Pensions Strike, November 30th

The pensions strike was an unprecedented coming together of public sector unions that delivered a timely reminder as to how effective collective solidarity and collective action can be. Not surprisingly, the media and the government have downplayed its effectiveness but what would Cabinet members know of the impact of the strike? I bet most of them don’t send their kids to state schools, use the NHS or rely on the other public services that ground to a halt on 30 November. Maybe that is unfair, one or two of them have probably had a chauffeur who was a member of the PCS union...

I think it would be a mistake to see the day’s action as the peak of our campaign. It is inevitable that Cameron and Clegg will try to be the new Thatcher, thinking they will get votes and save their political careers by taking on the unions. They are too distant from reality to know that times have changed and that, generally speaking, the public are supporting the unions in this dispute. We have to be ready to take further action in the New Year, probably smart action like that which occurred in the Southampton dispute. The Southampton UNISON Branch website is worth a look! We need to make sure any action is even more effective by recruiting non-union members to join UNISON and convincing union members who attended work to join us next time. When people cross a picket line it is sometimes hard to stay reasonable but I think that is what we must do if we want to get them on board.

We also need to remember the power that comes to us from industrial action as other disputes loom. After two years of a pay freeze, local government workers face a maximum increase of 1% for the next two years, at a time when inflation has been over 4%. That means four years of pay cuts imposed on us by a Government who has let the bankers who caused the economic mess get away scot free and return to their lifestyle of excessive bonuses. Locally there are bound to be disputes as our various local employers feel compelled to squeeze our pay and conditions, cut our jobs and privatise services.

UNISON representatives will do all they can to safeguard our members wherever they work but there comes a time when we can only achieve so much by negotiation. To get a better deal, we may call on our members to take industrial action again. We need to have established a culture where union membership is high and where people are prepared to take action to make a real difference. This in itself empowers UNISON negotiators. All union members have a part to play in establishing that culture; recruiting non-members, making sure that their workplace has a steward and having regular workplace meetings are the foundations that we must start to build.

Jonathan Dunning is the Branch Secretary of the Norfolk County Branch of UNISON.