Council pay: looking to 2023

Unison members in local government and schools have voted 64% to 36% to accept the offer of £1,925 flat rate (based on a 37-hour week) for all members. The turnout was 34%, significantly higher than the turnout in the industrial action ballot in December 2021, when only 14% of members took part.

Unison nationally made no recommendation. In both the North West and London a number of larger or more active branches called for rejection. Most branches and members in the North West rejected, and a majority of members in London rejected. There were some especially high rejections (over 80%) with high turnouts in Lambeth, Barnet, and Hounslow.

But most regions and members accepted the offer. On 26 September Unison’s representatives on the National Joint Council yesterday voted overwhelmingly to accept the claim ahead of the GMB and Unite consultations, which end 21 and 14 October respectively. Meanwhile in Scotland the three unions are recommending acceptance of a slightly better offer than England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving a higher increase of £2,000 for the lowest paid, a higher increase for those earning more than £38,000, and one extra day of leave this year.

All workers will see a real-wage cut, and perhaps half of our members in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will see a real-wage cut of more than 7%, on top of about 26% since 2010! In Scotland it’s slightly less bad.

Rents, mortgages, and loans are going up, and other bills will too. The Resolution Foundation said even before the Kwarteng mini-Budget that “low-income households still face double digit inflation” which will remain “elevated for everyone well into next year”. We need a bold plan for the 2023-4 pay round. Here is a proposal:

• £5000 flat rate (minimum wage of £13 per hour) and £15 per hour by 2024/5 • Agreement to re-open negotiations if RPI exceeds 15% • An additional day of leave on top of the one agreed for next year • A reduction in the working week to 35 hours by 2024.

We must learn lessons from 2022-3:

Timing: The pay rise was due on 1 April but in England the three unions did not submit this to employers until 6 June (Scotland was two or three months ahead)

Ballots: The turnout was 10% up on the last consultative ballot (consultative ballots are easier, because they include voting by email), but we need more. Learn from branches with highest turnouts and rejections!

Leadership: Unions need to give a lead. In Scotland the campaign (also off the back of several successful local disputes) won a strike ballot and concessions from the employer. If employers are offering pay rises less than inflation for 50% of our members, we need to reject.

Disaggregated and selective action: In Scotland the three unions balloted early, with a bolder claim. The strategy included strikes council-by-council and by selected worker groups (schools, early years, bin and recycling workers), calculated to have maximum impact, and with escalation.

Using technology better: phone-banking, text-messaging. We started in this year but still most reps and stewards didn’t use that technology. We need more online meetings and engagement and sharing resources and materials.

So:

• A bold claim that has a significant flat rate element to reduce the pay gap for the lowest paid council and school workers, who are struggling most; and offers an inflation proof deal to most of our members

• Stick to the claim, and don’t propose a deal which gives most of our members less than RPI inflation

• Put in the claim now and ask employers to respond by 1 January, with a campaign ready to start balloting members from first two weeks in January.

• Identify our strong areas and worker groups who have most impact and could form part of a selective action (schools, bin collections, IT support, parking services, accounts). Free up national and regional resources. Have a plan for re-balloting for groups who miss turnout thresholds narrowly.

• Recruit 10,000 pay campaigners (2% of our NJC membership) to act as contacts, activists and champions for the period of the pay dispute, with a national meeting for these reps and stewards

• Big national rallies in person and online with high profile speakers and press coverage. Big regional rallies

• Cross union coordination, but without waiting for other unions who lag. Local strike committees to bring together those striking and preparing to strike.