UK

Scottish public sector workers coordinate pay strikes

Over 100,000 local government workers in Scotland will be joined by 5,000 Scottish civil servants in a one-day strike over pay. The disputes are separate with UNISON, Unite and the GMB voting for action in local government on 20 August while members of the PCS civil service voted separately for industrial action in a dispute over pay. This will be the second day of strike action by Scottish civil servants who have also imposed an overtime ban since 31 July. Read more at > PCS (EN) And at > UNISON (EN)

Unions will call for re-opening of negotiations over three-year deal

Health sector unions are preparing a submission to the pay review body (the independent organisation that deals with pay and conditions in the health service) arguing that talks should re-open on the current three-year pay deal because of rising inflation. The agreement runs from 1 April 2008 and provides for annual increases of 2.75%, 2.54% and 2.5% but unions maintain that inflation is already higher than the 2% assumption in the agreement and so increases in 2009 and 2010 should be reviewed. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Scottish civil servants strike over pay

Around 5,000 civil servants in Scotland took one-day strike action on 31 July in protest at the 2% pay limit imposed by the Scottish Executive. The PCS civil service union also began an overtime ban and work-to-rule from 1 August. Meanwhile civil servants in passport offices took three-day strike action over a 2.5% pay offer and in protest at what is seen as a draconian performance management system and a restructuring that could see several major offices close and the loss of 100 jobs in Glasgow. Read more at > PCS (EN) And at > PCS (EN)

Scottish local government workers vote for industrial action

Following the strike across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, local government workers have now voted for industrial action in protest over a three-year pay offer from the employers that would mean increases of 2.5% in each year. Meanwhile, craft workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who negotiate separately over pay are also being balloted for strike action following a consultative ballot that rejected the employers’ 2.45% pay offer. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (EN) And at > UNITE (EN)

Union claims widespread support on second day of strike

Public services union UNISON said that the second day of national strike action across local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland showed the strength of feeling of its members over pay. UNISON members voted to reject the employers’ pay offer which would have meant a 2.45% increase in 2008 as part of a three-year deal. Read more at > UNISON (UK)

Civil service hit by strike action

Workers in the immigration and asylum services, the maritime and coastguard services and Land Registry took strike action last week over pay as agencies tried to impose the government’s 2% pay limit on civil servants. The PCS trade union said up to 10,500 workers were involved in the immigration and asylum one-day strike while the coastguard stoppage was due to last 48 hours. PCS members in the coastguard are angry about the agency’s rejection of a report that argued that workers in the service should be paid inline with similar jobs in other emergency services. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Local government workers prepare for strike

Local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will take two days of strike action on 16 and 17 July in protest at the employers’ below-inflation pay offer of 2.45% (3.3% for the lowest paid). Public services union UNISON has been campaigning among MPs and argues that local government workers are not just angry about this year’s pay offer but are striking over a loss of a gradual loss of purchasing power over the last 10 years. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > UNITE/TGWU(EN) And at > EPSU (EN)

Most unions back health pay deal

The majority of trade unions have now backed the three-year pay deal in the health service but are stressing that they will use the re-opener clause to negotiate higher pay in years two and three if inflation continues to rise. The pay rise in 2008 is 2.75% with 2.54% in 2009, this will establish a new minimum wage of £6.77 an hour for all NHS staff, 18% above the statutory minimum wage. Those on the lowest point will receive an increase of 5.7%. In the third year the proposed deal gives 2.5%. It includes a flat rate increase of £420 (worth 3.17% at the lowest point) for the bottom three grades. However, members of Unite - the third largest union in the NHS - have voted overwhelmingly to reject the deal and will be balloted on industrial action. Unite represents a range of health service professionals such as health visitors and pharmacists. Its ancillary and ambulance staff members also voted against the deal. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > UNITE (EN)

Ballots over health service pay produce mixed results

Health workers in the public services union UNISON have voted to accept the three-year pay deal covering the National Health Service. Members of the RCN nurses’ union also voted in favour. These are the two largest trade unions in the health service. However, three of the other main unions have voted to reject the deal - these are the GMB and UNITE general unions and the RCM midwives’ union. Read more at > UNISON (EN) Read more at > RCN (EN) Read more at > GMB (EN) Read more at > RCM (EN) Read more at > UNITE (EN)

Museum workers to strike over pay

Friday 13 June will be the first one-day strike in a possible series of stoppages by over 400 staff working for the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI). The members of the Prospect and PCS unions voted overwhelmingly for action in response to the employer’s latest pay offer. There has been an almost one-year delay before the NMSI offered 1.5% plus performance-related pay increases for 2008 and only performance-related increases for 2009. The unions point out that 1.5% is even below the government’s 2% guideline that public sector unions have already rejected as inadequate. Read more at > PCS (EN) And at > Prospect (EN)

Civil service union to ballot on industrial action

The annual conference of the PCS civil service union agreed to ballot members for further strike action over pay. PCS members were involved in national action on 24 April in protest at government insistence that public sector pay increases should be capped below the current rate of inflation. The action that day was co-ordinated with strike action by teachers and lecturers. PCS now wants a mandate for further action with plans for a one-day national strike and a rolling programme of walkouts. The national industrial action campaign comes on top of a series of strikes in government departments and agencies. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Low-paid education staff lose out

The UNISON public services union has revealed that thousands of non-teaching staff in colleges of further education have missed out on higher pay increases as local colleges have failed to implement a minimum £500-a-year (€630) increase recommended last year by the national college employers’ association. The employers said that all workers earning less than £16,791 (€21,200) should be entitled to the increase but according to UNISON 64% of colleges have failed to implement the increase. This leaves many college library and laboratory assistants, catering workers and cleaners on a minimum annual salary of £12,738 (€16,100). In this year’s negotiations the joint unions have just rejected a pay offer of 2.5%. Read more at > UNISON (En) And on the pay offer at > UNISON (EN)

Unions reject local government pay offer in Scotland

The UNISON, GMB and Unite trade unions have rejected the employers’ offer of a three-year pay deal with increases of 2.5% in each year. Unions were looking for a 5% increase or £1,000-a-year, whichever was greater. There will be a consultation of branches to decide over how to proceed and whether there should be a ballot for industrial action. Meanwhile, UNISON will be balloting it health sector members to see if they support the employers’ pay offer. This is worth 8.1% over three years and includes a number of measures to improve pay at the bottom end of the pay scale, setting a minimum wage of £6.77 (€8.44) an hour, just above UNISON’s £6.75 target. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > UNISON (EN)

