Pay Campaign

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Conference
2015 Special Local Government Conference
Date
4 February 2015
Decision
Carried

The Cymru Wales Local Government committee recognises that UNISON has to be reflective and self-critical over how we have managed pay campaigns across our Service Group over recent years but specifically over the conduct of how we managed the 2014/15 NJC pay campaign and how we dealt with the 2014-16 employers’ pay proposal.

As part of this reflection and self-criticism UNISON needs to accept that:

1)Membership density levels need to be significantly increased to improve our industrial effectiveness and ensure our ongoing recognition.

2)Membership engagement and education needs to be improved

3)Communication across the union needs to be both more proactive and quicker to respond to changing circumstances.

4)Activist training needs to be more systematically rolled out and monitored to improve economic awareness, political campaigning and leadership at all levels.

5)The union must develop a clear vision for the future of Local Government, to include valued and fairly paid staff, which would inspire our members and the general public as well as convincing local and national politicians. Local Government services are our nations’ ‘health’ service and should be as equally valued as our ‘sickness service’ the NHS.

6)The union must develop a clear alternative economic plan, to underpin our vision, which will deal with the need to redistribute wealth more equally so ending the policy fetish of austerity and ensuring that public services can be fairly funded across all the nations and regions of the UK.

7)The union needs to work to maximise unity in action with the other trade unions but to build the capacity, strength and will to act alone if necessary.

8)Any pay strategy needs to be devolution proof and adaptive to changing circumstances e.g. consideration of a future separate NJC for Wales.

The Wales Local Government Committee however recognises the good work that has already been carried out by:

a)The Service Group Executive in its review of the Local Government Service Group Pay Consultation Procedures which begins to address some of the 8 points above, in particular the need to maximise the engagement of members and activists.

b)The NJC Committee in its consideration and agreement of the “NJC Pay – Progressing Conference Motions” paper and the contained actions which also address some of the 8 points above.

This Special Conference is a unique opportunity, not to destructively beat ourselves up over past failings, but to start the process of determining a future pay strategy which will address all of the 8 points above but primarily inspire our members and strives to maintain unity in action.

The Cymru Wales Local Government Committee therefore calls on the Special Local Government Conference to endorse the work already carried out by the Service Group Executive and the NJC Committee on this issue and, in addition, instruct the Service Group Executive to:

i)Work with other Service Groups and the National Executive Committee to develop a clear economic plan which will deal with the need to redistribute wealth more equally and provide a convincing alternative to the policies of austerity and creates the conditions for our public services to be properly funded.

ii)Develop a clear vision for the future of Local Government, to include valued and fairly paid staff, which would inspire our members and the general public as well as convincing local and national politicians.

iii)Develop an overarching pay strategy that addresses the 8 points above and links up our union’s alternative economic plan, our vision for the future of Local Government and our need to build, engage and strengthen our membership.

This would then inform the sectors’ determination of pay claims and their responses to pay offers.