Fred Le Plat, Campaign for a Fighting and Democratic UNISON With the general election only months away and the likely outcome a Blair led Labour Government, the left in the unions desperately needs to discuss common problems and begin to develop a coherent militant response across the trade union movement.
The most immediate aspirations of union members, as embodied by their conference policies, can only be met if a majority Labour government is elected and if such a government is then forced carry out these policies.
For Unison members, for example, this would be an ending to all forms of privatisation, a minimum wage at £4.26p, adequate funding for the welfare state and the repeal of anti-union laws and the Asylum and Immigration law. Campaigning for these policies during With Labour silent, students themselves must fight Tory fees and loans Susan Moore Tuesday November 19 sees unprecedented action in the higher education sector with members of all eight unions, covering teaching and non-teaching staff, voting overwhelmingly to strike on that day.
Students in a number of colleges have also agreed to support this historic action. The day's strike will be followed by a campaign of more limited industrial action, the form of which will be decided locally.
The action has been triggered by the derisory pay offer made by the employers in the negotiations over a rise which was due in April 1996. With average wages for manual workers in the sector standing at £7504 a year, the proposed rise of 2.4 per cent is worth only a meagre 9p an hour.
For clerical and administrative staff on a average wage of £ 12,655 the offer of 1.5 per cent is worth the princely sum or lup an nour.
While lecturers are not generally considered to be low paid the reality Is tnat tner pay nas tallen arastically over recent years.
With a current scale of between £15,000 and £26,400 they no often earn less or little more than secondary school teachers, with the result that their vote for action was one of the most decisive.
Workers and students in higher education, like workers and users in other parts of the public sector have been bearing the brunt of the government cut-backs.
The pitiful offers on pay have combined with trade unionists' frustration with other attacks on jobs and conditions. Workers have been building up stronger joint union organisaton al a workplace level in response to these attacks, which has made possible the co-ordinated action now agreed.
Many activists are aware that if this campaign is not successful we could well see moves to end national pay bargaining in the sector. The experience of the NHS, where this has already happened. and where so fat less than one quarter of Trusts have settled on the 1996 pay round are a timely reminder of why such a move would be a disaster for all.