 Pay
Update December 2008
Pay review as dispute comes to an end and
councils pay out in December pay packets
The local government pay dispute finally reached an end in November
as UNISON members in Scotland's councils voted by a narrow majority
to accept a two year pay deal worth 3% for 2008 and 2.5% for 2009.
For a history of the Pay 2008 Campaign, click on the links below:
Members of the other two unions, GMB and Unite rejected the offer,
however, many councils have moved to pay out the rise in December
pay packets.
 "The
strike action taken on 20 August and 24 September was successful
in improving the offer, thanks to the strong support from our members
and the tremendous work done locally by branches. Our thanks go
to all those who supported this campaign," said Bob Revie, Branch
Secretary.
"However, the closeness of the result is a clear message that our
members remain unhappy with the pay offer achieved, and we need
to look at what we can learn from the whole process."
December's Scottish Local Government Conference has set up a working
group to conduct a full review of the pay campaign and strategy
and to identify any lessons to be learned.
The working group will include four members of the Local Government
Committee and three local government delegates who were not directly
involved in the negotiations.
The group will make an interim report in February and will present
their findings to the April 2009 Conference. The review will look
at all aspects of the pay strategy including the pay claim itself,
the joint union campaign, and an analysis of communication and leadership
issues.
It will also look at the implications for collective bargaining
of the "imposition" of the pay rise by many councils. Branches have
already been invited to contribute their own experiences of the
pay campaign to the review.
"The wide consultation and the range of participants on the review
group will ensure the fullest possible consideration of what worked
well and what we need to improve on and will help us determine how
best to take forward the 2010 pay campaign," said Kate Ramsden,
Branch Chair.
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