Civil service professionals reject pay offers
22/11/2006
In two independent pay ballots Prospect members at the Highways Agency and the Met Office have announced that they have rejected pay offers for 2006.
Members at the Highway Agency are to discuss
possible industrial action after management
imposed a pay offer that was rejected by 615 to
105. Members at the Met Office rejected their offer
by 608 to 179.
Responding to the results, Prospect Assistant
General Secretary Dai Hudd said they were
indicative of the growing sense of injustice felt by
the union’s 40,000 specialist members right across
the public sector.
"These results underscore the message we are
hearing repeatedly from our members in a wide
spectrum of government departments, agencies
and non-departmental public bodies.
"But these are only the tip of the iceberg. The
draconian 2% cap imposed by the Treasury and a
host of delayed offers mean that less than one
quarter of civil service pay bargaining units have
even received an offer for 2006.
"This is against a backdrop of repeated proposals
for contracting out, privatising and relocating
public sector posts, often implemented with no
workforce consultation. This level of dissatisfaction
is unprecedented in recent years, and has not come
about through any campaigning by the union itself.
Members are literally telling us ‘enough is
enough’."
Prospect's Highways Agency section is now drawing
up plans to ballot members for a series of one-day
strikes. Staff affected would include on-road traffic
officers, supervisors and managers, together with
agency specialists including civil engineers and
technical staff.
Met Office members’ rejection of the offer comes
against a backdrop of low morale within the branch
following extensive reviews and relocations that
have failed to deliver promised benefits to staff.
Met forecasters say they feel their roles are being
diminished and deskilled and the service to
customers diluted.
Prospect, along with PCS, NIPSA and POA, has
written to Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell in a bid
to reach agreement on concerns surrounding pay,
pensions, redundancy compensation and
restructuring, and a response is expected shortly.