Your senior reps and I had a briefing with national senior managers at Wigmore Street on 11th June regarding plans for a repeat free share issue. Management told us of their intention to offer circa £300 worth of free shares to everyone employed on 1st June 2026.
We said that whilst this was welcome, there had been some issues with the communication of the previous share issue and we gave feedback on how this could be improved this year.
Your senior reps also raised how some of the forty bargaining groups in the company had allegedly tried to use the previous share issue as an excuse to offer lower pay awards in their negotiations. In response, the company agreed that the share issue is NOT part of any pay award nor linked to any pay negotiations. They also agreed there will be no performance conditions on the share issue.
Whilst we are unable to give individual financial advice, giving employees free shares that will not affect any of your negotiated pay awards is likely to be a positive thing. Other large employers in the sector have done this repeatedly as an additional way to reward employees, and this is popular with our members in those other companies.
Members should keep an eye out for the information from the company coming out in the summer, which will include an FAQ. We hope this 'heads-up', and the clarity about the free shares having no impact on pay awards, is helpful.
In solidarity,
Matt Roberts
National Officer
WORKPLACE EXPOSURE (FUME & DUST, ETC.) REGISTER
Posted on:
Dear GMB Union Member,
Workplace exposure to hazardous substances, particularly fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, and airborne particulates, remains a significant occupational health concern across UK industries. As part of our commitment to safeguarding health, safety, and welfare at work, this Workplace Exposure Register has been created in partnership with our law firm Unionline to ensure that workers have a clear, accessible means of recording and evidencing exposure to potentially harmful airborne contaminants.
This register is designed to complement, not replace, the legal duties placed upon employers. Employers are required to assess, control, monitor, and review employees’ exposure to hazardous substances. However, we recognise that workers themselves are often best placed to identify when exposures occur, especially where controls may be inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented.
In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel, as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with no safe level of exposure. This includes both the visible particulate fume as well as the invisible gases generated during welding operations. Welding fume exposure has been linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, metal fume fever, and long-term neurological, renal, and cardiovascular harm. For these reasons, welding fume is given specific emphasis in this register.
Workers across manufacturing, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, fabrication, and maintenance roles are routinely exposed to welding fume, often in challenging real-world environments where ventilation, extraction, and respiratory protection may be inadequate. Documenting these exposures is essential to ensure early intervention, enforce employer compliance, and protect workers’ long‑term health.
The purpose of this Workplace Exposure Register is to:
Provide workers with a formal mechanism to record instances of exposure to hazardous fumes, dusts, and airborne substances, including but not limited to welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust, wood dust, solvents, and combustion products.
Create a contemporaneous record that may assist in enforcing workplace safety improvements and ensuring employers meet their statutory duties under COSHH.
Support members in the event of future industrial disease claims handled through Unionline, by preserving evidence of exposure that may otherwise be lost over time.
Strengthen our ability to challenge unsafe work practices and advocate for better engineering controls, extraction systems, health surveillance, and training.
Who Should Use This Register
Anyone who may be exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants - whether regularly or occasionally - is encouraged to complete this register whenever exposure occurs or when controls fail. This includes welders, fabricators, apprentices, maintenance technicians, cleaners, machine operators, labourers, and any worker who may be unintentionally exposed through bystander contamination or poor segregation of workspaces.
Entries in this register will be securely held and may be used by GMB or Unionline to:
Identify patterns of unsafe practice
Support collective bargaining around health and safety
Strengthen grievances and health & safety reports
Assist with legal claims relating to industrial disease
By completing this register, members help ensure that exposure risks—especially those as serious as welding fume inhalation—are properly recognised, challenged, and prevented.
