New wage round: the pressure is on
Labour Briefing1990sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
The Tories' economic problems are emerging as far worse than they have been prepared to admit.
Official inflation figures are set to rise sharply as factors such as the Poll Tax add to existing upward pressures.
The effects of this on the new wage round are becoming obvious.
74,000 workers in the power industry have rejected an 8.5% wage offer; 62% have voted for strike action and over 90% for the alternative of industrial action short of strike action.
The 64% turnout was the highest ever recorded in the industry.
Implementing this is in a meaningful way will be difficult given the dominant position of the EEPTU leadership in the industry, but the employers are now on the hook and are likely to produce an improved offer.
At the same time leaders of 130,000 white collar workers in the NHS are to ballot for action and the NALGO Health Committee has rejected an offer of 7.7%.
A "rolling programme of strike action" is to be proposed at the NALGO Conference in May.
The rail unions have presented a claim for a "substantial offer" and a 35 hour working week. They have rejected 8.8% and talks are continuing with the unions hopeful of an improved offer from BR, at least on pay.
It is clear that both management and union leaderships are keen to avoid the kind of battles which were fought over last year's review.