This statement has been published by Unison and National Education Union (NEU) executive members
The Labour-led Local Government Association (LGA) has refused to move on its pay offer to over a million council workers and school support staff, despite the new Labour government offering higher pay awards to teachers and health workers. The offer of £1,290 (less for part-timers) will mean less than 5% for many thousands of council workers and as low as 2.5% for some.
The LGA has admitted that for the lowest paid – who will see pay awards of between 5% and 7% – it still means that their pay will 30% below the Trades Union Congress (TUC)’s call for £15-an-hour minimum wage. Not only does the pay award not match the pay awards given to others, it does nothing to address the massive loss of pay over the last decade of over 20%.
In light of this, we welcome the decision of Unison, Unite and NEU to ballot their members for strike action to win a just pay rise that is properly funded.
What is clear is that for the action to be effective we need maximum unity and coordination between the unions to ensure that the action is as strong as possible.
It will therefore come as a shock to many Unison, Unite and NEU members that, instead of promoting the unity of all local authority workers, Unison, Unite and GMB have instead again chosen to lodge a complaint to the TUC against the NEU, threatening the unity needed.
Why? Because the NEU wishes to discuss collaboration, and ballot its school support staff members alongside Unison and Unite, having won a massive strike vote in its indicative ballot.
Unison, Unite and GMB claim that the NEU has breached the decision of the TUC last year, effectively claiming that because the NEU is not a recognised union on the National Joint Council (NJC) that it does not have the right to ballot and fight for its members. The logic of that position is that Unison and Unite would rather have NEU support staff members working on days that Unison and Unite are on strike, undermining the action.
Instead of taking measures against the NEU, Unison and Unite members would want to see a major joint campaign of action, not only for the pay rise but also to demand the funding to pay for it.
We need maximum unity not division.
Therefore, we call on Unison and Unite to drop their complaint to the TUC and support the NEU’s wish to join the action in pursuit of the joint pay claim.
We appeal to all unions that a joint meeting of Unison, Unite and NEU national and sectoral executives be urgently set up to resolve the issue.
Signed, in a personal capacity:
April Ashley, Unison National Executive Council
Hugo Pierre, Unison Local Government Service Group Executive Committee
Sheila Caffrey, National Education Union National Executive
Louise Cuffaro, National Education Union National Executive
Members of unions that organise support staff can add your name to the form below:
- The ballots for action of Unison and Unite members in local government – including school support staff – run until 16 and 15 October respectively