Health service pay increase worth 8% over three years

Trade union in the health sector are consulting their members over a three-year pay deal that is worth around 8% in total but with higher increases for the lower paid. Pay would rise by 2.75% this year with a 2.54% increase in 2009. However, next year would see the minimum pay rate set at £6.77 an hour (€8.50) so the increase for the lowest paid would be 5.7%. In 2010 most workers would get 2.5% but a minimum increase of £420 (€525) would mean 3.17% for the lowest paid. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (EN)

Coastguards organise second one-day strike

With no progress on pay negotiations, employees of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are due to take a second day of strike action on 11 April. The PCS trade union has been in a long-running dispute over pay, arguing that coastguard watch assistants have a starting salary (£12,097 - €15,100) that is little more than the minimum wage. The MCA is just one of nine government agencies and departments that have faced strike action over pay in recent months. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Local government unions consult over “disappointing” pay offer

Local government employers have made a final offer of a 2.45% pay increase with an extra £100 on lower pay rates. While this is an improvement on the previous offer of 2.2%, it falls well short of the trade unions’ claim for 6% or 50p per hour. Unions will consult over the offer with UNISON recommending rejection. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > GMB (EN)

Second two-day strike in major government department

Thousands of members of the PCS civil service union supported the second two-day strike in the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) on 17 and 18 March. The DWP is one of the biggest government departments and PCS members are taking action in protest at an imposed three-year pay agreement that would see salaries increase by only 1% a year and leave 40% of workers without a pay increase at all in 2008. The union is involved in disputes in several other departments and agencies where the employers have offered pay increases below the rate of inflation. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Union attacks 2.2% pay offer

In response to the local government unions’ demands for a 6% pay increase (with a minimum increase of 50p (€0.65) per hour to help the lower paid), employers in the sector have offered 2.2%, an offer seen as a “slap in the face” by the trade unions. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > Unite (EN) And at > GMB (EN)

First ever coastguard strike

The PCS public services union organised the first ever national strike in the coastguard service on 6 March. The dispute is over pay and the union argues that workers in coast guard control centres are paid well below comparable jobs in other emergency services and little more than the minimum wage. The union is also continuing its dispute over pay in the Department for Work and Pensions. PCS has rejected the Department’s pay offer for 2008 that would leave up to 40% of staff with no increase at all this year. Read more at > PCS (EN)

UNISON wins equal pay case and continues campaign

Public services union UNISON has won up to £35,000 (€46,000) for 300 women working for Kirklees Council. The union proved that the women, working in home care and catering, had lost out in terms of bonuses when compared to male workers in similar jobs in areas like parks maintenance. UNISON is maintaining a combined strategy of using collective bargaining and legal cases to secure equal pay for women across the public services. The union has just submitted its 40,000th equal pay claim. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Union builds pay co-ordination campaign

Public services union UNISON is building a co-ordinated collective bargaining campaign - Pay Matters - in response to the government’s policy of trying to limit public sector pay increases to 2%. The union’s national executive met recently to discuss progress and review in particular developments in local government where it wants to see pressure from the bottom up to secure a pay increase of more than 2% in 2008 in the national agreement and in the various local negotiations with specific councils. The union has also rejected a three-year pay offer covering local authorities in Scotland. The union is emphasising in particular the need to improve the pay of those on the lowest pay rates. Read more at > Unison (EN) And at Unison (EN)

Public service union leaders meeting finance minister over pay

Public service unions are maintaining a common front over pay this year and earlier this month eight senior union officials along with the TUC confederation general secretary Brendan Barber met Alistair Darling, finance minister (chancellor) of the Labour government. The unions argue that their members won’t accept an imposed 2% ceiling on pay increases. They did say that they would be willing to consider longer term deals as long as public sector employers and the government were willing to discuss issues about pay structures and how to tackle low pay. Read more at > TUC (EN)

Public service unions co-ordinate pay campaign

The 26 public service unions in the TUC confederation have come together to oppose the government’s demands to keep public sector pay below 2% in the coming year. The TUC has produced a report to counter some of the government’s claims about public sector pay increases fuelling inflation and warning of the anger generated in 2007 when health service pay awards were staged rather than paid in full in April. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Union ballots members for strike action over job cuts

The PCS civil service union is balloting 70,000 members in the Revenue and Customs department over possible strike action in opposition to further cuts in jobs. The government’s efficiency programme will mean the closure of 250 offices and cutting 25,000 jobs by 2011. With 13,000 jobs gone and a further 12,500 planned to go by 2011, PCS warns the department is in danger of serious service failure. Read more at > PCS (EN)

UK unions meet over co-ordinated pay campaign

Public sector unions have been frustrated over a difficult year of pay bargaining and are discussing the possibility of co-ordinated action in 2008. With a staged increase in the NHS leading to a below-inflation rise, a below-inflation increase for many workers in local government and with anger rising in the Police Federation, the UK government could find it very difficult getting unions to agree to stick to its 2% pay limit. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Union pleased at high turnout for DWP strike

The PCS civil service union is delighted at the support for the two-day strike in the Department of Work and Pensions, one of the biggest civil service departments. Support for the action was very high with many workers angry that the new three-year pay deal proposed by management would leave up to 40% of all workers without a pay increase in 2008. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Work and pensions civil servants vote for strike action

Members of the PCS civil service union in the Department for Work and Pensions have voted for strike action over pay in response to employer proposals for a three-year pay deal worth only 1% a year. The agreement would also mean that around 40% of the Department’s workers wouldn’t get any pay increase in 2008. This dispute is separate from the national civil service dispute over pay and jobs about which the government and the union are currently negotiating. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Strike decision on hold as talks continue

A substantial majority of civil servants voted for further strike action as part of the PCS union’s campaign over pay and jobs. The union has decided not to call action at the moment while it continues talks with the government. The main aims of its campaign include: no compulsory redundancies or relocations; pay increases which at least keep pace with the cost of living; a national pay system to end unfair pay that sees staff doing the same job paid vastly differing salaries; no more privatization and outsourcing without agreements to protect the workforce; and adequate resources and decent working conditions. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Equal pay victory for UNISON members

