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Pathetic pay rise for Northern Civil Servants

category sligo | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis author Friday December 23, 2005 12:35author by John McGowan Report this post to the editors

Civil Servants across the North of Ireland were outraged by the paltry pay rise offered to them by Secretary of State Peter Hain.

Hain informed civil servants of the rise - 0.2% - after inflation, in a Christmas message emailed to all staff affected. Civil servants in the North, still an integral part of the UK, are paid less than their counterparts in Wales, Scotland and Britain.
When the minimum wage was raised in the UK civil servant bosses had to scramble to boost their staff wages in the North at the risk of being left in the embarrassing position of having state employees being paid under the legal minimum.
Public sector unions were outraged by Hain’s desultory Christmas message. John Corey of NIPSA said the deal was “not a pay increase”.
Over 20,000 civil servants will vote in the new year on the possibility of strike action to combat low wages. The mood among union members is militant and strike action is expected. However, unlike the Irish Ferries dispute in the Republic, the dispute does not look likely to capture the public imagination.
Former anti-apartheid activist turned Blairite lackey Hain admitted that the situation in the North was bad. He said it was wrong that it took 13 years for civil servants to reach the top level of pay. But he only gave a vague commitment to addressing the problem, saying he would look into the issue in “the future”.
Some have argued that the Irish Ferries dispute caught the media and publics imagination because it involved an influx of ‘foreign’ workers. This is not to denigrate the courageous action of unions who came out to support the strike. But there was undoubtedly a current of xenophobia which possible allowed the media (Independent News and Media apart) to feel comfortable promoting an other wise leftist agenda.
The potential strike in the North would allow unions in the South to show they are really interested in solidarity that they view their Northern comrades as equals, and that the Irish Ferries dispute did not only garner support because it involved an ‘invasion’ of foreigners.

author by joe brown - seapublication date Fri Dec 23, 2005 18:07author email seaderry at aol dot comauthor address author phone 028 71275345Report this post to the editors

NB THEN

From Belfast Telegraph
By Eamonn McCann


22 December 2005

NOT many bosses of large enterprises send a personal message to every employee at Christmas. But Peter Hain was so anxious that no civil servant should feel excluded that he had personnel chiefs contact every line manager across Northern Ireland on Tuesday with instructions to "ensure that staff who do not have access to e-mail facilities receive a hard copy (and) that a copy is forwarded to staff who are not in the office (eg: those on maternity/paternity leave, sick absence, secondment, career breaks, etc)".

"I should like to thank you for your work on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland," enthused the jovial Secretary of State, "and wish you and your family best wishes for Christmas and the New Year."

Few recipients, however, will have responded with heartfelt imprecations of "Gawd bless you, Mr Hain," as they scrolled the greeting down tear-streaked screens. Instead, growls of "Bah, humbug!" and sour mutterings of "Season of goodwill, how are ye?" may have been heard across the land.

The two pages of script which culminated in Hain's festive felicitations told civil servants that they could expect not a penny more in their pay packets than the 0.2% which has been offered for this year, that there'd be no further negotiation and no arbitration, that any strike action in 2006 would be ignored and that he was issuing instructions forthwith for implementation of the offer despite its rejection by 98% of those affected and in the absence of union agreement. The rise will amount to, on average, 1p an hour (before tax).

Hain may have been taking lessons in management style from the board of Irish Ferries.

The ardour of that outfit was somewhat cooled by the eruption of mass anger which brought tens of thousands onto the streets of the Republic a fortnight ago.

Whether there will be a commensurate response here is, of course, a different matter.

Hain concedes in his letter that: "The lowest paid staff are barely on the national minimum wage."

"I want to address that," he adds, "in the future."

Earlier this year, the Secretary of State affected surprise to learn that the October 1 increase in the hourly minimum wage to £5.05 was set to leave thousands of Northern Ireland civil servants marooned below the bottom line.

