At a meeting earlier this week the council negotiators met GMB Union and Unison on their proposal to cut the pay of council employees. During the meeting the Unions rejected the offer that was put forward by the Council. After an adjournment the Council negotiators informed the Unions that the offer they had made was not their final offer but that they wanted the GMB to have separate discussions with the Director of Environment.

On announcing this to both Unions, Unison questioned why the council wasn’t offering them the same facilities as the GMB in meeting the Director. The council failed to respond to this question.

Mark Turner the Branch Secretary GMB said:
"This is a desperate council in a difficult situation knowing that we are currently in a formal ballot for Industrial Action with front line council staff. It demonstrates to us that the Leadership of the council has no confidence in their current negotiating team and to ask the Director of Environment to come in on her “White Charger” indicates to me that we have been talking to the wrong people for the last 6 months."

Alex Knutson Branch Secretary of Unison said:
"The council have not offered us the same facilities as the GMB Union to meet with the Director of Environment. If the Director has the power to sort out this problem then we would expect to be treated the same and be given the opportunity to meet with her. We have members who are equally facing serious pay cuts and it is clear to us that the council are trying to drive a wedge between Unison and the GMB. The council needs to be perfectly clear that the two Unions will continue to work together and as a result it was today agreed at an emergency branch executive meeting that we would join our GMB colleagues in starting the process of balloting our Council membership for industrial action."