Unison

I recently attended Unison's national delegate conference in Bournemouth as a delegate from a London local government branch. It was an eye opening experience with respect to the machinations of political groupings within the union.

In particular some of the ways in which the new Labour-linked bureaucracy maintained control over the supposedly lay lead organisation became clear.

One of the biggest outbreaks of industrial unrest for years will see tens of thousands of job centre workers, coastguards, driving examiners and other Government employees join a strike next month by council employees.

More than half a million local authority workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are staging a two-day walkout on July 16 and 17 after rejecting a 2.45% pay offer.

UNISON balloted for strike action after rejecting a 2.45% pay offer. The government's 2% pay increase target for public sector pay has become increasingly stark against inflation - with sharp increases in the cost of fuel and basic necessities internationally.

If their decision is confirmed by the 450,000 NHS workers in Unison next week, the government may be forced to abandon its attempt to reach a long-term settlement.

UNISON members were given the green light for a ballot on industrial action after rejecting the pay offer from employers.

The offer is below the current inflation rate of 4.2% and less that the increase in average earnings across the economy.

The offer is for a 2.45% increase, with an additional £100 flat rate increase on the very lowest three scale points.

Inspections of nurseries, children's care homes, childminding services and boarding schools will all be hit. Ofsted has imposed a below inflation pay deal along with a new pay structure, which members of UNISON and the PCS have rejected.

This is the latest public sector stoppage over sub-inflationary pay rises - real pay cuts

Employer attacks on workers' pay is the main issue at stake.

Teachers in the NUT are walking out over their pay deal which was supposed to be revised when inflation rose, but the government refused: effectively cutting their wages.

Council workers will be protesting against the new pay and grading system imposed by Birmingham council last week, affecting 40,000 staff.

UNISON has branded the structure discriminatory. Though it was designed to end wage inequalities, some workers will lose up to half their pay.

Following a proposal of three years of sub-inflationary pay rises UNISON Head of Health, Karen Jennings, said that she would be "asking our executive to consider recommending this deal to members as a well-balanced package"

The proposed deal gives 2.75% in the first year.

In year 2 it gives 2.54%. Those on the lowest point will receive an increase of 5.7%.

Last week Nottingham Indymedia spoke with Barbara, who has worked in Nottingham's libraries for many years. In this interview she voices her anger over the decision by the City Council to introduce uniforms for library staff. More so, she talks about the ever degrading library service and the bully tactics deployed by City Council managers to keep its staff in line..

The strike is now set to be replaced by a "national Unison campaign". In place of industrial action the union is supporting a claim for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal, an early day motion by Unison sponsored MPs and looking to organise a national lobby of parliament in the New Year.

The appeal, which bosses deliberated over for a week, attempted to overturn the decision to dismiss Reissman, who was sacked for 'gross misconduct' after criticising cuts to NHS services in the media.

The day care workers are employed in ten centres across Glasgow offering support and care to people with a physical and learning disability. Their day to day work involves supporting a wide range of people, from those with a mild learning disability who need help accessing community resources and employment, to those with complex needs who require a high level of care.

More than 150 staff, who care for 1,000 seriously-ill psychiatric patients, are on picket lines across Manchester and say they will not return to work until senior nurse Karen Reissmann is reinstated.

The strike follows the decision of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust bosses to sack Ms Reissmann on Monday.

Citing the low turnout and the close result of the ballot, the UNISON National joint council rejected industrial action by a large vote. The result stood at 51.6% in support of action, with a 24.4% turnout. However, many members did not recieve ballot papers in time - or indeed at all - as a result of the recent postal workers dispute.

UNISON members who work for Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust are protesting about the ongoing suspension of their branch chair and national health executive member, Karen Reissmann.

This coincides with the disciplinary hearing for their branch chair, Karen Reissmann. There will be a mass lobby of the hearing Thursday 18th October 8am, at the Trust’s headquarters (Chorlton House, 70 Manchester Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9UN) where the disciplinary hearing will take place.

In a statement, UNISON said:

The pre-budget report commits the Treasury to "public pay settlements consistent with the government's achievement of the government's inflation target of 2%" and urges departments to ensure "total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within departments' overall expenditure plans".

- but they weren’t surprised.

UNISON, who represent 5,500 healthworkers in Leicestershire, described the decision to pay Mr Smith such a huge amount of money as “an insult to the commitment and dedication of ordinary healthworkers”.