UNISON Scotland comment on local government pay offer

UNISON Scotland is set to consult members on a pay offer for local government workers.

Dougie Black, Joint Trade Union Side Secretary, said that today’s offer from COSLA will be discussed initially at a conference in Glasgow next Friday (30 Nov).

He said: “The offer was made to us at a meeting of the joint secretaries which was not a negotiating meeting.

“The employers are offering a 1% pay increase from April 1 2013, a one year settlement. That is no real surprise given government pay policy.

“They have also made an offer to apply what they call a Scottish Local Government Living Wage of £7.50 per hour from April 1 2013.

“We welcome the fact they have made an offer on the Living Wage as this has been part of our claim for the last couple of years. We would need to discuss with the employers their proposals for implementation and the details of how it would apply.”

Stephanie Herd, Chair of the union’s Local Government Committee, said: “We have a local government conference on Friday next week. We will ask delegates how they want to consult members over the next few weeks. We would then expect to take the results of that consultation back to the employers in the New Year.”

What are you doing for Fair Pay Day?

Let us know... UNISON North Lanarkshire Branch is launching the campaign at the Civic Centre at 1pm. West Dunbartonshire Branch is launching at the Council's Garshake Offices at 12 noon. South Lanarkshire is collecting signatures at the Council's HQ building support for and end to the Pay Freeze. Edinburgh has launched a quiz to test members' knowledge of the case for Fair Pay with an Android Tablet as a prize. Keep the news coming in!

Campaign for Fair Pay and a Living Wage

#undc12 Scotland speakers were to the fore as Local Government Conference threw its wage behind a wide ranging strategy to challenge pay restraint, reject regional pay and campaign for fair pay and a living wage of £7.20 an hour. See full story and pics at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/conf2012/lgstory2.htm

Fair Pay Day Scotland 27 June

FAIR PAY DAY is on Wednesday 27 June. An invite to this will be sent out on Facebook. Help to build this by inviting your friends on FB to it as well. Every member of UNISON, GMB and Unite can help to make this day a success by helping to distribute leaflets and stickers. We will be launching our Fair Pay for Council Workers petition and asking every member and their friends and families to sign up.

Five reasons why we need a Fair Pay campaign

Get UNISON pay leaflets at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/localgovt/pay2012/index.html

1. It's a pay cut, not a pay freeze
Our members know the true cost of pay cuts: they don't give up a luxury, they struggle to afford a necessity. Local government workers are facing the second year of a pay freeze at a time when inflation averaged 5%, food prices have been going up by 7% a year and energy prices by 15%. And the people on the lowest grades suffer most as they spend more of their income on these necessities.

It’s time for fair pay’ say unions as they lodge pay claim for local government workers

It’s time for fair pay’. That was the message from Scotland’s local government unions today (Tuesday, May 8) as they lodged their annual pay claim on behalf of council workers in a bid to end the continued pay freeze.

UNISON, GMB and Unite unions are calling for a Living Wage of £7.20 to be implemented in councils across the country. The unions are also calling for a £1,000 flat payment for workers; inclusive of £500 for this year and £500 for last year.