- Conference
- 2015 Special Local Government Conference
- Date
- 28 January 2015
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that UNISON quite rightly has led the campaign against the Government’s public sector pay restraint policy. Local Government Conference in June 2014 agreed a pay strategy at the core of which was engagement of our membership in determining our pay strategy. The Northern Region recognises the impact of the Government’s pay policy and prioritised implementing the Conference pay strategy. Key to this has been workplace engagement with members to encourage them to participate in our democratic decision making structures. This ensures our members determine the unions approach on Local Government pay.
It is noted that criticism has been directed at the NJC representatives for proposing to withdraw strike action and recommending members vote on the 2014 pay claim. In the Northern Region NJC representatives were guided by the views of members in the Region, which was reflected in the ballot result to accept the pay proposals.
Conference it is important to ensure our democratic structures are robust, and the decisions made by the NJC are representative of our members’ views. Conference we need to continue to fight for a fair and decent pay award for our local government members, but we must ensure we are able to engage members in our pay campaigns. The engagement of our membership is a key element to any future pay campaign and will be essential to the delivery of any future industrial action strategy.
Conference UNISON needs to continue to fight for a fair and decent pay for all local government workers covered by the NJC. Any moves to break away from the NJC will lead to worse pay for our members.
Conference we call upon the SGE to:
1)Continue to support branches to ensure that our members’ interest in pay is maintained.
2)Continue to use our existing policies and procedures when negotiating pay on behalf of our members, as amended by the current SGE consultation process.