A special conference of UNISON’s local government group convened in London (24 March 2015) to debate the 2014-16 pay proposals agreed to continue campaign for fair pay
The decision to cancel strike action on 14 October; the future pay consultation protocols in respect of local government pay claims; the best means to secure a decent pay increase for local government members were also discussed read more…
Members of all three local government unions previously voted to accept a pay offer put forward by the Local Government Association.
Local government and school support workers had been offered just 1%, with slightly more for the lowest paid to bring them above the level of the new National Minimum Wage in March. However following a strike on 10 July 2014 and a threatened further walkout in October, the LGA made an improved offer, worth around 2.35% on average and up to 9.6% for the lowest paid.
The proposals cover the period from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2016. read full information here….
Unions suspend strike over pay due Tuesday 14th October 2014
The three unions which represent more than 1.5 million workers in local government and schools – UNISON, GMB and UNITE – have today decided to suspend strike action planned for 14 October and consult their members on new proposals put forward by the Local Government Association as the best achievable by negotiation.
In doing so, all three unions have made it clear that they want to strengthen the collective bargaining machinery covering local government and schools and move quickly to jointly tackle important issues facing their members with the Local Government Association. Members covered by the National Joint Council for Local Government have the lowest pay in the public sector and have suffered significant attacks on their conditions of work in recent years.
The unions will now move forward together to consult their members.
Local government workers have suffered three years of a pay freeze, followed by a below inflation pay deal and have now been offered a paltry 1%. They have seen their pay reduced in value by 20% since 2010. This resulted in a one day strike on 10 July. No further took place, despite the unions offering to go to the Government’s arbitration and conciliation service and so a strike was called for 14 October. This led to an improved offer from employers.
Thursday 10th July 2014 national pay strike
This strike is about pay – but it is also about the future of the services these employees provide. Services used by everyone.
10 July is “our chance to stand up for what is ‘really fair’ for school and council workers – the lowest paid of all”
Local government and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland voted for strike action after rejecting the employers’ pay offer of just 1%.
While the empolyers argue that their offer is “fair” UNISON is stressing that it isn’t “fair” that the true value of their pay has fallen by 20% since 2010.
Unite national officer for local government Fiona Farmer said the two-to-one result reflects “the depth of feeling” among staff.
“Poverty pay is widespread across local councils. Household bills continue to soar, but our members’ buying power is constantly being eroded,” she said.
Ms Farmer said that around 400,000 council workers paid below £15,000-a-year for delivering vital local services were now “choosing between heating and eating.”
Pay hits rock bottom
Employers wait for national minimum wage announcement before making pay offer
The unions were due to meet the Local Government Employers on 14 February to receive their response to our pay claim for £1.20 an hour.
However, the employers called off the pay talks the night before.
read full article http://www.unison.org.uk/njc-14-14
UNISON has slammed a decision by the Local Government Employers to deny a pay offer to 1.6 million local government and school support workers. read this press release
UNISON members in Local government joined workplace lunchtime protests and spoke up for services and pay on Tuesday 4th February 2014.
The UK wide day of action comes before the national Local Government employers meet on 13 February 2014 to decide how much they will offer Local Government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in response to UNISON’s pay claim of a £1 an hour increase on all pay points.
Locally in Wolverhampton we have a lot to protest about!
With a Labour-led council struggling to set a legal budget and projected budget shortfalls of £123 million being imposed by a Tory-led coalition government, and an estimated 1,400 council jobs losses that the local economy can ill afford, these massive spending cuts will have a long term impact, the public will suffer as services disappear and UNISON members will be expected to accept worse terms and conditions.
Local government unions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have written to employers accepting the 2013 pay offer – while warning them that a similar offer next year ‘will be totally unacceptable’.
The offer is for:
- a 1% increase on all pay points and nationally-agreed protected allowances with effect from 1 April 2013;
- deletion of the lowest pay pioint – pay point 4 – with effect from 1 October 2013.
However, the joint letter – signed by UNSION’s head of local government Heather Wakefield on behalf of the joint union secretaries – held a warning for local government employers.
“In accepting the offer, the trade union side wishes to make it clear to the employers that this below-inflation pay offer falls far below our aspirations and what members deserve,” it stated.
“It means a further pay cut for our members after a three-year pay freeze. “A significant proportion of our members voted to reject the offer and a similar offer next year will be totally unacceptable.”
UNISON and GMB members voted to accept the offer in union consultations.
• UNISON local government members in Scotland are currently balloting on industrial action after rejected the pay offer from Scottish councils.
But the union’s local government secretary Heather Wakefield has warned employers that “enough is enough”, and that the union will be mounting an immediate, high-profile campaign “to stop the rot” – building towards industrial action in the event that the offer in 2014 is not acceptable.
In voting for the 1% pay increase, with an extra 1.4% for the lowest paid, the NJC committee noted it was “completely insulting” and did not come anywhere near the union’s aspirations.
In UNISON’s branch consultation, 59% of members in England and Wales voted to accept the offer.
Local government unions outraged at pay freeze leaving a 13% cut in living standards
Jan 2013 – The retail price index has risen to 3.1 per cent, while the less representative consumer price index is flat-lining at 2.7 per cent. Inflation has caused a cumulative shortfall of 13 per cent since 2009 in salary purchasing power for low-paid local authority workers. Read more……
Read more about this year’s claim on the UNISON website.
Jan 2013 – Unison issued an impassioned appeal to each of the 20,616 councillors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to thaw local government workers’ three-year-long pay freeze. Read more………
The last time local government workers had a pay rise: 2009 Local Government (Green Book) pay award:
· Pay
From 1 April 2009 an increase of 1.25% on SCPs 4 to 10 inclusive. An increase of 1% on SCPs 11 to 49 inclusive.
· Annual Leave
From 1 April 2009, an increase from 20 to 21 days in minimum annual leave for employees with less than five years’ service.
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