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Walkout by 300 Unison members latest in programme of targeted action that has taken place since May If coalition ministers are wondering what a 21st-century winter of discontent might look like, then dozens of social workers picketing Southampton’s council offices have provided a glimpse. The strike by 300 members of Unison, the largest public sector union, is the latest in a dispute that has become a testing ground for the labour movement’s approach to a looming nationwide dispute over pension reform. In tandem with Unite, the UK’s biggest union, Unison has run a programme of targeted strikes over wage cuts and contract changes on the south coast in which waste collectors, port workers, parking wardens and road toll cashiers go out on one-day strikes aimed at hitting the Conservative-led council’s coffers. “To have everybody out for one day does not give us anything when you can have individual sections [of employees] out separately for days at a time,” said Andy Straker, a Unison regional official. “We could not have called everybody out for 12 weeks. No one would have done it, but this keeps the pressure on. During the summer it looked like the whole of Southampton was on strike,” he added, referring to a series of walkouts since May. If national union leaders heed the lessons from Southampton, the national day of action planned for 30 November featuring up to 3 million workers from the main health, education, local government and civil service unions will be a one-off, to be followed by individually tailored walkouts and work-to-rule protests of the kind seen in Southampton. “Selective, targeted action is working in Southampton,” said Mark Wood, a Unite officer at the council, pointing to the opening of peace talks next week, although the council said it had offered numerous peace proposals already. “It has brought them back to the negotiating table. We don’t think a one-day all-out strike will resolve the strike, but a mixture of that with targeted action can work,” Wood added. “November 30 will be an all-out strike, which will have an effect politically, but at the end of the day it will not resolve the pension dispute. “We are going to have to be much more strategic and selective in the way we fight the government cuts.” Unite has reverted to old-fashioned type this time round, calling out 700 members from all areas of the council despite the fact that they no longer have legal protection against dismissal. It is hoping the council will not take on the logistical and PR challenge of sacking 1,000 employees. The council says such a move would be counterproductive. “The whole point [of the wage cuts and contract changes] is to keep people in work and not to lose their jobs,” said Jeremy Moulton, a Conservative councillor and deputy leader of the city council. Moulton argues that Southampton and its residents have been the victims of a local dispute over necessary budget cuts that has been hijacked by the national leadership of Unison and Unite. The decision to effectively fire and rehire more than 4,600 staff by serving notice on their contracts and re-employing them on different terms had been driven by a £75m gap in the city’s budget caused by a fall in central government grants, he said. The choice was to cut council jobs and services or preserve both through a contractual haircut. “By making these changes we avoid having to make some of the services cuts that we would otherwise have to make. And we can keep people in work,” he argued. Moulton said his colleagues were preparing to table an offer next week that will shield 50% of the council’s staff from a pay cut. The feeling among striking employees is that a pay cut is too much on top of a multi-year pay freeze. “It is costing me £150 a month, which is my disposable income,” said Ian Pennal, 45, a family support worker. “At times the job is great but you do get abused and assaulted so when they take money off you, you feel undervalued.” He said he would also vote to strike in a looming national vote on pensions. “I understand that cuts have to be made, but not in the way they have done it,” said Simon Cotton, 27, who runs a waste collection crew. “We are whipping boys.” Public sector pay Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance Public sector pensions Local government Public sector careers Recession Trade unions Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk