Slow fuse pay campaign set to detonate in October

This week’s welcome confirmation of Tuesday 14 October as the next strike day in the NJC local government pay dispute (which has rumbled on since April) not only opens up the possibility of co-ordinated action with health - the NHS pay industrial action ballot opens on 28 August - but could draw in UNISON local government members in Scotland who are also set to ballot for strike action over pay.
     It is essential that local union branches use the intervening 10 weeks to step up the pay campaign, in particular seeking the support of councillors for an improved pay offer - which is the only way the dispute can be won.

This week Liverpool City Council passed a motion in support of the strike and the City Mayor Joe Anderson is on record as supporting the union case: ‘On Thursday 10th July over a million people took part in strike action not because they wanted to but to highlight the erosion of their pay and conditions.Thousands of Liverpool City Council workers took part in that strike. This Council applauds those who took the difficult decision to take industrial action. Further this Council would like to put on record our praise for our workforce for helping this City through the most difficult and challenging times it has ever faced .The Trade Unions are an essential partner in not only raising Members issues but in working positively with Liverpool City Council to help us through the next few years.’
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=305&MId=14314&Ver=4