Brian Smith Glasgow Unison Social WorkStewards secretary (PC)  

The magnificent day of action in September and on the 20th August has seen 200,000 workers across the three trade unions take united strike action. We have forced the employers to move from a three year offer to a one year deal. The arguments about how poor the current offer of 2.5% is have been won across the board. Even the employers and the Scottish Government say they recognise the pressures on living standards.

However as yet there has been no real change in the original offer from CoSLA, the local government employers. CoSLA’s offer of a one year deal is to be welcomed but it does not alter the fact that 2.5% over one year is still a real cut in wages with inflation at least 5% and the costs of basic foods, energy, transport and fuel even higher. The trade union leaders have promoted a strategy of a one day strike backed-up by selective action by small groups. However they have been slow to react to the employers’ increasinglyhardline position by naming dates for action. 

There is a growing feeling that the trade union leaders are behind the mood of the majority of their members, and that traveling at the pace of the slowest branch or trade union could lead to a strategy with little chance of moving the employers. Many members are questioning the impact that the selective action will have as neither the GMB or Unite appear to have identified groups to take action.

“CoSLA’s latest offer is not a pay rise - it’s a pay cut. Sure striking costs us in lost wages. But we can’t afford not to strike. With rising costs of food, fuel and transport what choice do we have? If one day is not enough to budge the politicians then we will have no choice but to extend the action further until they listen to us.” 

Tricia McLeishGlasgow Unison Member Land and Environmental services department  

At a meeting of the 32 Unison branches on 5 September the Glasgow Branch (in which members of Solidarity play a key role) put forward a position of two days all out strike in September followed by three days in October, along with a restriction on the amount of emergency cover provided during strikes.

This position was lost at the meeting with the leadership arguing that the members would not back such an escalation. 

Our September strike day has been another huge success. The question is if CoSLA don’t move where do we go from here? It is crucial that workplace stewards and members begin to discuss what they see as the next step in the campaign and should participate in their local trade union branch in an effort to escalate the action. We need to escalate the action by calling on the trade union leaders to name more all out days now. Let’s show CoSLA and the Scottish and UK Governments that we will not accept their pay cuts.  

• For united action with other public sector workers to fight attacks on pay

• Not a penny more of union money for New Labour. Build a working class party to represent trade union members.

    We are Solidarity – We Believe in Taking Sides 

Every day that passes sees capitalism descend deeper into crisis and chaos. Yet, as the economic crisis deepens, it is ordinary workers that are told they must accept lower pay while big businesses continues to make billions in profit. It is ordinary workers who provide essential services and produce the wealth in society, but we do not control how services are run or what is produced. 

The majority of the population, who create the wealth, have very little say in how society works.But, this strike by closing down or severely disrupting essential services, will show how critical local government workers are for the millions of people who rely on them. 

Brain Smith, Glasgow Unison Social Work Secretary, Duncan Brown, Chair Edinburgh Unison and Tricia McLeish Glasgow Unison member at the Solidarity strike fringe meeting in Edinburgh