Strike!

[kalidarkone]

Junior doctors taking the piss...26.2% might just be a bargaining point but its not going to take the public with them.
I fear it will reduce sympathy for the more realistic hopes of the Nurses who's pay requests are far more justified.
No surprise to me that the greedy middle class millenials making up the bulk of this cadre obviously aren't that caring about much else but themselves.

You have no clue what the Junior doctors do- the responsibility they have and the crazy hours they do. When you look at the hours they do it works out similar to the hospital domestics.

We were absolutely fucked this week whilst they were striking- nothing important got done!

 

[Karl Masks]

Does the nursing offer including anything about terms and conditions or just pay?

 

[LDC]

Does the nursing offer including anything about terms and conditions or just pay?

There's been some mutterings about safety, pensions and support for staff, but I'd bet they come to nothing that much.

 

[belboid]

I hope none of you need a passport in a hurry.

PCS will serve notice on Friday on the Home Office for 5 weeks of strike action in the passport office starting Monday 3rd April.

The action across passport offices in London, Glasgow, Newport, Liverpool, Southport, Peterborough and Durham will run continuously for 5 weeks from Monday 3rd April to the 6th May (including Saturdays). As the action is targeted and sustained action, PCS will reimburse full net pay for the days members are rostered to work during this period of strike action. Any non-members can join PCS now and be part of the action.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

5% is crap in the current circumstances without even considering how health workers have been consistently shat upon for years now.

The 5% is for next year, when inflation is forecast to be lower. The main issue is surely the fact that the unions seem to be recommending a pay offer that is a real terms pay cut for this year. The pay claim was for 19%, support for the strikes from workers and the public was apparently high and the Tories were obviously rattled, so the decision to accept and recommend the offer by all of the unions (bar Unite, who haven’t recommended rejection either: the classic cop out) is unfathomable.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

You clearly have no fucking clue what you're talking about.

He’ll be having a pop at the street cleaners & bin folk striking next.

 

[hitmouse]

Meanwhile, UNISON just announced we'll be balloting for strike action over the 23/24 pay offer that UCU might be accepting...?

Lot of confusion and concern in both UNISON and UCU chats this evening!

Also a lot of speculation/insinuation that there's cracks between UCU and UNISON nationally, along with very clear cracks internally within UCU. All of which, of course, just helps the employers.

Yeah, the offer's a pisstake, as Miss-Shelf says the pension thing is meaningless to those in the post-92s and the 8% only applies to spine points 3-5. Spine points 3-5 are below the real living wage and so no members of staff are going to be on them in institutions that are living wage employers.
I think talking of cracks/splits between UCU and Unison on this barely counts as speculation, comparing the statements that the two have put out. I'd also say that the crack starts with the internal UCU divisions - the joint trade unions went into this with a united position that in a cost of living crisis, pay was the most important thing to get sorted out first, it was only when Grady threw out the elected UCU negotiators and appointed herself in their place instead that things went to shit.

 

[hitmouse]

Really, so how is the 5% the nurses to be seen? Nurse starting pay £9.49 and nothing even approaching the increases in that rate a Doctor will see despite in my experience of the NHS working harder.
Trainee Doctors know well that they are onto a good rate a pay if they stick how about a grand for a single night out of hours work and fuck knows what for private consultancy.
My heart bleeds

Do you think nurses will have more bargaining power if they're striking on their own, or if they're striking alongside doctors?

 

[Lord Camomile]

It's just hit me that it is kind of weird that there are all these members shouting "How dare you ask to vote on whether we should vote! We're holding our own vote to show that we don't think we should have a vote!"...

All feels a bit People's Front of Judea 'n' all that

 

[Lord Camomile]

(Which is not to say I don't get it, just... it's a weird, if legitimate, scenario to end up in)

 

[flypanam]

Got this mail from UCU’s head of bargaining, organising, campaigns and education ‘As you will know, proposals have been put forward which could provide an interim resolution to our disputes on pay, pensions and working conditions and members are now being consulted via e-ballot on whether they would like this to go to a formal vote.’

