The Modern Reward Strategy (MRS) has split the workforce into winners and losers. Of course all of us welcome wage rises for those who have been underpaid too long. We also want a united workforce.
In contrast to the official spin of the employer, many colleagues have told me how upset, angry, demoralised and worried they are by MRS. The purpose of a trade union is to protect all its members from any threat of a cut in living standards.
There are women workers earning less than £15,000 a year facing a pay cut in the name of the Equal Pay Act. There are other colleagues who face wage cuts of over £6000 a year, for some this will mean losing their homes. The union branch is at last taking steps to oppose this.
Over two thousand NCC colleagues face a cut in pay through MRS. Others face reduction in Saturday working and loss of car allowance. Others, even if making a small gain now, find themselves at the top of a scale with no prospect of progression in future years. There are many reasons to oppose MRS.
Workers in some other councils, for example Greenwich, have won single status deals which involved no pay cuts. They did this by making a united stand and threatening industrial action. Where unions have not been so bold, single status deals have been a major disaster, leading to over 200,000 local authority workers facing wage cuts all around the country. Unfortunately Unison national office have not publicised the many heroic attempts by workers to resist such humiliation. See http://www.labouruniondigest.org.uk/index.php?page_id=13
It is my belief that the branch should now completely dissociate itself from MRS. Our website still carries material showing MRS as a joint proposal between Unison and NCC. In my opinion it is wrong to continue to display this. We should dispense with any impression that we are party to MRS.
On the matter of imposition, our branch is now preparing to take industrial action in hot spots, with the possibility of a work to rule over wider sections of the workforce should Norfolk County Council attempt to impose MRS on members against their will. I welcome this response from the branch. All members who have expressed their disgust with MRS have played a part in making this happen and there is much more to be done requiring your involvement. We need to reclaim this union for its members. There remains a big risk that some members could be isolated.
NCC are threatening to sidestep collective bargaining, thereby undermining the union. If this happens then in any future scenario needing action or negotiation the unions’ position will be severely weakened. Those individuals who choose to agree to accept individually now may find that when they need a strong union at some future date it will not be there. By so agreeing they will be exchanging short term benefit for long term loss of union strength and reliability. The principle of collective bargaining must be upheld.
- Ed Bober, UNISON steward
