Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/613/8884
From The Socialist newspaper, 24 February 2010
Nominate Roger Bannister: Unison's leadership battle
Swansea Unison workers protest - Unison members need a leadership capable of fighting to defend jobs and services. Photo Swansea Socialist Party (Click to enlarge)
Roger Bannister, who is seeking nominations to stand in the Unison general secretary election, commented on the latest round of job cuts announced by councils across the country.
Up here in Knowsley the Labour council are preparing to slash our jobs in the new financial year. In a pre-emptive strike they have unilaterally ripped up a long standing agreement for redeployment of those whose jobs have changed or gone.
People were put in a redeployment pool for five months. Only after that, if they still didn't have a job, they would be given three months notice of redundancy. This meant that redundancies were very rare.
The council now say - the three months statutory notice and that's it. It's clear that they are preparing the ground for a new wave of redundancies from April. We are organising a strike ballot at the moment, along with the Unite union branch, in opposition to this.
In a further development, we are organising a strike ballot over the defence of our 35-hour week agreement. We won this after strike action in 2001.
Under this agreement, workers working 37 hours have had their hours reduced to 36 and should have had them reduced to 35 by 2008. But it didn't happen. Now the council say that those on 35 hours will be forced to go up to 36 hours.
These attacks by Knowsley council reflect what is happening around the country on jobs and pay. Nationally the local government employers have offered a zero pay increase this year. Last year it was 1.5% which was in effect a pay cut.
The councils, year on year, have faced a 3% cut in grants under New Labour. According to one of our managers: 'They have trimmed the meat, now they're cutting the bone'.
Where is the current Unison general secretary Dave Prentis? What does he say about all this? He should be organising a national mobilisation of our members against these cuts in our jobs and pay and against the expected attack on public sector pensions, whoever wins the general election.
Prentis said at Unison conference last year that if the Labour manifesto did not contain key elements of Unison policy then Unison would further cut its financial support for the Labour Party. Brave words then but silence now.
If elected I will begin the process of ending the union's link with the Labour Party and, along with other unions, would call for the development of a new workers' party."
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In The Socialist 24 February 2010:
Private 'vultures' to run NHS hospital
How to stop cuts and defend public services
Demo opposes £29m Notts county cuts
Youth fight for jobs
Young people deserve a future: Join the Manchester march for jobs on 13 March
Youth Fight for Jobs Demonstrations
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC)
RMT branch supports challenge to Denham
Support the TUSC election challenge
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition General Election launch rally
Socialist Party news and analysis
British Airways cabin crew v management: Round two
Anger on Teesside over Corus closure
ID cards - an expensive threat to civil liberties
Tories attack community café...
Comment
Unison witch-hunt
Nominate Roger Bannister: Unison's leadership battle
Workplace news and analysis
South Wales: Demo against council cuts
Staythorpe: the fight for workplace safety
Port workers battle bosses... and high court
Leeds university: Support lecturers striking to save jobs
Fighting leadership needed for UCU
CWU women vote for political review
International socialist news and analysis
CWI Latin America school: A continent on the brink
Iraq: All eyes on the oil prize
Socialist Party news and analysis
Campaigning rights victory: But questions remain on new Waltham Forest policy
Anti-racism
How can the racist BNP be defeated?
Scottish Defence League defeated: Working class political alternative urgently needed
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