19 July 2002
The leaders of Unison, the GMB and the T&G Union have all backed plans for further strike action this summer, following what they described as the 'enormous popular show of disapproval' on July 17 at the employers' offer of a 3% pay rise.
The unions want a 6% deal or £1,750, whichever is the greater, and Bill Morris, general secretary of the T&G, warned employers: 'Settle now – it will only get worse.'
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, confirmed that the unions would meet again on July 19 to discuss taking further 'selective and effective' action.
Unison claimed that more than 800,000 local government staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland walked out on July 17, bringing services to a standstill. In Newcastle, just three of the city's schools opened their gates. In Manchester, 95% of union members joined the picket line, while in Salford the figure was around 97%.
However, employers' associations claimed that most services in the UK had continued to run smoothly.
As Public Finance went to press, the two sides seemed as far apart as ever, with little evidence that employers were prepared to meet union leaders to negotiate a deal that could stave off further disruption.
A spokesman for the Employers Organisation, which represents local councils, said: 'We remain adamant that the 3% offer is not only all that councils can afford, but that it is a good deal. We have no plans to negotiate, despite this strike.'
But John Edmonds, leader of the GMB, claimed that local authorities are now 'deeply divided' over the issue, with many backing a settlement higher than 3%. He added that councils could afford the 6% demand in the wake of this week's Treasury Spending Review, which promised a further 4.2% for councils until 2005/06.
He told PF: 'That comes on the back of big rises for local government in the past few years, much of which has found its way to the pockets of councillors through massive pay deals. Now it is the turn of the low-paid workers we represent. Some earn less than £10,000 per year.'
PFjul2002
