Pay Update 9 April 2008
Scotland's local government unions say no
to three-year pay offer and call on members to reject.
On 9th April, UNISON along with the other two unions representing
Scotland's Local Government workers (GMB and Unite (T&G)) rejected
a three-year pay offer from CoSLA, the Local Government employers.
Negotiators have managed improve the original offer from 2.2%,
then to 2.3% and recently to 2.5%. But 2.5% in each of the next
three years is still not good enough.
The unions will now call on their members in Local Government
to reject the employers' offer in a full consultation.
The CoSLA offer given in early March, spanned three years, proposing
rises of 2.5% in 2008, 2.5% in 2009 and a further 2.5% in 2010.
The trade unions have been taking soundings from their members on
this offer. Last November the unions submitted a pay claim looking
for a rise of £1,000 or 5% in 2008.
 Dougie
Black of UNISON Scotland, who is the trade union side secretary,
said: "All three trade unions have rejected the employers' offer.
There is a great deal of anger at the employers' insistence on a
3 year deal and their continuing refusal to agree a re-opener clause
linked to inflation. The offer is already less than inflation, and
without a re-opener clause our members are being asked to buy a
pig in a poke."
 Bob
Revie, Branch Chair and Vice-Chair of the Scottish Local Government
Committee said, "The Scottish Local Government Conference on
4th April voted overwhelmingly for a rejection of this offer because
it does not meet the aspirations of our members and because it ties
us in to a 3 year deal when we cannot possibly know what inflation
might do over that time. Representatives of branches across Scotland
gave a commitment to campaign for rejection of this offer in a full
consultation with members."
"Councillors should be aware that our members are serious about
this offer being unacceptable," added Dougie. "CoSLA have
said they want to make 'efficiency savings so they can reinvest
in services. One of those investments should be in the workforce
that delivers these services. If you want first class public services,
if you want the sick and elderly cared for, your children well-educated
and protected and your streets clean and safe, cutting the pay of
public sector workers is the wrong way to go about it."
Alec McLuckie, Senior Organiser of GMB Scotland said: "Clearly
rejection of this offer places us on a course for industrial action,
and all three trade unions recognise the need to coordinate a joint
campaign supported by campaigning materials and briefings outlining
our concerns with the offer."
Jimmy Farrelly, Senior Organiser of Unite (T&G Scottish section)
said: "The offer doesn't approach the current rate of inflation,
let alone begin to catch up the loss staff have suffered over recent
years and it skews the pay scales, increasing the gap between higher
and lower paid - for our lowest paid workers the increase after
3 years is around 50p! This is effectively a pay cut."
Notes:
1) There are around 220,000 local government staff in Scotland.
2) The unions have also submitted pay claims for local government
workers elsewhere in the UK calling for a similar rise. Both have
as a key element, increases to provide low paid members with a living
wage. (Flat rate claims of £1,000 per year (in Scotland) or 50p
an hour (elsewhere).
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