Unison members in schools and local government will be receiving their ballot papers in the week starting 5 December. The union has started balloting 370,000 council and school staff for strike action over the “inadequate” pay offer. It is calling on its members to vote for strike action.
Unison, GMB, and Unite have called for a 10% pay rise for council workers. Members in all three unions have voted to reject the offer. Unite are due to ballot soon, and the GMB has gone back to members for further consultation.
Unison head of local government Mike Short said: “This inadequate pay offer shows [workers] are undervalued, particularly with the cost of living being ramped up. They should be given the credit they’re due and rewarded properly”.
The anti-union laws mean Unison requires a 50% turn out, 185,000 ballots returned by post, in order to go ahead with strikes. This will be difficult to achieve, especially with many local government workers working from home.
All members should vote yes for action and get organised in their branch to maximise turnout.
Unison’s consultation of members in NHS England about action on their pay closed on 5 December. Detailed results are not out yet, but on 7 Dec members were messaged to say “we have not heard from enough members to be confident we could progress to a formal ballot which would meet the legal threshold”. (Officials gave 45% as their minimum target turnout).
With a sprawling workforce, spread across many grades and sectors and shift patterns, it would always be difficult to get high turnout without officials deploying the union’s full resources for an intense campaign, and they hadn’t done that.
The RCN, the biggest union among nurses, reported on 2 December about its consultation. In England, 23% voted, with 89% for action short of strike. 54% for strike. In Wales, 29% voted, 91% for action short of strike, 56% for strikes.
