‘Be bold, be active’, local government members urged

UNISON members were urged to “be bold, be active and help bring down this rancid Tory government” when the union’s 2018 local government conference opened in Brighton this morning Introducing the service group’s annual report, SGE chair Glen Williams looked back at a year in which UNISON was proved right in many ways, including the case of Northamptonshire County Council, which was issued with a section 114 notice in February, preventing it from making any new expenditure. “UNISON told the chief executive four years ago that privatisation would lead to collapse,” he said. Another area on which UNISON was proved right, he said, was the consequences of poor housing maintenance, which was one of the factors leading to the Grenfell Tower fire last year. But Mr Williams also said there were areas where the union still had work to do, including local government pay: “We have not smashed the pay cap, and activists are burning out. “We need to stand up to the private companies exploiting our workers and our communities. We need to change the narrative on pay – if not, members and activists will start asking what the point is.” Another key challenge is to raise awareness of the impact of cuts on local government workers and the communities they serve: “The local government SGE wants the argument taken to politicians, whatever their party. MPs, MSPs and councillors need to be battered by UNISON, battered with information.” The union’s national delegate confere...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article 2018 Local Government Conference Source Type: news