Jumping the gun?

http://www.unison.org.uk/news/have-your-say-local-government-members-urged

UNISON members familiar with Rule B.2.2 will know that we are a member-led trade union.

This afternoon we received a lesson in what this means in practice.

At 14.54 the story to which I link above appeared on the UNISON website. It says that consultation on the pay proposals will begin tomorrow. This is news to branches who had been told consultation would begin next week.

At 15.37 an email went out to elected members of the UNISON National Joint Council (NJC) Committee went out asking for responses by midday tomorrow (16 October) confirming that the Committee members are happy with a timetable that will require members to respond to branches so that branches can report their results to Regions by 5pm on Wednesday 12 November.

The circular to Committee members does not give them a deadline within which to respond if they are not happy with this fairly tight timetable (which is intended, for no obvious reason, to match the timetable which the Local Government Association (LGA) have set to consult local authorities as to whether the "proposals‎" will even become an "offer").

Branches do ‎not yet have adequate details of the precise meaning of the proposals (particularly not as they relate to the Inner or Outer London pay spines or in areas in receipt of fringe allowances). Nor have we been told the question which we are to put on ballot papers.

Still, we know our Union has great confidence in us as it has publicised that we will commence consultation with our members tomorrow.

Branches need to gear up to maximise turn out to reject these appalling proposals.

‎

Update at 16.54

Thanks to UNISON colleagues for correcting an error in the post to which I link above (which had referred to the pay proposals as an "offer"). That correction was made within ten minutes of my pointing it out to the Website Manager.

If only the proposals themselves could be subject to favourable amendment as easily!

Jumping the gun?

http://www.unison.org.uk/news/have-your-say-local-government-members-urged

UNISON members familiar with Rule B.2.2 will know that we are a member-led trade union.

This afternoon we received a lesson in what this means in practice.

At 14.54 the story to which I link above appeared on the UNISON website. It says that consultation on the pay proposals will begin tomorrow. This is news to branches who had been told consultation would begin next week.

At 15.37 an email went out to elected members of the UNISON National Joint Council (NJC) Committee went out asking for responses by midday tomorrow (16 October) confirming that the Committee members are happy with a timetable that will require members to respond to branches so that branches can report their results to Regions by 5pm on Wednesday 12 November.

The circular to Committee members does not give them a deadline within which to respond if they are not happy with this fairly tight timetable (which is intended, for no obvious reason, to match the timetable which the Local Government Association (LGA) have set to consult local authorities as to whether the "proposals‎" will even become an "offer").

Branches do ‎not yet have adequate details of the precise meaning of the proposals (particularly not as they relate to the Inner or Outer London pay spines or in areas in receipt of fringe allowances). Nor have we been told the question which we are to put on ballot papers.

Still, we know our Union has great confidence in us as it has publicised that we will commence consultation with our members tomorrow.

Branches need to gear up to maximise turn out to reject these appalling proposals.

‎

Update at 16.54

Thanks to UNISON colleagues for correcting an error in the post to which I link above (which had referred to the pay proposals as an "offer"). That correction was made within ten minutes of my pointing it out to the Website Manager.

If only the proposals themselves could be subject to favourable amendment as easily!

UNISON local government branches - support Manchester's call for a Special Conference!

Yesterday the influential Manchester local government branch of UNISON published an appeal to UNISON local government branches to requisition a Special Local Government Conference.

For the conference to take place it requires branches representing 25% of the Service Group membership to requisition. This is what Manchester have to say;

“If your branch agrees to do this then send this email to Heather Wakefield, Head of the Local Government Service Group at h.wakefield@unison.co.uk

Dear Heather

I am writing on behalf of our Branch to requisition a Special Local Government Service Group Conference.

In accordance with UNISON Rule D3.4.11 on xx.xx.xx date our Branch / Branch Executive agreed unanimously to call for the requisition of a Special Local Government Service Group Conference to consider the following business:

• The 2014-2016 NJC Pay Proposals.
• The decision to cancel strike action on 14th October.
• The future Pay Consultation protocols in respect of Local Government pay claims.
• The best means to secure a decent pay increase for Local Government members and to receive and consider all motions from Branches and Regions concerning the above.

Could you then please email us at unison@manchester.gov.uk to let us know and tell us your branch name and NJC membership as of 1st January 2014 so we know when we have reached 25%.

