UNITE Pensions Jan 2012

It’s been an exciting few days in Unite.

Last Wednesday, our Health Sector National Industrial Sector Committee voted unanimously to reject the ‘Heads of Agreement’. On Tuesday this week, our Local Government NISC voted two to one to reject. Today, our MOD and Government Departments NISC voted unanimously to reject; our Community Youth Workers voted unanimously to reject in a phone conference; and our Health NISC re-affirmed its absolute support for an ongoing fight on pensions.

In meeting after meeting, our leading activists have talked about the need for more industrial action to stop the attacks on our pensions - and to stop the massive attacks of service cuts, privatisation, job loss, pay cuts and regional pay that we know the Government has lined up for us. An increasingly strong theme has emerged of a need for unity. Our best activists understand the need for all our public sector members to stand together against common attacks, and for Unite to stand with the other unions that are willing to fight. Of course we’re stronger when we fight together.

Unite activists worked hard to get this outcome. We used our initial Health vote to give confidence to the other committees. We’ve set out to build links between activists in our different public sector groups to share ideas and organise together. We had good support from many of our Executive Council members, who used the rule book to requisition a special meeting when they were worried things might be going off track. In the process of winning this policy position, we’ve strengthened our own organisation.

A Public Services Combine this afternoon endorsed the strong views coming from all of our public sector groups, and agreed a way forward (attached above). We’ve rejected the ’done deal’ announced by Danny Alexander on 20th December. We’re seeking central cross-scheme negotiations to challenge the Government’s ’principles’ of paying more, working longer and getting less. We’ll move to further industrial action to stop the attacks being imposed on 1st April. Our leadership is mandated to organise a meeting of like minded unions that can take our opposition to the Government forward. We’re committed to coordinating our opposition across our public sector sections within Unite and with the other unions that are fighting back.

We’ve still got a massive job of work on our hands. Tomorrow’s PSLG will be split down the middle. We’ve got a pensions fight to build, and a pensions fight to win. For our activists, though, winning this position within Unite is the first step in the hard fight ahead.

Gill George