ONE RULE FOR THEM........
CALL FOR COUNCILLOR EXPENSES HIKE “A DISGRACE”
Plans to boost local councillors’ allowances by 2.3% were condemned as “a disgrace” today by West Midlands UNISON, the largest public service union in the region.
The Local Government Association (LGA), who is recommending the increase, is also calling for councillors to get paid a daily rate of £152.77 to attend LGA meetings.
Roger McKenzie, UNISON’s regional secretary, said:“This expenses hike is a disgrace. What a slap in the face for hard working council staff across our region, who have not been offered a single penny pay increase this year.
Rising inflation, coupled with a pay freeze, is effectively a pay cut for workers already struggling to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads. In contrast to civil servants and other public sector workers, local government employers are refusing to give staff paid under £21,000, including nursery workers, home carers, housing workers, leisure and parks staff, school meals and cleaners, the £250 pay rise promised in the emergency budget. Where is the justice in that? Councillors should be holding the town halls in our region to account and making sure taxpayers get good value for money. Those taxpayers would be right to ask why councillors are enjoying hikes in expenses, while workers and our increasingly hard pressed communities are left out in the cold? Across the West Midlands council workers face massive job losses and communities are losing vital services they rely on.For the LGA to publish two sets of guidelines on the same day - one suggesting that councillors get a rise and another condemning workers to a pay freeze - is shocking.”

GOVERNMENT ATTACKS ON OUR PENSIONS BEGINS!
THe Condem government have begun eroding our pensions.
George Osborne's statistical sleight of hand in shifting from the RPI (Retail Prices Index) to the CPI (Consumer Prices Index) as the basis for future uprating of pensions in payment will have an immediate impact.
The TUC has calculated that an eighty year old pensioner on the average public sector pension of £5,500 who has been retired for twenty years would now have a pension of £4,845 a year - 12 per cent or £655 less - if CPI uprating had been in force since their retirement.
A public service pensioner who has been retired for ten years would now have a pension 8.4 per cent lower.

At UNISON Conference in Bournemouth Dave Prentis pledged support for national strike action against an attack on our pensions. we imagine he was expecting such an attack emerging several months into the life of the Coalition Government , rather than several weeks.
But now it's here. These are real cuts in our pensions - the most blatant attack imaginable and no different to a cut in pay.
We may not be ready for a national strike ballot next week or next month, but we need to be declaring disputes, making preparations and mobilising members.

"We've only just begun" – that's the message of our Million Voices campaign as UNISON faces a post-election landscape dominated by a government that's determined to cut quickly and cut deeply when it comes to public services.We face the challenge of protecting our services and our members from an ideological attack that is determined to make them the scapegoats when dealing with an economic crisis caused by the bankers and financial markets. The union's key campaign will have more relevance and resonance than ever.

At UNISON national conference held in June General Secretary said "We need to get our members onto the streets: anything to get the public behind our cause, to let them know they are dealing with people, not statistics,"

EMERGENCY COMPOSITE MOTION 2: DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS, OUR PUBLIC SERVICES AND OUR TRADE UNION RIGHTS AGAINST THE AUSTERITY AGENDA

http://www.unison.co.uk/conference2010/news_view.asp?did=6211

DAVID CAMERONS LETTER

YOu maybe aware that as part of their 'asking the electorate' stunt, the Condem government have written to all public workers asking us where we think public sector cuts should take place.

UNISON advice is that members should not respond.
The only response to this letter is that any public sector discussions which need to take place must be through meaningful dialogue and consultation with UNISON and other public sector trade unions.