Interim solution so we can go back to being underpaid, underfunded overworked and ignored next year or whenever bosses feel that there is some issue that only cutting pay cost will solve.

In the interim I’ll be cutting my subs back to a level I can afford.

 

[Lord Camomile]

And now for something a little lighter

 

[Elpenor]

You have no clue what the Junior doctors do- the responsibility they have and the crazy hours they do. When you look at the hours they do it works out similar to the hospital domestics.

We were absolutely fucked this week whilst they were striking- nothing important got done!

That poster has no clue about anything at all.

 

[Serge Forward]

I'm not here to make friends with arseholes

That's alright then because everyone thinks you're a cunt

 

[The39thStep]

The Common Front which is an alliance of unions in the public sector covering education, health, finance, Social Security and local government services. in Portugal began strike action today. In addition to more pay, better public sector funding they also want price control for goods and services.

 

[Sue]

The media presenting the offer to NHS workers as a done deal is really annoying me. And I'm not even an NHS worker.

 

[kalidarkone]

I'm trying to gee people up in the WhatsApp RCN group....People understandably deflated......but pointing out it is up to us to vote no in the ballot and that the union is ours that is why we pay them and they have to uphold industrial action if that is what is voted for.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

The media presenting the offer to NHS workers as a done deal is really annoying me. And I'm not even an NHS worker.

In some quarters the media are presenting the NHS offer as the resolution to all of the disputes, which will be news to rail workers, posties, the civil service workers, teachers and so on.

 

[ska invita]

TBF isnt it NHS union heads briefings that have led to this presentation of breakthrough?

 

[kalidarkone]

TBF isnt it NHS union heads briefings that have led to this presentation of breakthrough?

Yes!
Unfortunately imo it now feels as if union members are going to have to wrangle and challenge RCN and other union heads whilst also challenging the government.

We should be coming together with all the other sectors carrying out industrial action.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Does anyone know why Unite isn’t endorsing the proposed NHS pay deal?

 

[kalidarkone]

Does anyone know why Unite isn’t endorsing the proposed NHS pay deal?

Because its a shit offer.

 

[kalidarkone]

I might have to change to UNITE. I don't think the RCN are going to do it for me.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Because its a shit offer.

Thanks. I wasn’t entirely sure given I didn’t think Unite had gone on strike afaik, or at least my profession hasn’t/there hasn’t been an overall Unite strike.

 

[Karl Masks]

the media seem to be presenting the deal as a fait accompli

unless i've misued that phrase

either way, if the rank and file vote no the media will explode!

 

[kalidarkone]

Thanks. I wasn’t entirely sure given I didn’t think Unite had gone on strike afaik, or at least my profession hasn’t/there hasn’t been an overall Unite strike.

I don't think it works like that? But happy to be put straight.
I was in GMB before and they were just short of the 40% mandate on whether to strike- I'm not sure if that's all the members of GMB voting or just those in nursing?

 

[LDC]

The unions are really fucking/sabotaging this. They're saying they're consult on accepting the deal for a month, but that takes up loads of the left time on strike mandate, so it'd likely to have to all be balloted on all over again if people voted no.

 

[kalidarkone]

the media seem to be presenting the deal as a fait accompli

unless i've misued that phrase

either way, if the rank and file vote no the media will explode!

It's just fucking propaganda- I feel stabbed in the back by the RCN.

 

[Karl Masks]

It's just fucking propaganda- I feel stabbed in the back by the RCN.

This being their first industrial action, it could be argued they are just naive and want this to end. Understandable, just not good for the members

 

[kalidarkone]

This being their first industrial action, it could be argued they are just naive and want this to end. Understandable, just not good for the members

They are notoriously Conservative (generally not politically) I only joined because GMB were shit and it seemed that it was only RCN that got the mandate to strike.
If it ends here then everything has been fucking pointless......we have a massive opportunity....