Around 1,500 low-paid women workers are set to receive substantial pay increases and back pay after UNISON won an important legal victory. The women had been successful at an earlier tribunal but their employer, Cumbria County Council, appealed against the ruling. The women affected work mainly as care assistants, home carers, kitchen assistants, cooks and night care assistants. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Local government pay deal accepted

The dispute over local government pay in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has ended with UNISON accepting the employers’ final offer of 3.4% on the lowest pay rate (scale point 4) - giving a new bottom rate of £6 per hour with 2.475% on all other pay rates. A ballot on strike action in protest at the offer had produced a small majority in favour of action but with a low turnout the union’s national joint council recommended acceptance of the deal but early talks with other unions about securing a higher pay deal in 2008. Local government workers in Scotland are covered by a separate agreement and negotiations over the 2008 pay increase will begin in the middle of November. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

UNISON calls for €9.70 minimum wage

Public services union UNISON has published its annual submission to the Low Pay Commission calling for the National Minimum Wage to be increased from the current £5.52 (€7.95) an hour to £6.75 (€9.70). The union also wants to see the lower rate for workers aged 18-22 to be abolished so that the adult rate applies from 18. A national minimum wage of £6.75 would be around 60% of average earnings based on the 2006 figure of £447 a week for a 40-hour week. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Government releases funds for equal pay in local government

Local government unions have welcomed a government announcement that 46 municipalities can use capital resources to help fund equal pay claims. This is a major issue for local authorities many of which have been hit by legal claims over equal pay. UNISON and the other local government unions have been trying to resolve the matter through collective bargaining and Labour government’s local government minister has endorsed this approach. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > Unite (EN) And at > GMB (EN)

Health unions vote for revised pay offer

Health unions have voted to accept the government’s revised pay offer for NHS employees. Unions had been considering industrial action in response to the government’s decision to stage the 2.5% pay award, paying 1.5% in April 2007 followed by 1% in November. There has been no change to this proposal but the government has offered some additional payments: lower paid staff in pay bands 1 and 2 will be guaranteed an increase in salary of £400; staff in pay bands 3 and 4 will get 2.5% in salary plus an additional £38; staff in pay bands 5 to 8a will receive 2.5% plus an additional contribution of £38 towards professional fees. Read more at > UNISON (EN) Read more at > RCN (EN) Read more at > GMB (EN)

Civil service union to ballot over further industrial action

PCS, the main civil service union, is to ballot its 270,000 civil service members over further industrial action over jobs and pay. This follows an extensive consultation exercise by the union which found many members will to take further action to defend jobs and win real increases in pay. The union has already organised national strike action this year in protest at the government’s “efficiency” proposals. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Over 20,000 prison offers take unofficial strike action

Prison officers in the UK don’t have the right to strike and their pay is set by a Pay Review Body rather than through collective bargaining. This year prison officers, like other public sector workers, have seen their 2.5% pay increase introduced in stages. This means their pay increase this year is worth 1.9%. The government says this is necessary to stay in line with the consumer price index (1.9%) but unions argue this is well below the retail price index (3.8%). The retail price index includes mortgage payments and is seen by unions as reflecting better the cost of living. The Prison Officers Association is in talks with the government while other public sector unions are considering their position. There are reports that the Police Federation is being pressurised by its members to call for its right to strike to be reinstated. Read more at > Guardian newspaper (EN) And at > Observer newspaper (EN)

Local government employers improve pay offer

The latest stage in collective bargaining in local government has seen an improved pay offer from employers worth 3.4% to the lowest pay and 2.475% to other workers. Unions are meeting to consider the latest offer which would be just under the current inflation rate of 3.8%. If the offer is accepted it would mean that the lowest paid council workers would be on £6 per hour (€8.40). Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Civil service union consults over pay and jobs campaign

PCS, the biggest civil service union, is carrying out an extensive consultation of its 280,000 civil service members over the next steps in its campaign to protect jobs and secure real increases in pay. The campaign kicked off in January this year with the first of two one-day national strikes. The campaign has also included action by specific groups of workers. The consultation runs until 3 September and the union has not rule further industrial action in the autumn if no progress is made in negotiations. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Unions demand funding for equal pay in local government

Trade unions in local government organised a demonstration at the Houses of Parliament on 10 July, calling for action on equal pay in local government. In 1997 employers and trade unions in local government negotiated an agreement on harmonisation of pay and conditions for workers across the sector (single status). A central element of the agreement was the introduction of an equal pay job evaluation system and the commitment of local authorities to apply this. However, the problem has been that many local authorities have been arguing that they do not have the money to implement equal pay. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > UNITE/TGWU (EN)

Pension changes in civil service

Civil servants are being balloted over the introduction of a new pension scheme. Existing pension scheme members can retain their current arrangements including the right to retire at 60. New starters will have 65 as normal pension age and a pension scheme based on career average salary rather than final salary. However, pension entitlement will build up more quickly each year. There will also be a new right to work and draw pension at the same time. The leadership of the PCS union is recommending acceptance of the new arrangements. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Continuing anger over staged pay award in NHS

The RCN nurses’ union has taken the unprecedented step of organising an indicative ballot for industrial action over pay. The RCN, along with other health unions, is angry that the government is insisting on paying this year’s 2.5% pay increase instalments. This means that the effective pay rise this year will be only 1.9%. Other unions are also planning ballots on the issue. Read more at > RCN (EN) And at > UNISON (EN) And at > Amicus/Unite (EN)

Unions consider co-ordinating action on pay and jobs

Public service unions PCS and UNISON are considering how they might co-ordinate action over pay and jobs in response to the government’s determination to stick to a 2% limit on public sector pay increases. The idea was endorsed at the PCS conference after a letter of solidarity from UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis had been read to delegates. Read more at > PCS (EN) And at > UNISON (EN)

Union estimates over 200,000 join national strike over pay and jobs

The PCS trade union reported widespread disruption in its second one-day national strike over pay and jobs. This is part of an industrial relations strategy that has involved working-to-rule across a number of different government departments. The union began a two-week overtime ban the day after the strike. Read more at > PCS

