Further Education members vote to strike for fair pay

UNISON members in further education (FE) colleges in England have voted to take strike action. The ballot result means the national strike planned for November 5th will go ahead, unless the employers make a serious attempt to combat the poverty pay levels endemic in the FE sector. Almost 60% of FE members earn less than £13,000 a year.

Members in FE colleges rejected the employers' pay offer of 2.3% or £400 for staff up to scale point 11 which represents a paltry 13p an hour for support staff. Vacancies among support and managerial staff rose by 44% last year, and a recent survey showed that 46% of members working in colleges are actively seeking new jobs.

In Manchester, members and Branch officers will be picketing City College premises in the City Centre, and at the Arden, Fielden Park, Abraham Moss and Wythenshawe Centres.

Support the Firefighters

Reprinted below is perhaps the most eloquent justification for the Fire Brigades Union pay claim. It's written by Jay Curson - a firefigher for 19 years - and taken from the Guardian letters page of the 19th October.

"Am I worth £30,000? In my career I have been taught skills to save life, prolong life and to know when to walk away when there is no life left. I have taken courses to fight fire from within, above and below. I can cut a car apart in minutes and I can educate your sons and daughters to save their own lives.

No matter what the emergency, I am part of a team that always comes when you call. I run in when all my instincts tell me to run away. I have faced death in cars with petrol pouring over me while the engine was ticking with the heat. I have lain on my back inside a house fire and watched the flames roar across the ceiling above me. I have climbed and I have crawled to save life and I have stood and wept while we buried a fellow firefighter.

"I have been the target for yobs throwing stones and punches at me while I do my job. I have been the first to intercept a parent who knows their son is in the car we are cutting up, and I know he is dead. I have served my time, damaged my body and seen things that I hope you never will. I have never said 'No, I'm more important than them', and walked away.

"Am I worth £30k? Maybe now your answer is no. But when that drunk smashes into your car, or the candle burns down too low, or your child needs help, you will find I'm worth every last penny."

For everyone's sake, let's hope that the Government sees reason, and introduces a professional pay structure for some of the most skilled, professional and courageous public service workers in the country..

In Brief

• From October, the national minimum wage (NMW) rises 10p to £4.20 per hour. The youth rate for 18 - 21 year olds also increases by a measly 10p to £3.60. Giving evidence to this year's Low Pay Commission, UNISON recommended a £6 an hour minimum wage. It also called for an automatic formula to increase the NMW each year, abolition of the youth rate and protection extended to 16 and 17 year olds.

• By way of contrast, for the eighth successive year, top executives' pay has rocketed. Company directors earning over £500K year have seen average pay rises of 16.1% - well over three times the average of private sector workers.

• To help reconstruction efforts after Cuba was hit by two hurricanes, UNISON Manchester is sending a container of humanitarian aid. If you want to help out, contact Bob Oram at the Branch.