Morrisons this year had the ignomity of being forced to increase pay to keep up with the government’s own pitifully low ‘living wage’ of £10.50. Yet in the latest round of pay negotiations, rather than increase pay to meet Usdaw’s demand for £12 an hour, or inline with inflation currently at over 11%, the basic rate increase offer is just 4% bringing it to £10.92.
That this deal is for 6 months rather than the usual 12, is consolation to members whose pay has now been squeezed over a period from where Morrisons was one of the better paid companies to now being one of the worst.
On this basis alone, it should have been rejected by negotiators representing Usdaw members. But it also comes with additional attacks on sick pay – with the 3 day waiting period for sick pay to be reintroduced, which was removed in response to the Covid pandemic, plus the maximum sick pay cuts from 20 weeks to 15 weeks.
The pay offer has now gone to a ballot of the membership. If this is rejected, then it would not be the first deal Usdaw members have rejected. In recent years two offers Morrisons workers in Usdaw have rejected have gone as per the ‘partnership’ recognition agreement gone to binding arbitration with ACAS, where on both occasions the arbitrators have sided with the company.
This is now recognised on all sides of the union as being an arrangement that has failed members, with Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis telling this years ADM that Usdaw has been seeking to remove this clause from the recognition agreement.
It has been suggested that the reason that ACAS has sided with Morrisons during arbitration in the past has been because these offers have been recommended by the negotiators. But to instead ‘endorse as the best achievable by negotiation’ as the Morrisons Usdaw negotiators have done, as a clever manoeuvre is in our opinion mistaken.
We are not sure whether this attempt at ‘sleight of hand’ would be seen any differently by the arbitrator as opposed to a clear rejection of an inadequate offer. Moreover, it also sends a confused message to Usdaw members in Morrisons as to how they should respond to the offer. In our opinion a clear call for rejection would get significant support amongst members who are fed up on pay, and signal to non-members that Usdaw was finally serious about standing up to Morrisons management in such negotiations.
Instead, because of this confused messaging, the Activist has had reports from Usdaw members about Morrisons workers saying they plan to quit Usdaw, and even a group of workers seeking to join another trade union en masse.
It is vital that rank and file Usdaw members in Morrisons organise to campaign against this pay offer, and if the Usdaw negotiators with Morrisons continue to fail to give a lead to the membership, then seek to replace them with those from Usdaw’s ranks who are prepared to give a fighting lead.
Activist: Blog of CWI members in USDAW 