Council unions call for end to the pay freeze

Unison, GMB and the Unite unions will lodge their annual pay claim on Tuesday which includes a call for a particular helping hand for struggling low-paid council workers.

The claim includes living wage of £7.20 and a flat-rate £1,000 payment for workers on the lowest wages.

It covers people working in roles from refuse collectors, teaching assistants and social workers to administrators, cleaners, leisure staff and librarians.

Unison regional organiser Dougie Black said: “Families are already struggling to make ends meet and if their pay is frozen for a second year and costs remain high, whole families will be pushed further into poverty.

“Council workers are already suffering from cuts to jobs and services and their terms and conditions are under attack at local level.

“To make matters worse, the £250 promised by the government to soften the blow of a pay freeze for the lowest paid has been denied to local government workers.”

GMB trade union side secretary Alex McLuckie added council workers had been getting “too little for too long.”

“Council staff remain some of the lowest-paid workers in the public service,” he said.

“It’s high time these workers were recognised for the vital work they do by getting a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”

And Unite’s Jackson Cullinane said the unions’ pay claim was “fair and affordable and will make a big difference to low-paid workers who have been bearing the brunt of government cuts for too long.”

Eleven councils already pay their staff the living wage and six councils have confirmed they will pay it from April this year, while another two have indicated their intention to introduce the living wage.

louise@peoples-press.com