Flustered managers had to instruct payroll staff to re-jig their computer programmes pronto, to save the NIO the embarrassment of breaking their own law.

Within an hour of Hain's Christmas communiqué popping up in his members' mailboxes on Tuesday, Civil Service union leader John Corey posted a response: "This is the same Secretary of State that presides over the Welsh Office where the civil servants doing the exact same job as Nipsa members earn 20% more pay."

No Welsh civil servant received a pay hike when the UK minimum wage rose to £5.05 in October, workers at the equivalent grade in Cardiff having been on £6 an hour since October, 2004.

Perhaps this accounts for Hain's astonishment. Perhaps he'd just assumed when he arrived here in May that the same rates applied to the same Civil Service jobs - a natural enough supposition, Northern Ireland still being an integral part of the UK and all that.

But Tuesday's letter confirms that he's aware now of the shaming anomaly he presides over. And his response is to assure those affected that he's minded to "address" the issue, "in the future."

Corey's description of the pay offer and of Hain's approach generally as "insulting" is no more than an observation of fact. The total, cumulative rise in pay received by many civil servants since 2002 is 2%.

Would any one of the business spokespersons and commentators who publicly fret about our "bloated" Civil Service accept that?

One of the reasons the free market ideologues clustered in the NIO believe they can treat civil servants with studied contempt is the assumption that Nipsa wouldn't have the sort of support for direct action as the Irish Ferries workers received in the Republic.

The barrage of propaganda against the public sector from the local coven of the CBI, chambers of commerce, cheer-leaders for the ongoing privatisation scam and sections of the media is widely believed to have had had the intended effect.

Hain will be counting, too, on the unwillingness of the main local parties to give profile or priority to any issue which cannot be fitted into the pattern of orange-green politics.

We shall see. A circular being issued by Nipsa yesterday urges members to support all-out strike in a ballot beginning on January 5.

Samples of opinion suggests that a large majority of union members is angry and resentful at the way they've been treated but that many are concerned that, if they do make a fight of it, they might not receive the public backing to which, in all equity, they are entitled.

The union is contacting all Assembly members and MPs asking for expressions of support for the proposed strike.

The outcome of this dispute is at least as important for shaping our future society as the resolution of the issues arising from the interpenetrating spy-rings at Stormont.

We should take note of who stands with Northern Ireland's low-paid, and who shoulder-to-shoulder with a Secretary of State who appears to have no time for this place or its people.

author by belfast servantpublication date Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

lets all hail Eamonn McCann, who cares what he has to write, he does not know the reality of it. i am a northern irish civil servant, that faces strike action from the 9 Feb 2006. i have 3 young children, and a wife that does not work, we scrape by from month to month, now nipsa want us to forfeit pay, in the battle of fair pay. its going to be like the last time, NIPSA lost the fight and will do so again.

Eamonn and SWP/SEA or whatever they want to be called, why don't you stay out of it and let the NIPSA members decide on how to go forward.

its the memberships union its their voice. let them decide.

author by Davy Carlin - Street Seenpublication date Thu Dec 29, 2005 14:19author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Fair enough Belfast servant - Eamonn though does have a right to voice his own opinions, more especially with the practical and hands on experience he has gathered over the years, and he is worth a
listen to in that regard.

- I provide a link to the last NIPSA dispute that I had written at the time, from the position of being on a branch committee who where at the forefront of the struggle.

- I write as to how it was at the time and indeed the lessons I believe need to be learnt from such - and if done - then I believe NIPSA can win.


The Article is Entitled - 'NIPSA, the most important workers strike in Northern Ireland in twenty years'

{re - additional points in the article} - - Although the SWP in Belfast have lost virtually all of the support mentioned in the article since then - and similarily my issues and concerns with the SEA are now well documented since then - {in both cases I had tried to to raise issues time and again {Internally} that if not dealt with would be detrimental to each, as has proven to be the case a year on}-
At the time though those leaders both local and 'non elected from afar' though thought they new better - or more the case simply did not care at that stage - as we where 'on a roll' and had much growing respect and support.

