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- 2008
- Employers and unions agree arbitration terms
- Council staff to receive 2008/09 pay rise
- Healey announces support for councils to deliver equal pay
- 84,000 council staff strike on second day of action
- Survey reveals 100,000 council workers strike
- Only 611 schools closed by strike, according to LGA survey
- Council pay offer remains the final offer
- Less than a quarter of council workers set to strike - LGA survey
- Response to Unison vote for strike on council pay
- NUT should 'pause for thought' before embarking on strike action - council leaders
- Employers make final pay offer to local government unions
- NUT should take a pause for thought before strike action - council leaders
- LGE submit formal pay offer to unions
- Any council worker pay deal must balance taxpayer needs, affordability and attractiveness of local government
- Councils striving for equal pay for its workforce
Less than a quarter of council workers set to strike - LGA survey
15 July 2008
A snapshot survey of more than 150 councils has revealed that less than a quarter of local government workers are set to take part in strikes called by unions later this week.
The Local Government Association has contacted 157 council HR departments from across the country. The survey has shown less than a quarter – 24.78% – of employees are expected to take industrial action on July 16 and 17.
If this was replicated across the country, around 325,000 out of 1.3 million council workers affected by the dispute will take part in strike action on Wednesday and Thursday.
The survey found that the three local government services most likely to be affected by the strike are refuse collection, schools and adult social care.
Local Government Employers has written to Unison and Unite to urge them to reconsider taking strike action which will adversely affect those who can ill-afford it. The letter makes clear that the employers’ side remains committed to creative, constructive and ambitious discussions about the terms and conditions of local government staff – but that the offer on the table for this year’s pay settlement remains the final offer.
Jan Parkinson, Managing Director of the Local Government Employers, said:
“It is disappointing that the unions are taking council employees out on strike when only a small minority of their membership voted for industrial action. Strikes will not change the fact that our last offer was our final offer.
“The settlement on the table is affordable for the council taxpayer and will also make sure that local government continues to be an attractive place to work.
“If the pay settlement is any higher, then councils will be forced to make the unpalatable choice between cutting frontline services and laying off staff. Neither unions nor employers want to see this happen.”
Notes to editor:
LGA contacted 157 councils by telephone from all regions of England, and in Wales and Northern Ireland. Out of the 177,838 workers affected in those councils which were able to respond, 44,072 are expected to take industrial action (24.78%). There are around 1.3 million staff affected by this pay dispute, meaning 325,000 are expected to take industrial action. Around a further 300,000 staff at 40 councils are not affected at all. This means out of a total local government workforce of 1.6 million, around 20% are expected to strike.
The survey was conducted between July 8 and July 14.
A copy of the letter sent to the unions by the employers is below:
To:
Heather Wakefield, UNISON
Peter Allenson, Unite
Dear Heather and Peter
I thought it would be helpful to write confirming the position of the National Employers in relation to this year’s pay negotiations.
The employers recognise that local government workers are affected by the current difficult economic climate. However the economic climate also affects councils and council tax payers and the offer of 2.45% is therefore fair and at the limit of what we can afford. We have consistently stated from the point at which the offer was made that it is our final offer and will not be increased. That said, our offer also included the proposal to increase the bottom three pay points by 3.3% largely to recognise the position of our lowest paid workers.
The offer also made clear the employers’ strong desire to hold serious and meaningful discussions with the trade unions about the wider modernisation agenda as it relates to our workforce. We want to develop and agree with you a framework of employment for local government employees that recognises the aspirations of your members as well as our needs as employers. Whilst we will continue to operate within a tight financial climate, these discussions need to consider a range of issues including those contained within your claim for this year and the employers want to talk on the basis of nothing being ruled in or out. We believe that a combination of creative, constructive and ambitious yet realistic talking will enable us to jointly agree a new employment era for councils and the people they employ.
We would like those discussions to begin as soon as possible and would urge you to reconsider your decision to take strike action on 16 and 17 July not least because it will adversely affect those who can ill-afford it and will not result in an improved offer on pay for 2008 from the employers.
ENDS
See also: Employer responses to industrial action
LGE have prepared FAQs on issues relating to the industrial action planned by UNISON for 16/17 July
You must be an LGE subscriber or registered local authority user to access this guidance.
If after accessing the advice, you still have an unanswered query, please direct this to our dedicated email query line strikequeries@lge.gov.uk. Please do not direct your queries to individual LGE officers.
The proposed strike affects only local authorities whose employees have been balloted for industrial action. Therefore, due to the volume of enquiries, LGE will reply to requests for information received from local authority employers only. Such email requests must originate from a recognised local authority email address, containing the name, job title and contact telephone number of the officer making the request.
The LGE as an employers organisation will reply only to local government employers on this issue and not to individual employees.