UNISON vote for strike

[CyberNerd]

Unison have voted to strike, 2 days in July.

I guess at the beginning of July, or it will have no impact whatsoever in schools.

 

The vote was over the 2.45% pay rise that the teachers also rejected.

 

BBC NEWS | Politics | Council workers vote for strike

[kmount]

Place'll fall apart in our absence ....

[CyberNerd]

do the servers strike too ?

[teejay]

We have a very unionised staff, especially amongst support staff after a few things that happened. Myself and all the techs are in Unison, so thats the network gone then.

Never used to believe in unions until I worked in a school, but now realise it's good to have some backup.

[somabc]

2.45%?

 

I think you should hold out for 14%

 

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44755000/gif/_44755009_pet_fo_hou_466_arrows.gif

 

RPI is 4.3%, I think 4.5% would be fair, 6% is too high

Edited June 23, 2008 by somabc

[joe90bass]

do the servers strike too ?

 

LOL!! If most, or all, of the support staff are out you'll find the school's shut anyway (canteen staff are UNISON in our place as well)

 

If the school is open a strike in Sympathy by the servers could easily be arranged, 'must have been a power outage in the night'

[Jobos]

do the servers strike too ?

 

It’s strange how those ethernet leads can work themselves loose

[Jobos]

Seriously, the last strike I can remember was in the summer holidays. There were only me and the cleaners in school. It was a real farce.

[localzuk]

I agree that we should be paid more. However, I don't agree with striking in schools. It is damaging to the kids education.

[MkII]

I liked it when we (Unison) used to do selective strikes - pulling key workers from departments that would cause maximum disruption, without causing any real damage.

 

 

Depends on your view of Education of course - to me Schools do more damage than good so striking schools would be a good thing!!

[mattx]

I don't agree with striking in schools.

 

Hmmmm, when faced with a crap payrise BELOW the rate of inflation and you have bills to pay and NO one is prepared to meet your demands and it down to you to feed your children, pay the bills and keep a roof over your head - you may feel differently.

My number one priority in life is the well being of my children - if that means having to strike to make a point then so be it.

 

[ I'm not a member of a union btw ]

 

The Gov calls for wage restraints but how the hell are people supposed to live ?

Maybe if they had the balls and taxed the mega rich at a proper rate and went after the earners who manage to tie up their money in clever accountants, people would not have to strike.

[localzuk]

Hmmmm, when faced with a crap payrise BELOW the rate of inflation and you have bills to pay and NO one is prepared to meet your demands and it down to you to feed your children, pay the bills and keep a roof over your head - you may feel differently.

My number one priority in life is the well being of my children - if that means having to strike to make a point then so be it.

 

I agree. But the well being of your children is put in jeopardy when people in schools strike. The education they receive is the most important part of their up bringing. With the economy in the state it is in, we all have to show restraint.

 

The Gov calls for wage restraints but how the hell are people supposed to live ?

Maybe if they had the balls and taxed the mega rich at a proper rate and went after the earners who manage to tie up their money in clever accountants, people would not have to strike.

 

I agree in part here, the government's taxing system is pretty useless. But at the same time, people are supposed to live by being frugal during a time when we need to be more careful. Out of control spending is what has put us in this situation in the first place. (I mean out of control spending via borrowing.)

[john]

I'm also not in a Union at present due to where I am, but I agree with them, and what Mattx has said, fine I don't have children but I do know that many people that are struggling to put food on the table for their kids and working stupid hours of overtime to try and make ends meet and give there kids that one day out in summer etc. Bills are stupid, costing more and more to put oil in the tank for heating my house, fuel in the car, electricity bill going through the roof etc, its not funny anymore. and I'm not even splashing out money! I haven't had a real holiday in 5 years now, 3 days in London isn't a full on holiday to me, thats more a week somewhere miles away, and I even took work to London with me thats how busy I was at that point!

 

Clamp down on all the idiots wasting money and tax the sods that have too much of it!

Edited June 23, 2008 by john

[Guest frances]

With the governant getting rid of the 10p tax band the amount of tax that I am paying has increased drastically. Inspite of a pay increase last April my net pay is less.

[Gatt]

Hmm... Strike... already got zero cash... a 13th month old toddler... loans.. wedding...

Can I really afford to strike?

 

In UNISON? Yes

In Favour?. Yes

Going to strike - unsure - but probably not..

[TechMonkey]

With the economy in the state it is in, we all have to show restraint.

 

Problem with this is I was watching some muppet minister telling us we had to show restraint but then when asked about the rising fuel and energy prices he says there is nothing the government can do. Now this just can't work in my head. Either they say, show restraint and we will sort things out or they say nothing.

 

But I'm sure they will show restraint with their MP allowances that are coming up.

[joe90bass]

Hmm... Strike... already got zero cash... a 13th month old toddler... loans.. wedding...

Can I really afford to strike?

 

In UNISON? Yes

In Favour?. Yes

Going to strike - unsure - but probably not..

