2023 local government conference

Food Standards Agency workers call for fair pay

Workers who play a critical role in making sure our food is safe to eat are undervalued and overworked, delegates at UNISON’s local government conference were told.

Meat hygiene inspector and UNISON member John Rowlands said: “Our pay is under attack. For the last 13 years, we’ve had meagre pay rises”.

Another delegate, who inspects chickens, added: “I can no longer afford life’s basics, let alone life’s luxuries”.

As well as fighting for fairer pay, UNISON members within the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are also battling privatisation and outsourcing.

Mr Rowlands said that UNISON needs to recruit more members within the FSA and among its contractors. To do this, he said, “we must continue to do what works – negotiate and fight for our members.”

Delegates carried a motion calling on the service group executive to:

negotiate for higher pay for members in the FSA through collective bargaining;
promote opportunities for members to learn new skills;
organise in new areas of the FSA and encourage members to become more active; and
oppose privatisation and deregulation of meat hygiene inspection.

The article Food Standards Agency workers call for fair pay first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care workers take centre stage at local government conference

The final afternoon of the UNISON’s 2023 local government conference saw several motions on social care passed.

The session, chaired by UNISON president Andrea Egan, kicked off with a motion on a national care service.

Tony Barnsley, introducing the motion on behalf of the NJC local government committee, said: “The pandemic shone a light on social care for a lot of people in this country.

“On the one hand, we saw minimum-waged heroes putting themselves on the frontline, to care, despite lack of PPE. On the other hand were owners of these privatised care homes, demanding more money from the state.

“It is vital UNISON sends a message loud and clear to this government: you can’t fix free market failure in the care sector with more free market policies. Fixing market failure requires the state to step back in, take control, and run care for the needs of the many, not profits for the few.

“Insourcing, insourcing, insourcing is the solution to market failure.

“We need a national care service established in this country, with the same political vigour and principles that the NHS was created with.”

Mr Barnsley encouraged delegates to read UNISON’s bargaining for insourcing guide.

Council-provided care

However, a second motion, introduced by Brenda Aitchison on behalf of Scotland, outlined the perils of a national care service that is not run by councils.

In a motion titled ‘council-provided care’, Ms Aitchison explained how, in Scotland, UNISON has opposed the current National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, in part because it is “an attack on local government and the local government social care staff”.

The bill will take social care services out of the control of councils and placed in the hands of care boards. Ms Aitchison said: “If this bill is passed, it will remove democratic control from all councils in Scotland.

“We know we need a national care service. We know change is needed, but that change has to be right for both staff and the service users. Our current system promotes the market approach, which drives down standards of pay and conditions. We need to say loudly – we need to take profit out of care.”

Speaking in support of the motion on behalf of the service group executive, Lorraine Thompson said: “The quality of care provided by the council will nearly always be better than the private sector, primarily because the profit motive does not impede on service provision.”

Caring for our carers

A third motion centred on the need to care for social carers themselves. Introducing a motion on behalf of UNISON’s national women’s committee, Sarah Feeney said: “80% of people working in care are women. A greater proportion are Black women. And they’re treated appallingly.”

Speaking in support of the motion, Valerie Bossman-Quarshie from UNISON Barnet said: “In my experience as a young carer, I did not have enough support, I was paid low wages, working long hours, but I do remember loving those I cared for, and that love has not changed or left me.”

“We must remember young carers, those who haven’t even registered as carers, and those from African and African-Caribbean, Black backgrounds, caring for our ageing population. It’s a good thing we are ageing and living longer, but we should celebrate those young carers when there’s no incentive for becoming a carer.”

Adult social care

A final motion passed on adult social care was introduced by the national LGBT+ committee with Jackie Lewis (pictured) moving.

Ms Lewis told delegates: “There is roughly a 50/50 split in the number of adults receiving adult social care, between those who are retired and those who are working age.

“There will be a significant number of people who are or will be users of adult social care who are LGBT+ local government workers.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that LGBT+ workers are – and have always been – well-represented among social care workers. However, they are often invisible.

“A workforce where LGBT+ workers are unable to be out at work is not likely to be one where workers can confidently meet the specific needs of LGBT+ service users.”

The article Care workers take centre stage at local government conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.

‘Save local services before it’s too late’ says conference

Speakers at UNISON’s local government conference spoke passionately about the effects of cuts to essential public services and the need for action to save these services from decimation.

“Nearly three million people used food banks last year, while the rich are getting richer. We need a government willing to tax the rich to fund public services. We need a party that is unashamedly for the working class,” said one delegate.

According to UNISON research, councils across the UK are facing a funding shortfall of £3.2bn in 2023/24, rising to a cumulative funding gap of £5bn for 2024/25. Councils including Woking, Thurrock and Croydon have declared bankruptcy, while others are being forced to cut essential services such as children’s centres.

The solution, delegates heard, is massive reinvestment in local government from the centre, along with a new, positive vision for local government that recognises the fantastic work done by public sector workers.

As an example of the kind of campaigning work that can be done to help save local services, delegates from Brighton and Hove spoke about the Give It Back campaign, where UNISON is working with other unions as well as Green and Labour councillors, and local businesses, organisations and charities, to demand a reversal of cuts to local services.

As part of the campaign, the organisers are making a series of gravestones representing services which have been cut, which they are planning to set up outside the Houses of Parliament.

