Local government strike off but no concessions on pay

A strike over pay by hundreds of thousands of local government workers scheduled for Tuesday of this week was suspended last week. 

The walkout would have involved the Unison, GMB and Unite unions.

According to the Local Government Association, union leaders presented a proposal to the employers, then used it as a reason to call off the strikes.

However council bosses say the proposals “do not have the status of a formal pay offer”. 

They would give a 2.2 percent pay increase from 

1 January next year with larger increases for the lowest paid. 

There is no back pay but a lump sum of £100.

Most workers would get the same as if they had accepted the 1 percent offered originally—which they rejected.

It was wrong to call the strike off.

Unison branches in Manchester and Tower Hamlets, east London, have condemned the proposal and are campaigning for rejection. Other branches and regions should do the same.

The consultation begins on Monday of next week.

We should demand the strikes are reinstated and coordinated with other public sector unions where possible.