- Conference
- 2015 Special Local Government Conference
- Date
- 1 January 2015
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference condemns the continuing refusal by the government to give public service workers, and particularly local government staff, a proper pay rise. Years of pay freezes and pay caps in local government mean that many of our members are now forced to rely on in-work benefits or to take on extra jobs; in some cases even seeing members having to access food banks! In a Victorian Britain this may have been believable – in 2014, this is a disgrace!!
Conference therefore congratulates those activists and members who have taken a stand by going on strike in pursuit of an improved pay offer and commits to continuing to fight for decent pay awards for local government workers.
Conference also recognises that the settlement for 2014 – 2016 falls short of what members need to improve their living standards. Nonetheless conference notes that the decision to accept was the decision of UNISON members and must therefore be respected.
Conference believes that the Special Local Government Conference to be held on 24 March 2015 should establish a unified and positive climate for the NJC pay campaign and negotiations in 2016. These are likely to be held in an ongoing context of public sector pay restraint and further cuts in local government and will require the maximum possible unity within UNISON and between the NJC trade unions.
Conference notes:
1) The business to be considered at the Special Local Government Conference on 24 March 2015.
2) The decision of the NJC Committee held on 9 October to suspend the strike action planned for 14 October by 20 votes to 9.
3) The further decision of the NJC Committee held on 9 October to consult members over the new proposals by 24 votes to 5 as the best achievable by negotiation.
4) The outcome of the consultation over the 2014-16 NJC pay offer, in which 64% of members accepted the offer.
Conference further notes the constructive discussion held at the NJC Committee meeting on 14 November on the paper “NJC Pay – Progressing Conference Motions” and decisions relating to the NJC pay claim for 2016. This paper has been circulated to branches and discussed at the Local Government Service Group Executive’s (SGE) Pay and Conditions Working Group and the SGE itself and further discussed at the NJC Committee on 28 January.
The UNISON NJC Committee on 14 November agreed:
a) That the NJC pay claim for 2016 should ideally be agreed with GMB and Unite and submitted as early as possible in 2015 to enable us to ensure that councils include sufficient funds in their 2016 budgets for an acceptable pay increase for our members.
b) The paper “NJC Pay – Progressing Conference Motions” and the following key actions included in the paper:
i) Ensure a UK perspective and devolution-proofing in our pay and conditions campaigns and bargaining, including the discussion on a separate NJC for Wales
ii) Place women and gender equality at the heart of our work on NJC pay – as 78% of NJC workers are now women and over 60% of all jobs are part-time
iii) Ensure joint working between the NJC unions at NJC, regional and local level, based on agreed actions wherever possible.
iv) Seek to develop a joint trade union vision for local government services to inform NJC pay campaigns and bargaining strategy.
v) Build our bargaining and industrial strength by placing recruitment and organising at the heart of the 2016 pay campaign and beyond, holding a widespread debate at all levels within UNISON about the most effective collective bargaining mechanisms for the future and attempting to strengthen the NJC by all possible means including bringing ‘opted out’ councils back.
vi) Negotiate ‘a stronger collective agreement, adequately financed’, seeking to resist further cuts to pay and conditions at local level and bargaining locally to improve conditions.
vii) Develop effective and lawful industrial action according to UNISON’s procedures at NJC and local level to resist cuts to pay and conditions and secure pay offers our members deserve, informed by current membership and density information.
viii) Develop a strategy of political ‘re-engagement’ over pay and conditions issues across the NJC nations at all levels, with a focus on all sympathetic political parties and engaging Labour Link
ix) Raise awareness amongst our membership and the public of local government services and local government workers, working closely with organisations such as LGIU, APSE and CLES.
Conference further notes the decision of the NJC Committee on 28 January 2015 to:
A) Consult branches over the potential 2016 NJC pay claim to be agreed with GMB and Unite, once UNISON’s Regional Local Government Committees have had the opportunity to give their views;
B) Agree the action plan to implement the proposals in the paper “NJC Pay – Progressing Conference Motions”;
In light of the above and the recognition within the Local Government Service Group of the right of sectors to determine pay claims and responses to pay offers, Conference therefore calls on the Service Group Executive to:
I) Endorse the approach agreed by the UNISON NJC Committee to consultation over the 2016 NJC pay claim and maximise the engagement of members and branches in the consultation process;
II) Call for coherent UNISON policies to challenge austerity and provide the basis for improved pay offers that our members deserve, using our collective strength alongside GMB and Unite;
III) Engage with the agreed action plan arising from “NJC Pay – Progressing Conference Motions” and ensure the maximum engagement of members and activists in ensuring its success;
IV) Give full support to the proposed recruitment and organising campaign, which will be developed through the SGE’s Recruitment and Organising sub-group to strengthen UNISON’s industrial and bargaining power and to develop our abilities to influence change in the workplace and the wider community, also enabling us to show clearly the difference our members make to the effective running of Public Services.
V) Ensure that effective and lawful industrial action, according to UNISON’s procedures at NJC and local level to resist cuts to pay and conditions and secure pay offers that our members deserve, informed by current membership and density information, remain an important weapon in our armoury
44 NJC Local Government Committee
40 East Midlands
23 Derbyshire County
Amendment A.1
(Amendments 44.1 and 44.2)
In existing point 4) delete “pay offer” and replace with “proposals”
In existing point 4) delete “the offer” and replace with “the proposals as presented to them.”
Renumber existing point 4) as point 5)
Insert new point 4) as follows:
4) That members were consulted on a proposal that was not an offer at that point in time. This was contrary to the applicable Service Group Pay Consultation Procedures as agreed by Local Government Service Group Conference.
After B) delete the following paragraph (beginning “In light of the above …”) in full and replace with new paragraph as follows:
Conference affirms that Sector Committees of the Local Government Service Group are established by the Local Government Service Group Conference in accordance with Rule D 3.7 and are ultimately accountable to the Local Government Service Group Conference.
This Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to:
Insert new paragraph at end of existing motion as follows:
Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to ensure the policies and procedures used when negotiating and consulting at service group and sector level are those as determined, agreed or amended by the Local Government Service Group Conference.
44.1 Salford City Unison
44.2 Manchester Branch