 

When I saw the ballot was for two days action, the first thing I thought was whether or not I could afford two days without pay. As oe emember of staff here said, hopefully it will only be two days rather than months of one day at a time. I also have a wedding to save for, but luckily no kids (yet!) and the missus has recently moved in so her salary should help ease the situation.

 

Hopefully it will be resolved and we won't have to strike (I'm trying to be optimistic today!!)

[mattx]

Hmm... Strike... already got zero cash... a 13th month old toddler... loans.. wedding...

Can I really afford to strike?

 

In UNISON? Yes

In Favour?. Yes

Going to strike - unsure - but probably not..

 

And let me tell you, it gets more expensive as they get older. Don't get me started on the price of kids shoes.

I have two kids and my missus has only now just started working again [ part time ] after 8 years.

You have my backing if you strike - stand up and be counted.

[broc]

If 800,000 local govt workers all walk out on strike for 2 days it will be a 'gesture' that will have little or no long term impact. Unison will never get this level of action anyway as so many people in the union simply cannot afford to lose 2 days wages, especially where more than one wage earner in a household works in the public sector.

 

The union needs to nominate a much smaller number of key workers who can 'cripple' public services and call them out, being prepared for long-term action if necessary & have the rest of the union members fund strike pay so the strikers suffer no hardship. Then we might get a positive result.

 

For starters I would go for staff involved in LA finance, especially those involved in collecting Council tax, rent etc to impact council cashflow. I am sure there are others.....

 

Just look what a few tanker drivers achieved?

[plexer]

Typical I voted in response to the GMB request to accept the pay offer as last year I voted to not accept it but unison did as did most GMB members so it got accepted.

 

Ben

[Friez]

While I think it's not really fair to students (although they would say otherwise!) I think a strike action is right. Afterall, the government seem pretty hell bent on driving local government staff into poverty, it's about time such staff remind the government just how important they are and that they are really worth more.

 

At any rate, if prices keep rising as they do and wages do not, people will be forced to do jobs that are not in local government (i.e. leave for a private company) and that will be far more damaging for schools than a mere 2 days off.

[cookie_monster]

Unfortunately there is one problem here that is overlooked and that is local town and county are massively over staffed and there isn't any money to pay for it unless taxes are increased. It’s perceived in the public sector that people in industry are getting big pay increases which isn’t true (in general) so people in industry don’t want to see another tax rise to fund what they see as local government waste. The only way to achieve across the board pay increases currently is to lay off the excess staff.

 

Alt, my way would be to fight for stepped pay awards with the lowest earners awarded bigger pay rises than higher earners, any higher earners that moan I’d point out that it's that or higher taxes which do you prefer. Tough love

 

I do agree with not striking in schools but 'most' local government staff don't work in schools.

[Sirbendy]

but where does the increased money come from..?

 

Tax. So what will go up? Tax. If not, what will get cut back to provide the cash? Services..

 

Hmm. Face it, we're broke. The Gov't are brassic. Coffers are empty. Economy on a 1 way trip off a cliff. Shouting "Payrise" will hasten the end, mark my words.

 

I'd love a payrise after 8 years and countless new responsibilities and job roles..but it's not going to happen until we go to the new building I'd say..

 

Most people spend far more than they need and have far more than they require for living..Sky/cable/expensive kit/plasma TVs/fags/booze - it's all luxury items.

 

I'm on 13k. I've been on that wage since I started. The missus is on something similar. We're renting at 550/PCM (not including council tax and all that guff), and yet with careful budgeting and living within our means, and making do with older/cheaper kit..we're financially unbothered at this time.

 

It'd be nice to be paid more, but I'm not going to go crying because every other idiot wants a payrise or has had one..if people learned budgeting and thrift, they could manage far easier.

 

Sorry - I can't help but rant sometimes...screaming "I want a payrise" is SOMETIMES justifiable..but just to "keep up with the joneses"..? No.

 

I don't think the police or tanker drivers should have had the increase. I don't think MPs should be paid any more than we are. I think councils, schools, businesses..in fact most of what I see should be taken to task over spending, waste, and sheer idiocy in finance, and I think this country has developed into a whingy, greedy mess.

[cookie_monster]

I agree (to an extent) either it's a payrise for the lower earners or non this year, simply handing out more money will only fuel inflation and next year and we'll be back to square one. The best advice is to wait and see it the inflation problem is short term, if payrises stimulate inflation then the BOE will raise interest rates then people will realy feel it.

[pallen]

I dont see it as overstaffing as the problem, but more that there is too many staff who are rubbish at their job. Instead of being made redundant for not being able to do the job they have been employed to do, they are moved to another department where it becomes someone elses problem.

 

This leaves lots of people doing more work than they are employed to do and as a result they are being underpaid. The process of Job Evaluation was supposed to address this, but from my experience, its just been a cost cutting exercise.

 

Personally rather than work out how much of a rise people should get, I would have liked a proper Job Evaluation done where the poeple who do more than their contract get their pay scale adjusted up. The people who do less, get lowered. This to me would have made more sense that working out if 2.4% is enough.