior doctors are set to undertake the longest-ever continuous strike in the history of the NHS, walking out for 120 hours from 7am on Thursday 13 July until 7am on Tuesday 18 July.

Take a look at our comprehensive list of upcoming strike dates.

A global solution 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I for one am immensely jealous of Shetland-based psychiatrist Kevin Morgan, who swims to work from home in Lerwick to the local health centre. He says the 1km daily swim is great for his mental and physical health. 

For incredible scenery and swimming kit inspiration (is there a laptop inside that air-tight bag?) watch the BBC’s video report here.

Working culture

How far would you abandon your moral compass to do a good job? What about if making rent was at stake? 

Like many of us, I’m making my way through the new season of Black Mirror, taking my time, one episode at a time. And while not particularly nuanced, episode four is a good one.

Set in LA, we follow some morally-bankrupt celebrity photographers, one who is failing to extricate herself from the profession, as they hunt down Mazey Day, an awol A-lister. You’ll be jumping out of your skin when the twist hits. 

Black Mirror, Season 6 is available to stream on Netflix now.

Enjoying this newsletter? Check out Survival Guide, our newsletter on the cost of living crisis from my colleague Isabella McRae. We also have a cost of living help Facebook group with money-saving tips and positive stories..

In the diary

Ongoing: Workers at homeless charity St Mungo's are on indefinite strike action. 

Thursday 29 June. VICE journalists go on strike for two days with the NUJ. 

Monday 3 July. Train drivers begin a five-day ban on overtime, until Saturday 8 July, which will likely disrupt many services.

Wednesday 5 July. Teachers in England go on strike with the National Education Union (NEU). 

Friday 7 July. Teachers strike for a second day in England. 

Thursday 13 July. Junior doctors start a 120-hour strike from 7am, ending at 7am on Tuesday 18 July.

Saturday 29 July. Event: Troublemakers at Work: Grassroots Trade Unionists conference 2023.

Animals with jobs 

Getting in the way or adding meow-sical value? Looks like this well-balanced side-kick could have taken inspiration from our own Street Cat Bob. 

Does your cat/dog/garden fox/animal you saw on holiday participate in the daily grind? Nominate them today by sending me a photo to: evie.breese@bigissue.com

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