Cosla, the local government employer, has made a two-stage offer which runs for 18 months, which gives a 2.2% increase for the first six months and an additional 2% for a further 12 months of the deal, ending in September next year.
UNISON local government committee has decided that this offer falls short and is recommending staff vote to reject it. Your e-vote on council pay will be emailed to you on Thursday 30 May
UNISON is calling for an improvement to pay that fairly rewards council staff for the essential services they provide and starts to reverse years of pay cuts they have experienced.
he key points of the pay offer:
• 2.2% from 1/4/24
• Further 2% from 1/10/24
• The offer would effectively amount to an average percentage uplift 3.22%, over the period April 2024 to March 2025.
• Change settlement date to 1st October
• Agree to develop negotiation protocol
• New SJC Pay Year October 2024 – September 2025
The working groups on the roadmap to £15 per hour, reduction in the working week and professional fees will continue
E-vote on council pay
The consultative ballot on this pay offer will run from the 30 May 2024 and close on 13 June 2024. Please look out for your unique email. UNISON local government committee is recommending staff vote to reject.
Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Colette Hunter said: “The offer falls short of the level local government workers deserve and the union is recommending staff vote to reject it when they are consulted next week.
“Workers have seen the value of their pay fall over the past ten years, while often being asked to do even more. They provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, waste and recycling, and keeping people safe. Council workers need a pay rise that reflects this.”
Pay Claim
UNISON Scotland has called for a above-inflation pay increase for local government workers as it submitted its 2024/25 joint pay claim.
The unions – UNISON and Unite – submitted the claim earlier this year. UNISON made it clear we want a deal agreed as close to the April 1, 2024 implementation date as possible.
Local government workers are continuing to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis and UNISON has warned there is a real risk that workers will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere if their pay continues to lose its value.
UNISON says that an above-inflation pay increase is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public, looking after the most vulnerable, giving children the education they need and keeping neighbourhoods safe.
The key elements of UNISON’s claim
- A one-year settlement that runs for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Read the full pay offer - For those on the lowest pay – an above-inflation increase in line with the aspiration, agreed with UNISON in November 2023, to achieve implementation of a minimum rate of pay for all local government workers of £15 per hour by 1 April 26.
- An increase of 7% to all spinal column points (or an increase of £1.60 to the hourly rate whichever is greater) and related allowances.
- Urgent progress to be made on how we achieve a no detriment reduction in the working week to enable members to achieve a better work-life balance.
- A review of the scope and level of the Distant Islands Allowance.
- No less than parity with other local government bargaining groups.
You can read the claim in full here.
Lilian Macer, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “An above-inflation wage rise is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public. Unless councils and schools can pay competitive rates, employees will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere and new recruits will be thin on the ground.
“Our members tell us how every day how they are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and how they are struggling to make ends meet. Local government workers must be properly rewarded for the vital services they provide.”
Union and Cosla joint letter
UNISON have signed a joint letter with Cosla and other unions to the Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison MSP, saying it is clear to both employers and unions “that funding levels for councils have not kept pace with increased demand for services.”
They say “Local Government is facing a cut in real terms to both core revenue and capital budgets. As a proportion of funding allocated to the Scottish Budget, the percentage for local government has declined.”
And that “this is impacted by both the growing need of services due to demographic pressures and the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
It is in everyone’s interest to achieve a sustainable settlement on pay at the earliest opportunity. The letter states: “Scottish Local Government settlements must be sustainable alongside the significant budget challenges facing councils and it is vital that the approach to our workforce is fair, acknowledging the essential front-line services that are delivered every day.”