From this week action
short of a strike has begun with the object of achieving equal pay for Council
women workers in Edingburgh, but not by cutting the men’s wages. The Council see this as an
opportunity to start to make their employees pay for the recession by reducing
jobs and pay, but also adding extra duties onto those still employed. The Refuse Collection workers are the first
to be under attack. The Council is reported as being £92 million short for spending
on services as a whole (described as a “black hole”). In addition an extra £40
to £90 million are now likely to be needed to keep building the tram works. The
total cost for that is now estimated at over half a billion pounds and will
rise as it falls further behind schedule.
The vote for action, including strikes, was
carried by two to one. Last week the Council’s latest deal was overwhelmingly
rejected when the workers voted to begin by taking action short of a strike. Private
waste collection firms have been used extensively by the Council to defeat the
cleansing workers. The Nationalist
Deputy Leader of the Council, a former left wing fire brand, has warned that
the workers action is making privatisation of their jobs easier. He is reported
as saying “the system of paying bonuses is altogether outmoded and can’t
continue. If we give in to them, it would mean making thousands of people
redundant and millions of pounds worth of cuts in services” (Evening News, 10/8/9).
This is rich in view of the hundreds of millions worth of bonuses paid to
bankers and financial traders, plus the millions creamed off the public by the
MPs.
Tory Councillors have put forward a motion
for the Council meeting on 20th August to find out how much private
firms would charge for refuse collection. So far, Labour has called only for continued
negotiations instead of giving full and loud support to these workers in their
fight.
One bucket worker has been suspended for possibly
bringing disrepute on the Councillors and senior staff by describing the offer
to the workers as an insult. He used the local Evening News web site and
letters page to courageously tell the
truth about what’s going on. Quite correctly he pointed out that if the Council
wins, then it will “pave the way for redundancies and service cuts” This attack
on freedom of speech is being resisted with the help of a lawyer through his Union, Unite.
All workers should be actively expressing
their support. This is a battle that threatens us all in our work and
neighbourhoods.
No to job or pay cuts! No to privatisation
or bullying! United action by all Council Workers.
