Unions focus on coordinating strike motion alongside large-scale public present of assist for staff

Commerce unions have mentioned coordinating strike motion alongside a large-scale public present of assist for staff in a bid to drive the federal government to extend wages.

Unions need to harness the ability of public strain as they contemplate escalate industrial motion.

A nationwide day of protest will probably be held on 1 February, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the umbrella physique for the motion, has introduced. Rallies and marches may happen throughout the nation, whereas the general public will probably be invited to point out their assist on social media.

The protest is towards the federal government’s deliberate new legal guidelines on minimal service ranges, which may see hanging staff sacked.

It’s thought some unions may plan to stroll out on the identical day, though among the bigger ones, such because the well being unions, are understood to be extra sceptical of the concept.

The Royal School of Nursing (RCN) has made clear that it’s not concerned in any coordination round hanging on 1 February.

There may be already some coordinated strike motion between unions. On Wednesday, ambulance employees who’re members of both Unison or the GMB will stage their second strike over pay.

Nurses have already unveiled plans for 2 days of back-to-back strikes later this month in a bid to make ministers negotiate.

Pat Cullen, the chief of the RCN, informed The Unbiased on the weekend that motion must intensify until nurses are supplied an appropriate pay rise. However she performed down the concept of coordinating with different well being unions, corresponding to these representing ambulance staff, citing issues over affected person security.

In addition to strikes by nurses, ambulance employees and rail staff, the federal government can also be dealing with the prospect of motion being taken by junior docs and academics.

Unions representing quite a few key professions met for talks on the TUC on Tuesday.

They had been invited to “contemplate the scope for additional coordination, together with a day of motion in pursuit of honest pay for public service staff”.

A TUC spokesperson mentioned: “The TUC has vowed to struggle the brand new strike curbs each step of the way in which – together with by means of parliament and the courts. The union physique says the federal government’s new anti-strike plans are unworkable and virtually actually in breach of worldwide regulation.”

It’s understood that nothing was agreed on the assembly besides the plan for a nationwide day of protest on 1 February. Strike dates are set by particular person unions, not the TUC.