23 March 2007
Local government unions have rejected the employers' 2% pay offer as 'paltry, insulting and demeaning'.
Unison, GMB and the T&G are seeking a 5% or £1,000 pay increase and have refused to even put the 2% offer to members, sending the Local Government Employers organisation back to council leaders for a reassessment.
Unison's head of local government Heather Wakefield said: 'This is effectively a pay cut. With today's inflation rates going up to 4.6% and living costs rising much faster than council workers' pay, millions of workers are being pushed closer to the breadline.'
She added: 'Our members are angry – 70% of employers have failed to complete on pay and grading reviews promised by the end of this month [and] the review of the Local Government Pension Scheme has yet to be completed.'
Brian Baldwin, chair of the employers' side in the negotiations said: 'if the pay settlement is set too high then local authorities will have to make unpleasant choices between cutting frontline services and laying off staff.'
PFmar2007