Union confirms second national strike on 1 May

The PCS civil service union has confirmed that the planned national strike over pay and job cuts will go ahead on 1 May (not a public holiday in the UK). This will be the second one-day national strike this year in support of the union’s demands to stop job cuts and privatisation and to push civil service departments and agencies to award real pay increases. The national action has been supplemented by a range of industrial action - work-to-rules and overtime bans - in various departments and agencies. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Health unions threaten strike action

Health unions are threatening strike action over the government’s proposals to implement this year’s pay increase in stages. Unions were angry in the first place that the increase this year is only 2.5% but were incensed when the government announced that they would get 1.5% this month (April) and the remaining 1% in November (consumer prices rose by 3.1% in the year to March but retail prices, still used in most pay negotiations rose by 4.8% over the year). Read more at > Guardian newspaper (EN)

National civil service strike planned for 1 May

The PCS civil service union is planning the next stage in its campaign to defend jobs and win above-inflation pay increases with a national strike planned for 1 May (this is not a public holiday in the UK). The national action will be followed by a two-week overtime ban. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Main local government pension changes adopted in parliament

Key elements to the revised local government pension scheme have been laid before parliament although they won’t come into effect until next year. The trade unions in the sector are pleased that the final salary pension arrangements are retained and that there will be an improved accrual rate of 1/60 per year of service compared to the current 1/80. Unmarried partners will also be entitled to benefits from the scheme. However, some matters still need to be resolved including the special provisions that allowed some workers to retire at 60 on an unreduced pension. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Campaign over civil service pay and jobs continues

Around 20,000 workers in the Ministry of Defence and the Identity and Passport Service have been called out on a one-day strike on 30 March as part of the PCS union’s campaign on pay and jobs that was launched with a two-day national strike in January. Around 230,000 civil servants will be taking action short of a strike on 30 March while a further 20,000 in a number of different departments will begin a month of working to rule. [Read more at > PCS (EN)-> http://www.pcs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=908761

Equal pay campaign launched in Scotland

Public services union UNISON has launched an equal pay campaign in Scotland. It has submitted an invoice to the Scottish Executive highlighting the amount of pay owed to women in the public services. UNISON points out that it is 30 years since the Equal Pay Act and eight years since the single status agreement was signed in local government. Both were supposed to deliver equal pay but women are still waiting. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Campaign over civil service jobs continues

The PCS civil service union will be taking the next step in its campaign to defend jobs by organising a day of action on 23 February. This follows the national strike on 31 January and two weeks of a ban on overtime. The day of action will consist of workers sticking strictly to their hours, taking full breaks and not doing any overtime. It coincides with a campaign by the TUC union confederation for all workers to work their normal hours. Read more at > PCS (EN) And at > TUC (EN)

Local government unions submit 5% pay claim

Local government unions have called for a 5% pay increase for workers this year with a minimum rise of £1,000 a year. They also want to ensure that a minimum hourly rate of £6.30 is applied across local government. The claim includes a range of other proposed changes to conditions including an extra day on holiday entitlement. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

One-day strike marks new stage in civil service jobs campaign

A national, one-day strike of civil servants on 31 January marked the latest stage in a campaign by the PCS union to force the government to rethink its plans to cut 100,000 jobs. The strike was supported across the country and will now be followed a two-week ban on overtime. This comes at a very busy time, particular for the revenue and customs department as 31 January was the deadline for tax returns. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Majority back national civil service strike

Members of the PCS civil service union are backing a national strike over pay and job cuts. The first day of strike action will be 31 January and this will be followed by a two-week ban on overtime working. The strike will affect over 200 government departments but in particular will affect the Revenue and Customs section on the deadline day for tax returns. The main cause of the dispute has been government determination to push through thousands of job cuts across the civil service as it implements the “Gershon” efficiency plan. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Head of civil service responds to strike ballot

The head of the UK civil service has written to all civil servants urging them not to vote for industrial action. The move comes as the biggest civil service union, PCS, begins a ballot of all its 300,000 members. The union says that the government now wants annual staff cuts of 5% a year over the next five years on top of the 100,000 job reductions demanded by the Gershon efficiency review. PCS also points out that the government has set a pay limit of 2% this year when inflation is already running at over 3%. The union is asking members to support industrial action in order to strengthen its hand in forthcoming negotiations. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Unions agree local government pay claim

A key element of this year’s pay claim from local government unions will be a £1,000 (€1,400) flat-rate pay increase for all workers. This would produce a minimum hourly rate of £6.30 (€9.35) for the sector. The unions are also looking for a standard 35-hour week without loss of pay and minimum paid holiday entitlement of 25 days a year. The current agreement runs until 31 March 2007 and unions this time want a 12-month agreement rather than a three-year deal. Read more at > GMB (EN)

Unions consult over local government pension changes

Local government unions have until 28 February 2007 to respond to the latest government proposals on changing the local government pension scheme. Earlier attempts by the government to cut back on early retirement provision for municipal workers was resisted by the unions with a one-day national strike and threat of further industrial action. UNISON has responded to the new proposals by saying there are positive elements but further negotiations are required over implementing the changes and the planned changes to ill-health early retirement. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Union responds to threat of cuts with ballot for action

PCS, the main civil service union, will start the new year with a ballot of its members for industrial action in response to government plans for budget cuts across all government departments and public bodies. The union says that between 2008 and 2011 the government plans annual cuts of 8%. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Union plans campaign against outsourcing

Public services union UNISON is backing a campaign among medical secretaries to stop the outsourcing of their work to the private sector. The union believes that the health service is undervaluing this important area of work and outsourcing is creating problems of accuracy and privacy in dealing with patient information. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Pension talks to resume after government intervention

After a major lobby of MPs at the end of November, planned talks between local government unions and employers were interrupted by the sudden announcement of planned changes to the local government pension scheme by the government. Both employers and unions attacked local government minister Phil Woolas for his untimely and unforeseen intervention. In the end the government decided to delay publishing its proposals for two weeks and confirmed that a full period of consultation would be Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > UNISON (EN)

