Dozens of staff in Woodhill House and Gordon House showed pride in being a public service worker by signing up to UNISON’s “Worth It” campaign.
Branch activists, some dressed as key council workers, such as school crossing patrol staff and road workers, held events in Woodhill House on 26th March and Gordon House on 27th March as part of the TUC Fair Pay fortnight, to highlight the very important work that public service workers do, and to remind staff that they are worth decent pay, terms and conditions, and that Aberdeenshire residents are worth decent public services.
They also thanked UNISON members for the work they do for the people of Aberdeenshire, by giving out UNISON cupcakes.
Inez Teece, Branch Secretary said, “It was great to see that so many people working for the council, were keen to sign up to say that “We ARE worth it!”
“Public services have taken a beating as a result of government cuts. Jobs have been lost and our members are working harder than ever to provide good quality services to the people of Aberdeenshire.
“We wanted to give a message to all staff that the job they do is essential and worth decent pay. We also wanted to say a big thank you to our UNISON members for all the hard work that they do.”
Inez added, “We are very pleased that Aberdeenshire Council has heeded our calls, and is now paying the Living Wage to all council staff. We are now calling on the council to spread the Living Wage wider, to include our members in the Community Sector, as part of the procurement process.”
Kate Ramsden, Branch Chair said, “The latest labour market statistics show that inflation is still rising around twice as fast as average weekly earnings and so the household budgets of many of our members are still tightly squeezed. Even if wages start to pick up, the real pay gap that has opened up looks set to take years to close.
“In contrast, top pay is increasing rapidly, demonstrating that we are far from all being in this together.”