Pay rise on the cards for council staff

Callum Brodie • Published 30 Oct 2008 16:00 0 Comments

Council staff from the Royal Borough who went on strike over low wages have now been promised an interim pay rise.

The trade union UNISON, who represent some of the borough's staff, have now confirmed that a deal has been reached that will see the council workers receive a 2.45% interim pay increase.

But with inflation currently running at around 5% strike leaders maintain that the new agreement may still prove insufficient.

Alan Barwise, licensing and enforcement manager at the Royal Borough, was on strike outside Town Hall. He explained: "We are still very concerned, with inflation up to 5% this new pay rise is effectively a 2.5% decrease, its ridiculous.

"Our argument is that we have been falling behind for the past seven years. This is a very expensive area to live in and the current economic crisis doesn't make things any easier."

Staff can expect to see a slight rise in their pay packet by the end of November, that payment will include the new increase back-dated to April.

The lowest paid council staff will also receive an additional £100 pending an ACAS arbitration.

UNISON chiefs have vowed to continue to work towards a further improved deal for the borough's many council workers, who include social workers, teaching assistants, refuse collectors and dinner ladies.

Heather Wakefield, UNISON Head of Local Government, has welcomed the employers decision to pay the uplift backdated to April but warned that the matter is far from closed.

She said: "With Christmas just around the corner, 2.45% will bring some comfort to local government workers struggling to cope with the rising cost of everyday essentials.

"UNISON believes we have a strong case for a fairer deal for local government staff, which we are taking to ACAS for arbitration, and we are hopeful for an early decision."

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 30 Oct 08

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