I’m in a union at work. They’re negotiating about the pay offer (currently 1% for the second year in a row) and have just balloted the membership about industrial action. They recommend voting for it.

I’ve got a desk job on roughly average wage. I don’t feel hard done by, and in general it seems pretty cushy here (after years of self employment I feel comparatively flush, but then just getting sick pay feels impossibly luxurious so maybe my views are skewed) so I probably wouldn’t vote for it… except there are also plenty of people here on lower wages. They probably don’t need people like me going ‘i’m alright jack’ and surely the point of a union is to help others, rather than just take your own interests into account? But then what would it achieve? 1.3%?

This whole world (proper jobs, unions, the public sector etc) is pretty new to me. Anyone been through all this in their workplace? How did it play out?

Been through it a few times, invariably the company backs down and an alternative offer is tabled, it once got so bad we concluded our pay negotiations only a month or so before the next years were to begin (yay back pay!).

Of course this entirely depends on your company, union and whether more than one union is involved (unanimous or straight majority agreement?).

nope but a long dead member of my extended family was a keen union man and always used to say you need the normal Joe’s to be in the union to vote to counter the votes of the more radical members.

Vote with your conscience.

Been on strike cost me best part £1.5k. Did anything improve at work…nope! if anything we’re worse off.

0% rise for many yrs, 1% rise a year until 2020.

We were dealing with the government so we were against their spin machine.

Strike. People on lower incomes need the money, strike for them.

The danger with striking is obvious, it may not work, it may encourage the jobs to be relocated including abroad.

The concept of an annual pay rise needs to be re-evaluated as inflation is low and all the forces are downwards on wages with automation/technology, globalisation etc. I come back to my Local Bike Shop example, they are dissapearing as more people buy more stuff on-line. So LBS wages/owners profits are declining to the point they go to zero as the shop closes. More broadly all jobs face the same pressures.

This whole world (proper jobs, unions, the public sector etc) is pretty new to me. Anyone been through all this in their workplace? How did it play out?

I am someone brought up in a conservative household who moved to international public service more than a decade ago, prior to that I could never have imagined going on strike, but I have a few times. The situation here is rather unique though, and I have never gone on strike for more money – it has always been issues of legality and governance. It still doesn’t sit easily with me, but there are some issues that I feel require me to stand up and be counted.

0.3% extra would not be one of those.

Questions you might want to ask yourself:

What are my aims if I strike?

What are the chances of achieving them?

What are the aims of the union?

Are they using me for their own ends ?

Will I be harming others by striking/not striking?

Only you can decide which way to vote. If you can justify one way over another and it feels right then that should be your path. Your only voting at this stage. Even if you vote in favour of pay increase the majority may vote differently (and vice versa). In which case, you will have to carry out the actions of majority or hand in your union ticket from a moral point of view.

I’ve got a desk job on roughly average wage. I don’t feel hard done by, and in general it seems pretty cushy here (after years of self employment I feel comparatively flush, but then just getting sick pay feels impossibly luxurious so maybe my views are skewed) so I probably wouldn’t vote for it… except there are also plenty of people here on lower wages. They probably don’t need people like me going ‘i’m alright jack’ and surely the point of a union is to help others, rather than just take your own interests into account? But then what would it achieve? 1.3%?

What does the Union suggest it can achieve by industrial action? If its 1.3% where is the 0.3% coming from (in public sector that is some other resource being cut, or perhaps posts not being filled). Will that make your working life, or the services you provide better?

Its never struck me as particularly fair to use flat %ages for pay-rises. Someone struggling on £16k per year gets an extra £160 (before tax) from 1%; whilst someone a lot more comfortable on £40k gets 400, and the people at the top of the tree who “need it least” get even more. If your union were lobbying for something more progressive like that then perhaps you could support them? Its unlikely though as all too often the union negotiators are long serving staff who have accrued quite healthy packages themselves.

To me, a key factor in deciding to strike (or not), especially in the public sector (or a public service industry) would be whether you will get “public support”. The public generally think we should pay nurses, fire-fighters, soldiers, etc more; they generally don’t worry if the person processing their council tax feels hard done by, and departments like DVLA or the Passport Office rarely attract much public sympathy. If your strike causes public inconvenience (like teachers, or refuse collectors) then it can be counter productive too.

