UNISON fighting redundancies in local government - a twin track approach‏

The ‘Twin Track’ approach to opposing privatisation whilst also preparing for it’s existence in our workplaces is one that will be known to many, and one that seeks ultimately to offer some rearguard safety net to our members faced with ‘outsourcing’. Whilst it may stick in all our political throats to face the reality of privatisation a new real threat requires an additional track of opposition with a similar security strategy built in.

With Manchester heralding the Tories’ Conference announcement of a freeze on public sector workers’ pay as well as an attack on our pensions and terms and conditions - as well as local councils around the country jumping on the ‘there will have to be redundancies’ bandwagon, it is time to fight back. With job security the over-riding priority for our members now above pay, t’s and c’s and holidays, UNISON has produced an extremely practical Branch Guide to Fighting Redundancies.

The guide, available via the national website, challenges the myths around budget deficits and presents straightforward, manageable steps that Branches can use to meaningfully oppose plans for redundancies with a confidence that many Branch Secretaries would have loved prior to ‘procurement’ and ‘privatisation’ processes that removed many of our services and members out of ‘core services’.
http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/18420.pdf

Providing excellent tools for fighting back against redundancy plans it also prepares for the worst and enables branches to give quality advice to Members who may fall victim to redundancy.

The twin track approach to privatisation is now joined by the third track of redundancy.

Understandably, the majority of local authority staff are beginning to feel threatened and this is an excellent opportunity to recruit. Whilst this sits uncomfortably with some, recruiting on the back of the threat of such collective misery, it is clear that greater numbers brings greater influence and the chance to achieve greater opposition to the threat to job cuts.

The branch guide is thoroughly readable and is highly recommended as a clearly laid out strategy to stand up to Councils and employers around the UK using the economic climate, historical poor management of budgets and the impact of pension contribution holidays as a means to justify a need to reduce the workload.

Opposition to redundancy remains a key policy of our union – fighting for jobs is not a crime, but the fight has to start now.
http://www.unison.org.uk/localgov/redundancies/resources.asp