I attended a useful seminar on Equal Pay for UNISON local government activists in Greater London last week Monday – I haven’t yet written up a full report but will do so and will post it on the Lambeth branch blog as well as circulating it. There are clearly a number of problems in several London boroughs with the implementation of the ten year old agreement on “Single Status” – not least the absence of any significant progress in some boroughs.
As I have mentioned here before, UNISON members in the Coventry local government branch are engaged in a continuing campaign of strike action over the imposition of an unjust “Single Status” agreement – their latest bulletin is available online here.
We face a serious problem because of the failure of the Government to put any money into funding the harmonisation of pay and conditions in local government. This leaves us haggling with the employers about who loses how much and who gains how much, all the time looking over our shoulders at opportunistic “no win no fee” solicitors who are as happy to encourage workers to take legal action against the unions as against the employers if they can make money out of it.
As in all negotiation and industrial disputes it is important that we are open with our members about the circumstances in which we find ourselves – and that members themselves take democratic control over the conduct and outcome of negotiations.
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i am an active member of Manchester Unison branch . I cannot understand how UNISON ever agreed to single status deals which mean that significant numbers of their members have their pay cut, with the agreement of their union ! It is a policy which needs to be changed. I also think it could be legally challenged Does anyone have any info on this ?
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