14 November 2003
An employers' leader conceded this week that local government pay negotiations need an overhaul as firefighters announced they would vote on whether to accept a two-stage 7% wage increase.
Sir Jeremy Beecham, chair of the Local Government Association, said pay negotiations tended to be 'too representative'.
He said:'We have an elaborate machinery that under pressure is inadequate to allow for swift decision-making,' he told the select committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on November 11. 'The machinery does need an overhaul.'
But as the Fire Brigades Union announced that its members would vote on whether to accept a disputed two-stage pay increase, Beecham maintained that it had always been made clear that the full 7% would not be met in November. He said the payment was on the condition of reforms being implemented and their verification by the Audit Commission, which would not begin until January.
'I fear that a minority of people on the trade union side are seeking an opportunity to reopen the issue and sabotage the deal,' he added. 'It was clear all along and we are anxious for the 7% to be paid.'
The employers are offering 3.5% from this month and 3.5% next year. As part of the deal, brokered in June, firefighters are due to receive a 16% package.
Talks between the union and employers have reached stalemate over the issue, which has split the union. The consultative ballot, a postal vote, will be completed in two weeks. If members vote against the staged deal, a ballot for industrial action could follow.
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