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UNION officials representing thousands of public sector workers in Bolton have reacted angrily to Government plans to tie their members to three-year pay deals.
Pay for workers including council staff, police and nurses, has traditionally been negotiated every year.
Prime minister Gordon Brown, said that three year deals would help keep inflation down, but local union branches have criticised the plans, which come after rows over below-inflation pay rises.
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Bernadette Gallagher, secretary of UNISON local government branch in Bolton, which represents 5,500 workers, said she did not oppose the principle of three-year pay deals.
But she added: "In the current climate of rising housing, fuel and food costs, UNISON would not be happy with such a deal unless an agreement was written in to allow for negotiations to be re-opened if inflation rose.
"As the Chancellor has effectively ruled this out as an option, the union would be incredibly naive to recommend such a deal to its members."
Chancellor Alastair Darling said the three-year deal would "help families plan for the future", but Ms Gallagher said: "The best help the Chancellor could provide for working families to plan for the future is security of employment and decent pay rises."
Harry Hanley, secretary of the UNISON branch at the Royal Bolton Hospital, which represents 2,300 health workers, added: "The deal would be set in stone and our members' pay could fall even further behind the private sector."
Paul Hutchinson, convener for the 800 GMB union staff at Bolton Council, said: "I would be very much against a three-year deal at the moment because of the current economic situation.
"We are on the verge of a housing crash and you don't know what interest rates will be like three years down the line.
"It's another attempt by the Government to undermine trade unions and employment in this country."
Police, who reacted angrily to the Government's refusal to honour a recommendation to backdate their latest pay rise to September, meaning it is effectively worth 1.9 per cent, are also likely to oppose the plans.
Gordon Johnson, secretary of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: "I've not seen the finer detail but I don't think we would be very happy.
"We have our own negotiation machinery based on public and private sector pay rises which has worked well up until this year.
Gordon Brown has urged MPs to vote later this month to limit their own pay increases to below two per cent in line with the public sector.
Posted by: Lollipop, Muddy Duct on 4:26pm Tue 8 Jan 08
[quote]Prime minister Gordon Brown, said that three year deals would help keep inflation down, but local union branches have criticised the plans, which come after rows over below-inflation pay rises.[/quote]
Any particular reason for keeping inflation down?
Prime minister Gordon Brown, said that three year deals would help keep inflation down, but local union branches have criticised the plans, which come after rows over below-inflation pay rises.
This government wastes money in all areas of activity. If we consider the money wasted on the illegal war in Iraq, failed computer schemes, employment of useless consultants, ineffective spending in education, pointless new hospitals instead of better health care ....... the list is endless. All this done with unnecessary tax rises, plundering and ruining private pensions and increased government borrowing.
Coupled with the encouragement to spend, spend, spend with easy credit over the last few years this useless government has been the main factor in pumping money into the economy and driving up inflation. It has also left the average family with higher taxes and large credit commitments.
Now we see the results coming with people worse off and under more financial stress. All blame has to be laid at the door of the pathetic, childish and totally incompetent Brown.
This government wastes money in all areas of activity. If we consider the money wasted on the illegal war in Iraq, failed computer schemes, employment of useless consultants, ineffective spending in education, pointless new hospitals instead of better health care ....... the list is endless. All this done with unnecessary tax rises, plundering and ruining private pensions and increased government borrowing.
Coupled with the encouragement to spend, spend, spend with easy credit over the last few years this useless government has been the main factor in pumping money into the economy and driving up inflation. It has also left the average family with higher taxes and large credit commitments.
Now we see the results coming with people worse off and under more financial stress. All blame has to be laid at the door of the pathetic, childish and totally incompetent Brown.
Posted by: LARGEBURNDENBILLY, BOLTON on 5:15pm Tue 8 Jan 08
Public sector workers have been cushioned from the effects of the real world for long enough. Look forward to you joining the private sector workers in the real pay world.[quote]quote[/quote]
Public sector workers have been cushioned from the effects of the real world for long enough. Look forward to you joining the private sector workers in the real pay world.
The leader of Bolton council has just helped himself to 26% pay rise, on top of the rise other council workers got. How on earth has he got the nerve to show his face in public.
The leader of Bolton council has just helped himself to 26% pay rise, on top of the rise other council workers got. How on earth has he got the nerve to show his face in public.
[quote][bold]john[/bold] wrote:
This government wastes money in all areas of activity. If we consider the money wasted on the illegal war in Iraq, failed computer schemes, employment of useless consultants, ineffective spending in education, pointless new hospitals instead of better health care ....... the list is endless. All this done with unnecessary tax rises, plundering and ruining private pensions and increased government borrowing.
Coupled with the encouragement to spend, spend, spend with easy credit over the last few years this useless government has been the main factor in pumping money into the economy and driving up inflation. It has also left the average family with higher taxes and large credit commitments.
Now we see the results coming with people worse off and under more financial stress. All blame has to be laid at the door of the pathetic, childish and totally incompetent Brown.[/quote] Good post John. Agree with almost all that.
Have to say though. It was the Tories who set us on the road to ruin with Thatchers "Greed is good" philosophy in the 80s.
No time for Blair and Brown though. These so called socialist are nothing but Tories wearing red ties.
john wrote:
This government wastes money in all areas of activity. If we consider the money wasted on the illegal war in Iraq, failed computer schemes, employment of useless consultants, ineffective spending in education, pointless new hospitals instead of better health care ....... the list is endless. All this done with unnecessary tax rises, plundering and ruining private pensions and increased government borrowing.
Coupled with the encouragement to spend, spend, spend with easy credit over the last few years this useless government has been the main factor in pumping money into the economy and driving up inflation. It has also left the average family with higher taxes and large credit commitments.
Now we see the results coming with people worse off and under more financial stress. All blame has to be laid at the door of the pathetic, childish and totally incompetent Brown.
Good post John. Agree with almost all that.
Have to say though. It was the Tories who set us on the road to ruin with Thatchers "Greed is good" philosophy in the 80s.
No time for Blair and Brown though. These so called socialist are nothing but Tories wearing red ties.
[quote][bold]markd[/bold] wrote:
Can anyone see MPs limiting their payrises to 2% or under? I think not![/quote] If those bums took a 2% cut they would still be ripping off the tax payer.
We will soon see what these hangers on are made of when the economy goes down the pan. I don't expect any of the current crowd to be up to the task of fixing this country.
markd wrote:
Can anyone see MPs limiting their payrises to 2% or under? I think not!
If those bums took a 2% cut they would still be ripping off the tax payer.
We will soon see what these hangers on are made of when the economy goes down the pan. I don't expect any of the current crowd to be up to the task of fixing this country.
we need a new politics.
Out with these chancers and in with people who have morals and who want to run the country for the sake of it and not for whats in it for them.
we need a new politics.
Out with these chancers and in with people who have morals and who want to run the country for the sake of it and not for whats in it for them.
Posted by: whitehowfan, Howfan on 12:59am Wed 9 Jan 08
[quote][bold]Sun Tzu[/bold] wrote:
we need a new politics. Out with these chancers and in with people who have morals and who want to run the country for the sake of it and not for whats in it for them.[/quote] Who? all knowing one.
Sun Tzu wrote:
we need a new politics. Out with these chancers and in with people who have morals and who want to run the country for the sake of it and not for whats in it for them.
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