Negotiations start this week for the City of Edinburgh Councils modernising pay programme.
Expect a couple of strikes over the summer as thats the way its looking for us, (although since ive worked with the Council there has been two strikes, both of which ive chosen to work so it dont really affect me)
Things arnt looking good for my fellow workers in the Housing and Regeneration section of the Services for Communities Department. The Council are trying to cut our working week by an hour, this doesnt sound like much, but add it up over the year and its a tidy sum of cash.
BBC news website link
Also for my particular section of the Council its bad news aswell that public holidays will form part of a regular working week with the days added to our annual leave entitlement instead. I normally work all the public holidays including the two at Christmas and the two at New Year. Normally that qualifies me for triple time for working each day. But if the new plan goes through, i will miss out on about ten days a year at triple time. Not good.
More to follow on the other points soon........
Council strikes this year?
Re: Council strikes this year?
I don't understand the 'it dont really affect me'. Can you explain?michael_traill wrote:since ive worked with the Council there has been two strikes, both of which ive chosen to work so it dont really affect me)
First strike is on the 20th!
Very reluctantly I joined UNISON about a month ago so I too will be striking.
Not sure that one day will do any good, the only thing it will acheive is a large saving for the Council as it will save thousands in pay for the day!
A programme of rolling strikes would be more effective but one step at a time I guess.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Co ... ial_action
Very reluctantly I joined UNISON about a month ago so I too will be striking.
Not sure that one day will do any good, the only thing it will acheive is a large saving for the Council as it will save thousands in pay for the day!
A programme of rolling strikes would be more effective but one step at a time I guess.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Co ... ial_action
Well, depending on who is out on strike it could close some schools on the very first day of the new school year, pleasing thousands of school kids, but causing a headache for lots of parents.michael_traill wrote:First strike is on the 20th!
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Not sure that one day will do any good,
I know, not so good likes!Marya wrote:Well, depending on who is out on strike it could close some schools on the very first day of the new school year, pleasing thousands of school kids, but causing a headache for lots of parents.michael_traill wrote:First strike is on the 20th!
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Not sure that one day will do any good,
Teachers wont be on strike as they have seperate pay settlements..at least I think thats the case! Not sure about non-teaching schools staff such as nursery teachers, lots of janitors and clerical staff will be on strike.
Assuming the strike goes ahead tomorrow, St Johns is definitely closed to children. Not sure about towerbank yet but seems highly likely - and as you said, M, a hell of a headache for some of us. 
BB
BB
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!
-Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)
-Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)
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SoupDragon
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According to the councils website both St Johns and Towerbank will be closed
Portobello High will be open for years 4, 5 and 6
Holy Rood for years 5 and 6
Leith Academy years 5 and 6
Boroghmuir years 4, 5 and 6
list
Portobello High will be open for years 4, 5 and 6
Holy Rood for years 5 and 6
Leith Academy years 5 and 6
Boroghmuir years 4, 5 and 6
list
I support the cause, Seashell, and wasn't commenting at all on the rights or wrongs of it; current public sector payrise offers are a joke in this economic climate. However, school closures remain a huge headache for parents. I was expecting to work tomorrow in a combination of voluntary and private work; being unable to means my clients miss out on the support they need but also as a self-employed person, not working means not getting paid. Therefore my kids get hit with a double whammy by the strike - they miss out on a day's education, and they miss out on the money I'd have earned for the family tomorrow. The payrises offered don't meet the cost of living, and not getting paid at all definitely doesn't meet the cost of living!that is exactly why many workers are going out on strike. Because just trying to live is a hell of a headache with a pay deal that comes nowhere near the cost of living.
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!
-Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)
-Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)
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SoupDragon
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Maureen Child has just distributed a council update detailing the impact of the strike on services. This includes a full list of complete and partial school closures.SoupDragon wrote:Duddingston Primary is also closed.
The Evening News online seems to have only a short list of schools affected
I have put this online: 040 - Update on 20 August industrial action - exemptions 190808.pdf
Yup announced by the Unions on Friday evening.Marya wrote:See that the next strike date is Sept 24.
Nothing the public cant handle.
Whats a bit more worrying and will have a rather more extreme impact will the industrial action being talked about to follow the next one day strike if the employers dont improve their offer.
Week long strike action is not a prospect I relish! I can easily go without
a weeks pay, but a lot of people I work with would struggle without a weeks wage. Not to mention how that would affect the public not having bins emptied for a week and that kinda thing.
Ofcourse 'Eck' Will be happy as the chances are the operators at City in View will be out on strike, therefore not sitting in the CMF watching him and completing log forms of all his movements!
