Birmingham UNISON is currently balloting for industrial action over the new contract
where the Council increase the flexibility they introduced when they forced that 2008 contract on us, and this time we also lose most of our "allowances" like weekend enhancement, shift pay and some hours of night-pay. "perhaps 7,000 jobs are to go" the press and media say, and we know there have already been compulsory redundancies plus loads of jobs disappeared through voluntary redundancy -
Of course we have to strike, but there are problems!
on 30th June there should be a lot of public-sector workers on strike: the PCS civil servants' union is striking that day, as are the NUT and NAS/UWT teachers' unions, as well as others. Unfortunately the FBU firefighters' union conference agreed with their 'leadership' and decided to "further consult the members" rather than call a strike over attacks on their pensions....
and the talk of the UNISON Branch leaders has been that action shall "start on Wednesday 29th June" but we have only just received the ballot
which says it must be returned to the Electoral Reform Commission by 10am 21st June then i guess they got to count them (it's a government agency interfering in the running of the trade unions) and the union leadership then has to decide on date/s for the action (which could be strikes or could be "action short of strike") and give so many days of notice to the employer.
all public sector workers should strike together, and we should establish bodies to co-ordinate our action and press our aims together making us stronger
Monday, 6 June 2011
Friday, 18 June 2010
election statement of Social Services worker
Election statement, UNISON Birmingham Local Govt Branch elections 2010/11
WHAT are the problems?
*destruction of Council services, meaning redundancies. UNISON have never opposed the "closure programme" that has meant the destruction of many many homes and other facilities. Now the redundancies have started, UNISON meekly calls for them to be "voluntary" while signing up to "jobseeker sessions" to train for jobs that might not exist.
*lack of members' meetings, effectively disenfranchising us as our jobs and the services we provide disappear - regular UNISON Branch meetings that any member may attend must be started or re-started, so that members can see and affect what's happening!
*the attacks being prepared for us as public sector workers even if Labour manage to hold on to Government can only be realistically opposed by a struggle for the extension of all Council services - trying to "minimise the attack" is not good enough!
The destruction in Younger Adults LD (where I work) has already been huge, and continues - it's the same throughout the Council, and the unions have to FIGHT: the only chance of saving us from the private sector!
UNISON needs shaking up, and I shall be about resistance to every attack upon our jobs and/or our services!
Steven Thorpe-Revins, Social Services UNISON rep
WHAT are the problems?
*destruction of Council services, meaning redundancies. UNISON have never opposed the "closure programme" that has meant the destruction of many many homes and other facilities. Now the redundancies have started, UNISON meekly calls for them to be "voluntary" while signing up to "jobseeker sessions" to train for jobs that might not exist.
*lack of members' meetings, effectively disenfranchising us as our jobs and the services we provide disappear - regular UNISON Branch meetings that any member may attend must be started or re-started, so that members can see and affect what's happening!
*the attacks being prepared for us as public sector workers even if Labour manage to hold on to Government can only be realistically opposed by a struggle for the extension of all Council services - trying to "minimise the attack" is not good enough!
The destruction in Younger Adults LD (where I work) has already been huge, and continues - it's the same throughout the Council, and the unions have to FIGHT: the only chance of saving us from the private sector!
UNISON needs shaking up, and I shall be about resistance to every attack upon our jobs and/or our services!
Steven Thorpe-Revins, Social Services UNISON rep
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