UNISON is already beginning negotiations with the local government employers for the pay claim for next year 2013-14.
After 3 years of a pay freeze local government workers have lost about 13% of their pay. Many local government workers, including North Somerset Council workers earning under £21,000 did not receive the £250 pay increase promised by George Osborne. Inflation has been high over the period of our pay freeze, although is falling currently. Given that councils have had their funding cut it is unlikely that UNISON can negotiate a pay increase to make up for our loss of pay over the last 3 years, unless of course members are prepared to take sustained industrial action. As a result UNISON negotiatiors would like to negotiate A substantial flat rate increase on all scale points as a step towards the longer term objective of restoring pay levels and achieving the Living Wage as the bottom NJC spinal column point and they need UNISON members views on this.
The branch would also like your views on how much that flat rate increase should be? Should it be £500, £1000, £2000 or another figure?
You may also want to consider that almost 20% of North Somerset Council staff earn an hourly rate which is below the living wage, and of these 92% are female and 8% are male. As a result a flat rate increase of £2000 would take all North Somerset Council staff currently earning close to the minimum wage up to the living wage.
Please let us know what you think about a flat rate pay increase, and what that figure should be by emailing the branch office with your response by 30th September: unison@n-somerset.gov.uk
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