GMB POSITION REGARDING ENGLAND, WALES & NI LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRIKE ACTION
After negotiations the “final offer” from local government employers is 2.45% generally or 3.3% for the 200,000 lowest paid. The workforce is 1.4 million. GMB has a high proportion of low paid members and we argued for bottom-loading in this pay offer.
2 A GMB Conference determined our stance on that 2.45/3.3 offer. Nobody liked it. However, based on feedback that our members would not support sustained strike action it was unanimously agreed not to positively recommend this offer and to describe it as “the best that could be achieved through negotiations” in an open ballot.
3 Our intelligence from our members was very clear. The strong resentment against a sub-inflation pay offer was tempered by a realistic assessment of the likelihood of a better offer versus the possibility that there won’t be one. Our members simply cannot afford to lose several days’ pay finding out.
4 GMB conducted an all-members (240,000) individual consultation through ERBS which resulted in a 4-to-1 vote to accept the offer.
5 We therefore did not carry out an industrial action ballot and so our members will not be taking strike action. Of course, GMB supports our Unison colleagues and we will do whatever we can to assist their action.
6 GMB has common cause with all other unions in seeking fairer and better pay awards throughout the public sector. While this current pay round is still in dispute, GMB also looks towards the next public sector pay round. We argue that this autumn, before the next pay round starts, there needs to be a concordat between government and unions on the approach to and application of public sector pay.