Name the day for joint national action

The strength of our April strike has not gone unnoticed by nervous Ministers. It has also encouraged others - like UNISON and UNITE - to ballot over pay. Why should any of us put up with below-inflation pay awards ?

This September, the teachers’ pay award will be 2.45% when the Retail Prices Index stands at over 4%. That’s one more year with a real terms’ pay cut, one more year when Ministers break their promise to review our pay if prices rise higher than expected.

It ‘gives’ at 2.45% but when it comes to the interest on student loans, the Government ‘takes away’ at a rate of 4.8%. ‘The Observer’ calculated that the high interest rates and low pay mean many young teachers will still have about 90% of their original loan to pay off after 10 years!

Rising food and fuel prices are hitting people worldwide yet MPs still want to try to blame inflation on our pay rises! Even the Bank of England has said that’s rubbish!

But when the Government tries to cut the pay of every public sector worker, surely the best response is to organise a joint fightback. At the rally before the June 9 Lobby of Parliament, the best applause was given to General Secretaries who called for co-ordinated action on pay across the public sector.

Now it’s time to name the day!

Nicky Downes, Coventry NUT