UNISON to fight pay offer with strike ballots

Voted to reject

All three unions on the National Joint Council that negotiates on council worker and school pay, UNISON, Unite and the GMB have all voted to reject a pay offer of 3.3%.  UNISON is now moving to a strike ballot.

When will the strike ballot happen?

All Brighton and Hove UNISON council and schools members can take part in the ballot from 9 July to 6 August.

A message from UNISON General Secretary, Andrea Egan:

"Council and school workers in England and Cymru have lost 26% of our pay in real terms since 2010. The 3.3% offer keeps us underpaid.

Every time we accept an offer that doesn't reflect the work we do, we make it easier for them to cut and dismantle our public services.

This time it’s different. We're going straight to a strike ballot from 9 July to 6 August. But it won’t work without you:

Housing, care, education, waste, environmental health: without us, the country doesn't function.

If thousands of members vote YES, we have the power to force employers to the table with an offer that actually reflects the work we do, and put pressure on government to properly fund a fair pay rise.

But your colleagues are only likely to vote if someone they know asks them to. You are the one with the power to do this.

By signing up as an Active Member, you will be committing to attending a 90-minute briefing and taking practical steps to help win the ballot in your workplace.

The ballot opens Thursday 9 July and closes Thursday 6 August. Return your ballot paper by post as soon as it arrives. More information about the ballot, including ordering a replacement ballot, can be found on the UNISON website.

Get your colleagues to vote YES to strike action.

The country needs us. It's time our employers and the government realised this.

Take the pledge now on the UNISON website.

Solidarity,

Andrea Egan
UNISON General Secretary