local government
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in the public and charity sectors. It includes housing, but does not include most nationalised industries like health, transport or security forces.
Making their minds up? Unions ballot for pension strikes
For the third time in two years, the major unions have agreed to ballot for a general strike over public sector pensions.
The news follows the splitting of the public sector pensions agenda into ‘national’ and ‘local’, with national-level workers getting a guarantee of immunity from pension changes for existing workers last years.
Local government workers were told they would have to negotiate their own terms separately, leading to the secondary confrontation.
1.5 million may strike over pensions
Workers in nine different unions are to be balloted for strike action over Whitehall plans to alter the local government pensions scheme.
Unison, AMICUS, the Transport and General Workers Union, GMB, FBU and the NUT are amongst the unions involved, in what has been described as potentially the largest walk-out since the general strike of 1926. Talks have been going on for a year around the issue.
Council workers may strike over Westminster-Dingwall move
Westminster Council workers threaten strike after being told they must move to the north of Scotland or face redundancy
More than 400 workers at Westminster City Council offices are threatening strike action after a shock announcement on Friday that they are to be evicted from their offices. The staff were outsourced by the council to a private company in 2002, and have been told they must relocate to Dingwall in the far north of Scotland, or face redundancy.
Stroud council could face strike over restructuring
Workers at Stroud District Council have voted to take industrial action over restructuring plans.
Members from public service union Unison voted by 80% to consider strike action because the council wants to create a "flexible workforce".
The council has insisted the changes are needed to meet the challenges faced by the authority.
Council officials said they are willing to re-engage with unions at any time to resolve the problem.
Tower Hamlets strike over staff victimised for opposing stock transfer
Staff at Tower Hamlets council began a two day strike today after a housing campaigner lost her job after working for the council for 14 years.
There will be a picket of the council offices over the course of the two day strike in solidarity for Eileen Short, after her job 'ceased to exist' during a town hall reorganisation. Ms Short is also a council tenant and member of the national committee for Defend Council Housing.
Pensions - the misleading 85 rule
Over the last week, more divisive mis-representations from the government have appeared regarding public sector pensions.
They have attacked the '85' rule which they wish to see abolished. The rule states that where an employee's age plus his/her years of service is equal to, or greater than 85, then they are eligible to retire. The example given, by the government, is that of a person aged 60 with 25 years service retiring on full pension.
Unions back down, public sector workers split in pensions deal
The government has claimed a victory in the pensions crisis after they secured their target for total pensions savings up to 2055.
Negotiations between the Trade and industry Department and the Trades Union Council wound up last month after an agreement was reached that existing workers would be exempt from plans to raise the age of retirement and sever the link between pensions and final salaries.
