Make Me An Offer
Last night the BBC reported on a 'backlash' from the trade unions - when who popped up our screens - none other than Dave Prentis - the Unison general secretary.
Dave said that he couldn't call off next week's planned strike - even if he wanted to - because the government had not formally tabled its 'improved' offer - which goes some way towards protecting the lower paid and those nearest to retirement, i.e people aged 50 and over.
Now what puzzles me is that - if the problem comes down to formally tabling what government ministers have already announced publicly - then why not just say that the strike will be called off or suspended - if the government confirms its offer in wirting?
For its part the government says there is no such problem - but what the heck - I heard Dave Prentis speak these words myself - so what harm can it do to spell out the bleedin' obvious.
The BBC reports Dave Prentis as saying:
"Let's be clear what the government did: the day before we announced our ballot result, covering a million workers in our local government services and our health services, they ran into Parliament to make a statement."
We have never, ever received any offer for all our local government members. We have never received an offer for our health members. They've established principles that we don't even know are going to be given to our members, and yet they say that this deal - and there isn't one there yet - is to be taken away if we take the action."
Yet elsewhere on the BBC's web site, a nurse member of Unison - Monica Hirst - was quoted as saying that she was committed to the strike - and told Radio 5 live:
"The offer that's been put on the table doesn't alter the fact that I personally will still be working until I'm after 65."
So she seems to believe that there is an offer on the table - but that she's rejecting it anyway - which is completely different to what Dave Prentis is saying of course.
So the unions should really sort themselves out.
If the difference just comes down to semantics - a few words here or there, or where these words are spoken or written down - then going ahead with the strike is simply irresponsible.
