by René Lavanchy
UNIONS have cried foul over council bosses’ refusal to improve pay this week, as they met employers’ representatives to discuss the local government pay offer.
Unison, Unite and the GMB union have refused to put to their members a 0.5 per cent offer for this financial year, asking instead for further talks.
The Local Government Association says that the offer, which affects 1.3 million council staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is all it can afford.
However, Unison told Tribune it has obtained figures under the Freedom of Information Act which show that councils have on average budgeted for a pay rise of 2.25 per cent.
A spokesperson said: “There’s money there in the budgets. We’re hoping they might make some allowance to use that money that’s been budgeted.”
The LGA denied more money was available, and said the recession had caused council revenues to dry up. A spokesperson added that jobs were at stake: “If this pay settlement is set too high, there isn’t going to be the cash. As the biggest part of councils’ bills is people… we may have to consider redundancies, which we certainly don’t want to see.”
Employers have set a deadline of June 1 to reach a deal, before they withdraw the offer – leaving no pay rise at all. Negotiations were continuing as Tribune went to press.
Unions are asking for a rise of “at least at the level of retail price inflation”, but have not specified a figure. The LGA regards the claim as currently meaningless.
One local government worker, who asked to remain anonymous, pointed out that this year’s council revenue funding, which is spent on wages, was agreed last year: “What we’ve been allocated for 2009-10 isn’t going to change. There’s no way they could’ve taken it out of this year’s budget.”
Tribune understands that at least one London borough has funds from last year’s budget to award a 2 per cent rise.