Unions win back recognition at national museum

After more than 10 years without full union representation workers at the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in south London are now covered by a recognition agreement and their unions, Prospect and PCS, will be negotiating on their behalf. The NMM was the only national museum in the UK which didn’t recognise a trade union. Read more at > Prospect (EN)

Harmonisation proposals at e.on UK rejected by unions

The five unions that organise in e.on UK (parent of the Powergen energy company) have rejected overwhelmingly management proposals for harmonisation of terms and conditions across the group. The unions argue that the new conditions are discriminatory and the majority votes against were over 80%. Meanwhile, UNISON has registered a major recruitment success at a Powergen call centre. Membership has risen by over 50% since the call centre was taken over by the company after being run by the Vertex outsourcing company. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And on recruitment at > UNISON (EN)

Unions plan mass lobby of parliament of pension proposals

Local government unions have organised a mass lobby of parliament on 22 November to make sure they let MPs know about their concerns over proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme. The government has been trying to reform the LGPS for the last two years and abandoned their initial plans to reduced scheme benefits when the nine local government unions united in a day of national strike action. The government has issued a consultation paper with several different options but unions are campaigning hard to retain a final-salary scheme and above all for their members not to have to pay higher contributions for a poorer quality scheme. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Unions come together to defend the heath service

The nhstogether campaign organised its first major public event on 1 November with a lobby of parliament. The campaign brings together all the health unions in the TUC confederation along with three of the main non-TUC unions representing nurses, midwives and doctors. It is the first time all these organisations have united in a campaign. The unions used the lobby to express their fears of cuts to health service budgets, further privatisation and top-down change without proper consulation. Read more at > nhstogether (EN)

Health union attacks government pay offer

The UK Department of Health is proposing a 1.5% pay increase for nurses and other healthworkers as part of is evidence to the Pay Review Body. The Pay Review Body is the government appointed body which assesses evidence from both sides and recommends pay increases and other changes to working conditions to the government. UNISON head of health and president of EPSU’s health standing committee Karen Jennings said: ""It is outrageous to suggest that, unless staff take what is effectively a pay cut, jobs will go and patients will suffer. This is completely unnecessary when the Treasury has pledged an 8% increase in the NHS budget for next year." Read more at > UNISON (EN)

NHS Logistics workers take second day of strike action

The campaign against privatisation of NHS Logistics has continued with another 24-hour strike at the end of September. Public services union UNISON also took the fight to the Labour Party conference and won a resolution condemning creeping privatisation in the health service and specifically demanding that the NHS Logistics sale to the DHL delivery company be stopped. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And more at > UNISON (EN)

Union prepares more equal pay cases over age-related pay scales

Prospect, the union representing managerial and specialist staff in the civil service and utilities is planning a number of employment tribunal cases following a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on equal pay. Although the ECJ ruling did not go unequivocally in favour of the union, it did state that employers will have to justify objectively differences in pay where there are pay scales linked to age over lengthy periods. In the UK new age discrimination regulations it states that pay scales running for more than five years will have to be justified by employers. The union’s case was based on a health and safety inspector paid £9,000 less than her colleagues. Read more at > Prospect (EN)

Health unions form alliance

Unions and professional associations throughout the health service have come together in a campaigning alliance to try to defend the NHS and prevent the unravelling of recent years of positive progress. The campaign involves all the health unions in the TUC confederation plus organisations like the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives that are outside the TUC. The campaign will focus on the impact of budget cuts by local NHS Trusts and the threat to jobs and service. It will also highlight problems with repeated new reforms being foisted on health workers without proper consultation. Read more at > nhstogether (EN)

Further action planned against NHS Logistics outsourcing

After a successful 24-hour strike on 21 September, UNISON is building up to a second 24-hour stoppage on 26 September in protest at the government’s decision to sell the NHS Logistics service to the German-owned DHL delivery service. The union angry that the sale has gone ahead without proper consultation with the union and with no business case being made. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

T&G signs national agreement with Veolia

The T&GWU transport and general union has signed a national agreement with Veolia Environmental Services for the first time. The agreement will cover around 1,000 refuse collectors and street and park cleaners working on municipal contracts. Veolia has contracts with 28 local authorities in the UK. The agreement covers union recognition, health and safety, time off and training for union representatives and disciplinary and grievance procedures. It also allows for a national meeting of shop stewards each year. Read more at > TGWU (EN)

Unions angry at privatisation of health service supplier

NHS Logistics is a non-profit making operation that co-ordinates the supply of a vast range of goods to the National Health Service in the UK. The government is moving ahead with plans to sell the organisation to DHL, the German-owned logistics and delivery service. Public services union UNISON is running a campaign of opposition to the sell-off and is planning to ballot members over possible industrial action. The union has also made sure that it gets the message across to the increasing numbers of Polish workers in the NHS by printing campaigning material in Polish. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And more background at > UNISON (EN) And in Polish at > UNISON (PL)

Driving agency staff strike over jobs and working practices

Over 2,000 workers in the Driving Standards Agency, the body that organises driving tests, have taken another day of strike action. The union involved, PCS, argues that the Agency has begun pushing through job cuts and changes in working practices without proper consultation. Office closures are also planned in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Read more at > PCS (EN)

European Court rules that working time guidelines are wrong

The European Court has ruled that the government’s guidelines on the UK’s Working Time Regulations are wrong and should be changed. The wording says that: “employers must make sure that workers can take their rest, but are not required to make sure that they do take their rest”. The Court ruled that this does not place a clear obligation on employers to ensure that employees to actually take the minimum required rest period. Read more at > TUC (EN) And at > euobserver (EN)

Unions welcome tougher line on violence against health workers

UNISON and the RCN nurses’ union have expressed support for new measures to try to tackle violence against health workers. The Association of Chief Police Officers has agreed a number of measures with the NHS security management agency. The police say they will investigate every reported incident of violence or abuse and will encourage the courts to take a stronger line against offenders. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > RCN (EN)

Hospital workers respond to outsourcing threat

Hospital workers in Cornwall in South West England are considering strike action in response to their employer’s plans to outsource their jobs. The local NHS organisation, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, is facing a financial deficit and was already planning 400 redundancies. The union said it would negotiate with the Trust over measures to reduce the deficit but then discovered the plans to send work overseas as a way of cutting costs. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Final salary scheme retained in health service

