A
national strike by council workers is looming after pay talks between unions
and local government employers broke down last week.
Employers
tabled a proposed 7 per cent pay increase over three years, but unions
dismissed it, saying the offer would not deliver decent pay to local public
service workers.
The
unions involved – Unison, the Transport and General Workers’ Union and the GMB
– want a one-year deal worth 4 per cent to all workers, and the abolition of
the three bottom rungs on the pay ladder.
This
would bring the minimum wage in local government up to £6 per hour –
significantly above the £4.85 National Minimum Wage which is expected to be
announced by Gordon Brown in this week’s Budget.
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Mike
Walker, chief negotiator for local government, said he was very disappointed
the unions had failed to take the offer seriously, and that employers were
looking for a way to explore union demands.
He
said affordability was a crucial issue, but the unions had to appreciate this
would have to be funded by council tax rises.
