States’ manual workers met to discuss their pay claim in April this year. The issue has yet to be resolved and they are now being balloted on taking industrial action.
GUERNSEY could be heading for a summer of discontent as States manual workers are polled on strike action. It is understood that sewage cart drivers have already voted in favour of action and airport firefighters are also believed to back the move.
With with wage negotiations deadlocked and registered for arbitration, shop stewards met yesterday to discuss their next step.
And, in the background, heads of several unions representing teachers, nurses and civil servants, have written a joint letter to Chief Minister Lyndon Trott expressing shock at the June RPI figure reaching 5.5% and demanding talks over the impact this has on the current round of wage negotiations.
Unite’s regional industrial organiser Ron Le Cras refused yesterday to discuss claims about strike action. ‘The Public Sector Remuneration Committee has registered a dispute, but we’re not sure that it is the right group to be negotiating with because they tell us their hands are tied; they cannot make an offer of more than 3%,’ said Mr Le Cras.
A slightly better offer was made nearer to what was wanted, he added, but the committee would not make that official.
‘Because of that we’re having meetings now to see what we’re going to do, but I don’t agree it should go to a third party.’
He added that Unite wanted to get a deal sorted quickly and more talking was needed.
The deal should have been settled in January. Public service employees are asking for a rise equivalent to September’s RPI figure of 4.9%, plus 3%.
States policy is to retain expenditure at RPI or below.
‘The RPI for these people is higher in reality than it would be for people further up the ladder. We feel that with so many of our people on poverty wages that the offer of 3% is an insult to those people in the public services.’
The letter to Deputy Trott is signed by the local heads of Prospect, TGWU Unite, Association of Guernsey Civil Servants, Association of School and College Lecturers, NAHT which represents head teachers, Royal College of Nursing, NASUWT and NUT representing teachers and the University and College Union.
‘We are shocked at the June 2008 RPI reaching 5.5%,’ it says.
‘We feel that the Policy Council will share our concern at the significant implications this RPI increase has on the current round of negotiations relating to the terms and conditions applicable to employees of the States of Guernsey.
‘Recognising the seriousness of this situation the combined recognised trade unions request an urgent meeting with the Policy Council.’
Article posted on 18th July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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2 Article Comments
Anyone, including Jack Honeybill expressing shock at the RPI figure, is simply not keeping in touch with current events. I had expected the RPI figure to leap abobe 6% and still belive it is suspiciously low. Rest assured it is going higher. The editor’s comment in this week’s GP is exactly right - this is not the time for any tax increases, it will only make a bad situation worse.
Not if we tax those with too much disposable income and relieve those that don’t. Too much cash in the system increases inflation. Top earners need to buy less and contribute more. We need to stop being regressive.