While services are being cut to the bone, local government workers are struggling to feed their own families because their pay hasn’t kept up with inflation. Many delegates spoke about their own struggles to make ends meet while also dealing with the effects of cuts at work.

“When you’re paid more for packing cheese than for keeping children safe, something’s drastically wrong,” said one speaker.

UNISON’s research shows that local government staff are thousands of pounds a year worse off than they were in 2009, with qualified residential care workers effectively losing £6,177 a year, refuse collectors £3,506 and teaching assistants £4,813.

Delegates voted for motions that called on the local government service group executive to:

continue to campaign for proper recognition of local government services;
generate political activity in parliaments across the UK calling for more funding for council services;
raise awareness of the importance of local government workers to society through campaigns such as UNISON’s Local Services Champions; and
maintain a high-profile campaign to make sure the public understands the needs for properly funded services and decent pay for local government workers.

The article ‘Save local services before it’s too late’ says conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.

A message of solidarity from trade unionists in Turkey

On the second day of UNISON’s local government conference, long-term friend of the union and trade union leader Mehmet Bozgeyik (pictured above, right) addressed delegates with a powerful speech.

Mr Bozgeyik is co-president of the confederation of public employees’ trade unions (KESK), Turkey.

Opening his speech, Mr Bozgeyik thanked UNISON members for their ongoing support for trade union members facing different forms of harassment in Turkey, which he described as an ‘autocratic’ country.

Mr Bozgeyik continued: “As you know, Turkey is not an isolated case in the world. There is a global trend of right wing populism all over the world.

“We just had general elections, which could have been an opportunity to change the ruling party. However, as international reports show, there was no equality in the competition in these elections.”

He said the elections were marked by polarisation and repressive policies, with the media playing a crucial role in spreading misinformation. He also described how, in the previous election in 2019, the government removed newly elected mayors and replaced them with state officers.

“We know that this appointment of trustees is a practice from the military regime, but it’s the first time under the civilian regime that the government has appointed trustees. When they began work, they adopted aggressive policies on trade union leaders, which resulted in dismissals of our members.”

However, Mr Bozgeyik remained defiant. “We strongly believe in the fact that we will win his struggle, together with other democratic forces which are making efforts to achieve peace, human rights and rule of law in this country. We will win for sure.

“We are struggling for our fundamental rights every day.”

Mr Bozgeyik said: “I would like to thank the UNISON family for showing solidarity with us and for our members from KESK who have been in prison for two years.”

UNISON has long supported the ongoing trials of union leaders Gonul Erden and Selma Atabey, who face charges of terrorism for their trade union activities.

“On 5 June last week, our leader Selma Atabey was released from prison. In March, Gonul Erdem was released from prison. They are under house arrest so cannot attend this conference, but would like to express their gratitude for your solidarity.”

Mr Bozgeyik continued to draw parallels between the battles that local government workers face across the world.

“There is a global economic crisis. I’m sure you are also facing the results of this crisis. We’re feeling the effects of this, and of capitalist policies which are not good for ecology, or citizens.

“We have been following UNISON’s actions and strikes against neoliberal policies and low wages. We extend our greetings to your struggle and congratulate you in this struggle against low wages.

“We are struggling to build a brighter future, and we are struggling together. Long live solidarity, long live UNISON, we will win together.”

The article A message of solidarity from trade unionists in Turkey first appeared on the UNISON National site.

The case for better pay in local government is ‘compelling and clear cut’, says UNISON

An improved pay deal for council and school employees is vital for the economy and community services, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Monday) in a keynote speech.

She was addressing the union’s annual local government conference in Liverpool as workers continue to vote in one of the biggest strike ballots the union has undertaken.

More than a third of a million council and school staff are being asked to vote on a £1,925 offer in England and Wales, significantly below UNISON’s claim for inflation plus 2%.

Christina McAnea told delegates: “Across the UK it often feels like local government is the first to be cut. And while some employers are sympathetic, all governments, especially the one in Westminster, say they can’t afford to fund services.

“Yet if ministers met UNISON’s pay claim in full, around half the cost could be recouped. That’s because more would be raised in tax and less paid out in benefits.

“But cutting funding for local government – and refusing decent pay for council and school workers – is a deliberate political choice.

“The case for better pay is compelling and clear cut. But the strike vote isn’t just to get more pay, it’s to save services and shine a spotlight on the chronic underfunding of essential services.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, workers have options. They can take a second job or get better-paid work elsewhere. And people are leaving.

“Just as in the NHS, staff vacancies in councils and schools are endemic. Recruiting and keeping social workers, care staff, planners, environmental health officers, refuse drivers and everyone else is becoming difficult. Services and communities are suffering.

“The damage this causes is not easily fixed. It endures for generations.

“Paying employees fairly means it’s easier to recruit and retain staff. That has to be good for communities and everyone needing support.

“UNISON wants to work with employers, local authorities and schools to lobby and put pressure on governments across the UK for a fairer deal.”

Notes to editors:
– Christina McAnea was speaking to delegates on the second day of UNISON’s two-day local government conference in Liverpool. This will be followed by the union’s national conference taking place from tomorrow to Friday (13 to 16 June).
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article The case for better pay in local government is ‘compelling and clear cut’, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.