Dear Members,
New year, new pay offer!
On the 19th December COSLA tabled a revised and improved pay offer which your Local Government Committee is recommending you accept in this consultative ballot…..
You can read the employer’s offer letter here. COSLA is now proposing an offer which covers a three year period, from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2021. If agreed the award for 2018 will be backdated to the 1 April 2018 application date. They key elements of the offer are:
- 2018/19 – an increase of 3.5 per cent for everyone earning up to £80,000 (for those earning above this a flat rate of £1600 will apply).
- 2019/20 – an increase of 3 per cent.
- 2020/21 – an increase of 3 per cent.
- In each of these three years the Scottish Local Government Living Wage will rise by the percentage uplift referred to above.
- Full consolidation of the Living Wage, with Councils aiming to achieve this by March 2021. In exceptional circumstances, and where agreed with the Joint Trade Unions, an extension to this can be agreed, which will incorporate a firm commitment of a final implementation date for consolidation of 2022.
- Reaffirmation of COSLA’s policy statement on pay parity across the Local Government workforce.
- A commitment to re-open negotiations with the Joint Trade Unions in the event of another Local Government bargaining group’s total pay offer value being revised such that it becomes greater than the sum agreed between COSLA Employers and the SJC Trade Unions for the SJC workforce for the period of the agreement.
In recommending this offer to you the Local Government Committee were mindful that:
- Significant progress has been made in negotiations with the employer – key elements of the revised offer, such as the commitment to full consolidation of the living wage, were not a feature of either of the two preceding offers.
- Whilst the offer does not meet all aspects of the claim it makes progress in all areas of it. If the offer is rejected we would have to proceed with a statutory ballot for industrial action.
- The progress made has been as a direct result of the campaign that we have built and all of the actions you have taken as part of that throughout the year.
- The cost of living increases proposed are in excess of the current and predicted inflation (RPI) rates for the duration of the offer.
- The principle of parity across the local government bargaining groups is reaffirmed. The additional funds provided by the Scottish Government to fund the review of the Teachers’ main grade have been matched by the additional cost of the improved offer to you in 2018/19 and the additional costs that Councils will incur due to the commitment to consolidate the Scottish Living Wage. There is the commitment to re-open negotiations with the trade unions in the event of another local government bargaining group’s total pay offer value being revised such that it becomes greater than the sum agreed between COSLA Leaders and the SJC Trade Unions. The current cost of living offer to Teachers unions is 3% for each year 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21.
Please vote now to accept the offer.
You can vote by copying the following link into your inernet browser (some members may have received email with link already!)
http://unison.tfaforms.net/56
Alternatively, you can vote via UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857.
You can read our full Frequently Asked Questions here or contact us on 01698 276291.