Unison members preparing for battle on pay
By Jim McFarlane - Dundee City Unison branch secretary (personal capacity)
Delegates at last weeks UNISON Scottish Local Government Conference voted unanimously for a motion that commits to a campaign for an acceptable 2017 pay deal. The trade unions are demanding a £1,000 flat-rate increase for Scottish council workers. The motion from the Glasgow City branch laid out a strategy of campaigning in local branches from now into the New Year with the clear message that perpetual low pay will not be tolerated.
Delegates were reminded that 40,000 local government jobs have been lost since 2008. This clearly exposes the falsehoods peddled by the Scottish Government that below the rate of inflation pay deals would protect jobs.
The Scottish Government and every single council in Scotland, of every political persuasion, have passed on the cuts demanded by the Tories at Westminster. Speakers from the Glasgow and Dundee branches urged delegates to build on the anger of members against chronic low pay and cuts into organising the action needed to win.
If a lead is given at a national and local level then members will respond. This position sends a clear message to the employers and the Scottish Government that they need to fund a fair pay deal for council workers. By setting a deadline for negotiations it means the employer’s negotiators cannot just string along talks well past the due settlement date of 1st April.
Glasgow Branch Motion
This meeting agrees that it is highly unlikely that the Scottish Employers will make an acceptable offer for 2017/18.
This meeting therefore instructs the UNISON Scottish Local Government Committee and all local UNISON Branch leaderships to step up activities amongst the membership in preparation for an official strike action ballot in early 2017 to win an acceptable pay deal.
If an acceptable offer has not been made by 1 February 2017, this meeting instructs the UNISON Scottish Local Government Committee to conduct an official ballot for strike action.
