Union leaders have pledged to work together to deliver co-ordinated demonstrations and industrial action under the wing of the TUC this week. Congress voted unanimously to call on the TUC’s general council to “support and co-ordinate campaigning and industrial action, nationally and locally, in opposition to attacks on jobs, pensions, pay or public services”.
But general secretaries are divided on the precise tactics that will best resist the coalition Government’s programme of public sector cuts. Unison and the Public and Commercial Services Union, Britain’s two biggest public sector unions with nearly two million members, this week signed an agreement to work closely at rapid response to local threats to jobs or conditions.
The PCS is also looking to sign “memoranda of common working” with other unions. But the GMB union’s local government head said he wanted all joint working to be co-ordinated through the TUC. Announcing the PCS-Unison alliance, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said it was “about having alliances that will allow us to do things quicker if need be, and very quickly”, adding: “It would be lunacy for unions to do the same thing at different times. I think industrial action is inevitable, and on a large scale, unless the Government changes course.”
Mr Serwotka said he was also writing to Unite, the GMB, the Communication Workers Union and education unions inviting joint working. Unite joint leader Tony Woodley was “very positive”, he added. Mr Woodley was not available for comment. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “If other groups of workers are on the same radar as us, we’ll be taking action together”, citing the recent joint strike with the TSSA transport union over London Underground job cuts. He appeared to dismiss the prospect of formal alliances.
The PCS leadership does not think the TUC’s regional networks are proactive enough to closely co-ordinate union work, and want to supplement their activity through the memoranda.
GMB head of local government Brian Strutton disagreed: “The TUC’s doing a pretty good job with the national campaign and the local campaign as well. I strongly believe it needs to be under TUC co-ordination. That’s the way to keep us on message together.”
All unions are committed to campaigning alongside community groups and users of public services, in line with the TUC’s strategy of mobilising “middle Britain” against the cuts. Unions’ ability to resist faces an early test with Unite, Unison and the GMB pledging to resist Birmingham City Council’s decision this week to send redundancy notices to 26,000 workers. Council bosses have threatened to sack all staff who do not accept reduced pay and conditions.
The GMB have called for chief executive Stephen Hughes to resign.
