‘We need to talk about pay’

If you’ve been feeling the squeeze over the last few years, you’re probably aware of every penny in your salary. But in and out of work, we just aren’t talking about it anymore. 

Or at least, we’re only talking about it when it’s someone else’s pay. From bosses earning 147 times the average worker’s wage, to our own Bristol scandal over golden goodbyes for council directors; who gets what is as hot a topic as ever.

When it comes to workplaces though, British people have forgotten how to have an open, honest and aspirational discussion about work and reward.

The consequences of low pay are showing across our city, illustrated by studies from Bristol Citizens Advice and the council highlighting the chaos triggered by bad work, leading to mental and physical health problems, precarious finances, and strains on scarce public money.

More than one in seven jobs in Bristol pay less than it costs to live, according to official figures – but with Bristol’s high cost of living, this underestimates the problem.

Scandalous differences in life expectancy of up to 11 years follow the distribution of wealth and employment across Bristol. 20,000 workers in our region aren’t even paid the minimum wage.

—————–

Read more: Changes to CEO rules after £200k pay-off

—————–

Yes, that’s right – thousands of care workers, for example, paid below the legal minimum. Good jobs in tech, manufacturing and professional services are coming to Bristol, but if we don’t deal with the thousands of people left out in the cold, will we really have a city to be proud of? 

Call us old fashioned, but in my union, Unison, we’re as committed as ever to talking about fair wages on behalf of our tens of thousands of members in Bristol. We’re talking about wages on the shopfloor, at the negotiating table, and in council chambers and Parliament.

“Don’t ask, don’t get” is as true at work as anywhere else. Our members, 80 per cent of them women, are hospital porters and technicians, teaching assistants and lunchtime staff, care workers and refuse collectors – we’re intensely proud of the work they do and our union is fighting to get them a fair deal.

Take Bristol Waste Company. Unison reps have worked in social partnership to build a better service making sure all staff take recycling and sustainability seriously.

Rubbish and recycling might never be the stuff of heartwarming films, but a former Green Capital should be passionate about doing this properly. Staff in BWC work incredibly hard to make sustainability a reality.

Getting this work done well and keeping committed staff means paying a good wage. Last year, Bristol Waste Company workers won their first decent pay rise in years, because the staff were part of an active union.

Our challenge is to make effective union agreements accepted as crucial to a successful, sustainable economy.

Over at City Hall, campaigning by Unison means Bristol Council is committed to paying all staff at least a living wage. For this to be meaningful it must apply to council staff and private contractors alike – those workers providing public services, employed by companies paid with public money, deserve the same protection.

This means ending the scandal of 7,400 careworkers across the city employed on low wages. Through Unison’s Ethical Care Charter, we’re demanding fairness that could improve the lives of workers, the care of patients, and cut long-term costs.

Sickness absence among low-paid Bristol care workers is over 50 per cent higher than the regional average, and almost one in three staff leave the sector every year. That’s not a sustainable situation and getting decent pay is one way to solve it. 

But a living wage isn’t the whole answer. House prices in Bristol shot up 13 per cent in the last year – almost double the national increase – a symbol of the way it isn’t only those on the lowest wages who are struggling.

Unison research revealed financial difficulties faced by NHS staff, for instance – professional, skilled workers, who are being driven into debt by pay failing to keep up with living costs. 

So what should we do? In trade unions we know it’s no good carping about a problem if you don’t have a solution.

Our answer is collective bargaining. Individually talking to your boss about a pay rise might not get you anywhere, but you’ve got a much better chance if you do it in a union.

Only 27 per cent of employees in the South West are covered by a wages agreement set between their union and the firm – a lower level than any time since the Second World War. If we want to tackle the anxiety faced by families every month, an open conversation about pay and strong union representation is what Bristol needs.

Your trade union is your voice in that debate. Unison is at the forefront, and we want workers, the council, and employers to get onboard. Where we can work in partnership we will, but make no mistake, where bad employers insist on mistreating their staff – we will hold them to account and we will win for Bristol workers.

Joanne Kaye is Bristol Unison regional secretary.

Read more opinion pieces here