Pay Update July 2008
 UNISON
calls for a YES vote in the ballot.
Branch urges all council members to use their vote.
Kate Ramsden, Branch Chair and Bob Revie, Branch
Secretary, on behalf of the Branch Committee, are urging all UNISON
members in local government to exercise your democratic right to
vote, as the ballot period enters its final days.
 "UNISON
is calling for a YES vote in the ballot to enable members to take
strike action for an improvement in yet another below inflation
pay offer which would tie us in to 2.5% for the next three years,"
said Bob. "But most importantly, as a branch, we are calling
on all our council members to use your vote and return your ballot
paper in the Freepost envelope!"
Ballot papers started to go out on 1st July asking
over 100,000 UNISON members working for Scotland's local councils
if they are willing to strike in rejection of a 2.5% per year pay
offer. The Ballot will close on the 31 July. Details of the
strike action will then be decided.
If you don't receive
a ballot, or want to join UNISON phone the UNISON Direct Helpline
0845 355 0845. This line is open until 28 July, Mon-Fri 6am till
Midnight and 9am till 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
More news.........
UNISON calls on councils to resolve the pay
dispute before it happens in Scotland
As hundreds of thousands of local government workers took strike
action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Scottish Secretary
of UNISON, the main union taking part, said on 17th July that similar
action was planned for Scotland, unless Scottish councils sat back
down with the trade unions and renegotiated the pay offer they had
made.
Matt Smith, UNISON's Scottish Secretary, has written to the 32
councillors who make up the employers' side of the Scottish negotiating
body (one per council) urging them to sit back down with the trade
unions to avoid the kind of national disruption that is being experienced
down south. UNISON's local government members in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland voted to take strike action over a similar
2.45% offer recently. The first strike action days there were on
16 and 17 July.
Matt Smith said "I have written to all our regions elsewhere in
the UK expressing our backing for their action and welcoming the
solidarity our members are showing. I have also indicated that we
are heading for another 'YES' vote for strike action here in Scotland,
and our 100,000 members will shortly be joining their colleagues.
Our members deliver vital services here in Scotland, they empty
our bins, they clean our schools, they care for our parks and look
after our children. I've also written to the local councillors who
represent the employers to say that if they want them to continue
to do these things, then they should re-enter discussions so we
can find a solution before disruption comes to Scotland."
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A Special Pay Meeting was held on Wednesday
2nd July 2008 at the Kintore Arms, Inverurie when a range of members
came along and heard the background to the ballot and the reasons
why UNISON, the GMB and T&G Unite are all recommending that
their members vote YES to strike action in support of an improved
offer.
The ballot will include members working for Scotland's 32 local
councils, local joint valuation boards and fire and rescue staff.
It will be carried out over the month of July.
Members of the other two unions representing local council staff
(GMB and Unite(T&G)) have also rejected the offer and will be balloting
their members during July.
UNISON's local government members in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland voted to take strike action over a similar 2.45% offer recently.
The first strike action days there will be 16 and 17 July.
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Why the unions are balloting for action
Bob Revie, Trade Union side negotiator said "CoSLA have failed
to respond to the rejection of their inadequate offer with anything
meaningful to address our members concerns. In particular they have
failed to tackle the issue that the offer increases the gap between
the higher and lower paid. At the bottom end the offer means a mere
15p per hour increase in the first year.
"It is clear that UNISON members in Scotland need to deliver a
clear 'YES' vote in the ballot to push Scottish employers into taking
their concerns seriously. But above all, I would urge all our local
government members to exercise their democratic right to vote"
UNISON and the other local government unions claimed an increase
of 5% or £1,000 (whichever was the greater), from 1 April 2008.
Scottish Local Councils have offered an increase of 2.5% a year
for the next three years.
The branch will be part of over 100,000 UNISON members working
for Scotland's local councils will follow their colleagues in the
rest of the UK in balloting for industrial action over their pay.
UNISON's local government members in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland voted by 55% to 45% for a programme of sustained strike
action over a 2.45% pay offer. Click
here for more information on the pay campaign in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland.
Stephanie Herd, Chair of UNISON's Scottish Negotiators said, "With
inflation running at 3-4%, and many items such as fuel and food
surging in price by 15 - 40% it is no wonder that members who deliver
our vital services reject being locked into a below-inflation deal
for the next three years. In addition, with fuel costs spiralling,
many staff who use their cars to do their work are effectively subsidising
employers. We hope that our employers will see that to deliver the
improved services we all want, we need staff who are properly paid
and qualified. Pay offers like their current one will do nothing
to attract and retain these staff."
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Unions lobby CoSLA as negotiations are cancelled
UNISON along with the GMB and T&G (Unite) lobbied the Scottish
employers organisation, CoSLA, on Wednesday 25 June.
Dougie Black, UNISONScotland Regional Organiser said "Despite public
statements from CoSLA that they are still in negotiation, the employers
cancelled a negotiating meeting scheduled for Wednesday. We decided
that our negotiators, and a representative number of our low paid
members, would keep the appointment nevertheless to make the point
to CoSLA that their offer is unacceptable.
"They carried the princely sum of 46p - the total that our lowest
paid members can expect their hourly rate to increase if they accepted
the employers' offer."
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