Public Sector Pay Freeze? No Thanks!

It's never a shock if the Mail or the Express have a pop at public servants, but when the liberal papers launch a headline attack on our living standards that spells trouble.

Steve Bundred uses a column in the Observer to call for public sector pay restraint whilst lauding both his own record of hacking back service provision and the current experience of the "loony right" administration in Hammersmith and Fulham.

It simply isn't true that public sector workers have been having a ball for the past few years and can now therefore expect to accept pay restraint with equanimity. As I pointed out in the run up to last year's local government pay dispute, local government pay fell behind average earnings by 4.5% from 2002 to 2007.

It's not only the living standards of public servants which are at risk from reactionary nonsense masquerading as common sense however, Bundred's daft plan to hold down the pay of thousands of workers who earn far less than he does could also do real macroeconomic damage.

In a recession every capitalist employer wants to cut the pay of their own workers (to restore profitability) whilst hoping that other employers will increase the pay of other workers (to provide a market for their products). The market system cannot resolve this contradiction.

However, the state can boost spending directly by maintaining the living standards of that section of the workforce which it employees. As Will Hutton points out elsewhere in today's Observer, it is this sort of reflationary spending, rather than spending cuts, which we need from the Government right now.

We need a vigorous response to this attack from our trade unions, emphasising both the injustice and the economic illiteracy of attacking public sector pay in a recession.

Further Education pay offer

I am indebted to the activists from among UNISON’s Further Education membership who have drawn to my attention the consultation exercise which is now underway in relation to the miserable pay offer for our members in that sector.

The employers have made a poor offer which is slightly less poor than the offer against which we are taking strike action in local government.

We are to embark upon a consultation ballot of our members in further education over the summer holidays (when many will be away from the workplace and the opportunity for collective discussion) on the basis that this is the best that can be obtained by negotiation (which I am sure it is).

Full marks to our negotiators for achieving the best that can be achieved by negotiation.

Mind you I cannot remember ever having been consulted on a negotiated offer which was not thought, at the time of the consultation, to be the best that could be achieved by negotiation.

Our sister union UCU has agreed to convene a Conference to consider the offer. This at least allows for collective decision-making in line with the best traditions of our movement.

Of course I respect the decision of the National Further Education Committee. They have decided that there shall be an individual ballot of our members.

UNISON Conference has very recently reaffirmed the right of Regions and Branches to make and campaign for recommendations in pay ballots.

I also respect the right of Regions and Branches to get out there and campaign for rejection of this lousy pay offer.

A great trade unionist once told me something he was told by his father - that if you fight you may not win, but if you don’t fight you certainly won’t win.

There is more money to be had by public sector workers, in further education as in local government and health. Whether we get it depends upon what we do, how well organised we are and how we are led.