The latest unemployment figures showed a small drop in the number of people unemployed, but closer inspection reveals there is no reason to celebrate. The figures mask the number of under-employed – those on zero hours contracts and people looking for full-time work but forced into part-time, low paid or temporary jobs.
And even for those in work many do not earn enough to escape poverty. Two thirds of poor children are now from families where an adult works – around 2m children. The gap between the wealthy and those at the bottom is growing and many young adults face being worse off than their parents in the future – a situation that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
None of this will come as a surprise to members suffering from the government’s freeze and squeeze on their pay at the same time as the price of essentials just keeps on going up. Today npower became the latest energy company to raise electricity and gas prices way above the rate of inflation. This will add to the misery of families struggling to pay already sky-high utility bills.
So it is not surprising that members in higher education have said enough is enough and voted for strike action. The joint action with UCU and Unite signals the very real anger and frustration of members facing another below inflation 1% offer. I have pledged full support to the strike, which will go ahead on 31 October and I am urging branches to give them their full backing.
Frustration with this government over pay runs high across the union and it is against this background that our local government group have launched a campaign for a £1 an hour increase on all council workers’ pay for 2014/15. It is shocking to know that the £1 an hour rise would just bring the bottom rate of pay in local government up to the living wage. In fact more than 75% of the local government workforce are paid below the current living wWage – £7.45 an hour.
The local government campaign involves joint working with GMB and Unite, putting the full weight of three big unions behind the call for fairer pay. We know that together we are stronger and that is why building on our recruitment campaign is so essential. So talk to your colleagues about joining UNISON – get involved in your branch and let’s make this union stronger still.