But hey - that is old news - and has already been recorded elsewhere -

the article though does get to the core also of various other issues of interest - as well as dealing with the NIPSA dispute.

ATB - D.

http://davycarlin.allotherplaces.org/

Related Link: http://lark.phoblacht.net/nipsastrategydc.html
author by Davy Carlinpublication date Thu Dec 29, 2005 17:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Sorry one of the links here I believe does not come up. I am finding that quite a few links with my earliest articles are now archived, or that direct links do not exist for them anymore etc. More especially 2001, 2002 and some 2003.

I keep a copy of the originals but have not time to hoke out presently, but it can be found elsewhere on the web for those really interested

As this is increasingly happening I suggest read them when they are Hot!

Any way I am away to still more Parties and 'get togethers' etc over the next few days - and to let the aul afro down even more! –

Will update all the madness as well as activism - and of course the chilling {at some stage I hope!} etc in Jan Diary

-Signing off until after the New Year - have a goodin. ALB - D

author by Apublication date Thu Dec 29, 2005 20:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

No doubt Eamon and many others will have a view on this strike but NIPSA members are taking the decisions. A formal legal ballot was agree only after extensive consultation meetings.

Belfast servant I take it that you expressed your views at the meeting of your branch?

author by Davy Carlinpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

'No doubt Eamon and many others will have a view on this strike but NIPSA members are taking the decisions'

Well I do hope that the 'rank and file 'members are able to have even greater influence this time round and their 'active calls' listened to- and that lessons have been learnt. D

Related Link: http://davycarlin.allotherplaces.org/
author by belfast servantpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

i have voiced my opinions in my branch. but i have no faith in the branch committee. they are only interested in themselves.

it just pisses me off that people from the swp and sea, think they know it all and how to go about it. we do not need to see a copy and paste job from the belfast telegraph.

Mr Carlin, glad to see your still interested in the civil service pay dispute, and trust me i have read your previous articles.

indymedia is for new opinions and thoughts its for those who can not get to publish their writings elsewhere, (get the hint davy. only messing). i was one of the biggest supporters of the last dispute, however i don't think NIPSA is strong enough to do it this time around. the smell of defeat is still around from last year.

when did eamonn last go and speak to NIPSA members, and not the ones involved in SEA or SWP? clue N_v_r

i can respect what Mr carlin says or his opinions, because i know he has gone through this, however i can't understand how eamonn or anyone in the sea or swp think we will listen to them, when all they do is backstab others for their own benefit. not the working class.

author by being sivil in Belfastpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 13:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Has the SWP got any support anywhere anymore

author by Apublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 14:19author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Belfast servant has concerns about his branch committee which are hard to comment on not knowing which branch it is but the meetings to consult on pay have been open to all members not just the committees so presumably BS used this opportunity to express concerns and to vote against the ballot for strike action?

Belfast servant is right to raise last years dispute. Some of the issues from last year are still there, the leadership remains in the hands of the right wing, the government is very determined to win and NIPSA members have relatively little history or experience of protracted strikes. On the up side there is a real determination to fight and members will hopefully on the basis of last years experience be in a better position to determine tactics.

On the swp/sea I feel that like everyone else they have every right to comment and they did have considerable forces in the civil service, at one time they claimed as many as 60 members in the csa. Not sure if this is still the case?

author by Pat - NIPSApublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 14:43author address Belfastauthor phone Report this post to the editors

From one Belfast Civil Servant to another - you need to get your facts sorted. Whatever you think about his politics, Eamonn McCann has been the only high profile politico and only journalist who has given full and total support to civil servants. As for when he last addressed NIPSA members, your ignorance on this makes me wonder whether you are actually an active member of NIPSA since we invited him to be the keynote speaker earlier this year at our AGM - an honour bestowed because of his unwavering support for the rank and file in NIPSA.

