Local government staff keep communities safe, clean and accessible, often for little to no recognition.
Since 2010, council and school staff have suffered a 25% real terms pay cut. Across the UK, 900,000 jobs have been lost in local government during the same period – a reduction of more than 30%.
Without dedicated staff, local government will collapse. And without fair pay, councils will continue to struggle to recruit and retain staff.
UNISON, alongside other unions has submitted a claim for a pay increase of £3,000 on all pay points. This would be pro rata’d for part time and term time only staff.
This claim would begin to reverse the pay depletion that members have suffered under.
In addition, the claims asks for:
- A clear plan to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour
- One extra day of annual leave for all staff
- A reduction in the working week by two hours, with no loss of pay
- The ability for school staff to take (at least) one day of their annual leave during term time, with no loss of pay
Local government urgently needs far greater funding from central Government.
The clock is ticking. Every day that passes without substantive action, councils creep closer toward effective bankruptcy, putting the most vulnerable in our society at even more acute risk.
Research shows that if the Government were to fully fund the unions’ pay claim, around half of the money would be recouped through increased tax revenue, reduced expenditure on benefits and tax credits, and increased consumer spending in the local economy.
Contact your elected representatives to ask them to support a fair pay rise and an increase in council funding from central government
Your MP can raise the issue directly with the Treasury and request a debate in Parliament.
Your councillor can raise this issue directly with local government employers and put pressure on them to make a decent pay offer.
Find our campaign graphics here:
Get involved
If your colleagues aren’t members of UNISON already, encourage them to join!
Share our interactive map, showing the scale of cuts to local services across England, Wales and Scotland. Use this tool to email your MP, asking them to support the urgent funding injection that councils so desperately need.
Want to get more involved in this campaign? Contact your branch and ask about becoming a pay campaign contact where you work.
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