Unite puts focus on job security and workers’ rights in May Day rally

Public sector pay, workers’ rights and Brexit uncertainty were among the key themes raised during speeches at a May Day rally organised by Unite the Union on Thursday.

The rally in Campion Park drew a small if enthusiastic crowd, but the messages from the stage were aimed at workers across Gibraltar’s economy.

“May Day should be a day for us to celebrate the massive achievements and contributions of working people,” said Stuart Davies, Unite’s national officer for Gibraltar.

“But it should also be a day where we focus on looking forward to a better deal for working people, regardless of the job you do, regardless of the sector you work in, regardless of your pay.”

The union is currently engaged with the Gibraltar Government in “positive” discussions on a public sector pay claim that seeks to recoup inflationary wage erosion over the past years but also includes other elements “that will positively impact workers in the private sector”.

Among those elements is a call for a minimum wage of at least £10, alongside the creation of a commission to establish a “living wage” that will act as a guideline for future pay negotiations.

Addressing those gathered at Campion Park – who included Government ministers Gemma Arias Vasquez and Nigel Feetham – Mr Davies acknowledged progress on increasing the minimum wage in recent years, though there is still “too much work to be done”.

“The inflationary spikes and the price rises a few years ago have dissipated, but that does not mean that prices have gone down,” he said.

“It means that prices are simply going up at a normal rate.”

“Those inflationary increases are now hardwired into prices and the cost of living, which makes the minimum wage more and more difficult to live on.”

Mr Davies pointed to two solutions.

“One, the union calls for above inflationary pay increases to the minimum wage,” he said.

“We must have an initial target of £10 an hour for the minimum wage and then beyond that, we should have a minimum wage that is meaningful for all workers.”

“Secondly, we must see the introduction of the Living Wage Commission.”

“This commission will independently assess and set the living wage.”

“This will be a living wage that workers can not only survive on but can thrive on.”

Unite has long called for this commission and the Government has committed to setting it up, “so it must now be a priority”.

“There is nothing to fear from a living wage,” Mr Davies said, adding that the long-term goal must be for the living wage and the minimum wage “to be equalised”.

Alongside that goal, Unite underlined the need for job stability, highlighting another long-standing union goal to eliminate the use of zero-hour contracts in both the public and private sectors.

These contracts, the union said on Thursday, favoured employers to the detriment of employees who were left with no job security.

“These individuals have no guaranteed of contracted hours,” Mr Davies said.

“They can have their job role or their assignment terminated overnight and this is unacceptable.”

“Workers who work regular hours on a zero hour contract should have a statutory right to request that those hours are formally enshrined in their contract, thus giving them contracted, guaranteed hours and job security.”

There were also references to “the shadow of Brexit” and continued uncertainty over the outcome of the treaty negotiation.
Mr Davies, a self-confessed Remainer, was blunt.

“Brexit has been a disaster in the UK,” he said.

“There's no other way to describe it.”

“And the future economic prosperity of Gibraltar is linked to a treaty, and the right treaty.”

“This union supports HMGOG in achieving that treaty, but the right treaty that protects the sovereignty of Gibraltar and also maintains a free-flowing frontier for goods, services and people.”

“That treaty will underpin positively the agenda for Unite and for working people.”

Donovan Correia, Unite’s regional officer, also reflected on job security and zero-hour contracts, which he said should only be used on a short-term basis to cover absences, for example arising from sickness, and not to cover full-time positions.

And he had tough words for some private-sector “cowboy employers” who had “complete disregard” for the wellbeing of their employees, including – he claimed – threatening those who sought assistance from the union.

“Workers are being treated like disposable assets that can be exploited until employers find no use for them, or in some cases, shockingly enough, I found that, should they become actors in a union perspective, they're at threat of possibly losing their job,” Mr Correia said, addressing the rally.

“It is shameful that in today's day and age workers are having to secretly join unions due to the fact that there might be consequences due to them joining.”

“Harsher penalties must be put in place to deter employers from taking these sorts of actions which infringe directly on the rights of workers.”

“Although not the only industry, construction workers are usually working in suboptimal conditions with regards to health and safety and general working practices.”

“All of these are hinged on an outdated industry agreement which hasn't been revisited since 2016.”

“There is little to no enforcement of our health and safety regulations, which themselves require major updates to bring them in line with the basic standards of the UK.”

“It is unfortunately a matter of when, and not if, we have a possible fatality or a major incident in a workplace if we allow the work of the employers to cut corners in this sense.”

There were tough words too from Alex Nuñez, Unite’s convenor in the health sector, where workers were concerned about staffing levels.

The GHA is currently embarked on a review of nursing staffing levels and the Gibraltar Government has said it has met all staffing demands in recent years.

But Unite has repeatedly highlighted the concerns of its members not just on resources but on “job creep and burnout” as staff take on more responsibilities, often outside their defined roles.

“Across the board we're seeing teams overstretched, morale declining, services suffering,” Mr Nuñez said.

The situation, he added, was “unsafe and unsustainable”, adding the union demanded action on recruitment and “respect for our workforces”.