Edited to add comments about forum member 'Eck'
We've already been handed out Hardship Fund forms which we can fill in. Can't imagine that there would be all that much in the hardship fund to go round - but a nice thought! Personally, apart from the pathetic rise we've been offered which is only to be expected, it's that on top of the "modernising pay" joke they're trying to play which will effectively leave most people in my position working for even less money within three years. Since we work for next to nothing at the moment it's not a jolly prospect. I'm only able to do the job I do because I'm lucky enough to have a husband to fall back on (income wise!). I work for 30 hours a week during term time (and contrary to popular belief only get paid for 4 weeks of the 13 weeks holidays) and walk out with less money than my apprentice son.Marya wrote:If it did escalate to selected action, then I would assume that all union members would pay into a strike fund, in order to compensate striking members for loss of wages.Michael Traill wrote: a lot of people I work with would struggle without a weeks wage.
Enough of your nonsense - get back to the Play Pen!
I can only comment on myself and the people who do similar jobs to me in my workplace.michael_traill wrote:By we do you mean all Council workers or just your particular staff grouping?Epykat wrote:Since we work for next to nothing at the moment it's not a jolly prospect.
Enough of your nonsense - get back to the Play Pen!
No information available as yet on the Council wesite as to which schools will be affected this time around.
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Pal of Porty
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Im sure the information on the councils website was very sparse until the last moment when the last strike was about to happen.Marya wrote:No information available as yet on the Council wesite as to which schools will be affected this time around.
Nor can I...lol..thats the Communications team for ya though... ...Im still trying to make up my mind whether to go out on strike with my co-workers or not.Marya wrote:Yes and I can see no excuse for it.michael_traill wrote:
Im sure the information on the councils website was very sparse until the last moment when the last strike was about to happen.
Well thats another day of strike action past, and for me it was the very first time that I have ever been part of strike action with my fellow council employees.
There have been 4 days of strike action since I joined the City of Edinburgh Council and I have always worked them but yesterday I decided I would join the rest of the guys.
Now there is talk of further industrial action begining shortly.
BBC News website - Council workers to strike again
There have been 4 days of strike action since I joined the City of Edinburgh Council and I have always worked them but yesterday I decided I would join the rest of the guys.
Now there is talk of further industrial action begining shortly.
BBC News website - Council workers to strike again
From a Council email I got today.Red Book’ Pay Award 2008 – revised pay offer and suspension of Industrial Action
CoSLA (Convention for Scottish Local Authorities) has made a new pay offer to the trades unions: Unite the Union, GMB and Unison. This Pay Award for 'Red Book' employees (former APT&C and manual workers) has been revised and improved. Whilst the trades unions consider this offer, the proposed strike action planned for next week, 6-10 October, has been suspended.
Good news, apparently the strikes are still going ahead.
So although this means that our rubbish wont be collected it means that the council wont be planning any ill conceived transport strategies over these few days.
What I don't get is why everyone in the council should get the same pay rise (or am I missing the point here) Surely we should be giving the hard workers (bin men, environmental wardens etc.) a decent pay rise. whereas the poor performers (transport strategists, bureaucrats) should be getting nothing?
So although this means that our rubbish wont be collected it means that the council wont be planning any ill conceived transport strategies over these few days.
What I don't get is why everyone in the council should get the same pay rise (or am I missing the point here) Surely we should be giving the hard workers (bin men, environmental wardens etc.) a decent pay rise. whereas the poor performers (transport strategists, bureaucrats) should be getting nothing?
I thought the current position was that all members are being balloted on whether to accept the current proposal from COSLA? With ballots just being sent out and not due to be returned till next week?Grunk wrote:Good news, apparently the strikes are still going ahead.
Although the unions are urging members to reject the offer, surely we wont know if the strikes are going ahead until the results of the ballot is announced by the unions?
Council wide email recieved this evening:
Ofcourse this action is seperate from the nationwide Modernising Pay scheme, so ther could be further strikes next year in relation to this. But for the time being and in relation to this years pay, alls well now.
BBC News website: Unison members accept pay offer.Red Book Pay Offer 2008
Unison have announced that their members have voted to accept the latest pay offer of:
3.0% increase for 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 with
2.5% increase for 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010
The pay offer applies to 'Red Book' employees (former APT&C and manual workers).
Ofcourse this action is seperate from the nationwide Modernising Pay scheme, so ther could be further strikes next year in relation to this. But for the time being and in relation to this years pay, alls well now.