Pay ballots continue to dominate

General secretary Christina McAnea updated the NEC on a series of pay disputes across the union, and did not disguise how member turnout was still proving to be a major obstacle to future action. Recently, 79% of local government members voted to reject their 1.75% pay offer, with the NJC committee agreeing to move to an industrial action ballot. NHS members in England also voted by a similar margin (80%) to oppose the government over the 3% pay increase, with their SGE deciding to embark on further consultation prior to a strike ballot. The union’s Cymru/Wales NHS pay consultation found that 87% of healthcare workers voted to oppose the 3% pay offer and support ongoing talks with the Welsh Government. In Northern Ireland, a health protest day was held on 30 September, with lay leaders raising awareness of their One Team 2k claim. “We did a lot of work with branches and regions and with service groups on these ballots, but the turnout was still disappointingly low,” the general secretary told the NEC. “There are still major problems getting to 50% – but we should be aiming for 100%.” The NEC agreed that work would continue with service groups to increase turnout. Away from pay, the NEC heard about the ongoing pensions dispute at the University of Dundee, where five days of action have been organised, so far, in a bid to prevent the closure of the university’s superannuation scheme. The university plans to close the scheme on 31 July 2022 and replace it with a ch...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article local government pay – the National Joint Council (NJC) NEC One Team2K Source Type: news