By Richard Johnstone | 14 February 2014
The Local Government Association has today said it will delay its pay offer to council workers until a decision has been reached on the future level of the minimum wage.
A response to the pay claim by three local government trade unions – which have called for a £1.20 per hour pay rise at all wage bands – had been expected by the LGA shortly.
However, it today told Unite, Unison and the GMB unions that no decision would be made until May so the offer could reflect any changes to the National Minimum Wage. The Low Pay Commission is currently reviewing rates, with both Chancellor George Osborne and Business Secretary Vince Cable having called for an above-inflation rise.
Announcing the decision, an LGA spokesman said there was a consensus amongst councils that a pay increase should be offered.
‘However, members of the National Employers side are unable to formally respond to the unions’ pay claim until government has clarified details of this year’s increase to the National Minimum Wage in April,’ he added.
‘The National Employers have agreed to reconvene on May 1 to decide their next steps and the trade unions have been informed of this decision.’
Local government trade unions slammed the delay, which they said would affect 1.6 million workers.
Unison’s head of local government Heather Wakefield said the attitude of council employers towards workers had ‘reached an all-time low’.
She added: ‘Using the National Minimum Wage as an explicit benchmark for our members’ pay, for the first time ever, shows just how little the employers and the government value their amazing contribution to local communities and children in schools. It also shows their disdain for women workers who make up more than three quarters of the workforce.
‘School support staff, library assistants, care workers, clerical assistants and cleaners now find themselves regarded as the lowest skilled and lowest valued in the labour market. It’s a shameful culmination of years of neglect of workers who keep our communities clean and safe, care for our elderly and help our children learn. This shoddy treatment has to end once and for all.’ Unison’s local government committee will meet on February 18 to determine any next steps, she added.
The GMB said the decision to not offer a pay rise would mean unions were entering into dispute with the LGA.
GMB national secretary for public services Brian Strutton said: ‘I have been told that the local government employer representatives have a remit to offer a 1% pay rise from April 1 but that they are holding this back.
‘The reason given is that they first want to see how much the national minimum wage is going up by in October 2014 so that they can deduct this from the 1% pot.’
This showed ‘complete disdain for employees’ he said. ‘GMB and the other unions are entering into dispute with the local government employers and we will be holding a national trade union meeting shortly to determine our next steps. A measly 1%, reduced even further to pay the national minimum wage, will infuriate our members.’
Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail added the Treasury had approved a 1% increase, but employers were now 'playing politics' by waiting until the decision on the minimum wage.
'This is a spurious link and is a disgraceful ploy – it beggars belief,' she said.
'We call on the employers to immediately re-enter negotiations with the staff side unions so that those that keep public services running efficiently on a daily basis receive a decent and fair pay increase.'
