Dave Prentis’ speech at the TUC is significant for a number of reasons. Primarily it reflects the fact that the UNISON leadership, who have endeavoured to keep their powder dry for a very very long time, are coming under enormous pressure from below and from the rest of the Trade Union movement. It also reflects the scale of the attacks on the public sector and in particular the attacks on pensions.

Over the last few months there has been quite a sharp discussion within the trade union movement and especially within UNISON regarding tactics in respect of the Tories attacks on pensions. At the UNISON Local Government Conference in June the leadership of the Local Government Service Group Executive were forced to accept an amendment that committed them to early strike action over pensions. More importantly than that perhaps in the current situation is the threat to the NHS pension scheme which is very much in the firing line, along with Civil Service and teacher’s pension schemes.

Negotiations have been ongoing over the Local Government Pension Scheme and it is quite likely that the UNISON leadership will try and strike some sort of deal, or at least attempt to do so. The deal may well involve a reduction in the number of pension funds within the LGPS scheme and the leadership may try and get some trade off between pension value and the current round of government spending cuts.

Despite this possibility, which is very much on the cards, the UNISON leadership are responding to pressure from the other unions with members in the public sector. UNISON (and the GMB) were noticeably absent from the June 30th strikes where UCU, NUT and PCS members were on strike over pensions.
But Prentis’ speech commits UNISON to a ballot, although the speech was couched in cautious terms:
“An unprecedented attack on ordinary working people. An audacious and devious means to pay for the greed of others. So Congress we've had enough... We've been patient, we've cooperated. But there comes a time when we say enough is enough. Because if we don't they'll be back for more... and more and more,

“So today..... Congress, I want to make it clear to this coalition that we will negotiate anytime, anyplace, anywhere but if they impose change by dictat. We will take industrial action. And today Brendan Barber has convened a meeting of all public service unions to look at united co-ordinated industrial action if those talks fail.   And in moving to industrial action I commit UNISON to work as one with our sister unions the GMB and UNITE. And today as General Secretary of UNISON I give formal notice to 9,000 employers that we are balloting for industrial action.

“A ballot unprecedented in scale will cover over a million workers in health, local government, school, FE, higher education, police, the voluntary sector and the environment and the private sector. It's a decision we don't take lightly. And the stakes are high. Higher than ever before. But Congress of one thing I'm certain. Now is the time to make our stand. And it will be hard. We'll be vilified, attacked. Set against each other. Public versus private ,divide and rule. The oldest trick in the book.  But if we're serious. We must stay strong, united. All of us shoulder to shoulder. No gesture politics , no hollow rhetoric."

What Prentis is saying here sounds radical. But the reality is somewhat different. He is saying that UNISON will negotiate anytime and anyplace, but will take industrial action if the government imposes changes by dictat. It is most likely that the union will offer up a deal which they hope will mean that the Government don’t get to the point of imposing changes. 

More than anything else the Trade Union leaders need something to sell to the members. It is quite clear that neither Brendan Barber nor Dave Prentis are anxious to consider strike action. On the contrary they would much prefer to have some sort of agreement that they can sell to the membership on the back of the current negotiations.

The problem they face however is that the Tories and the Lib Dems are determined to “hold the line” in respect of the cuts and particularly the attack on pensions. They are extremely concerned to ensure that they keep the international bond markets on side and the ratings agencies. The upshot of which is that we have to be presented with the bill.

Many active reps and branch officers will have been bombarded by people asking about strike action over pensions over the last period. The pressure to do something about Tory attacks is mounting and the trade union leaders are being forced to respond. However, there is a huge amount of work to be done to turn the tub thumping speeches at the TUC into the delivery of a massive vote in favour of industrial action across the public sector.

The UNISON leadership have been trudging a complicated and narrow path in respect of these negotiations. They know they need to be seen to be doing something about pensions, but they want a deal to sell to the members. They certainly don’t want a confrontation with the government. However the question of pensions immediately raises the prospect of action at a national level. The national angle immediately shows up the different political positions and levels of combativity of the different union bureaucracies.

But while the UNISON bureaucracy has lagged behind PCS and other unions the serious situation on the ground, in the 9,000+ organisations where UNISON organises, is generating a huge amount of pressure from below. The TUC conference is an opportunity for the trade union leaders to say how united they all are and present a position to the membership and also to the government.

However as the saying goes “fine words butter no parsnips”. After months of prevaricating and avoiding the issue of strike action over pensions, the UNISON leadership have upped the ante by raising the prospect of a ballot. But, there is a big gulf between making the announcement and delivering the action.
There is enough anger and pent up resentment against the Con Dems for 10 Public Sector General Strikes, but to deliver strike action the UNISON leadership as well as the other trade union leaders have to give a clear lead and mobilise every member in every branch throughout the country. This means essentially that the campaign starts now.

But what are we fighting for? Prentis’ position is that we would be striking against changes to pensions on the basis of government dictat. But members are expecting more than that. UNISON must demand no cuts in pension benefits and no increases in pension contributions, across the whole of the public sector. The fight to defend pensions is a fight against poverty but it’s also part of a wider struggle to defeat the Tories attacks on the public sector and to drive them out of office.

    •    Defend Public Sector Pensions
    •    No increases in pension contributions and no cuts in benefits
    •    Fight for a massive Yes in the strike ballot
    •    For a 24 hour Public Sector General Strike