Employers and unions in the National Health Service (NHS) have agreed proposals for changes to the NHS pension scheme that are being put out to consultation to health workers. The proposals retain a final salary format for the scheme. Current staff will still be able to retire on a full pension from 60 (or reduced pension from 50) while new starters will only get a full pension from 65. Contribution rates will increase for all but the lowest paid. Read more at > UNISON (EN) And at > NHS Employers (EN) And at > RCN (EN) And at > GMB (EN)

Health service contractors pay national rate

UNISON is continuing to negotiate to ensure that health workers employed by private contractors are covered by the national pay and conditions agreement. The latest success was in Sunderland in the North East of England where cleaners employed by Initial Hospital Services have seen their hourly pay rise from £5.05 (€7.50) to £5.88 (€8.75) and backdated to October 2005. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Union takes pay campaign to Parliament

The PCS public and commercial services union is continuing its campaign for national pay bargaining in the civil service. As part of its campaign the union has submitted a fair pay petition signed by over 50,000 civil servants to the House of Commons. The petition calls for an end to pay discrimination created by decentralised bargaining in the civil service that has led to significant pay differences between people doing the same jobs in different departments. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Local government pensions debate

The local government pensions debate in the UK is reaching a crucial point as the government publishes new proposals for changes. One area where unions have already expressed concerns is the proposed removal of the right for individual local authorities to offer additional years of pension entitlement. Unions say that the proposed increase in the lump sum available at retirement will not be adequate compensation for this planned restriction. Read more at > UNISON (EN)

Civil servants’ pay claim in Northern Ireland focuses on low pay

NIPSA, the union organising public service workers in Northern Ireland, is calling a significant pay increase for the lowest paid civil servants. As part of its pay claim for 2006 the union wants a minimum flat-rate increase of £3,311 a year while it is looking for a pay rise that will more than compensate for the 8.3% loss in purchasing power suffered by civil servants in recent years. Read more at > NIPSA (EN)

Driving agency workers take strike action

Around 2,000 employees at the government’s Driving Standards Agency are taking strike action (17 July) over job cuts. A consultants’ report recommended a reorganisation of the Agency with the closure of a number of centres and 80 job cuts. PCS union members are angry about the cutbacks which they say will threaten service quality and maintain that the Agency has begun implementing the consultants’ recommendations without any consultation with the union. Read more at > PCS (EN)

Strike warning over nuclear industry pensions

Unions in the nuclear industry are concerned about how government plans to deal with pensions as the restructuring and sale of the British Nuclear Fuels Group gets underway. Unions want government guarantees for pension rights and argue that employees of the future decommissioning companies should be covered by the same scheme. They are also worried that the government will push through proposals that will leave new employees on much poorer money purchase schemes. Read more at > Prospect (EN)

Union criticises councils’ use of temporary and agency staff

The GMB general union has attacked local authorities for spending over £1.1 billion a year employing temporary and/or agency staff. The union argues that this marks a failure by management to ensure adequate levels of staff are available to provide a proper public service. The union has worked with local authorities, like Newham and Barking and Dagenham in East London, to reduce the use of temporary and agency staff. Read more at > GMB (EN)

Powergen energy company to end Indian outsourcing

Powergen, owned by the German utility company E.ON, has decided to increase staffing at its five UK call centres by 980 following a decision to end its call centre operations in India. The company has been using call centres in India since 2001 but decided to increase jobs and staff training in the UK when complaints about its call centre services rose to twice the industry average. Read more at > Guardian newspaper (EN)

Union signs new agreement with major public service contractor

The PCS public services union has signed a new national agreement with Capita a company that is contracted to provide a wide range of government services. The agreement covers learning and training, employee involvement and a framework for negotiating pay and conditions at local level. Read more at > PCS

Unions welcome some of government’s pensions proposals

Public sector unions believe there are a number of positive elements in government proposals for major changes in the UK’s pensions system. The UK’s basic pension provides a very low level of pension for all workers who meet the contributions requirements. The plans will mean that pension increases will be linked to increases in earnings not just prices and the contributions requirements will be reduced to help those who are out of the labour market for long periods. However, the proposals also include an increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66 from 2024, to 67 from 2034 and 68 from 2046. Read more at > UNISON And at > Amicus And at > GMB Meanwhile, local government unions continue their campaign to prevent the government from reducing pension benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme. UNISON is challenging government claims that age discrimination legislation is forcing it to end the “rule of 85” which allows local government workers to retire on an unreduced pension if their age and length of service add up to 85. Read more at > UNISON

Jobs, pay and working conditions behind strike action

Members of the PCS public services union have taken strike action in a number of areas in recent weeks. A one-day strike in Learning and Skills Councils around the country on 28 April was in protest at plans to cut 1,200 jobs. Security guards in Newcastle took action on 25 April over an inadequate pay increase that leaves them on only £5.23 (€7.55) an hour. And on 13 April tax workers in Lothian in Scotland were on strike over new working methods that they argue have been introduced without negotiation and are deskilling their jobs. Read more at > PCS Learning and Skills And at > PCS Security guards And at > PCS Tax office

Pensions strike on hold

The nine unions involved in the local government pensions dispute have agreed to suspend strike action while talks with local government employers take place. A nationwide strike took place on 28 March and regional action was planned for the end of April. Unions and employers issued a joint statement which set out their intentions to agree protection for current members of the scheme and to ensure that any further changes are properly negotiated. Read more at > UNISON

Massive vote for action to defend jobs

Workers in Learning and Skills Councils (LSC) across the UK have voted by nearly nine to one to support strike action against job cuts. Their union, the PCS public services union says that 1,120 jobs could by cut by the summer - nearly a third of the LSC national workforce. The union is angry that the LSC is forcing workers to apply for jobs rather than dealing with potential redundancies through retraining and redeployment. Read more at > PCS

Further action planned after national pensions strike

Local council unions reported a day of solid strike action across the country in protest at government plans to reduce benefits in the Local Government Pension Scheme. Many council offices, schools and libraries were closed and other services affected included refuse collection and transport. Administrative and other staff working for the police and fire services also took action. Unions are now planning further strikes with selected groups of workers taking several days of industrial action. There will be a rolling programme of regional strike action at the end of April and possibly further action in May if there is no response from the government. Read more at > UNISON And at > GMB

