Renfrewshire where the roof blew off - and the local council's works department
• the North Durham PFI Hospital which has had to put up a prefabricated extension to add extra beds workers for decent pay. to enable it to cope with
• the catering scheme in Nottingham's Queen's £4000 for all. Medical Centre which is valued at Elm but will cost
• the ongoing saga of the £l6 billion London Underground PPP which will require subsidies equivfares increase, but which turns out to commit the private conditions. companies to no new stations or trains for at least ten
Gordon Brown has hit back angrily at the unions' challenge to PFI, home pay, UNISON, the TGWU and GMB are calling upon all their local govemment members in union members accept the three-year dea London to strike again together on October 1. This day of industrial action will be mount. ed during Labour Party conference, and wil follow the strike action by London tube
The unions met the London employers on September 12 to hear a response to their Unity clarn of a flat rate London weighting of
The London employers offered to mple ment the 4 percent national pay offer to counci workers as soon as practicaly possi ble, although they thought that it would be 'challenging to meet the national pay award!
The London employers also wanted to review other condtions such as hours, and annual leave and maternity leave, which they thought were more generous than national
Al three unions rejected the so-called offer as there was no immediate increase in rise London weighting. They are now discussing a strategy of industrial action, including selective strike action by key workers on full takeAs we go to press, balloting on national pay in local governmert i just fishing, it wil mean setting for much less than could have been achieved. Northeless it will be a partial victory, pushing minimum pay over CS an hour for the frst time and at least keeping pace with inilation.
The unity of the three unions for this sec. ond day of joint action on London weighting will encourage members to strike.
The continuing action by the counci workers in London is part of broader carn paign of industrial action over pay in general and in London in particular
Teachers in the NUT are also preparing to ballot over London weighing. London tube workers have taken action, and fire-fighters seem to have taken over the fire brigade with union banners draping stations and appliances calling for the fire-fighters own pay
But to be effective, unions need to coordinate the days of action to maxmise their impact and demonstrate that the gloves are off for a national campaign against low pay.
page 24 of the scan
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