Thank you for your support.”

This is a timely and appropriate step, asserting our trade union democracy and holding out the last hope of retaining national unity of the local government workforce.

If we can secure rejection of the pay insult from the national negotiations then the Special Conference gives us an opportunity to chart a path forward for our dispute – and if we cannot then the Conference will be an opportunity to learn from the grave errors which have been made. In either case it will be valuable (and well worth the cost – which will be the only argument advanced against it by reactionaries within UNISON).

Whilst those of us who want to see decent pay for local government workers are rightly sharply critical of the majority of the NJC Committee for caving in to pressure, and of the trade union General Secretaries for their role in this fiasco, we have to recognise that the weakness of so much of our lay (and full-time) leadership reflects the unevenness of the organisation and motivation of our activists and membership across the country.

The errors which we are now trying to correct (by securing rejection of the pay insult) were not only made on Thursday 9 October, but over a longer period of time (over we did not organise or motivate members consistently or sufficiently).

The Special Conference needs to be a forum for an honest, serious and comradely debate about the future of our national trade union in its largest service group.

UNISON local government branches - support Manchester's call for a Special Conference!

Yesterday the influential Manchester local government branch of UNISON published an appeal to UNISON local government branches to requisition a Special Local Government Conference.

For the conference to take place it requires branches representing 25% of the Service Group membership to requisition. This is what Manchester have to say;

“If your branch agrees to do this then send this email to Heather Wakefield, Head of the Local Government Service Group at h.wakefield@unison.co.uk

Dear Heather

I am writing on behalf of our Branch to requisition a Special Local Government Service Group Conference.

In accordance with UNISON Rule D3.4.11 on xx.xx.xx date our Branch / Branch Executive agreed unanimously to call for the requisition of a Special Local Government Service Group Conference to consider the following business:

• The 2014-2016 NJC Pay Proposals.
• The decision to cancel strike action on 14th October.
• The future Pay Consultation protocols in respect of Local Government pay claims.
• The best means to secure a decent pay increase for Local Government members and to receive and consider all motions from Branches and Regions concerning the above.

Could you then please email us at unison@manchester.gov.uk to let us know and tell us your branch name and NJC membership as of 1st January 2014 so we know when we have reached 25%.

Thank you for your support.”

This is a timely and appropriate step, asserting our trade union democracy and holding out the last hope of retaining national unity of the local government workforce.

If we can secure rejection of the pay insult from the national negotiations then the Special Conference gives us an opportunity to chart a path forward for our dispute – and if we cannot then the Conference will be an opportunity to learn from the grave errors which have been made. In either case it will be valuable (and well worth the cost – which will be the only argument advanced against it by reactionaries within UNISON).

Whilst those of us who want to see decent pay for local government workers are rightly sharply critical of the majority of the NJC Committee for caving in to pressure, and of the trade union General Secretaries for their role in this fiasco, we have to recognise that the weakness of so much of our lay (and full-time) leadership reflects the unevenness of the organisation and motivation of our activists and membership across the country.

The errors which we are now trying to correct (by securing rejection of the pay insult) were not only made on Thursday 9 October, but over a longer period of time (over we did not organise or motivate members consistently or sufficiently).

The Special Conference needs to be a forum for an honest, serious and comradely debate about the future of our national trade union in its largest service group.

Solidarity with workers taking action this week - you've got it right!

Congratulations to PCS members taking action today in the fight for fair pay and to UNISON members in the health service taking action short of strike action.

Public service workers deserve a decent pay rise – and will only get this by taking action. In local government, our pay has only ever edged ahead of increases in average earnings after national strike action.

Local Government workers who discover that the reason our National Joint  Council (NJC) Committee suspended our strike action and failed to recommend rejection of unsatisfactory proposals is because they were doing what they were told by the employers will conclude that we should soon be joining our comrades in other unions again.

Solidarity with workers taking action this week - you've got it right!

Congratulations to PCS members taking action today in the fight for fair pay and to UNISON members in the health service taking action short of strike action.

Public service workers deserve a decent pay rise – and will only get this by taking action. In local government, our pay has only ever edged ahead of increases in average earnings after national strike action.

Local Government workers who discover that the reason our National Joint  Council (NJC) Committee suspended our strike action and failed to recommend rejection of unsatisfactory proposals is because they were doing what they were told by the employers will conclude that we should soon be joining our comrades in other unions again.

