Council workers complain about union sellout
Member | 14.02.2008 20:14 | Workers' Movements | Nottinghamshire
Employees at Nottinghamshire County Council have filed a complaint against their own union in protest against the manner it has acted during a recent pay dispute.
According to the BBC, several council workers have written to the Certification Officer, David Cockburn (who acts as a union watchdog), alleging that Notts County Unison failed to ballot all its members over a new pay structure proposed by the council.
Councils across the country have been restructuring pay grades, ostensibly to bring them in line with equality laws. Many workers, however, will find themselves considerably worse off after the new arrangement is implemented. ironically, given the stated motivation for the new structure, 73% of those set to lose out are female.
While the local branch of Unison has endorsed and agreed to the new structure in Notts, elsewhere the union has organised strikes. In Birmingham more than 20,000 council workers took part in the largest industrial action the city had seen in thirty years on February 5. Several Scottish authorities have also seen strikes.
Anger over the new arrangement is very high amongst council employees. An online petition on the issue has attracted more than 2,000 signatures. Workers have organised a Fair Pay Action Group (FPAG) to coordinate action against the new structure and in December 200 council employees protested outside County Hall.
Anger is not restricted to the council and a number of Unison members have left in protest at the union's behaviour. At last years demonstration, one protesting worker complained, "I am still reeling from the unfairness of the job evaluation – I’m to lose £6,000. I can’t believe that unions are happy to allow myself and 3,500 workers from the county council to take pay cuts of this magnitude. Aren’t unions supposed to represent all their members?"
Peter Taylor, a council employee and leading figure in the FPAG told the BBC "These proposals were never put before the Unison members in advance of their acceptance. So there was never a mandate from the Unison members for the branch representatives to give that yes to the council. The process was flawed throughout."
Even if he finds against Unison, Cockburn can do nothing more serious that criticise the union's failings. Nevertheless, being challenged in such a way by its members can only be embarrassing for an organisation which is supposed to defend the interests of workers.
*****
Fair Pay Action Group
http://ncc.fairpay.org.uk/
Notts County Unison
http://www.nottsunison.org.uk
Certification Officer
http://www.certoffice.org
Councils across the country have been restructuring pay grades, ostensibly to bring them in line with equality laws. Many workers, however, will find themselves considerably worse off after the new arrangement is implemented. ironically, given the stated motivation for the new structure, 73% of those set to lose out are female.
While the local branch of Unison has endorsed and agreed to the new structure in Notts, elsewhere the union has organised strikes. In Birmingham more than 20,000 council workers took part in the largest industrial action the city had seen in thirty years on February 5. Several Scottish authorities have also seen strikes.
Anger over the new arrangement is very high amongst council employees. An online petition on the issue has attracted more than 2,000 signatures. Workers have organised a Fair Pay Action Group (FPAG) to coordinate action against the new structure and in December 200 council employees protested outside County Hall.
Anger is not restricted to the council and a number of Unison members have left in protest at the union's behaviour. At last years demonstration, one protesting worker complained, "I am still reeling from the unfairness of the job evaluation – I’m to lose £6,000. I can’t believe that unions are happy to allow myself and 3,500 workers from the county council to take pay cuts of this magnitude. Aren’t unions supposed to represent all their members?"
Peter Taylor, a council employee and leading figure in the FPAG told the BBC "These proposals were never put before the Unison members in advance of their acceptance. So there was never a mandate from the Unison members for the branch representatives to give that yes to the council. The process was flawed throughout."
Even if he finds against Unison, Cockburn can do nothing more serious that criticise the union's failings. Nevertheless, being challenged in such a way by its members can only be embarrassing for an organisation which is supposed to defend the interests of workers.
*****
Fair Pay Action Group
http://ncc.fairpay.org.uk/ Notts County Unison
http://www.nottsunison.org.uk Certification Officer
http://www.certoffice.org
Member
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