Several big unions will strike over public sector pay on 13-14-15 October, but as yet are discussing no follow-up.
At present inter-union communication happens only between general secretaries, or not at all. There should be a joint meeting of the unions' elected executive committees to discuss further action.
Widely-spaced national one day strikes, by themselves, will not win on pay. Unions should use creative tactics to maximise impact, maximise member involvement, and minimise impact on their members' pay.
Selective and rolling action, financed from strike funds, can increase impact.
On 27 September the Unite union reported that its members in the NHS in England and Northern Ireland had voted 62% for strikes over pay, and would start with a four hour stoppage alongside other NHS workers on Monday 13 October. On 29 September the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) announced an 82.2% majority in its strike ballot, and a decision also to strike on the 13th.
The unions will follow the four hour stoppage with a “work to rule”. Sadly, no union has given specific instructions on the “work to rule”, apart from an instruction to take the full entitlement of breaks.
Unison's work to rule in England runs to 17 October; Unite's, in England and Northern Ireland, to 9 November. Unite has called an overtime ban in ambulances until 19 October. The uncoordinated nature of this action could leave workers divided within their workplace.
UCATT, representing some maintenance and construction workers in the NHS, has announced that its members voted 77% for strike but has yet to name the date.
Unison, GMB and Unite local government workers will strike on 14 October, and PCS (the civil service union) on 15 October. Members of the lecturers' union UCU in Further Education colleges have rejected their 1% pay offer by 85%. They will strike on 14 October on the authority of a previous ballot. Activists in the rail union RMT are arguing for it to strike on the Tube on 14-15 October in its ongoing dispute over ticket office closures and job cuts.
The breadth of unions who have called action means that, after years of austerity with little fightback, most sections of the public sector will face strikes. This is far from insignificant. The width and variety of the strikes will signal to many workers that it is time to fight back against falling real wages.
Real wages have fallen by 8.2% between 2008 and 2013. In the public sector, by an average of 15%. The worst-hit have suffered a decline in living standards of over 20%.
On 25 September local government bosses made a "proposal" of an unconsolidated lump sum of between £250 and £100 to be paid in December, and a 2.2% pay increase on all pay points from 1 January 2015, with no further increase until 1 April 2016.
Those on the lowest pay scales would gain only £11 a year. The "proposal" of a 2.2% rise dated from January 2015 would also cost the employer less than the previous definite offer of a 1% increase dated from April 2014.
Unison has decided not to "consult" members, emphasising that the new plan is only a "proposal", not an offer, but underplaying how little it is worth. Activists in local government unions are lobbying their leaders clearly to reject the proposal. Accepting an offer that covers two years also rules out demands for further improvements from April 2015.
Even in PCS, which promotes itself as "the fighting union", activists report that the union has done almost no campaigning among members over pay since the last strike on 10 July. The pattern of calling national strikes without naming further dates or organising local action in between demobilises workers and signals to the government that it need only wait and sit out the action.
In the NHS, the generally-speaking-reasonable principle of granting exemptions from strikes for "life and limb cover" has been extended to such large sections of the workforce that strikes often have little impact. Many areas considered to be “life and limb” services are so chronically understaffed all the time that running the bank holiday staffing levels considered to be emergency cover means almost no-one on strike.
The unions should organise more creative discussion of strategy among health workers.
Too often union members are marched up to the top of the hill, and back down again, by union leaders, with little active involvement of the members themselves in the action. Strike committees within and between unions can involve members in persuading others to come out, organising picket lines, challenging bosses who try to open workplaces or use scabs, and discussing what action the union should take next.
Across the unions, meetings of striking workers on the strike days, rather than just passive rallies with “big name” speakers, can enable members to discuss strategy.
Building connections at the workplace level will be more difficult because of the strikes being spread over three days, but activists will organise solidarity visits and help with picketing duties where possible.
Union members should not be left asking “what next?” yet again, whilst they continue to face attacks on their pay and conditions.
Strike in October; build connections across unions; press for a strategy to win!
