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08/09/2008
Unions To Debate Public Pay Protest
Delegates at the TUC Congress in Brighton have voted in favour of co-ordinated industrial action against the government's public sector pay policy.
A motion pressing for days of action has following Westminster minister's attempts to limit pay rises to 2% in the public sector in order to "stem inflation".
An amendment urging the TUC to go further and organise a public sector-wide national strike was rejected.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka described the ministers' inflation argument as "morally bankrupt".
In his opening speech TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Too much of contemporary Britain simply isn't fair.
"It's not fair that employees are facing a fall in their living standards while top bosses see their pay packets go up by 20% or even 30%."
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has said 270,000 civil servants working in every government department will be balloted on the decision to hold a three-month series of industrial action.
The conference motion was proposed by Unison and seconded by the PCS. It requires days of action including a major national demonstration against the government's pay policy.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We need to get tens of thousands of people on the streets to show how angry they feel."
The TUC annual conference lasts until Thursday. Topics such as union rights, calls for windfall taxes on energy firms and the protection of vulnerable workers will be discussed.
(GK/JM)
A motion pressing for days of action has following Westminster minister's attempts to limit pay rises to 2% in the public sector in order to "stem inflation".
An amendment urging the TUC to go further and organise a public sector-wide national strike was rejected.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka described the ministers' inflation argument as "morally bankrupt".
In his opening speech TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Too much of contemporary Britain simply isn't fair.
"It's not fair that employees are facing a fall in their living standards while top bosses see their pay packets go up by 20% or even 30%."
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has said 270,000 civil servants working in every government department will be balloted on the decision to hold a three-month series of industrial action.
The conference motion was proposed by Unison and seconded by the PCS. It requires days of action including a major national demonstration against the government's pay policy.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We need to get tens of thousands of people on the streets to show how angry they feel."
The TUC annual conference lasts until Thursday. Topics such as union rights, calls for windfall taxes on energy firms and the protection of vulnerable workers will be discussed.
(GK/JM)
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