Also, it is obvious that quite a few NIPSA members see him as our best supporter since he seems to have the most up-to-date info on what is happening in the dispute at any time!

On the forthcoming strike: Belfast civil servant does NOT represent the majority of civil servants who, in the recent consultation, voted by over 85% to support all-out strike. Yes, last year's debacle hangs over us, but it makes most people determined to go for the all-out and not mess around like last time.

On SWP/SEA members in NIPSA, I never heard a figure of 60 [though there may be that number of SEA supporters, as opposed to members]. I know there's 15-20 NIPSA SEA members in Derry, with people like Eileen Webster and Liam Friel being the chairs of their branches, but here in Belfast the SEA does not really exist.

author by Belfast Servantpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 15:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

i must apologise, if you did have him as your AGM, i was not aware, i can tell you that i am very active within my own branch, however i wish to remain anon. there are many reasons for this. i can say there were never 60 or more SEA supports in the CSA. this i know, and could give a clue to which branch i am in.

only one senior member of the swp is in the csa anymore, the other was davy carlin, who has now left.

as i stated i just do not like the SEA or SWP or whoever Eamonn wants to represent give us there views on this issue. afterall it will not be Eamonn or many from the SEA or SWP forfeiting pay. just the normal working class.

i can say only around 4047 members of NIPSA supported the strike, which according to my calculation is less than 25% of the civil service membership that NIPSA have. as nipsa believe they have 20,000 members.

i never said i spoke on behalf of all the membership, like i said in my first post, let the NIPSA membership decide afterall its their dispute. no-one in NIPSA HQ will loss pay. Eamonn will not loss Pay. only us civil servants will

author by 8'spublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 15:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

There is no sea in Belfast and I think there is only one maybe two active swp nipsa members left. They only really ever existed in Branch 8 csa but most swp members there have since left the swp.

author by 8 to 8publication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 15:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Only one NIPSA member left in the SWP here. there where about ten at one stage during the strike. SEA only in Derry

author by Patpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 16:34author address Belfastauthor phone Report this post to the editors

Belfast servant - I really don't understand what you are on about here. The article by Eamonn McCann pasted in here from the Belfast Tele was a brilliant defence of NIPSA's position in demanding a decent pay rise. It exposes what Hain etc are up to and gives the PUBLIC the facts that they would normally never get the chance to hear from the media. It's not McCann or the SEA or SWP telling NIPSA members anything they do not already know.

Would you prefer if those facts were not made known? Would you prefer if Hain's lies went unchallenged in the mainstream press? Because the arguments against Hain have appeared nowhere else except in McCann's Tele column. Like I said before, you don't have to agree with McCann's politics to be really grateful that he is there and has the platform to challenge New Labour's determination to break NIPSA.

By the way, ANYONE going on strike is going to lose their pay for the days they are on strike. The question surely must be whether to starve on our knees, as will happen if we don't strike, or to starve fighting and maybe win! Also, after last year, we all know that all-out is the best way to keep the pay loss as low as possible.

author by Davy Carlinpublication date Fri Dec 30, 2005 17:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

'we all know that all-out is the best way to keep the pay loss as low as possible.

author by Brian Stewart - Branch 8publication date Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Belfast servant, i can see where you coming from, but there is a number of things you must consider. SWP have no influence over NIPSA and like the rest of these guys, McCann's article only give's the union more good publicity.

you may remember a bbc newsline, where a few NIPSA members confronted Hain, the 5 seconds that bbc gave to that item, was only the worst 5 seconds possible it showed us as greedy. i was there, we had a good 15 minutes with peter hain, and had a good debate. if the full confrontation was see, you may notice that we put mr hain down a number of times. however when the media is basis, our side will never be told. McCann is telling our side and has done so well. i don't have time for policital parties interfering with NIPSA but i do have time for people like McCann that is willing to tell our side of the story.