Vote No to Poverty Pay - the single

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFWc0pnfWY&feature=youtu.be

For those who don't like to read through motions about local government pay (who may be reading the wrong blog?) here is a link to the views of the Barnet branch on the disgraceful pay proposals.

I look forward to a barbers shop quartet of the three General Secretaries and Brian Strutton singing their justification for the proposals!

‎

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Vote No to Poverty Pay - the single

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFWc0pnfWY&feature=youtu.be

For those who don't like to read through motions about local government pay (who may be reading the wrong blog?) here is a link to the views of the Barnet branch on the disgraceful pay proposals.

I look forward to a barbers shop quartet of the three General Secretaries and Brian Strutton singing their justification for the proposals!

‎

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

North West Says No to Capitulation on Local Government Pay

http://lgworkers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/north-west-regional-local-government.html?m=1

Here is a link to a useful new unofficial blog with important new information about the official decision of UNISON's North West Regional Local Government Service Group to campaign for rejection of the pay proposals which are now out for consultation.

With the executive of the Birmingham local government branch having taken a similar decision, local government workers begin to have a fighting chance of securing rejection of proposals about which the North West rightly express their "incredulity."

The key will be to maximise turnout of members voting to reject the proposals.

‎

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

North West Says No to Capitulation on Local Government Pay

http://lgworkers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/north-west-regional-local-government.html?m=1

Here is a link to a useful new unofficial blog with important new information about the official decision of UNISON's North West Regional Local Government Service Group to campaign for rejection of the pay proposals which are now out for consultation.

With the executive of the Birmingham local government branch having taken a similar decision, local government workers begin to have a fighting chance of securing rejection of proposals about which the North West rightly express their "incredulity."

The key will be to maximise turnout of members voting to reject the proposals.

‎

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Return of the Pay Calculator - see how much you've lost!

I am very pleased to report that the UNISON online pay calculator for local government is back online – so local government and school workers can see just how much the pay freeze has cost us. Thanks are due to colleagues at the UNISON Centre for sorting this out promptly.

And while that may be something which will influence us in our decision about the latest pay proposals, I hope it will also be encouragement to come along to demonstrate on Saturday!

Return of the Pay Calculator - see how much you've lost!

I am very pleased to report that the UNISON online pay calculator for local government is back online – so local government and school workers can see just how much the pay freeze has cost us. Thanks are due to colleagues at the UNISON Centre for sorting this out promptly.

And while that may be something which will influence us in our decision about the latest pay proposals, I hope it will also be encouragement to come along to demonstrate on Saturday!

The mystery of the dispute over authorship of the local government pay proposals

For centuries, scholars have contested the authorship of the works commonly attributed to William Shakespeare. 

Now local government workers in England Wales and Northern Ireland face a new mystery.

Who came up with the pay proposals on which we are about to be consulted?

The employers say that the proposals were proposed to the LGA (Local Government Association) by the trade unions.

The GMB, however, say that the proposals were put forward by the LGA. 

UNITE just refer to the “new improved proposal” as “the best achievable by negotiation” and UNISON’s branch briefing just refers to “final proposals” (although a report of a meeting last week does refer to our having called for “improved proposals.”)

It’s very odd that no one appears keen to take responsibility for these “new improved proposals” particularly not if they are “the best achievable by negotiation.”

Or perhaps it is not so odd.

Let's reject them anyway, since they are in fact complete rubbish?

The mystery of the dispute over authorship of the local government pay proposals

For centuries, scholars have contested the authorship of the works commonly attributed to William Shakespeare. 

Now local government workers in England Wales and Northern Ireland face a new mystery.

Who came up with the pay proposals on which we are about to be consulted?

The employers say that the proposals were proposed to the LGA (Local Government Association) by the trade unions.

The GMB, however, say that the proposals were put forward by the LGA. 

UNITE just refer to the “new improved proposal” as “the best achievable by negotiation” and UNISON’s branch briefing just refers to “final proposals” (although a report of a meeting last week does refer to our having called for “improved proposals.”)

It’s very odd that no one appears keen to take responsibility for these “new improved proposals” particularly not if they are “the best achievable by negotiation.”

Or perhaps it is not so odd.

Let's reject them anyway, since they are in fact complete rubbish?