Unison members in Wales protesting against Further Education cuts, photo R Job

Unison members in Wales protesting against Further Education cuts, photo R Job   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

A stinging rebuke was delivered to the leadership of Unison during its local government conference on the 19 and 20 June. The conference saw members express their anger with this year’s pay campaign. Conference voted to repremand the NJC (the elected body that negotiates pay and conditions with the employers) for calling off the pay dispute without consulting with members. A number of policies Socialist Party members have long argued for were won on conference floor. The leadership accepted the argument for legal no-cuts budgets in local councils. Conference agreed it would be possible to take national strike action on cuts. Conference voted to have a national ballot on forced academies that would join up with the existing struggle of the NUT. These positive votes, if acted upon by the union can be the beginning of a real fight back against cuts.