Employers come back with 2.45%

(02/04/08) Local government employers returned to the negotiating table today with a pay offer that would leave the lowest paid workers less well off than supermarket staff.The rise being offered is 2.45%, with £100 extra for those on the bottom three points on the pay scale – up on the initial 2.2% rejected by trade unions but still branded "hugely disappointing" by UNISON national secretary Heather Wakefield.The employers insisted that this is their final offer.The extra £100 a year on points 4, 5 and 6 of the pay scale would make the offer worth 3.3% to the lowest paid.But Ms Wakefield point out that "the bottom rate in Tesco is now £6.25 an hour, so highly skilled workers doing vital jobs in our public services are being paid less than supermarket workers."We have made it very clear that this was a very disappointing offer – below the level of CPI inflation let alone RPI."The pay talks affect more than one million local government and associated workers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.Unions are claiming a pay rise of 6% or 50p an hour, whichever is the greater, which would give a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour.The 'catch up and match up' claim is intended to recoup losses from below-inflation awards for the past three years and cushion staff against inflation over the coming year.UNISON's NJC committee will meet next Tuesday to discuss the offer and the union's formal response.In Scotland the unions are taking soundings of members after employers responded to their rejection of an initial offer of 2.2%, 2.3% and 2.2% over three years by making a final offer of a 2.5% increase each year. The offer does not include a 'reopener' clause as yet, and does not approach the unions' claim of 5% or £1,000 for the first year. Trade union side secretary Dougie Black of UNISON commented: "It is clear that the employers are firm on their offer and any rejection will require a commitment to take serious industrial action."