As Unison started its annual conference, ahead of the council workers’ vote to strike over pay, Mark Serwotka (general secretary of the PCS union) sent the following letter of support and solidarity to Unison’s general secretary Dave Prentis, calling for united industrial action.
Dear Dave
Firstly may I offer my solidarity and wish you and your colleagues a successful conference.
Can I also, on behalf of our national executive committee offer our support to your campaigns on public sector pay, and in particular to your members in local government.
Should they vote in favour of industrial action, we will do whatever is necessary to support them, including if possible coordinating our action over pay with yours.
The latest inflation figures show how vital it is that we secure pay increases which protect public servants from a cut in their living standards. We all face the consequences of the cap on public sector pay increases, and our best chance of beating the cap will come if we fight together.
I look forward to working together with Unison to win a better deal for the public sector.
