16 January 2009
By David Scott
The number of bodies involved in local government pay negotiations in Scotland should be reduced, the head of the council employers’ organisation has told MSPs.
Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s finance committee on January 13, Joe di Paola, who leads pay negotiations on behalf of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said there was a case for streamlining the negotiating set-up.
There are currently five separate negotiating groups. The main one is the Scottish Joint Council, which covers most local government employees, but there are also groups for chief officials, teachers, craft workers and police staff.
Di Paola told the committee, which is conducting an inquiry into public sector pay: ‘I would like to get more clarity into the bargaining arrangements and, frankly, my ambition would be to reduce the number of bargaining units we currently have.’
He also called for more clarity and consensus in the process following problems experienced by the SJC, which represents the employers and the three local government unions.
Following a ballot, Unison recently accepted a 3% backdated pay offer for 2008/09 and 2.5% for 2009/10 – but the offer was rejected by the two other unions involved, GMB and Unite.
As disclosed in Public Finance on December 19, the impasse resulted in almost all the 32 councils in Scotland deciding individually to pay the award despite the lack of an official collective agreement.
A Cosla spokesman said pay bargaining could be brought ‘under a single umbrella’ provided there was union agreement.
PFjan2009
