The Socialist 18 August 2010

Action now to defeat cuts!

Action now to defeat cuts!

Pakistan: Workers' solidarity urgently needed

Floods in Pakistan bring devastation - poor suffer most

Youth must fight for a future!

Student demo should be start of the fightback

No to advice service cuts

Decent pay for interns

Uni bosses say cuts will cause closures

Forecasts of fragile economic growth

Cameron sticks the boot into our council housing

Private-profit company granted 'snoopers' charter'

Private Finance Initiative: A licence to print money

Coventry Against the Cuts challenge councillors' 'legal obligation'

Northern Ireland: Belfast Stop the Cuts Alliance established

Bromley care workers fight privatisation and job cuts

Defend Our Community Services launched in Bracknell

Cuts devastate mental health services

The legacy of Leon Trotsky

Kirklees Unison strike ballot launched

CWU members accept BT pay deal

Debate how to fight back at Socialism 2010

Tube staff vote for action against cuts

Jobs under threat at Ministry of Justice

Airport workers win improved offer from BAA

Workplace news in brief

Socialist Party summer camp - book now!

Russia's raging wildfires - a crisis of government policies

Bradford must organise against the EDL

Birmingham: Community says 'No' to racist spy cameras

Previous issues, etc

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CWU members accept BT pay deal

Communication Workers Union (CWU) members have accepted BT's pay offer of a 3% pay increase for each of the next three years, with this year's being paid from January instead of April. This was accepted by 24,017 votes to 3,709.

Clive Walder, CWU Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch, personal capacity

While this was expected, when the union leadership hailed it as a 'fantastic' deal and recommended it as enthusiastically as BT, it still represents a lost opportunity.

The New Labour CWU leadership went from saying that we shouldn't settle for a pay offer that doesn't recognise CWU members' contribution to BT's profitability, to one that accepts a pay rise that doesn't match inflation for this year and an acceptance of a 3% rise for the following two years without knowing the rate of inflation or BT's profits.

The settlement is a significant departure from BT's previous 'final' offers, achieved as a result of the likelihood of CWU members taking industrial action. If the CWU leadership had stuck to their guns and proceeded with a fresh industrial action ballot after the cancellation of the original one it is very likely that this offer would have been improved upon.

The majority of CWU members may feel at the moment that they have got a good deal because of three years of pay certainty and the belief that they have got a bigger increase than most workers.

Although at the time the CWU leaders were recommending this offer some pay settlements were topping 4% but this was generally kept out of the media. But they may not feel the same if either BT's profits or inflation increase significantly next year.

If that happens, members should be demanding that the union re-opens negotiations and claims its fair share of the profits our members produce.

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Action now to defeat cuts!