You were fantastic!
Strike stories by John Stevenson and Chris Bartter
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Umbrella campaign in Glasgow's George Square
"It's a disgrace that Scotland's
hard-working public sector workers are being singled
out for a pay cut," UNISON general secretary Dave
Prentis told the Glasgow rally.
Matt Smith - UNISON's Scottish Secretary
said, "According to recent media statements it seems
that Steven Purcell (Leader of Glasgow City Council)
and Michael Cook (Employers' Side Chair) have been
impressed by the backing for the strike and the arguments
about the levels of inflation."
And two days later, they at last
agreed to talks. "But they need to come back to the
unions with clear proposals to address the impact
of rising prices on our members", warned Matt.
"If there is no movement then we
will have to look to further action in the near future."
Photo: Alan Wylie
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Council services across Scotland ground to a halt as UNISON
members, joined by GMB and Unite colleagues, went on strike
on 20 August against a below-inflation pay offer.
"You were fantastic", UNISON Local Government Chair Stephanie
Herd told members at a follow up meeting of branches two
days later.
From Shetland to Dumfries, members did not just come out
on strike, they made sure the public and the employers knew
they were out in strike. Whether it was in the rain-soaked
central belt or the kinder weather in the north, pickets
turned up from early morning to make our point.
Rallies, stunts, marches, balloons, a battle bus, ad trailers,
fancy dress, bands and music all played their part in getting
our message across.
Communications Officer Chris Bartter praised branches and
officials for;
- their work with the media
- production of material
- organising events,
- the imagination in stunts and cartoons
- new developments in reporting via the website and the
blog,
"..and much more which had a big impact on how successful
the day was", said Chris.
The 24 hour stoppage affected all council services - schools
across Scotland were shut, and many of those that stayed
open had limited services - no school meals for example.
Rubbish collection, street cleaning, and environmental protection
were halted in many councils, and social work offices and
day centres shut. Housing, leisure and recreation services,
home and residential care, libraries, etc were all disrupted
as around 150,000 staff took strike action across Scotland.
In Aberdeen the main call centre at Woodhill House was
closed - covering a large number of services for Aberdeen
City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
In East Ayrshire all schools were closed; office staffing
was drastically reduced and main depots were closed. And
these stories were repeated across Scotland.
Emergency help
The union made sure that there was 'life and limb' cover
for real emergencies but the unexpected always happens.
And life and limb services were called into action in Musselburgh,
where the council approached the picket lines and got exemption
for staff to go back to work to protect an old people's
home from flooding as the River Esk threatened to burst
its banks.
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