“An incoming Labour government has to address people’s pay packets. Otherwise, you may see people taking further industrial action.”
By Ben Folley
Ahead of the Labour Party manifesto being finalised at a Clause V meeting on Friday, trades unions in the public sector have been setting out the need for Labour to commit to a restoration of pay, after more than a decade of real terms pay cuts, or face an inevitable new wave of industrial action.
More than a year on from a period of loosely-coordinated mass strikes across a range of public services, which widely secured limited increases in pay deals, the union movement is clear following the most recent TUC Congress, that its demand is for pay restoration following the decline in value since 2010, and will likely have to use its industrial muscle with whichever government of the day to secure a bigger slice of public funds for its members.
The General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, Matt Wrack, currently also serving a term as President of the Trades Union Congress, set out his expectation that an incoming Labour Government should recognise the punishment of key public sector workers under the Conservatives pay policies and that staff would not accept below inflation rises from Labour.
Other unions too, have continued to set out their expectation of at least inflation-proofed pay rises, including the British Medical Associations junior doctors who have committed to taking strike action in the election campaign, before polling day.
Speaking to the Independent newspaper, Matt Wrack said,
“Pay stagnated since 2008, particularly for those 14 years it has been under attack, in the public sector.”
“I think Labour will have to address that certainly, I don’t think there will be a mood to accept a year after year of below inflation pay rises, there’s got to be some programme to restore people’s living standards, particularly in the aftermath of the cost of living crisis.
“So I think the unions whether they’re affiliated to Labour or not will be seeking to fo that. That’s what our job is to improve the living standards and rights of our members. And I think we will be pursuing that very forcefully, whoever’s in government after after July.”
He said much the same to The Guardian as he took to the media,
“An incoming Labour government has to take account of the fact that people have struggled over 14 years, particularly on the back of the cost of living crisis. Something has got to be done to address that in people’s pay packets.”
“I get that they’re going to be under financial constraints and so on, but something will need to be done about it. Otherwise, you may see people taking further industrial action.”
Elsewhere Unite the Union’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham, took a swipe at the Labour leadership for changes to the New Deal for Working People previously agreed between the party leadership and the trades unions.
Drafted by Andy McDonald and launched by Angela Rayner at Labour’s 2021 party conference in Brighton, aspects of the agreement have come under threat, including the single status of worker and the scope of collective bargaining proposals which it had been proposed would be brought in across a range of sectors under the title of Fair Pay Agreements, but the commitment to which has seemingly since been reduced to a consultation on introducing one solely in the care sector.
Graham, said in a piece for the Guardian,
“look at the planned introduction of sectoral bargaining, which is now on life support. Limited to one sector and lacking any sort of clarity as to whether actual negotiations on issues such as pay will take place, this important policy will without doubt be watered down still further as part of the much-trumpeted “consultation”. If collective bargaining is not restored to a respectable level, the new deal will not deliver real change for workers where it matters, in their pockets.”
Concluding, she wrote,
“yes, vote Labour. But do it with your eyes wide open and don’t be afraid to push for more from a party built to be the workers’ voice.”
Unite will be represented at tomorrow’s Clause V manifesto meeting.
Elsewhere, the National Education Union launched their Manifesto for Education, with a key demand of ‘Make teacher pay competitive to fix recruitment crisis’.
Teaching union general secretary Daniel Kebede, said,
“A seemingly permanent recruitment and retention crisis is the result of failure to address workload and real terms pay cuts over many years.”
“all government decisions, including a response to the recommendations, will need to be carefully considered in light of the sensitivity of the pre-election period”.
“The government will publish its response in due course, but will not be able to do so during the pre-election period.”
This has prompted outrage from teaching unions who condemned the late initiation of the pay review process.
In hospitals too, health unions have condemned the late running of their own pay award process.
The Royal College of Nursing has warned that this year’s NHS pay uplift could take until November and sought urgent summer negotiations to prevent a six-month delay.
In their own election manifesto document, the RCN prioritise,
They also call for,
“The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and Trade Union Act 2016 to be revoked, every section, without exception.”
The first leader’s debate of the election saw RMT union general secretary Mick Lynch on Newsnight to discuss the content, where he said of Starmer, “He needs to come to the country with a bolder message.”
The RMT has already set out it’s own statement on the election, arguing,
“It is objectively in the interests of working people to get the Tories out which means getting a Labour led government in, and our members will need to campaign and vote accordingly.
“However, there will be no blank cheques for Labour and we also challenge Labour to provide an alternative, coherent and credible economic strategy that radically challenges the current orthodoxy on spending and borrowing so that we can properly fund our industries and public services.
“Protections for our members and the delivery of progressive polices are delivered, as always, by our union and the wider trade union movement being prepared to fight for progressive change.”
Labour is still expected to commit to the repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) legislation whilst there is a strong demand to repeal the Trade Union Act (2016) and earlier anti-union laws.
But on pay, whilst Labour has condemned the Conservatives failure to ‘make work pay’ whilst remaining silent on it’s public sector pay commitments in the run-in to the General Election, thanks to Rachel Reeves’ self-imposed fiscal rules straitjacket.
Trades unions will be hoping for a clear commitments on pay in Labour’s manifesto but it is likely they will have to pressure an incoming Labour Government to deliver what members are owed.
- Labour’s Clause V meeting takes place on Friday 7th June with the publication of its manifesto reportedly taking place on Thursday 13th June.
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