another reason, why McCann's article is good, is not all nipsa members attended meetings they did not see the arguments for strike. as you have stated yourself, only 4000 members voted on strike. that is a shame and nipsa will need to do something about that. however we have McCann making up for it.

i can say with-out a shadow of a doubt no one from Branch 8 had anything but support for the strike. i was at the pay meeting i seen the vote, only 5/6 people voted against the strike from over 500. and they were eo1s and SOs no-one at the pay meeting spoke against it.

i hope now in the run up to the ballot, McCann and whoever else would like to keep those articles coming, we need all out to win.

vote early and vote yes to strike

author by patrique - Nipsa Branch 8publication date Wed Jan 04, 2006 00:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

If Belfast Servant could afford to go on strike, there would not be a strike. The reason he needs to strike is that in 2006 he cannot afford it. When the minimum wage should be £20,000, Civil Servants are struggling on £11,000 and £12,000.

During the last strike there were two SWP members in branch 8, there is now one as Davy has left. The one that is still here has not attempted to stab anyone in the back.

We need Eamon McCann and all the media to support us, Brian Stewart was spot on when he commented on media coverage. Personally I wouldn't complain if that eejit George Bush came out and supported us. Now is not the time for political squabbles, take support when and where you find it.

If we do not strike now, Belfast Servant, you will be struggling even more in the future. You did note that no-one actually moved up the scale this year?

author by nipsapublication date Wed Jan 04, 2006 00:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Belfast Servant has kicked off a useful discussion. He has raised his opposition to the all out strike action proposed which I think is useful because many of the concerns he raises are on the minds of other NIPSA members (hopefully BS will abide by democratic decisions and take strike action if the majority decide to do so?)

In my view the struggle over pay is now inevitable, what is in question is when it happens, what methods are used and how can it be made successful.
Certainly all out strike action is not an easy option nor is it likely to have a limited impact on members. In fact it could be long and drawn out (3 – 4 weeks). A major issue remains over the ability of the union leaders to deliver a real fight. All the main leadership bodies remain under the control of the right and they are quite capable of organising a last minute sell out or deliberately disorganising things so that the strike is weak. More worrying is BS criticism of local leadership. BS does not identify his branch so it is hard to comment on but it has to be a worry if other members feel like that.

author by padraigpublication date Tue Jan 24, 2006 20:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I'm crying into my beer as I type, thinking of the inhumane treatment meated out to these loyal Servants of the Crown.

author by nipsareppublication date Tue Jan 24, 2006 23:04author address author phone Report this post to the editors

whilst we may succeed in bringing our employer to the table after 3-4 weeks without pay and possibly obtain a marginal improvement in their miserly offer,the prevailing mood in my own office would seem to be a reluctant acceptance of the government's miserly offer,
I would agree that a successful all out strike is probably our only chance of retainin g any credibility as an effective trade union.However,I fear that our executive may be a tad over optimistic about the level of support for prolonged action amongst the rank and file.
What worries me even more though is the prospect of 3 or 4 weeks with no income whatsoever.I am not in the position of those lucky enough to be in a "dual income " household for whom the sacrifice of a couple of weeks' pay is of much less consequence than for those of us who have to support our families and pay our bills on one wage.
Pardon my cynicism but I really can't see this going anywhere when so many members are agonising over whether they'll have to forego their annual trip to florida for somewhere less exotic,whilst for some of us it's a question of whether or not we can afford to feed our families for a month or more.
Unfortunately the modern obsession with consumerist greed has effectively undermined the traditional ethos of trade union solidarity and it's a problem that no amount of leftist sloganising or appeals to our better nature can fix.
To be honest,last year's action only got as far as it did because nipsa was paying 80% of strikers' salaries.I really hope we can do something to improve the lot of our lower paid members but frankly i have my doubts,unless we resort to some sort of legal action to obtain parity with our GB colleagues(what happened to "equal pay for equal work?".
Anyway,going by the opinions of everyone I know in the Civil Service I really don't think there's goiung to be a strike this year.

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