UNISON to continue fight over Employment Tribunal fees in Supreme Court

UNISON has vowed to take its battle to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal rejected its appeal against the government’s introduction of employment tribunal fees.

Describing this case as ‘troubling’, the Court of Appeal expressed a ‘strong suspicion that so large a decline [in claims] is unlikely to be accounted for entirely by cases of ‘won’t pay’ and [that] it must also reflect at least some cases of ‘can’t pay’.

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Today’s decision is a huge disappointment and a major setback for people at work. Many unscrupulous employers will be rubbing their hands together in glee at the news. 

There is stark evidence that workers are being priced out of justice and it is women, the disabled and the low-paid who are being disproportionately punished.

Our fight for fairness at work and access to justice for all will continue until these unfair and punitive fees are scrapped.”

Attacks on unions are attacks on working people too, says UNISON

Commenting on governments latest proposals to prevent people who work in the public sector from paying their union membership fees directly from their wages:

Ravi Subramanian, UNISON West Midlands Regional Secretary said:

“This latest malicious manoeuvre from ministers shows how far a Conservative government are prepared to go to attack ordinary working people.  In simple terms they are planning to go to deny nurses, care workers, teaching assistants, hospital cleaners and town hall staff a voice at work.

Anyone with a job in the public sector must wonder why the government dislikes them so much that it is set on a series of such spiteful attacks on them through their unions.

Allowing union subs to be taken directly from peoples’ salaries is convenient for individual employees, their unions and their employers – and it works well in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

The suggestion that this costs the taxpayer is simply not true, in much of the public sector, unions pay the hospital trust or the local council the cost of taking the subs at source, so there is no cost to the public purse.

Employees in workplaces where there are unions are more likely to earn more, be better trained, and have safer working conditions, than those where there is no union.

Ministers are undermining our public services by putting partnership working between unions and employers – that benefits the public – at risk. This is nothing more than a cheap political gesture.

The government is showing once more that by making it harder for unions in the public sector to stand up for their members, it can never be the party of working people. Attacks on unions are attacks on working people too.

If pay austerity is over MPs, it should end for other public sector workers too

Commenting on the confirmation last week that MPs are to receive a 10 per cent pay rise, Ravi Subramanian, UNISON West Midlands Regional Secretary said:

 

"Pay austerity might be over for MPs, but it goes on and on for everyone else in the public sector.

 

If pay restraint is at an end for politicians – who are public servants too – it should also be over for nurses, teaching assistants, hospital cleaners, council staff and other public sector workers.

 

The government felt able to ignore the advice of the NHS pay review body, but not, it would seem, the equivalent body for MPs.

 

Not content with holding pay down for public sector workers for another four years, the government is spitefully going ahead with new laws to make it almost impossible for public servants to go on strike and win pay rises in future.

 

No wonder so many staff in our hospitals, schools and local councils are beginning to think they'd be better off working elsewhere."

 

Trade Union Bill proves the government is not on the side of working people

Commenting on the publication of the Trade Union Bill yesterday, Ravi Subramanian, UNISON West Midlands Regional Secretary said:

 

“The Bill proves that the government is not on the side of working people. These unfair changes will make it much harder for nurses, teaching assistants, midwives and other public sector workers to ever strike for a pay rise or challenge the behaviour of bad employers.

 

These spiteful proposals will deny millions of ordinary workers a voice at work. Strikes are rare and the decision to lose a day’s pay is never an easy one – especially for public sector workers who have suffered many years of pay restraint. When unions win a pay rise or safer working conditions for their members everyone in the workplace gets to benefit.

 

Democracy won't be enhanced by vindictively raising thresholds but by modernising balloting and allowing workers to vote from their phones and tablets.

 

Tory MPs who will be getting an 11% pay rise are imposing a 1% pay cap on nurses and care workers whilst at the same time shackling their ability to challenge this with a second class form of democracy. Less than 13 per cent of all MPs actually met the 40% threshold that the government are setting for workers.”