Healthworkers get 2.5% but only 1.6% for prison officers

Nurses and a wide range of other healthworkers are to get a basic pay increase of 2.5% this year after the government agreed to recommendations from the nurses’ pay review body. The pay review bodies are government appointed bodies which consult over pay and other conditions for around 40% of the public sector workforce, including nurses, doctors, senior civil servants, prison officers, teachers, the police and members of the armed forces. The government then decides whether to implement the review body recommendations. Senior civil servants will get 3.25% and continue to benefit from a long-term plan to increase their pay in line with the private sector. The Prison Officers’ Association reacted angrily to the 1.6% pay increase its members were offered and reports widespread calls for strike action in protest. Read more at > UNISON Read more at > POA

Nine unions back pensions strike

Members of nine local government trade unions have voted to back a national one-day strike on 28 March. This could be followed by selective action at regional and local level. The unions are protesting at government proposals to remove the 85 rule from the local government pension scheme. This rule allows members to retire early on a full pension if their age and length of service add up to 85. The unions point out that the local government scheme is the only one in the public sector facing this kind of reduction in benefits and 75% of its members are women workers, many of them on the lowest pay rates. Read more at > UNISON And at > GMB And at > TGWU And at > Amicus

Legal action planned on equal pay

The Northern Ireland civil service union NIPSA is planning to take legal action on equal pay. It has examined administrative and technical jobs and found evidence of substantial pay differences in jobs that have been rated as equivalent using a job evaluation scheme. Women make up the majority of those in the administrative assistant and officer grades examined while the technical grade jobs are dominated by men. Read more at > NIPSA

Parliament cleaners win pay battle

Cleaners at the Houses of Parliament have won their claim for a living wage and improvements to holidays and sick pay. After two days of strike action last year and high-profile campaigning, the cleaners will see their hourly pay rise from £5.20 to £6.10 in March, then to £6.40 in October. The target of £6.70 an hour should be reached in January 2007. Read more at > TGWU

Public service pensions

A strike ballot by firefighters has been postponed while the FBU union considers alternative government proposals on changes to retirement. The government had wanted to increase the retirement age from 55 to 60 but has so far allowed firefighters to retain 55 as a retirement age if they have 30 years service. Meanwhile nine unions with members in the local government pension scheme could start balloting for strike action this week if they get no response from the employers. Unions are angry about plans to end the “85-rule” which allows workers to retire on a full pension if their age and length of service add up to 85. Read more at > BBC Read more at > UNISON

Strike against cuts in jobs and services

There was widespread support for a two-day strike in the Department for Work and Pensions on 26 and 27 January. The strike was in protest at 15,000 job cuts across the Department and plans for a further 15,000 to be cut by 2008. The PCS union argues that services have already been affected and will only deteriorate further. Read more at >PCS

£50 million equal pay judgement

Around 3,300 administrative and management staff in the Prison Service are set to share £50 million in compensation following a successful equal pay case. The workers had their jobs compared to prison officers and governors and some occupations will now see their starting pay increase by £3,000 a year while backdated compensation for some workers will be as high as £50,000. Read more at >PCS

Unions ballot over threat to pensions

Nine unions which organise local government staff are balloting their members over possible strike action in protest at the government’s decision to press ahead with cuts in the local government pension scheme. While the government stepped back from major cuts to other public sector schemes it has not changed its mind on ending the “85-rule” in local government. This allows workers whose age and length of service add up to 85 to retire on a full pension. Read more at >UNISON

Campaign on nurses’ pay

The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) has launched a campaign in support of a real increase in pay for nurses this year. The RCN is angry that Labour finance minister Gordon Brown has called for a 2% limit on pay increases in the coming year. The union is urging nurses to send e-mail messages to the minister in support of their claim. Read more at > RCN

Strike planned in biggest civil service department

The threat of major job cuts has produced a vote in support of strike action on 26 and 27 January in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Around 15,000 jobs have already been cut from the Department and a further 15,000 could go as part of the government’s efficiency measures. The union has called for further cuts to be delayed until there has been a proper assessment of the impact on services. But the DWP has refused. Read more at > PCS

UK civil service hit by strike action

Several sections of the UK civil service have been hit by strike action or face industrial action in the near future. Last month over 8,000 staff in magistrates courts were involved in a one-day national strike for the first time ever. The dispute is over pay with the unions involved arguing that a 2.2% increase to pay scales is a cut in pay in real terms. Read more at > PCS Read more at > Prospect Earlier this month staff in the biggest civil service section, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) voted for two days of strike action in protest at job cuts. The government’s efficiency review argued for some 70,000 job cuts across the civil service and the DWP is the worst affected. Around 15,000 jobs have already gone and a further 15,000 are threatened. The union argues that this has already had an impact on the level of service. Read more at > PCS Meanwhile in Northern Ireland the main civil service union, NIPSA, is calling on members to back a vote for strike action over pay. The unions says that 2.2% pay offer will mean a further cut in real pay following recent below-inflation pay increases. NIPSA also wants pay rates to rise in line with those in the civil service in the rest of the UK. Read more at > NIPSA

Gas engineers win some pension concessions

Strike action by engineers employed by the Centrica gas company has won some concessions from management over their pension arrangements. The engineers took action to try to keep their final-salary pension scheme open to new recruits. Unfortunately, the union was unsuccessful in achieving this but has won some guarantees from the company to allow all current employees and new recruits to join up to the end of March this year. The company has also promised extra funding to ensure the scheme is maintained for current members. Read more at > GMB

Gas workers strike over pension scheme

Engineers at British Gas, members of the GMB general union, are due to take their first day of strike action on 12 December in protest at the company’s plans to close the final-salary pension scheme. The workers are angry about the company’s decision in the light of a review of the pension scheme two years ago when many workers backed higher pension contributions in order to keep the scheme open. Read more at > GMB

Unions oppose change to pension rules

Local government unions are unhappy about proposals to end early retirement provisions in the local government pension scheme. The government argues that the changes are necessary in the light of age discrimination but unions are not convinced and are considering what action to take in response to the announcement that the rule change would take effect in October 2006. The rule allows workers to retire on a full pension if their age and service add up to 85. Read more at > UNISON

