Unions Disgusted By Attack On Conditions Of Skilled Craftworkers

Unions representing 40,000 skilled council craftworkers (UCATT, UNITE and GMB) are appalled that a long delayed pay offer has been formulated in order to cut the terms and conditions of all local government craftworkers.

The workers concerned are local government craftworkers including: carpenters, bricklayers, painters, labourers, electricians, plumbers, heating and ventilator engineers and gas fitters. Their terms and conditions are set by the Joint Negotiating Committee JNC “Red Book” agreement, which is tailored to cover their specific working environment.

The employers are proposing a pay increase of just 1% for the majority of pay grades, with the building labourer rate (the lowest) receiving a 1.25 per cent increase. Allowances would also only rise by 1 per cent.

Alan Ritchie General Secretary of construction union UCATT and the secretary of the union side of the JNC, said: “It is very disappointing that we have not previously received a pay offer. The pay date was April 1^st; this offer is nearly four months late. We will now consult our members before formally responding to the proposed pay increase.”

The employers are also offering to pay an additional 0.3 per cent, which other council workers on the Green Book received last year, if the unions voluntarily agree to collapse the Red Book. A 0.3 per cent increase for the majority of local government craftworkers would be worth just 50 pence - the cost of a Mars Bar - in take home pay.

In a further sinister move the employers say in their proposal: “However, should an agreement to dissolve the JNC not prove possible, the Employers would subject to the outcome of a consultation of all local authorities, give the Trade Union Side notice of their intention to withdraw from the JNC”

A unilateral decision to collapse the JNC, a national agreement, would create a situation where all 40,000 craftworkers would be issued with formal redundancy notices and then issued with new contracts. Given past experiences where individual councils have taken such action, this will result in extensive legal cases, thousands of tribunal claims and years of internal chaos for the councils involved.

At a time of economic uncertainty where councils are being forced to make cuts it is illogical and dogmatic to propose that hard-pressed councils use council taxpayers money to fund an unnecessary, legal and bureaucratic nightmare.

Alan Ritchie, added:  “The threats to end the Red Book agreement is half-baked and is being pushed forward by several high ranking civil servants, in order to satisfy their own ideological agenda. At a time when the Government is encouraging council’s to build new social housing it is politically illiterate to attack the working conditions of the very workers who will be required to fill these roles.”

John Allott, UNITE National Officer and Chair of the Union Side JNC, said: “This offer does nothing to address the ever widening gap between the Red Book Agreement and the Private Sector Building Agreements for Craft Workers.

“The ill thought out and unnecessary threats to end the Red Book Craft Agreement are being made by incompetent civil servants who do not understand the industry nor do they seem to care that they may well land the public purse with unnecessary hugely expensive legal cases and thousands of tribunal claims whilst they say the cupboard is bare and are only prepared to offer a derisory 1%.

“Their treatment of loyal hardworking craftworkers is disgraceful and disrespectful”.

Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary for Local Government, said: “The national pay offer is below what most councils have budgeted for and GMB members know this so they will be very disappointed.”

Bob Blackman UNITE National Secretary for Construction, said: “Only by preserving the Red Book will the skills and abilities of local government craftworkers be properly recognised.”

For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235