Get ready to vote in the strike ballot!

In a strike ballot, we have to get over 50% of members voting for us to be able to take any action – many of you will know how close we came to that last year, so our challenge is to go one better this time! But that takes a lot of work, and most importantly, a lot of you to vote and a lot of you to make sure that your workmates vote!

Important dates:

• 4 Sept – Ballot opens, papers will arrive over the next few days
• 17 Sept – Hotline (0800 0857 857) opens if you haven’t received you ballot paper
• 3 Oct – Last date to join to get a vote in the ballot
• 9 Oct – Hotline closes
• 16 Oct – Ballot closes at 10am

t’s time to tell our bosses…..

*****PAY UP NOW*****

We’re about to be balloted about taking strike action for a better pay rise, so please read all of this email to get the info that you need and to know what to do next.

Last year, the bosses of the FTSE 100 companies got record pay packets – averaging £4.19m each, although the highest paid got a whopping £16.85m. The chief exec of Centrica (owners of British Gas) saw their pay double in 2023 to £8.2m. No wonder they charge us so much. Unbelievably, the CEO of the London Stock Exchange thinks that these fat cat bosses are under-paid and should get even more. There’s plenty of money in society, so we should get what we deserve!

The Claim By UNISON

The 3 Council trade unions (UNISON, Unite and GMB) submitted a joint claim in February 2024 as follows:
• An increase of £3000 or 10%, whichever is the highest, on all grades
• A review of gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps
• A 2 hour reduction in the working week with no detriment
• An additional day annual leave (that school staff can take any time including term-time)
• A phased approach to reach £15ph minimum pay within the next years, sooner if possible

The Offer From Employers

We didn’t get an offer from the employers until mid-May, and it was:
£1,575 (this includes inner London Weighting) as a consolidated increase on all grades

All other parts of our claim were rejected. This offer is less than half of last year’s pay rise.

Online Consultation

Earlier this year, all UNISON members in Local Government took part in an online consultation asking us if we wanted to accept the offer or not. Over 80% of members rejected the offer, which is why we are now having an official strike ballot.

Strike Ballot Info

The ballot starts on Wednesday 4 September and closes at 10am on Wednesday 16 October. It will be done by postal vote – ie a ballot paper will be sent to the address that UNISON has for you on the membership database. The ballot paper will be in a PURPLE envelope

Update Your Details

That means it’s really important that you check we have the correct details for you! So the first action you can take in the pay campaign is to update your details.

You can do this online here: My UNISON or you can email unison@camden.gov.uk and we can do it for you. The most important info that we need are your name, address, contact number, email, workplace and job title.

Recruit Workmates to UNISON

Anyone who joins before 4 October will get a ballot paper and be able to vote on striking for better pay – so the second action you can take is to ask your workmates if they are in UNISON, and if they aren’t then ask them to join – you can share this link: Join UNISON and get essential cover During the balloting period, we will be having UNISON stalls where membership forms available and people can sign up on the spot/you can take away forms for workmates.

Help Get The Vote Out

Anti-union laws brought in by the Tories mean that we have to get over 50% of members to cast a vote in a strike ballot – harder than you might think given that it’s postal! Last year, we came close, so it’s possible that we can do it. We did this by having ‘pay reps’ on as many teams as possible – members just like you who made sure that their workmates got a ballot paper, voted and returned it. So every member who helps can make a real difference – why not volunteer to be a Pay Rep for your team? Email unison@camden.gov.uk and let us know.

Pay Calculator

Have a go on this and see what your salary really should be – you’ll be horrified by how much more it is than you get!

Calculator – UNISON (unisonpaycalculator.co.uk)

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting the reasons why we deserve better pay, that it can be afforded without leading to service cuts and more – look out for the info in emails, and share them with your workmates.

Let’s get the vote out and fight for better pay!

Liz

Liz Wheatley
Branch Secretary
Camden UNISON

Tel: 020 7974 1633
Email: unison@camden.gov.uk
Web: http://www.camdenunison.org.uk

Camden UNISON Branch Office
3rd Floor Crowndale Centre
218-220 Eversholt Street
London
NW1 1BD