'Enough is enough' on Local Government pay

“A third year without a pay increase is driving the union’s 750,000 members in Local Government further into dispute with the employers” said Heather Wakefield UNISON Head of Local Government today. The budget yesterday provided no relief to even the lowest paid, as councils are refusing to pay the £250 promised to them by the Chancellor in his 2010 budget statement.With the cost of everyday essentials such as food, fuel and energy going up council workers and their families are struggling just to make ends meet. Heather Wakefield has written to council leaders and chief executives1 calling on them to urgently think again about the impact of the freeze on workers saying “enough is enough”"Local Government Employers2 have once again failed to pay the £250 to those council workers earning below £21,000, as promised by the Chancellor in his 2010 budget. During these tough economic times this has only made personal finances far worse for council employees across the country and the 2011 budget has done nothing to change that. “This third consecutive annual pay freeze means that council workers will have suffered a 15% pay cut in three years and now earn a shocking 10% less in real terms than in 1996. “We are still in dispute with the Local Government Employers over this year's claim for basic pay and will be considering our next steps in the very near future, alongside the other two unions. “Council workers are now the worst paid and rewarded in the public sector. The median earnings for full-time employees are below those in the private sector too3. Councils must recognise that properly treated employees are key to high quality services and reward them with decent pay and conditions for their dedication and loyalty. We are extremely concerned about the introduction of regional pay as opposed to national bargaining, which could have disastrous consequences for members." UNISON has produced a report, Living on the Edge: Pay in Local Government4, which shows that many union members are struggling to survive on low pay and that many are to absolute poverty. Heather Wakefield added: “To add insult to injury, the Government is also intending to lift the hours qualification threshold for Working Tax Credit from 16 to 24 for employees in couple households from 6 April. This will mean that UNISON members will be deprived of financial assistance which makes the difference between survival and absolute poverty. “The Government has rightly awarded public sector workers in the civil service, the NHS and teachers earning a full-time equivalent of £21,000 or less a pay increase of £250 for the second year running. “We say ‘enough is enough’. Not only does low and diminishing pay create a gross injustice towards our hard-working members and their families, it also damages the local economy and vital community services, now and in the future.” UNISON has called upon councils to do three things: · To pay the £250 promised by the Chancellor to NJC employees in your council from 1 April as a consolidated payment· To identify part-time employees who may be affected by the change in conditions for Working Tax Credit and seek to enhance their hours to 24· To resist making (further) cuts to pay, hours and conditions at local level