We went through it made no odds,the government promised to take action of course they didn’t bother so now there’s been another ballot.

I didn’t take part in the action as my pride gets the better of me and couldn’t withdraw the service we provide. I supported those that did taking them coffee and bacon butties. They in turn respected my decision.

You have to vote for what you believe voting to take action might be enough to force a negotiation. If it goes in to action you’re not obliged to take part bug be warned some aren’t as understanding and will call you for not taking part.

We won an increase last time and that was followed by a better than expected offering the year after. That seems to have worn off though so, looks like we’ll be out again soon. Quite a lot of my fellow members are very comfortably off and in as close to a job for life as you can really be but the verdict is often as you describe- “I’m alright regardless but the little guys are getting shat on”. Quite a few senior staff made a point of donating any increase won to charity, I liked that.

I’ve been a Union Rep for many years where I work and have been on strike twice. It sucks but sometimes it is the only tool you have.

My advice to you would be to vote the way you believe is right but abide by the outcome, even if it’s not what you voted for.

the point of the vote is for you to decide whether you want to strike or not and then act accordingly

the main neg of a no strike vote is that the noon are then toothless in the face of management the main plus of it is that management have to listen as the majority of the workforce [ at ours anyway] have spoken and its no good to anyone having a pissed off workforce

There are other from the management side as well but that is not being asked

FWIW we never recommend them we say this is the best we can get without strike do you accept. Reps serve the members we dont really advise them re wages its up to them what the accept at ours

Public sector union member here. I have voted to strike over pay and conditions in recent years, not so much for me, although I’m on less than average wage, but because the majority of staff at my grade and below are paid less.

I’ve come out on strike once a year when strikes have been balloted for. I can’t afford to strike and lose pay by striking more than that. Many of my colleagues can’t afford to strike even for one day.

Nothing is achieved by our strikes, but I am not happy – as a natural right winger by nature – that a government can continue to erode the pay and benefits of it’s own staff when some of them are paid less than the proposed living wage. Especially when some of those staff are helping administer the benefits of some people who take home more money than the staff paying it out.

At my work we have balloted to strike a good few times, always over something that the company really should be providing us but they have been stalling for time and trying to fob us off. It really is a bit of a game of bluff most of the time.
Regards pay rises though it is a tricky situation, not many places are offering much in the way of rises nowadays. Reckon I’d be pretty torn over that one to if I was happy enough with my lot.

Depends on many factors to me.

Does the employer have the funds to do so? Are wages low for the industry? Is it a monopoly employer ie could you go to a competitor?

Strikes for higher wages usually are self defeating in that even if you get higher wages but have lost money due to striking then it takes a while for you to be in profit.

I am a lifelong trade union member and organiser and have been involved in industrial action in the health service. the membership wanted action. I didn’t. I had to go as convener where the membership wanted us to go.

collectively you can be very strong.

Its best as a bluff. Get the vote for strike action for higher pay to force a better offer.

Is there a justification for a “real” increase in wages? Inflation 0.6%, your increase 1.0%. What do you expect and why?

Is that what you told your staff 😆

thanks for all the contributions.

i had another read of it last night (and of recent inflation figures).

The pay offer is 1.1%, but for those on the lowest 7 pay points (there’s a scale of 51 points(!)) it tapers upwards so that the very lowest paid get about 5%.

I can’t say I think that’s unfair. I’m gonna vote no strike. I kind of feel like it should be a last resort – an above-inflation pay offer isn’t exactly NHS doctor territory…

results came back in:

55% Yes, 45% No, quite a low turnout.

The union have decided not to press on with strike action. The right choice IMO…

Interesting. Thanks for update.

One out! All out!!!!!

Imagine you earn 100 quid a day, and you go on strike for a 1% pay rise, eg £1.00 a day rise, how many days do you need to work to recoup the £100 quid a day youve lost and then will you actually get a 1% or more rise! strioke for better conditions,work practices etc but not for pay rises so small.