Dodgy pay proposal from the local government employers - what would Eric Morecambe say?

Imagine if we received an “improved” pay offer? (not that we have, you understand, but what if we were to be made, if not an “offer” then a “proposal”?)

What if we were to be offered an unconsolidated lump sum of between £250 and £100 to be paid in December, and a 2.2% pay increase on all pay points from 1 January 2015 with no further increase until 1 April 2016?

What should we make of that?

What was it that Eric Morecambe used to say?

If I were a local government worker (as I am!) I would go and look to see how much I was losing as a result of the five year long pay freeze.

Then I would think how much such a pathetic offer would make up of that loss.

Then I would reject the offer.

If you’ll indulge my hypothesising, dear reader, you’ll permit me to hypothesise that UNISON’s National Joint Council (NJC) Committee would not consider such an “offer” (or “proposal”) worth consulting our members upon (a view with which, albeit it may be hypothetical, I wholeheartedly concur).

It is important to understand that the point at which UNISON’s NJC Committee says that they wish to embark upon formal consultation upon any offer from the employer’s side is the point at which they know that they are announcing a de facto acceptance.

Should officials keen to avert the trouble of continuing a dispute have cajoled the NJC Committee into taking soundings from Regional Local Government Committees it would surely be important that activists in branches ensured that our members were empowered to respond assertively.

Let us assert that we want a decent pay rise effective 1 April 2014 which delivers the living wage for all our members and gives at least the same monetary increase up the pay spine.

And let us do all we can to get our members out on strike on 14 October!