By Marino Donati | 14 November 2014
Members of all three local government unions have voted to accept a two-year pay deal from the Local Government Association, resolving a dispute that had seen workers take strike action.
Image © iStock
The vote of Unison, GMB and Unite members ends a row over pay for local government and school support workers after the LGA initially offered only a 1% pay increase for most workers in 2014/15.
Following a strike on July 10 and a threatened further strike last month, the LGA made an improved offer of a 2.2% increase on local government pay grades, known as spinal column points, 11 and above across the period from next January to March 31 2016. One-off lump sum payments would also be made.
GMB national secretary Brian Strutton said that 1.5 million council workers and school staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had taken a pragmatic decision to accept a two-year deal which is worth around 2.35% on average and up to 9.6% for the lowest paid.
‘That puts the 2014 pay dispute to bed but there are still serious financial challenges ahead for local government services and our members who provide them,’ he said.
Unison head of local government Heather Wakefield said that the union would continue to campaign for the Living Wage to become the minimum rate of pay in local government and for a commensurate increase for all other NJC employees.
Responding to the vote, an LGA spokesman said: ‘After a protracted dispute, we are pleased that an agreement with the unions has now been reached.
‘Our hardworking employees, who have worked wonders while councils have been tackling the biggest cuts in living memory, have been waiting since April for an agreement. Today’s breakthrough is good news for them.’
