HSE staff to take industrial action over pay
09/02/2004
The union representing inspectors, scientists and other professionals in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to ballot its members on industrial action following HSE management’s decision to turn down pay claims for 2003.
On behalf of 1,750 members in
HSE,
Prospect will be balloted on a range
of
industrial action measures. This will
include
selective stoppages, working to rule,
including non-compliance with much
of
HSE’s internal bureaucracy, and
mass
‘going to work days’ in offices where
there is
insufficient space for the staff based
there.<
br>
Richard Hardy, Prospect negotiator,
said:
"We hope this will illustrate that there
is
money available in HSE for idiotic
projects
and bureaucracy but not for a living
wage
increase.
"We have been in talks with the
executive
since May 2003 and management
know our
position. We have made it clear that
our
members are not prepared to make
any
further compromises when the deal
they are
being offered amounts to a pay cut
over the
next three years."
The union is seeking a 2.6% pay
increase
but the offer currently tabled by the
executive means that the most
experienced
staff in the organisation will see their
pay
grow by only 0.5% a year until 2006,
compared with a headline rate of
inflation of
2.8%. Not only does this devalue
their pay
and pensions, but the unions warn it
will
have a knock-on effect on the safety
of the
UK workforce.
"This is not just about levels of pay
but about
HSE’s ability to maintain an
experienced
and committed workforce in order to
deliver
safe workplaces for all," said Hardy.
"HSE
has already identified that its staff are
leaving because they cannot reach
the top
of their pay scales. By effectively
freezing
the pay of those who are at the top
there is a
real danger that HSE’s most
experienced
staff will seek employment
elsewhere."
<
br>
The union’s claim for a 2.6%
increase is
affordable within the 2003 guidance
of 3.7%
set by the Treasury. The decision to
ballot
members reflects the frustration felt
by the
unions after HSE refused to continue
pay
talks without links to further
concessions.
The results of the ballot will be
known by
March 1.