Strike a chord for local government pay

Transcription

1 IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER In the bleak midwinter council workers pay Wont buy Christmas presents There really is no way. In the bleak midwinter We re doing more for less We want a pound an hour To end this mess. The Living Wage eludes us A half-million earn less Most of us are women Our kids suffer we fess School clothes are out the window No laptops or meals out We want you to support us So please - just shout! The coalition s pay freeze Has hit us treble hard And promises from Osborne Weren t worth a pound of lard. The cuts have hit conditions Like overtime and fuel We ve lost one fifth of earnings Osborne is cruel How can you help us Win a deal on pay? If we don t get it this year We ll go all the way. Please tell all your neighbours, MP s and councillors too To settle on our pay claim And get us through.

2 DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH Ding dong merrily on high Our earnings they are falling Ding dong we are asking why And for your help we re calling Falling, our wages they are falling When the coalition came The cuts and pay freeze beckoned They have played a dirty game A job lost every second Falling, our wages they are falling And so our union UNISON, Is calling for a pay rise A pound an hour can t be wrong It isn t such a big prize Falling, our wages they are falling So let us have the Living Wage And rises for all others If not strike action we ll stage As sisters and as brothers Falling, our wages they are falling

3 OH LITTLE TOWN OF (BIRMINGHAM) (sung to the tune of Oh little town of Bethlehem) Oh little town of (Birmingham) How cut we see thee lie George Osborne s got it in for you There is no answer why The rich are getting richer But workers such as we Are doing more but getting poor We say this cannot be. We work hard for your council Our overtime s unpaid Allowances for weekend work Will now be all delayed The Living Wage denied us Half a million earning less We calling for an extra quid As poverty s redress Our union is UNISON Together we are strong We will take direct action We ve threatened all along Our kids they need our earnings The economy does too So help our fight to put this right We re calling out to you.

4 WHILE COUNCIL WORKERS FELT THE PINCH (sung to the tune of While shepherds watched their flocks) While council workers felt the pinch From Cameron and Clegg Their union called UNISON Said we wont let you beg. We ll put in for a pay increase A pound for everyone We ve had enough of falling pay This poverty s not fun. We ve had to call on payday loans The food bank and our friends To keep our families fed and clothed Osborne must make amends. A pay rise of one pound an hour Would pay the Living Wage And help restore our lost earnings And stem our growing rage. We ve kept the council going well Through coalition cuts Our pay s declined 8 per cent So no more if s or buts. We re working unpaid overtime To get the job well done Your local services go on But poverty s no fun. Our mates who staff the NHS, Police and teachers too Are paid a whole lot more than us For work just like we do. This inequality must end We all want equal pay So stand up and support us now Please join our fight today!

5 Here in this poor battered city (sung to the tune of Here in Royal David s City) Here in this poor battered city Hit by Coalition cuts UNISON calls for a pay rise Council workers pay is nuts We wont take it any longer Join our fight and make us stronger Four years running earnings falling Overtime and petrol costs not paid Part-time workers want to work more hours Friends and families bank accounts we raid Our ambition wont be fettered For our treatment can be bettered Politicians can afford our pay rise Our economy would grow More in tax and National Insurance To the Treasury would flow Paying for our Living Wages That we ve waited for for ages If we don t see action from employers We will have to go on all out strike Stop maintaining all the council functions Closing services that we all like This time round there ll be no stopping We need more to do the shopping.

6 SILENT NIGHT Silent night, pay is not right That s why we re here, here in this fight One pound an hour is all we ask for That s just enough as we see prices soar After four years of pay cuts After four years of pay cuts Osborne and Clegg, Cable and Cam Live in wealth, - and so does Sam While we are forced to take out pay day loans Deny our children and live with their groans This Coalition is cru-el This Coalition is cruel Services cut, many jobs gone But we are here, we carry on Keeping your services going the same Working unpaid though it s not us to blame As workers we pay for the crash As workers we pay for the crash We ve had enough, our pay has crashed Overtime gone, fuel payments trashed We ve kept on in silence but now we ll speak out We d like you to join us and give us a shout Fair pay for council workers Fair pay for council workers

7 WHILE WOMEN WORKERS WORK PART-TIME (sung to the tune of While shepherds watched their flocks) While women workers work part-time And overtime s unpaid The coalition s making cuts And aspirations fade. The men who say we aren t worth more Get paid a hefty whack For policies which hurt us all We re going to get them back! Most council workers are women Our pay is very poor And now with this austerity For less we re doing more. 5 While women keep your services From going down the pan They think that pay s a luxury How wonderful is man!!! Our kids demand their Christmas rights We re having to say no Our pay has dropped by one whole fifth And overdrafts they grow. 6 We fight for just one quid an hour We d like you to join in We ll all defeat austerity Put Osborne in the bin.