Workers Get May Day Militancy
bring down blair | 27.03.2002 18:01
London council strikes loom
Simon Parker
Wednesday March 27, 2002
More than 50,000 local government workers in London are set to take crippling industrial action a day before this year's council elections, dashing Labour's hopes of consolidating its grip on the capital's town halls.
Leaders of the public sector union Unison claim the action will represent a vote of no confidence in the government as well as a protest against what they say are insufficient levels of London wage weighting for their members.
The news comes just weeks after teachers staged a London-wide strike over the same issue, fully or partially closing nearly 800 inner London and home counties schools.
Geoff Martin, Unison's London convenor, told SocietyGuardian.co.uk: "Our members are extremely angry with Labour in London for failing to meet what we think is a reasonable claim." The union represents around half of the capital's council workforce.
The dispute centres on Unison's call for a hike of around £1,500 in the London weighting paid by councils, bringing the average size of the living allowance to £4,000. That claim has been rejected by the capital's boroughs, which say it would up their pay costs by 9.5% and cost £240m a year.
A consultative ballot of the union's members showed that nearly 85% were in favour of strike action, and the Unison leadership expects a similar result in a final, formal ballot.
Mr Martin said that with strike action impending he could see no prospect of Unison supporting Labour local councillors who had "stabbed" union members in the back. If the legal timetable for strike action allows, he wants to see strikes going ahead on May 1.
The London assembly, elected to scrutinise the work of mayor Ken Livingstone, recently launched the first enquiry into wage weighting for almost three decades.
A spokeswoman for the Association of London Government, which represents the capital's councils, said: "Union moves towards industrial action are regrettable. Striking will not find London an extra £240m. Industrial action could severely affect council services meaning ordinary members of the public would suffer."
Simon Parker
Wednesday March 27, 2002
More than 50,000 local government workers in London are set to take crippling industrial action a day before this year's council elections, dashing Labour's hopes of consolidating its grip on the capital's town halls.
Leaders of the public sector union Unison claim the action will represent a vote of no confidence in the government as well as a protest against what they say are insufficient levels of London wage weighting for their members.
The news comes just weeks after teachers staged a London-wide strike over the same issue, fully or partially closing nearly 800 inner London and home counties schools.
Geoff Martin, Unison's London convenor, told SocietyGuardian.co.uk: "Our members are extremely angry with Labour in London for failing to meet what we think is a reasonable claim." The union represents around half of the capital's council workforce.
The dispute centres on Unison's call for a hike of around £1,500 in the London weighting paid by councils, bringing the average size of the living allowance to £4,000. That claim has been rejected by the capital's boroughs, which say it would up their pay costs by 9.5% and cost £240m a year.
A consultative ballot of the union's members showed that nearly 85% were in favour of strike action, and the Unison leadership expects a similar result in a final, formal ballot.
Mr Martin said that with strike action impending he could see no prospect of Unison supporting Labour local councillors who had "stabbed" union members in the back. If the legal timetable for strike action allows, he wants to see strikes going ahead on May 1.
The London assembly, elected to scrutinise the work of mayor Ken Livingstone, recently launched the first enquiry into wage weighting for almost three decades.
A spokeswoman for the Association of London Government, which represents the capital's councils, said: "Union moves towards industrial action are regrettable. Striking will not find London an extra £240m. Industrial action could severely affect council services meaning ordinary members of the public would suffer."
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