Why are we being balloted for strike action?

Since 2010 the Conservative government has slashed funding for local government, including keeping our wages down. This means in the last 13 years we have lost around 25% of our pay in real terms. Essentially we are all working a day for free.

Despite Sunak’s promise to halve inflation by the summer, inflation is still sky high. Food and energy bills in particular are much higher than they were two years ago, with no sign of the prices reducing.

If pay had kept up with inflation (not even a pay rise just keeping up with inflation) we would all be on much better wages.

Last year Local Government workers were offered a flat rate increase of £1925 (£2355 in inner London). Well below inflation for every member of staff.

Although Lambeth UNISON members rejected this pay offer as being yet another real terms pay cut, UNISON members nationally voted to accept it.

This year the joint trade unions that negotiate wages for local government (UNISON, GMB and Unite) put forward a 12.6% pay increase for all staff. This was rejected by the employers, instead we were offered the same amount as last year (£1925/£2355). UNISON representatives rejected this outright and moved to a strike vote.

This is now a fight. It is a fight for not just decent pay but also the future of local government, of public services in general. The money is out there to provide decent, well funded public services like health, education and social care, as well as invest in new modern social housing. But the Conservative government don’t want to properly tax the super rich or the corporations that are making huge profits. The four major super markets made £4bn profit last year. The oil companies are making millions of pounds profit a week. There are 3 million millionaries in the UK, and 177 billionaies with a combined wealth of £600bn (this increased by 150bn in the last two years alone).

We need every UNISON member to vote. UNISON is recommending a YES vote for industrial action. A vote for action is a vote for dignity at work, for a future for the public sector. It is a vote to say that we are not going to take it any more and we will resist and fight to defend our standard of living, for ourselves, out families and our communities.

Whether you work in social care, libraries, parks, crematoriums, leisure centres, housing, ICT, HR, civil planning, education, community safety or any of the other hundreds of crucial jobs that local government workers do – this is your fight. Together we can win.


The UNISON ballot is from 23 May until 3 July. It is a postal ballot. If you do not get your ballot papers or you lose them call UNISON Direct to order a new one 0800 0 857857.

New members who join before 21 June will be eligible to vote.

If there is a YES vote for industrial action then you will be expected to take strike action, that means no crossing picket lines and no working from home.

Any questions please contact your UNISON rep, convenor or branch officer.

Win the ballot: Fight for Pay meeting

Dear Colleague

This is an invitation for you to join thousands of other London council UNISON members at this meeting on Pay!

A groundbreaking event is taking place on Tuesday 21 March 6.30-7.30 pm when UNISON members from other London councils will be signing up for the first ever London Wide UNISON council & school workers meeting.

Barnet UNISON  Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86358706964?pwd=aFQyZmFsVXVqL2tNTk02dTlQd2pFZz09

Meeting ID: 863 5870 6964

Passcode: 869860

The Cost-of-Living Crisis is unrelenting, and more and more workers are under pressure to keep up with increases in costs such as Food, Heating, Rent, Mortgages, Child Care, etc.

Council and Schools workers’ pay has fallen so low over the last 13 years that everyone is now working at least ONE day a week for free.

At the same time energy companies are announcing massive levels of profits whilst many of our members are afraid to turn on the heating.

UNISON Council and School workers now have the opportunity to add their voice to the hundreds of thousands of other trade union members who have already taken strike action over the issue of low pay such as: Transport workers, Royal Mail workers, BT workers, Teachers, Junior Doctors, Train drivers, Cleaners, Teachers, College workers, Border Control workers, Civil Servants, Barristers.

All these trade union members managed to deliver a BIG YES vote in their strike ballot.

In London we need to send a message about the hardship of living on low pay in London. To do that we need to organise across London councils in order for our members’ voices to be heard loud and clear in Parliament.

When is the Strike Ballot to start?

The strike ballot papers will start being sent out to members home addresses from 23 May to 4 July.

What can members do?

It is important that all UNISON members’ email Lambeth UNISON branch at jablake@lambeth.gov.uk with their correct postal address and contact details including their telephone/ mobile number and email address.

It is critical to the success of the strike ballot that Lambeth UNISON has the correct details and has your permission to contact you about the strike ballot.

 Phone banking.

We know from other trade unions the importance of speaking to members about voting and sending back the ballot papers. We are looking for help to be on the Lambeth UNISON phone bank. If you would like to volunteer, please email us at shannah@lambeth.gov.uk

Join the climate protests on 6 November – we have a world to save!

COP26 is happening in Glasgow and there are protests around the country calling on politicians to do more around runaway global warming.

Workers have the power to change the world for the better, to build a society based on human need not corporate greed.

There are trade union blocs on the London protest that Lambeth UNISON will be joining. You should join too!


UNISON will be meeting in Windrush Square on 6 November at 10am then heading up to Finsbury Circus Gardens (nearest tube Moorgate and Liverpool Street) for 11.


The main protest will start outside the Bank of England at 12noon and march to Parliament Square.


Please see the We Make Tomorrow website for more details


https://www.wemaketomorrow.org/

Branch Meeting notice – 7 May 2019

There is a Lambeth UNISON branch meeting on 7 May from 1-2pm.

We will be discussing workplace issues and campaigns that are affecting you from pay to health and safety and the campaign to save the Children’s Centres.

Assembly Rooms
Lambeth Town Hall
Brixton
7 May 2019 Between 1-2pm

To put something on the agenda please email our vice-chairs Jocelyn (JCruywager@lambeth.gov.uk) and Dan (DJeffery@Lambeth.gov.uk)

Calling all children’s centre workers!

Lambeth UNISON invites you to attend our ALL STAFF MEETING, where we will be discussing the proposed cuts to Lambeth’s children centres, the upcoming staff meeting and next steps.

Thursday 4 April, 4.30pm
First Floor, Blue Star House
Stockwell Road, SW9 9SP

Open to all: whether you’re a member of UNISON, another union or no union; whether you’re directly employed by Lambeth Council or self-employed. Let’s stand together to defend our jobs and defend the service!

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