Rosstrial Metes Nupe Sells Out 1 Million on Pay
Socialist Press1977 1977-12-21Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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The sell out of the Local Authc prity manual workers is just around the corner.
The union side have not yet formally agreed to the employers' pitiful offer, but this is only due to the deliberate stalling tactics by the officials of NUPE.
Of the 3 unions involved, only NUPE have rejected the offer.
But instead of taking action to support the claim, 'they have only put up token resistance in order to win prestige over the other 2 unions in their quest to increase membership within local authorities.
Once again the low paid will suffer while the union The 'kiss of death' of ACAS intervention is hovering over the threeweek old pay strike at NUPE leader Fisher seeks only to further their aims of recruitment.
The original claim was for:
*a £50 minimum wage *a 35-hour week *4 weeks' holiday after 1 year's service *payment of average earnings whilst on sick leave *consolidation of Phases I and Il of the Social Contract *enhanced payments for those not on bonus *a threshold clause to protect the standard of living *and an increase in shift allowances.
The employers' response to that claim was to offer a new minimum wage of £42.40-a total increase of £3.90, leaving £5 of the wage unconsolidated.
Average earnings were to be paid only on sick leave due to industrial accident or disease:
The offered increase in the shift allowance would raise it to the princely sum of 12.76p per hour for rotating shiftsan increase of 2.26p per hour, with 1.5p per hour for those on alternating shifts.
Meaningful discussions On the threshold clause, the employers have said that if the living standards of local authority manual employees fall below the value of the agreement, then "meaningful discussions" will take place.
The question of the shorter working week and longer holidays will be "looked into" by the joint secretaries without commitment. And perhaps most ominous of all, two new committees will be set up to look into (a) productivity and (b) differentials.
This is the deal the unions are about to accept, despite a clear mandate from NUPE regions to reject it.
It comes nowhere near the original claim. But by skilful manipulation at recall conferences, union bureaucrats have been able to dupe delegates into believing this was the best offer that could be gained. - If that is the best offer that full time negotiators PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report force the TUC to act. BURY