Strike action works

UNISON members – taking action with other trade unionists – have achieved some success in a dispute with our largest English local authority employer.

UNISON members in Birmingham really have achieved a result in getting their employers back into negotiations over Single Status by taking strike action.

When the same view is taken here, here and here, it seems pretty clear that this is real progress.

It’s always good to see when those who describe strike action as out of date are shown to be as wrong as they always have been.

However, with disputes all over the place we need more coordination of action across the country.

This won’t be easy because of our natural proclivity for parochialism in local government – it will hardly be possible at all if (as I may have mentioned) we continue to maintain a vow of silence on the question at Conferences…