14 May 2004
Local government unions have resolved to ratchet up their pay campaign by lobbying chief executives and councillors during the local elections, while balloting their members on the current 7% three-year pay offer.
The annual pay negotiations for 1.3 million town hall workers are at stalemate after unions rejected a six-point pay package, saying it had too many strings.
Peter Allenson, T&G's national secretary for public services, told Public Finance that unions would be lobbying 'leaders, chief executives and candidates' during the local elections. He said unions would be trying to win 'hearts and minds'.
Unions are demanding a 4% annual pay increase as part of their ten-point package.
The unions will be hoping to build on the apparent disquiet among some local authorities, particularly in the Northeast, where they are battling expensive equal pay claims. 'Not all authorities have taken the employers' line,' said a source.
A group of council chief executives are, according to the source, unhappy about the third part of the 7% pay package being dependent on completing expensive pay and grading reviews.
In the meantime, unions will be launching a consultative ballot on the employers' offer, although a timetable and full details of the ballot are yet to be decided. But Allenson and other union leaders do not rule out industrial action.
'If employers are unprepared to move and members reject the offer in the consultative ballot it doesn't leave us much room to move. Industrial action would be one option,' he said.
However, Mike Walker, director of negotiations at the Employers' Organisation, said: 'We still want to reach a negotiated settlement but it is unhelpful for them to do it while a ballot is going on.'
PFmay2004
