One day left to strike Hundreds of thousands of UNISON members delivering vital local government and education services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be on strike on Thursday 10 July, demanding that employers get back to the negotiating table and deliver fair pay. They will be joined by colleagues in GMB and Unite. Other public service workers in unions including the FBU, PCS and NUT will be also taking action on the day in their own disputes. The whole of UNISON needs to pull out as many stops as possible to make sure the action is a success; one that brings the employers back to the negotiating table and delivers a decent pay rise for our members. As general secretary Dave Prentis noted: Its the strength of turnout that will make the strike successful. Taking strike action is not an easy decision for members or this union. We prefer to do what we do best - provide quality services for the public. But UNISON members - along with GMB and Unite - have decided that enough is enough and that strike action is necessary to make the employers see sense. We need all members to work with us to get the maximum possible turnout. Peter Crews, RCT Branch secretary, commented: “None of us can afford to lose a day’s pay, but if we don’t stand up for ourselves our pay will keep falling behind the cost of living. The government have this week indicated they will be pegging our pay back below inflation till at least 2018. It is time to say enough is enough. We appreciate that none of our members can afford to lose a day’s pay and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that supports the strike. Remember, we are not doing this for ‘the union’ we are doing this for each other, as you, the members, are the union and members will have to live with the pay settlement that comes at the end of this dispute.” Five reasons to support the strike 1. You can’t afford another pay and pension cut: The current government offer leaves most workers with pay worth almost 20% less than in 2010. Falling pay also means loss of pension for the rest of your life. 2. You are worth fair pay for the work you do: Your pay and conditions are the worst in the public sector - from top to bottom. 3. Taking another pay cut won’t save jobs and services: Despite a pay freeze, jobs have gone and services continue to be stripped to the bone, privatised or stopped all together. There’s no reason to believe a pay cut will stop this. 4. All this will continue unless we act now: Low pay is bad for workers and bad for the economy. That’s why politicians from all parties are calling for an end to low pay. Many local government workers rely on benefits to pay bills. Right now, the taxpayer is subsidising local government to pay poverty wages. 5. Our claim for a minimum of £1 more an hour for all is affordable: Paying all local government workers a living wage will boost Treasury coffers by around £0.9bn every year from increased tax and national insurance take - shifting many off in-work benefits and reducing the bill to taxpayers. Join us on the picket line! As you should be aware by now, all but five buildings will be closed on the day of the strike. UNISON will be picketing these buildings from 06:30 in the morning. Feel free to come along and spend a few hours with us on the picket line asking colleagues to support the democratically taken decision to strike. The buildings to be picketed are as follows 1. Ty Trevithick – Abercynon. 2. Clydach Vale – Rhondda. 3. Bronwydd – Porth. 4. Ty Elai – Williamstown. 5. Sardis House – Pontypridd. Marches and rallies will be taking place across Wales. Cardiff - Temple of Peace, Edward VII Avenue in Cardiff (opposite Welsh Government offices in Cathays) for the rally between 12 noon and 1pm. Swansea - Rally in Castle Square from 12 noon. Wrexham - March through town. Assemble 11.30 am at Queens square by the Wrexham County Guildhall. March off towards Llwyn Isaf, down Chester Street, up High street, Hope street, Regent street, King Street and Rhosddu Road back to Queens Square for the rally at 12 noon. Bangor - March through town. Assemble 11.30am, assemble at the Clock in the main pedestrian area and March through High Street and Farrar Road back to the Clock tower for the rally at 12 noon. Carmarthen - Rally in Notts Square, Carmarthen from 12 noon. Merthyr Tydfil - Rally outside the Civic Centre, assemble 12 noon These events are supported by the Wales TUC and all of the trade unions taking strike action on 10 July -UNISON, GMB, UNITE, NUT , PCS and FBU). “The Con-Dem government has had local government pay and conditions squarely in its sights since 2010, says UNISON Cymru/ Wales head of local government Dominic MacAskill. A pay freeze in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and below-inflation rises in eight of the last 17 years has sent the pay packets of local government and school workers plummeting back to the level of the 1990s. Many council workers in Wales have been left struggling to get by, with some relying on foodbanks, second jobs and in-work benefits to make ends meet. In-work poverty and the cost of living crisis are real and pressing issues for a growing number of our members. This year’s offer would result in a cumulative real-term cut of almost 20% for more than one million local government and school workers.” UNISON is urging the employers to get back to the negotiating table with an offer that recognises the invaluable contribution members make to their local communities. Mr MacAskill will be the main speaker at the Swansea rally, while regional secretary Margaret Thomas will be the main speaker at the Wrexham rally. Join us on social media We will be endeavouring to keep our social media up today throughout the day , follow us on Facebook and Twitter https://facebook/RCTUNISON and https://twitter/RCTUNISON. You can also share your stories with UNISON nationally. What do falling wages mean to you or your family? Why are you supporting the strike? What are you doing on the day? Tell us your story and share your pictures – it’s easy: just use the hashtag #J10 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Flickr or email [email protected]. You can also share your stories with the BBC – “Are you planning to take part in Thursdays industrial action? Email us at [email protected] adding pay in the subject heading and including your contact details”. For other tips on using social media, go to unison.org.uk/njc-14-soc-media-30-june
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 10:59:19 +0000
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