Islington UNISON 'A' branch UNIONS representing one and a half million council workers accepted a pay offer on 14 October which differs little from the previous 'final' offer. It has been slightly repackaged to marginally benefit the low paid.
Under a two year deal, workers will get 1.5 per cent and £100 backdated to July this year and 1.4 per cent and £100 from June 1995. The old offer was 1.7 per cent and £75 this year, and 1.4 per cent and £75 next vear.
For a council worker on £15,000 a year this will mean £6 more a week. Inflation and tax rises make this a cut in real terms.
Worst of all it is a two vear deal which does not bind the employers to increase pay with inflation. According to UNISON, the employees accepted that the unions could re-open negotiations. At a time of mounting dissatisfaction over pay at Jaguar and on the rail, and when pay settlements are around four per cent local government union leaders could have organised a fight for a substantially improved offer.
However the ÜNISON local government service group executive trampled union democracy and settled without organising industrial action.
A special delegate conference had been organised to follow a 'consultation exercise' of the membership in August.
Yet when this "consultation' produced a small majority for rejection of the "final' offer, the special delegate conference was promptly cancelled!
Activists in UNISON urgently need to build a left in the union to defend democracy and win policies to defend pay, jobs and conditions. The CFDU conference on 3 December is a step towards that. • Campaign for a Fighting Democratic Union launch conference Saturday December 3. 10am - 4pm Swathmore Centre, 4 Woodhouse Square Leeds. £5 delegates, £3 visitors. Details (0181) 464 333 extension 3273.
Non-urgent cases will now join the Whittington's 3,000 waiting list until new money becomes available next April.
But in the meantime the pressure on the Whittington will intensify with the planned January closure of casualty Bart's Hospital