However, whether LG unions will accept remains to be seen. Has Waverley budgeted for such a large increase?
However hard we tried here at the WW, we could find no mention of the pay award in ‘Your Waverley’s council papers.
Finding any information is becoming more complex.
Could someone tell us how the Voluntary Sector fared in this year’s grant round?
Council employees have been offered a pay increase of £1,290, which is 5.77% of the lowest paid, from 1 April 2024.
The offer means the lowest paid (currently earning £22,366 per annum) would have increased their pay by £5,323 (almost 30%) over the three years since 2021. For those at the top of the pay spine, an offer of 2.5% has been made.
Unite, Unison, and GMB, representing 1.4 million councils and school staff in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, submitted a pay claim of “£3,000 or 10%, whichever is higher” to the National Employers in February. The unions also said that council staff had seen 25% of their pay wiped from the value since 2010.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “On the face of it, the deal looks disappointing – a cash lump sum of £1,290 equating to just 5.7 % for the lowest paid.
“The LGA rejected our claims for a shorter working week, additional days’ leave and a commitment to work towards a minimum of £15 an hour.”
Ms Harrison added that GMB would consult its local government and school committees to decide its position on the offer before balloting all members.
Mike Short, head of local government at Unison, said:
“Council and school staff deserve a decent pay rise for the vital support they provide to communities. But this offer falls short of the union’s reasonable claim.
“Many workers will feel let down because their household bills continue to rise. Unison will consult representatives over the coming days before deciding the next steps.”
Tim Roca, (Lab) chair of the National Employers for Local Government, said:
“The National Employers are acutely aware of the additional pressure this year’s offer will place on already hard-pressed council finances, as it would need to be paid for from existing budgets. However, given the wider economic backdrop, they believe their offer is fair to employees.”
Clare Keogh, Unite officer for local government: “It is disappointing that once again this pay offer has been made without prior negotiation with Unite and sister unions and without meaningful collective bargaining. Unite will be taking this offer to our members later this month but a below inflation pay rise for many of our members is not one that inspires optimism nor reflects the hard work and dedicated service of our members in local government.”
This pay award is a disgrace and will put even more pressure on the already overheated luxury homes market, not to mention increasing sales of top of the range SUVs. Wouldn’t be surprised if Charterhouse haven’t had to employ more staff on their admissions team.