UNISON Stirling Branch is reporting huge support for its strike today against a 4.5% pay cut. "With council pay already falling 13% behind, means a whopping 17.5% hit on Stirling Council workers", said branch treasurer Andy Douglas reporting from the picket line earlier.
Branch secretary James Douglas explained: “The council’s offer is insulting - the combination of a 1.5% pay cut and the requirement to work an extra 7.5 days a year, actually amounts to a 4.5% pay cut for the majority. This comes on top of a three year pay freeze which has meant a real terms pay cut of about 13%. And the proposal to move to a 37 hour week also means a reduction in hourly rate of pay for all including the lowest paid.
“These proposals are by far the worst faced by any council in Scotland. But it was not local government workers or the people who rely on our services who caused the economic crisis - and we should not be forced to pay for it. We certainly do not appear to be ‘all in this together’.”
Pickets were reporting great support from other council unions. Management plans to subvert the strike by moving council vehicles overnight failed as GMB workers refused to touch them.
James Douglas added: “We hope that a one day strike will send a clear message to both Stirling Council and its management team that enough is enough. We believe that this will force the council to think again. The changes to terms and conditions affect all of us, therefore we need to stand together and be prepared to fight for our rights.”
For more info see
http://www.stirlingunison.co.uk/ and
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2013/julaug/2208.htm
I feel disgusted that Bob Jack said we were not "bullied" as we were. Some people I know, including myself, signed the contract adding onto it that it was signed under duress and because of the threatening letter of dismissal which was signed by Bob Jack.
ReplyDeleteTime for UNISON to unite across Scotland against cuts in pay, pensions, conditions or services and jobs? Why are we not doing more to protect public services and jobs across Scotland or are we going to lie down to Tory cuts and the inability of any socialist response to these cuts. Come on UNISON get a grip and call a national strike.....coordinate it across all the authorities so that on any given day there is at least one council on strike everyday for three months?? One day strikes dont work....will we ever learn?
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