European solidarity for parliament cleaners

Cleaners from parliaments around Europe joined a demonstration in London to protest against the low pay and poor conditions of cleaners working at the Houses of Parliament. The TGWU general union backed by the UNI international services federation organised the demonstration and provided figures to show that the cleaners in the UK are among the lowest paid of any working parliaments in western Europe. Read more at > TGWU

Health service pay claim

Public services union UNISON is calling for a substantial pay increases for nurses, health care assistants, ambulance staff and other workers. The union argues that staff are hitting targets and have taken on new roles and responsibilities that have made the health service efficient. It is also arguing for a higher increase for the lower paid or a flat rate increase for all staff. Rather than a process of collective bargaining unions which organise nursing and related staff submit evidence to a government appointed pay review body. This recommends a pay increase to the government which then decides whether to implement it. Read more at > UNISON

Low pay problem in museums

The PCS civil service union has warned of problems in recruitment if the government fails to increase the lowest rates of pay in museum service with some workers on just 20p (28 euro cents) per hour more than the minimum wage of £5.05 (7 euros 10 cents) per hour. Read more at > PCS

Civil service pay offer rejected

NIPSA, the union for civil servants in Northern Ireland, has rejected the government’s latest pay offer saying it would mean less than 50p (70 euro cents) extra a week for low paid workers on less than £13,000 (18,200 euros) a year. It also said that the civil service in Northern Ireland had to adjust pay rates recently to ensure all workers were paid more than the minimum wage. Read more at > NIPSA

Parliament cleaners threaten second strike

The TGWU general workers’ union is continuing its campaign for pay increases for the cleaners who work in the Houses of Parliament. The union is warning of a another strike if Parliamentary officials don’t get involved in the dispute between the union and a contract cleaning company. The workers are paid only £5.20 (7 euros 20 cents) an hour and have no sick pay, pension and only minimum holiday entitlement. Read more at > TGWU

Unions win pension agreement

Public sector unions in the UK have won an important concession from the government over the protection of pension rights. Existing members of public sector pension schemes will retain their right to retire at 60 on a full pension but all new employees will face a pension age of 65. The agreement covers all the main schemes apart from local government where negotiations continue. Read more at > UNISON Read more at > PCS Read more at > GMB

EDF Energy vote for industrial action

Workers at EDF Energy in the UK have voted by an overwhelming majority for industrial action short of a strike. They are protesting against a pay offer that is below inflation and already six months overdue. The workers, members of the Prospect trade union, will work their contracted hours only and there will be a general withdrawal of goodwill and co-operation. Read more at > EDF

Health workers could see 20% pay increases

Workers employed by private contractors in the health service could see substantial pay rises following an agreement negotiated by health unions. Contractors have agreed to move towards the Agenda for Change pay and conditions that is being introduced across the health service. This will initially mean a minimum pay rate of £5.65 (8.35 euros) an hour and an extra two days’ holiday. Read more at > UNISON And at > GMB

Strike vote gets management to negotiate

A two-to-one vote for strike action by members of the PCS civil service union in Job Centres in London has brought managers back to the negotiating table. The union has complained about job cuts and deteriorating services and is calling for guarantees from management about staffing levels. Read more at > PCS

Unions reject latest pension proposals

Unions in local government have rejected the government’s latest proposals to change the pension scheme as worse than earlier proposals that led to massive support for strike action. In order to avoid the strike, the government withdrew plans to end the 85 rule which allows local government workers to retire on a full pension at 60 if they have 25 years’ service. But now the government has come back with similar proposals and a plan to increase workers’ pension contributions. Read more at > UNISON

Unions threaten joint action over public sector pensions

The government has repeated its intention to increase retirement ages in public sector pension schemes. Thirteen public sector unions within the TUC confederation have said they will ballot their members for strike action if the government pushes through its proposals. The non-TUC nursing union the RCN has also made clear its opposition to the proposals. Read more at > UNISON And at > PCS And at > RCN

Civil servants balloted over pay equality

Around 5,500 civil servants working for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are being balloted for strike action over pay. The PCS union is protesting about the wide variation in pay levels within the Department and related agencies. Read more at > PCS

Police staff in Scotland strike for first time

Over 3,000 staff providing technical and administrative support to the police in Scotland took strike action for the first time ever last month. The workers voted by more than two to one in favour of industrial action. They had been offered increases of 2.95% and 2.5% in a two-year pay deal but are demanding at least 3% in line with pay increases already awarded to police officers. Read more at > UNISON

UK - English Heritage workers make their point

Workers at English Heritage, the public service body that looks after some of the UK’s most famous historical monuments such as Stonehenge and Hadrian’s Wall took two hours’ strike action last month. They were protesting at an average 1.5% pay increase (inflation in the UK is currently at 3.4%). Read more at > PCS And at > Prospect

UK - Northern Ireland civil service union targets low pay in latest pay claim

The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) has submitted a claim for an 8.2% pay increase from August this year. The union says that the increase will mean civil service pay will rise in line with average earnings across the whole economy (4.6%) plus compensate for two years of pay deals which have fallen 3.6% below inflation. In line with PCS and Prospect the main unions in the UK civil service, NIPSA is also calling for a £14,000 (21,000 euros) minimum salary. Read more at > NIPSA

Union calls for better pay and training for healthcare assistants

Public services union UNISON is calling on the government to recognise the skills and potential skills of thousands of healthcare assistants across the UK. The union argues that many healthcare assistants are on the lowest pay rate because the health service is trying to cut costs rather than pay proper salaries. UNISON also says that healthcare assistants’ desire for training should be recognised as a way of boosting nursing numbers rather than relying on recruitment from many countries than cannot afford to lose trained healthworkers. Read more at > UNISON

Prison Service fails to overturn equal pay judgement

The PCS civil service union has successfully pursued equal pay cases on behalf of over 2,500 administrative and managerial workers in the Prison Service. The union proved that a range of administrative and managerial jobs were of equal value to those of prison officers and prison governors but that in some cases the salaries of the mainly women administrative workers were up to £5,000 less than the mainly male prison officers. The case has been running since 1999 and this is the latest failed attempt by the Prison Service to stop the claim. Read more at > PCS