by René Lavanchy
YOUNG trade union members in the north west paraded the size of the pay offer to council workers this week in advance of another round of negotiations.
Unison, Unite and the GMB are due to meet with local government employers negotiators on Monday in an attempt to improve the 0.5 per cent pay offer. Unison says it amounts to a rise of just 3p an hour for 150,000 of the lowest-paid staff.
The union released a survey yesterday (Thursday) which it says shows a “crisis in local government” due
to collapsing morale and problems such as assaults on staff. The survey, conducted by Unison and Incomes Data Services, found that 60 per cent of staff thought morale had worsened over the past year, and only half of them would recommend their job to someone else.
In what may reflect the effects of the Baby P scandal, nearly 80 per cent of social workers reported a rise in workload or pressure of work, along with a majority of staff in every sector.
Heather Wakefield, Unison’s head of local government, said: “It is time to finally recognise the vital role local government staff play in our society with better pay.”
