Good luck to the UNISON, Unite and GMB members out on a one day strike today in Scotland over a below inflation pay offer (2.5%).
Check out the UNISON Scotland blog and the list of events on the main site.
This is what UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, had to say on the national issue regarding pay for all Local Government workers at the Labour Party conference today (Tuesday).
"We really do need you to treat our local government workers with dignity, respect and fairness," he said, urging communities and local government secretary Hazel Blears to step in and increase the "insulting" pay offer that had pushed workers throughout the UK into taking strike action.
"Hazel, you have to intervene. Don't prevaricate. You've got to get this mess sorted out. "Pay them fairly and they will vote for you in the next election."
Mr Prentis said local government workers should be celebrated, paying tribute to them as the hidden heroes of our society."Dinner ladies, street cleaners, social workers, bin men, home carers, meals on wheels; caring for our sick and our elderly and our children; picking up the pieces, often behind the scenes – all extraordinary people who I am proud and privileged to represent.
"Yet, he chided ministers, those same workers are bearing the brunt of an "unfair and unjust" pay policy based on the myth that public service pay causes inflation.If the government really wants to tackle inflation, it must tackle the obscene bonuses of boardroom bosses, Mr Prentis said.
It must curb the huge price hikes in fuel bills and tackle the greedy energy companies "making millions of pounds on the backs of our members … the working poor who are taking the hit, paying the price for years of deregulation."
If Labour is the party of fairness, he said, it must show it. "Now is the time for action against low pay. Now is the time to show our people that Labour is on their side, that we are the party of fairness, that when times get tough – unlike the Tories – we’ll be right there."
The Tories look after their own. Let Labour look after ours."
I think that if the Government is really concerned about fairness (and I think it is) then it must not repeat the mistake of the 10p tax rate debacle. It needs to find a way out of the public sector pay hole they have dug themselves into.
This is not simply about naked self interest (being subject to NJC – local government terms - I do declare an interest), Labour has got my vote and support anyway. There is simply no alternative for working people in this country other than the Labour Party. Never has been and in all probability, never will be.
But what will be crucial in May 2010 will be rallying enough traditional Labour voters out on the day to vote. It’s no use the Party thinking that traditional supporters will vote for them anyway since the alternative is the Tories. In these days of nice and cuddly “Dave” Cameron that just will not wash anymore.
Now the Party still has to attract other voters and I am sure that once an election is called people will blink before actually putting their cross on the ballot paper for Cameron. But the core Labour vote will count.
We don’t want to nationalise the commanding heights of the economy (well, I don’t anyway). We just want a Fair deal for our members so we can remind them of all the many great things that the Labour government have done for working people during the last 11 years and the disaster facing them if the Tories get in.
