Three local government unions, Unison, GMB and Unite, have submitted a pay claim that calls for all council employees to receive an above-inflation wage increase.
The pay claim for 2023, which would apply from the start of April, is for council employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to receive a wage rise of 12.7%. The unions argued that “a significant pay award is vital after years of local authority spending cuts and pay restraint”.
According to the unions, the pay claim has been calculated using the Office For Budget Responsibility’s forecast for the Retail Price Index (RPI) for 2023, which is 10.7%. Hence, they have demanded a wage increase of RPI plus 2%.
Mike Short, Unison’s head of local government, said: “Councils can’t function without staff. Many workers are struggling to make ends meet and unless they’re paid properly, more will quit for better paid work elsewhere.
“Employers must make a decent pay offer. And the government needs to invest properly in the local government and school workforce to ensure important services are fit for the future.”
Room151 Networking: A safe space for creative thinking
In the claim, the unions detailed that staff working in local government have seen a 25% decrease in the value of their pay since 2010. They also state that a pay increase above inflation is “the only way to recruit and retain staff”.
Clare Keogh, Unite’s national officer, said: “Local government workers need a pay increase that not only matches inflation but also begins to offset years of pay erosion.
“Low pay is impacting on essential council services with workers leaving in their droves to secure better paid and less demanding jobs elsewhere.”
Rachel Harrison, GMB’s national secretary, added: “School support staff, refuse collectors, traffic wardens, social workers and more – the people who suffered from the government’s failed austerity policies and were on the frontline of the pandemic.”
This comes as the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives has also submitted its pay claim for 2023, which called for a pay rise that is “the same” as those at the top point on the National Joint Council scale.
—————
FREE weekly newsletters
Subscribe to Room151 Newsletters
Room151 LinkedIn Community
Join here
Monthly Online Treasury Briefing
Sign up here with a .gov.uk email address
Room151 Webinars
Visit the Room151 channel
