Fighting poverty pay in London

Submitted by AWL on 25 November, 2002 - 1:44

"The question was posed: why should we pay firefighters more than nurses, teachers, or other public sector workers? My answer to that would be: rather than keep firefighters on low rates of pay, give all public sector workers a decent living wage".
Steve Davies, FBU rep, Soho Fire Station, Central London

School and local government workers strike on 26 November

By Dion D'Silva

School staff in London will strike on 26 November, calling for an increase in the London weighting allowance.

Teachers from the NUT, NASUWT and ATL will be joined in the action by school support staff in Unison. Other Unison local government workers will also be striking in support of their claim for £4,000 London weighting.

A survey by the Greater London Authority has shown this week that half of all children in London are living in poverty - that is the reality of low pay in the capital, institutionalised by the Government's refusal to pay many of those employed in the public sector a decent minimum wage or London weighting.

While police officers get over £6,000 in London weighting, teachers get only £3,105 in inner London and £2,043 in the outer boroughs.
Teaching vacancies in London are running at twice the national average and the number of vacant posts has almost doubled since 1997.
The strike on the 26th will be the sixth one-day stoppage by Unison members over their London weighting claim - but as yet there is little sign that the employers are listening. Further selective strikes may follow in the new year, but it is clear that the unions will need to step up the action if they want results.

Local reps can start by organising cross-branch meetings, bringing together members from all the local government unions, to discuss where to go from here - and establish some rank and file control over the dispute.

HE London Weighting Strike
Pickets were held at all London universities on Thursday 14 November as the first of a series of London Weighting strikes for higher education workers. London Weighting in higher education has been frozen since 1992, although the cost of living in London has massively increased, with house prices increasing by up 25% in one year.
Both teaching (AUT) and support unions (Unison, GMB) struck for a flat £4,000 rate.
The 75% yes vote from the AUT for a strike in our (pre-1992 universities) sector was a powerful indication of feeling.

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